M27 - Planetary Nebula in Vulpecula

Image Details:


Full Resolution Cropped Image		 M27 Thumbnail M27 LRGB - September 10th, 1999 - DDP processing on luminance layer

Click Thumbnail for full sized image (400x400, 89KB). Click here to compare with my first attempt to image M27 with the same scope and my ST-7E camera. This image was an RGB and not an LRGB.
 Telescope Takahashi FS-128 at F/8
 Mount Astrophysics 900
 Camera Class 1 NABG ST-8E, Second cooling stage enabled (all images taken at -18C).
Camera Control Software MaximDL/CCD 2.02
 Location My light poluted yard in San Jose, California
 Date September 10, 1999
 Sky Conditions Poor transparency (hazy), moderate seeing.
 Exposures R=10 min(1x10 min), G=13.5 min(1x13.5 min), B=22 min(1x22 min), Lum=50 min (10x5 min - with IR filter on).
 Image Resolution All images were taken at 1530x1020, then cropped to 400x400
 Processing All frames were corrected with bias, dark, and flat field frames. MaximDL was used to register and stretch (linear) the RGB images in ratio R=1:G=1:B=1. The luminance layer was processed wth DDP set at 19% with the "mid-level" parameter increased a bit. Before doing the final combination, color balancing, and cleanup with Photoshop 5, the luminance layer was stretched with 12-bits instead of 16 to not burn out the color of the stars to white.