This is my latest version of M16, the Eagle nebula.  Last year I shot this area with my small Tak FSQ85 on travel rig and only for a total of 6 hours of integration time.  This dataset was was acquired with the large TOA-150 Tak refractor on my remote rig deployed at SRO in California.  This version represents a total of three times more integration time at nearly twice the aperture.    

This was a gap-filler project that I shot in-between broadband projects over the entire course of July.  All of the frames were acquired with the moon above the horizon and on nights with less than ideal seeing conditions.  This nebula stays rather low on the southern horizon which means shooting through a lot of atmosphere which in turn is refracting all of that moonlight.  While the data was a little noisy, the frames were of surprisingly good quality.

I wanted do do something different with this one rather than the standard SHO pallet.  The goal in processing this image was to create a beautiful scene that draws you in.  I spent quite a bit of time practicing various color blending techniques attempting to bring in as broad of a spectrum of color as possible while imparting a 3D feel.   This is the solution that I ultimately settled on, and I hope you like the result.

Also known as the Star Queen nebula, to me this looks like a smoke monster with open arms enticing you to enter into a fantastical new world.  There is quite a bit of interesting detail in the center region of the image of you click on it and zoom in.

The Nebula is located about 5,700 light years away, relatively nearby in our galactic neighborhood.  It was made famous by the Hubble telescope's iconic image of "The Pillars of Creation" which is visible in the center of the image.  The famous Hubble image has captured the imaginations of tens of millions of people over the years and probably influenced the life trajectories of many.

Hope you enjoy.