AP Processing Challenge No.13 - The Cocoon Nebula

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AP Processing Challenge No.13 - The Cocoon Nebula

#1

Post by Graeme1858 »


A new year and a new AP Processing Challenge!

Gordon has submitted his three narrow band Ha, O3 and S2 capture files of IC5146 the Cocoon Nebula.

IC 5146 (also Caldwell 19, Collinder 470, Sh 2-125, and the Cocoon Nebula) is a reflection/emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus and a cluster of 9.5 mag stars in a bright and dark nebula. The nebula is about 4,000ly away and the central star that lights it formed about 100,000 years ago. The nebula is about 12 arcmins across, which is equivalent to a span of 15 light years. When viewing IC 5146, dark nebula Barnard 168 (B168) is a dark lane that surrounds the Cocoon and projects westward.

Just click the link below to download Gordon's files and process using your preferred software and methods. Then post your results to this thread for us all to enjoy!

AP Processing Challenge No.13 files: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... p=sharing]

This is Gordon's original posting: viewtopic.php?p=130239#p130070

Please keep the submissions coming in for future challenges. Just send a PM to a Mod or an email to:

tssapchallenge@theskysearchers.com

Have fun!

Regards

Graeme
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Re: AP Processing Challenge No.13 - The Cocoon Nebula

#2

Post by Gordon »


This data was captured on the evening of December 21st, 2020.

I was using my Explore Scientific ED80cf scope, with a .80 Orion Focal reducer on my Orion EQ6 mount with a guide scope. The camera used was a ZWO ASI1600mm-C with ZWO narrowband filters.

Data capture was:

Ha 7 each 4 mins @ 200 gain / 50 offset / -10degC
O3 8 each 8 mins @ 200 gain / 50 offset / -10degC
S2 9 each 8 mins @ 200 gain / 50 offset / -10degC

Stacked and registered using DeepSkyStacker No 'preprocessing' applied.

I processed the data using StarTools. The data is pretty good so there wasn't much to do other than a crop to remove the tell-tale dither. I played with a number of different color options that StarTools offers until I found something that was appealing to me.

I hope you have fun with this data.
Cocoon.jpg
Gordon
Scopes: Explore Scientific ED80CF, Skywatcher 200 Quattro Imaging Newt, SeeStar S50 for EAA.
Mounts: Orion Atlas EQ-g mount & Skywatcher EQ5 Pro.
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Image cameras: ZWO ASI1600 MM Cool, ZWO ASI533mc-Pro, ZWO ASI174mm-C (for use with my Quark chromosphere), ZWO ASI120MC
Filters: LRGB, Ha 7nm, O-III 7nm, S-II 7nm
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Re: AP Processing Challenge No.13 - The Cocoon Nebula

#3

Post by Ruud »


Thank you Graeme, Gorden, for this month's challenge.

In fitswork Ha came out strongest and O3 came out well too. I'm afraid I couldn't get much useful information from the S2 exposure.

Having little experience I let fitswork automatically combine all three into one RGB image, ending up with an all red nebula and yellow stars. I made a separate B&W image from the O3 data because I realised I'd have some corrections to perform

In Photoshop I combined the stars from the the B&W O3 image with the RGB image that fitswork had produced. This removed the yellow cast from the stars. To break the uniformity of the red nebula, I blended a weakened green version of the O3 nebula with the one I had already, which turned the centre of my red nebula into a reddish orange and gave a yellowish hue to its edges.

This is the result:
Challenge 13.png
  
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Re: AP Processing Challenge No.13 - The Cocoon Nebula

#4

Post by Graeme1858 »


Gordon wrote: Fri Jan 01, 2021 5:33 pm This data was captured on the evening of December 21st, 2020.

Thanks for the rundown Gordon.

Regards

Graeme
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Re: AP Processing Challenge No.13 - The Cocoon Nebula

#5

Post by Graeme1858 »


Ruud wrote: Sat Jan 02, 2021 10:06 pm Thank you Graeme, Gorden, for this month's challenge.

In fitswork Ha came out strongest and O3 came out well too. I'm afraid I couldn't get much useful information from the S2 exposure.

Having little experience I let fitswork automatically combine all three into one RGB image, ending up with an all red nebula and yellow stars. I made a separate B&W image from the O3 data because I realised I'd have some corrections to perform

Your mono addition was a good idea! You have finished up with some nice colours there Ruud.

Regards

Graeme
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Re: AP Processing Challenge No.13 - The Cocoon Nebula

#6

Post by Graeme1858 »


Here's my go!

Opened in Gimp as Layers
Stretched Curves on each layer (x3)
Moved black point on Levels
Colour Balanced Ha Level to boost Red
Colour Balanced O3 Level to boost Green
Colour Balanced S2 Level to boost Blue
Saturate each level
Set Ha and O3 Layers Visibility to 60% (I think it was 60%!)
Crop asymmetric to show dark nebula
Sharpen (Unsharp Mask)

Cocoon C#13.jpg

Thanks for the data Gordon.

