IC1396 with 490EX and TMB92L, Halpha

[ajk]

Hi,
I'm new to this forum. Last night, the clouds finally parted enough to give me a chance to use my new 490EX for the first time. My target last night was IC1396, The Elephant Trunk Nebula. I ran into a number of auto-guiding issues with the new imaging train (camera, filter-wheel, OAG, Lodestar, focal reducer) that limited my capture time to 130 minutes of Ha data. I'm looking forward to more breaks in the clouds over the next few days to add some SII and OIII data.

Acquisition Data:
Instrument: TMB 92L Refractor + WO AFR-IV (effective focal length of 417mm);
Mount: Sphinx SXD w/NexSXD + Celestron NexRemote
Camera: Atik 490EX Mono, SXUSBFW+OAG, Lodestar
Exposure: Ha: 4 x 900s, 14 x 300s (130 minutes)
Processing: PixInsight, Photoshop CS5, Noel Carboni Photoshop Actions

Link to full resolution image:
http://kreisler.zenfolio.com/p986019179/e69a917dd

Thanks,  Austin

[ajk]

I've added SII and OIII to the previous Ha image.

Instrument: TMB 92L Refractor + WO AFR-IV (effective focal length of 417mm);
Mount: Sphinx SXD w/NexSXD + Celestron NexRemote
Camera: Atik 490EX Mono, SXUSBFW+OAG, Lodestar
Exposure: Ha: 4 x 900s, 14 x 300s (130 minutes), SII: 12 x 300s, OIII: 15x300s
Processing: PixInsight, Photoshop CS5, Noel Carboni Photoshop Actions
Date: 9/3/2013 & 9/6/2013

Link to full resolution image:
http://kreisler.zenfolio.com/p986019179/e71a36b8b
Thanks,  Austin

[MikeM]

Two very nice images Austin. My only comment re the final image is that there appears to be a hint of too much green. While I have not processed many Hubble type images so by no means an expert, my comment comes from viewing others of the same image. I also totally understand that processing in NB is quite subjective at times.

[ajk]

Mike,

Thanks for the feedback. I tried using the PixInsight SCNR function to reduce the green cast without upsetting the overall color balance. Let me know what you think.

Thanks,  Austin

[MikeM]

Hi Austin, I think that is a marked improvement. A very nicely processed image. As you know the color adjustments need only be subtle to make a big difference. Nice work!