IC 1396 - Revisiting the Elephant's Trunk Nebula with New Gear and Techniques
It's always a treat to revisit familiar celestial targets, especially when you have new tools and techniques to try out! Today, we're taking another look at the magnificent IC 1396, more commonly known as the Elephant's Trunk Nebula. I previously captured this beauty with my trusty Nikon D5300, but I was eager to see what my new setup could reveal.
This time around, I've employed the ZWO ASI533MC Pro camera and experimented with the Hubble Palette processing technique. The results are, I believe, quite spectacular!
My Setup:
- Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro
- Telescope: William Optics ZenithStar 61 II APO with Field Flattener
- Filter: Optolong L-eXtreme
- Guide Camera: ZWO 120mm mini
- Mount: Skywatcher Star Adventurer GTi
Acquisition Details:
I shot this in a Bortle 5 sky condition, which is always a good sign for deep-sky imaging. To ensure the best possible data, I cooled the camera to -10°C.
- Lights: 101 frames at 300 seconds each, totaling approximately 8 hours and 24 minutes of exposure.
- Flats: 50 frames
- Bias: 50 frames
- Darks: 50 frames
Processing Workflow:
My processing pipeline this time involved a suite of powerful tools in PixInsight, followed by some final touches in Photoshop and Lightroom.
- PixInsight:
- GraXpert for gradient removal
- SPCC for color calibration
- BlurXterminator for deblurring
- NoiseXterminator for noise reduction
- Initial GeneralizedHyperbolic Stretch (GHS)
- StarXterminator for star removal
- Second GHS stretch
- Star recombination
- Photoshop: Curve adjustments for initial stretch refinement.
- Lightroom: Final touches and color grading.
The Result:
I'm really pleased with how this image turned out. The Elephant's Trunk Nebula is a truly captivating object, and the Hubble Palette really brings out the different emission gasses in a unique and vibrant way. It's a testament to how far astrophotography technology and processing techniques have come!
Let me know what you think in the comments below!