Regards

Graeme
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Re: AP Processing Challenge No.13 - The Cocoon Nebula

#7

Post by Gordon »


Great work guys!

I like seeing others methods and the end results!
Gordon
Scopes: Explore Scientific ED80CF, Skywatcher 200 Quattro Imaging Newt, SeeStar S50 for EAA.
Mounts: Orion Atlas EQ-g mount & Skywatcher EQ5 Pro.
ZWO mini guider.
Image cameras: ZWO ASI1600 MM Cool, ZWO ASI533mc-Pro, ZWO ASI174mm-C (for use with my Quark chromosphere), ZWO ASI120MC
Filters: LRGB, Ha 7nm, O-III 7nm, S-II 7nm
Eyepieces: a few.
Primary software: Cartes du Ciel, N.I.N.A, StarTools V1.4.

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Re: AP Processing Challenge No.13 - The Cocoon Nebula

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Post by andrewsscope »


Hi all here is my attempt at the cocoon nebula from Gordon.I used Adobe cs2 and 1st did light pollution software,anstronomy tools for vertical and horizontal banding,space light pollution,enhance the nebula.I constructed the image using Ha as red,03 as green and s2 as blue.I decided to crop the image and ended up with this result.Thanks again for the data.I forgot to say I used dust and scratches for the noise reduction.
cocoonnew6at.jpg
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Re: AP Processing Challenge No.13 - The Cocoon Nebula

#9

Post by Graeme1858 »


Nice one Andy.

I like the close crop.

What's dust and scratches part of?

Regards

Graeme
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Re: AP Processing Challenge No.13 - The Cocoon Nebula

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Post by andrewsscope »


Graeme1858 wrote: Mon Jan 04, 2021 9:03 pm Nice one Andy.

I like the close crop.

What's dust and scratches part of?

Regards

Graeme
Hi Graeme is under the filter tab and is the noise sub menu where you can adjust the noise and scratches.I find it works quite well and is in Adobe cs2.
Thanks
Andy
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Re: AP Processing Challenge No.13 - The Cocoon Nebula

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Post by Jockinireland »


First thanks @Gordon for the data.

I decided i wanted to try something really different with this - i wanted to get the cocoon really bright and contrasty and get away from the standard colours.

So, in PI
registered and cropped the 3 files
Gradient removal with ABE
Very little in Sii so decided to work HOO only
Noise reduction on HA
gentle stretch
remove stars
Several iteration of HT and CT
Gentle stretch on Oiii
Masked and stretched only nebula
Pixelmath to combine as HOO
into Photoshop for some selective colour saturation and
pack to PI
Convuluted the HOO
added Ha as a luminance
Some curvs transform
Back to PS for some selective high pass to improve contast in the nebula

and save as JPG to give....
Gordons-cocoon_DLM.jpg
So i definately got "diffrent" and "contrasty" but I'm not sure I like it very much :lol:

But it was fun to work with and i may go back and try something more conservative if the skys stay cloudy.

thanks again Gordon
Scope: Skywatcher Evostar 80ED (SW 0.85 FR/FF) on a SW NEQ6Pro
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Re: AP Processing Challenge No.13 - The Cocoon Nebula

#12

Post by Graeme1858 »


That's an interesting take on it!

What's HT an CT?

Regards

Graeme
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Re: AP Processing Challenge No.13 - The Cocoon Nebula

#13

Post by Jockinireland »


Graeme1858 wrote: Thu Jan 21, 2021 6:55 am That's an interesting take on it!

What's HT an CT?

Regards

Graeme
"Interesting" :lol:

These are processes within pixinsight

HT = Histogram Transformation - pretty much like levels in PS
CT= Curves Transfomation - pretty much like curves in PS

Although in PI both of these processes have a bit more depth and complexity.

Thanks for the comment.

Rgds

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Scope: Skywatcher Evostar 80ED (SW 0.85 FR/FF) on a SW NEQ6Pro
Guiding; SW Evoguide 50ED, ASI 120mm mini
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Re: AP Processing Challenge No.13 - The Cocoon Nebula

#14

Post by Graeme1858 »


Levels and Curves then!

Everybody that uses it rates PI highly (except for its absurdly long function names!) I might have to invest.

Thanks for the explanation. and thanks for your submission.

Regards

Graeme
______________________________________________
Celestron 9.25 f10 SCT, f6.3FR, CGX mount.
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ZWO EFW, ZWO OAG, ASI220MM Mini.
APM 11x70 ED APO Binoculars.

https://www.averywayobservatory.co.uk/
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