Heart and Soul Nebulae

29. Oct. 2024

Gear used

• Telescope: Redcat 51u
• Filter: Optolong L-enhance
• Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC pro
• Guidescope: Uniguide 32
• Guidecamera: ZWO ASI220MM Mini
• Mount: Skywatcher Star Adventurer GTI
• Controls: ASIAIR Plus

Data collected

• Sky: Bortle 4 to 5
• Lights: 330 x 120s
• Biases: 30
• Darks: 30
• Flats: 28

The Heart and Soul of the Cosmos

This is the first narrowband image I have ever created. Since this target has a high surface brightness, the addition of a narrowband filter resulted in excellent data to work with. In addition to the filter, I used Siril to separate the Ha and OIII signals from my color data during stacking, giving me greater control over the processing. This separation allowed me to stretch the OIII and Ha individually, enhancing the final image. After processing each signal, I recombined the data along with some HOO stars. I chose a color palette that I haven’t seen used often, but I think the pink-purpleish look suits this target very well.