Astronomical League

AstroRVing

Capturing light in the dark on the road

Gallery Messier Objects EQ6-R Pec StarNet++ Subscribe

IC 1848 Soul Nebula

Putnam, Ontario, Canada

  • Mount: Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro
  • Optics: William Optics Zenithstar 81
  • Focal Length: 559mm
  • Flattener: FLAT 6AIII .80 @ 447mm
  • Filter: Optolong L-eNhance Light Pollution
  • Camera: ZWO ASI294MC Pro
  • Guide Camera: ZWO 120mm Mini
  • Guide Scope: WO f/4 50mm
  • Lights: 20
  • Darks: 45
  • Gain: 120, Offset: 10, Temp: -10C
  • Exposure: 180 secs x 20 exposures = total 1 hour
  • Software: SharpCap Pro, NINA, PHD2, Cartes du Ciel, DSS, PS
  • Bortle Class: 4

Original Stack

This is what the original looked like after stacking 20 light frames (3 min subs) with 45 dark frames in DSS.
You can barely make out the red portion of the nebula.

Photoshop Version

This is the processed version from Photoshop.

Starless Version

I exported a tif and used StarNet++ to remove the stars so I could further process the nebula without affecting the the color of the stars. I use the stand-along version of StarNet++ and followed these instructions I found on CloudyNights to install it on my MacBook. Below is the starless version after removing all the stars.

Final Image

I then opened up the starless version in Photoshop and layered it on top of the processed layer. I adjusted the starless layer opacity until I liked how it looked. The results are below with the combined starless (layered) and processed final version.



Copyright © 2024 Dave Morrison Photography