Capturing the Celestial Jewels: M45 - The Pleiades
This past week, I had the incredible opportunity to capture the breathtaking beauty of the Pleiades star cluster, also known as M45. This celestial gathering of young, hot stars is a truly iconic sight in the night sky, and I'm thrilled to share the results of my efforts.
The Journey to Capture M45
Getting this shot was a labor of love, involving careful acquisition and meticulous processing. Here's a glimpse into the technical details:
Acquisition Details:
- Exposure: 540 x 30 seconds
- Aperture: f/6.3
- Focal Length: 350mm
- Camera: Sony A6700
- Lens: Sony 70-350G
- Mount: A remarkable 3D-Printed "Keen One" mount, further enhanced with a remixed v5 harmonic reducer for exceptional stability.
- Autoguiding: Orchestrated by PHD2, utilizing an SV905C camera paired with an SV106 Guidescope.
Processing Workflow:
Post-processing is where the magic truly happens in astrophotography. My workflow involved several key steps:
- Stacking: The raw data was stacked, including essential calibration frames like Darks, Bias, and Flats, to reduce noise and improve signal-to-noise ratio.
- Initial Processing: I performed Background Gradient Extraction (BGE) and Color Calibration (CC) within Siril to establish a clean foundation. Starnet was used to isolate the stars from the nebulosity.
- Refinement: Deconvolution and Noise Reduction were applied using Graxpert to sharpen details and minimize unwanted artifacts.
- Final Touches: The image was brought to life with final curve adjustments, saturation enhancements, and a touch of sharpening in ON1, a versatile general editing software.
A Note on Processing
For those venturing into astrophotography processing, I highly recommend checking out tutorial series like . Remember, there's no single 'right' way to process images. It's a journey of experimentation, finding what techniques resonate with you and the amount of post-processing effort you're comfortable with. The goal is to bring out the hidden beauty of the cosmos in a way that you find personally satisfying.
I'm incredibly happy with how this image of the Pleiades turned out, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
