M33 - The Triangulum Galaxy at 264mm
This image captures the Triangulum Galaxy (M33) at a focal length of 264mm, taken from Bortle 6 skies in southern France during a summer vacation.
A Challenging Capture
While this shot was taken in the same location as a previous Andromeda Galaxy image, it presented greater challenges. The moon was noticeably brighter and closer during the acquisition period, making it difficult to achieve optimal results. Ideally, another night with less moonlight would have been beneficial for this target.
Acquisition Details:
- Mount: Skywatcher Star Adventurer GTI equatorial mount
- Telescope: Askar SQA55 f/4.8
- Camera: ASI2600MC (Gain 100, Offset 50, Cooled to -10°C)
- Subframes: 176 x 50s subs (Total Integration: 7 hours 20 minutes)
- Sky Conditions: Bortle 6
Processing Pipeline:
The image was processed using Pixinsight and Lightroom, with the following steps:
- Stacking: Weighted Batch Pre-processing (Drizzle x1, Drop Shrink 0.9, Square Function)
- Background Correction: Gradient Correction and GraXpert background extraction
- Color Calibration: SPCC
- Detail Enhancement: BlurXterminator
- Stretching: Statistical stretch
- Star Reduction: StarXterminator
- Color Balancing: SCNR on star mask
- Color Adjustments: Curve transformation (Saturation and RGB)
- Noise Reduction: NoiseXterminator
- Final Touches: Lightroom adjustments
For more details and a higher resolution view, check out the .
