Capturing the Heart and Soul: A Bortle 8 Gem from 264mm
There are some celestial objects that just demand your attention, and for me, the Heart and Soul nebulae are undoubtedly among the crown jewels of the Northern Hemisphere's emission nebulae. Their immense size, vibrant colors, and intricate details make them a truly captivating sight.
I've been eagerly anticipating the chance to capture these magnificent targets, and I'm thrilled to share my first processing of them, taken from decidedly light-polluted Bortle 8 skies with a 264mm focal length. This initial processing is relatively straightforward, focusing on preserving the natural color balance straight out of the camera. My next step will be an HOO-normalized processing to really accentuate the glorious oxygen-alpha emission.
The Challenge of Light Pollution
Capturing deep-sky objects from Bortle 8 skies is always a significant challenge. The pervasive glow of urban light pollution can easily wash out the fainter details of nebulae. However, with the right equipment and careful processing, it's still possible to bring out incredible detail and color.
Acquisition Details:
Here's a look at the equipment and integration time that made this shot possible:
- Mount: Skywatcher 150i Wave mount
- Telescope: Askar SQA55 f/4.8
- Camera: ASI2600MC (Gain 100, Offset 50, Cooled to -10°C)
- Filter: Optolong L-Ultimate HaOIII
- Sub-exposures: 209 x 300s subs
- Total Integration Time: 17 hours 25 minutes
- Sky Conditions: Bortle 8 (SQM ~17.80)
Processing Workflow:
I utilized PixInsight and Adobe Lightroom for the processing of these images. The workflow included:
- Stacking: Weighted Batch Preprocessing (WBPP) with drizzle x1, square function, and drop shrink size 0.9.
- Gradient Removal: Dynamic Background Extraction (DBE).
- Sharpening/Detail Enhancement: BlurXterminator.
- Stretching: Statistical stretch.
- Star Reduction: StarXterminator.
- Color Calibration: SCNR on star mask.
- Color Adjustment: Curve transformation.
- Final Touches: Lightroom adjustments, denoising, and recomposition.
Looking Ahead
This initial processing has been incredibly rewarding, and I'm excited to dive deeper into the data with an HOO-normalized approach. This will allow the hydrogen-alpha and oxygen-iii emissions to truly shine, revealing even more intricate structures within these stunning nebulae. Stay tuned for more updates!
