My First Astrophotography Success: Capturing the Eastern Veil Nebula

As a newcomer to the incredible world of astrophotography, I'm thrilled to share my first image that I'm truly happy with. This is the Eastern Veil Nebula, and it represents a significant learning milestone for me.

My Setup and Acquisition:

• Telescope: WO RedCat 51 wfid
• Camera: ZWO asi585mc pro
• Guide Scope/Camera: Apertura 32 mm guide scope with ZWO asi120mm mini guider
• Mount: Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTI
• Control System: Asiair
• Location: Bortle 5 skies
• Integration Time: 34 subs at 5 minutes each, totaling 2 hours and 50 minutes.

Processing Journey:

I stacked the individual frames using DSS (DeepSkyStacker), performed gradient removal in Graxpert, and then processed the image in Siril.

As I'm still quite new to this, I'm eagerly seeking any suggestions or constructive criticism to help me improve. Your insights are greatly appreciated!

Community Feedback and Future Plans:

I've received some fantastic feedback, with suggestions for more integration time and noise reduction. I'm also very keen on investing in PixInsight, which many experienced astrophotographers swear by for its powerful processing capabilities. The RC Astro plugins are also on my radar.

One of the biggest takeaways from this project has been the critical importance of accurate guiding and sharp focus. My next planned purchase is an Electronic Focuser (EAF), which I hear is a game-changer.

Thanks for all the help and encouragement!