When I imaged
M33 in 2021 it was my first project with the L-Pro filter, I had only just started guiding, and at 8 hours it was the most integration time I'd collected on a single target. One year later, this M33 is another milestone in integration time at over 22 hours, including 8 hours H-alpha data collected with the L-eXtreme filter.
Collecting the H-alpha data was the easy part - I had two clear nights and captured a record 4 hours each night (I have a kid and a day-job). Intermittent high-altitude clouds and poor seeing made collecting my goal of 8 extra broadband hours nearly impossible, so I had to settle for 6 additional hours to incorporate with last year's data. Oh well!
I had some trouble with colour calibration while processing (PCC in Siril didn't work very well) until I came across a presentation by
@Debra Ceravolo on YouTube (
Astro Imaging 10 Years Later). In it, she mixes a small amount of the H-alpha data with the red channel (25%), and while her example was a nebula and included SII and OIII data, I found that adding the Ha and applying levels afterwards reduced some of the reddish haze in the core without diminishing the H-alpha regions. I used several other methods to blend the H-alpha into the broadband, as well. Maybe it's a bit overemphasized, but I really wanted to see what was possible.
I'm happy with the result, and I hope you enjoy it as well!
Comments