M78-Finally

[starfield]

Messier 78 and the surrounding area is a spectacular piece of sky. The area contains several other reflection nebula with M78 being the brightest of the bunch. In the lower left corner is a piece of Barnard's Loop , a large arc of hot gas that encompasses M78, the Horsehead, and Orion Nebula.

This target has always been a challenge for me and I finally had the opportunity to shoot it from dark skies. I was amazed at all the dust in the image and hope to get more time to bring out more of the dusty details. After 2 other attempts, I finally got something I'm happy with. I had a chance to add BlurXterminator to the mix here. I was amazed how fast it was compared to trying to tune the older deconvolution tools in PI.

Let me know what you think.

Larger version available on astrobin page: https://astrob.in/bn374v/0/

[JayTee]

Very, very fine work. Truly an amazing image. The detail in the "blown-up" version is absolutely stunning and crisp.

Expertly done,

Gordon, please consider this for the APOD.

[MariusD69]

Very impressive! Great details and colors. Well done!!

[Gmetric]

Wow, I really like that! Awe-inspiring image of M78. I've yet to tackle M78, but I hope it's half as good as this one when I do.

[Razz]

That is awesome! Good job!

[Juno16]

Wow, that is just fabulous! A really fine image of a beautiful chunk of the sky Steve and you did an outstanding job of capturing and processing this one!
Fantastic details, stars, colors, and composition!
I am really glad that you have access to really nice skies and can share your work here!

[Greenman]

Wonderful looks like an APOD to me, dark gas lines wow!

[messier 111]

magnificent work , thx .

[bobharmony]

That is looking excellent. The Astrobin version shows amazing detail. You are making me think I need to go back and add some time to what I collected last year. Great job!

Bob

[Makuser]

Hi Steve. This is a superb M78 (and neighbors) image especially on the astrobin site. Excellent contrast, delicate details, and you framed a lot of nice objects in your capture. Thanks for taking the time to put this up on here for us to enjoy Steve and the best of wishes for many clear skies.

[Gmetric]

Wow, that is just fabulous! A really fine image of a beautiful chunk of the sky Steve and you did an outstanding job of capturing and processing this one!
Fantastic details, stars, colors, and composition!
I am really glad that you have access to really nice skies and can share your work here!

Agreed, the composition is perfect and the framing is about as good as it gets, especially with that touch of Barnard's loop, and the processing is just exquisite. I've been back to look at this several times already and each time I'm just in awe of it.

[Unitron48]

Incredible image! The detail in the larger version is amazing! An APOD winner for sure!!

Dave

[chris_g]

Well done, beautiful image. Has my vote for an APOD!

[Ylem]

That's awesome

APOD vote.

[Michael131313]

Wonderful image. Thanks a lot. I was just reading about M78 last night. I have yet to find it.

[Larry 1969]

The Astrobin image is definitely worth a click! I've been trying to image this for a few years now but, I've been plagued with problems...
Very nice processing. Most don't realize how much Ha (red) is in this area and usually process it out. You've done a great job here.

Larry

[starfield]

Thanks for all the kind comments, folks. This object is definitely worth a look but does seem to like dark skies when imaging. I found it really tough to bring out the dust from the city. I'm sure it's possible with a lot more time.

The Astrobin image is definitely worth a click! I've been trying to image this for a few years now but, I've been plagued with problems...
Very nice processing. Most don't realize how much Ha (red) is in this area and usually process it out. You've done a great job here.

Larry

Larry, I did grab about 5 hours of HA data, but was surprised how strong the red signal was even without the HA. Maybe I'll try adding it a later date.

[Jockinireland]

That's a wonderful image. Superb range of colours and the faint nebulosity showing well. Excellent processing.

[bernhardhubl]

Beautiful image with wonderful details!

best,
Bernhard

[chartram]

Looks absolutely fantastic- Very well done!

Mike