M106 (LHaRGB) - 12 April 2021

[geoflewis]

After weeks of crap weather or clear skies only when the Moon was up, I finally managed to finish my first image since January. It is an LHaRGB image of the intermediate spiral galaxy M106 in Canes Venatici. I started the project in March in the run up to 1st Qtr Moon, but the ~8 hours of LRGB data that I captured proved unusable, so I shot all that again over the past week, or so. The Ha data captured in March seemed to survive ok despite the bright Moon, so I've used that. Total integration is just over 15.5 hours, comprising L=31x10m, Ha=19x15m, R=24x5m, G+B=22x5m each.

Processing was all done in ImagesPlus, with Registar used to accuratrely align the 5 stacked channel images, before building the final colour image which also done in ImagesPlus.

 

 

This was a very tricky image to process, with countless iterations at various stages of the process for both the luminance and colour images, before combining them with 4 completed versions, of which the above is a layered combination of V2 and V4, so really V5....!! I really struggled to reveal the galaxy's outer halo whilst trying to control the noise in the background. I had both more crunchy and much softer versions, but have settled on this combiation one - at least for now.

Thanks for looking.

Edited April 14, 2021 by geoflewis
replaced image with a blended comination of previous versions

[PeterBolt]

Lovely detail, great image 👍

[geoflewis]

2 minutes ago, PeterBolt said:

Lovely detail, great image 👍

Thanks Peter, much appreciated.

[Padraic M]

That's a great rendition Geof. I particularly like the outer skirts especially to the top left, and the Ha knots really shine. It's a much more extensive galaxy than it seems at first sight.

Edited April 14, 2021 by Padraic M

[geoflewis]

1 minute ago, Padraic M said:

That's a great rendition Geof. I particularly like the outer skirts especially to the top left, and the Ha knots really shine. It's a much more extensive galaxy than it seems at first sight.

Thanks Padraic, I appreciate the feedback. It certainly is a much larger galaxy that I thought from my only previous attempt at it back in 2014, with a DSLR camera and 10" Meade SCT. I had to go for a diagnal look to be sure to get it all in - a bit like many (me included) image M31...!!

[AstronomyUkraine]

Very nice image, and not easy to process. It a nice widefield target too, with the other galaxies in close proximity.

[geoflewis]

1 minute ago, AstronomyUkraine said:

Very nice image, and not easy to process. It a nice widefield target too, with the other galaxies in close proximity.

Thanks, yes, I wondered whether to shoot it with my 4" APO to get that wider FOV, but I decided just to get up close and personal with M106.

[Bob-c]

Great image Geof, nicely processed.

Bob.

[geoflewis]

2 minutes ago, Bob-c said:

Great image Geof, nicely processed.

Bob.

Thanks Bob, I apreciate the comments. This was a far trickier target to process than I expected and took me to the limit of, if not beyond, my current skills.

[MarkAR]

Excellent work Geof, upper left arm looks like it's had some past event to distort it.