The Flaming Star Nebula (Sh2-229, Caldwell 31, IC 405) is an emission nebula as well as a reflection nebula in Auriga that is about 1,500 light-years (ly) away from Earth, approximately 5 ly across.
This was an experiment to try Adam Block's new HOO + A third color technique but using data from dual narrowband filters (Antlia Ha/OIII and SII/Hb) and a OSC camera. I generated an HOO image from the Ha/OIII filter data and then generated a grayscale image from the SII/Hb data and colorized that (Yellow, Hue = 047, Saturation = 0.75) in PI's NB Color Mapper. I then blended the images together in PI's ImageBlend script.
Although the finer details of the Flaming Star are muted due to the colors in the image, and the reflection nebula (vdB 34) bluish color is not as obvious because of the brightness around, it seemed that Adam's technique worked well to contrast the Ha with the SII data.
If time allows, I may work on a more nuanced version of this image and try to produce a more 'traditional' Flaming Star. For now, I was happy with the ability to using Adam's technique with dual narrowband data from a OSC camera.
Capture Dates: 9/5, 9/6, 9/11, 9/12, 9/13, 9/14, 9/15, and 9/16/2024
Equipment:
Askar 107PHQ with 0.7x reducer at fL = 524mm, f/4.9
ASI2600MC Pro (OSC camera)
ZWO 5-position 2" Electronic Filter Wheel (EFW)
ZWO ASIAir with ZWO AM5 mount -- guiding via SV106 and ASI178MM
Filters:
Antlia Dual Narrowband 5nm Ha/OIII: 48x300s [4:00]
Antlia Dual Narrowband 5nm SII/Hb: 90x300s [7:30]
ZWO UV/IR cut Luminance filter (for RGB stars) 170x60s [0:17]
Total integration time: 11:47
Processed in PixInsight and Adobe Photoshop
Greg, flaming star it is!!!! There is no doubt when I look at this image, what it's all about. Cool rendition of an object I have found tough to make interesting. I need to revisit this one some day.
Terri
@terri Thanks, Terri. Sort of sad I lost the detail in the reflection nebula, and I might revisit to try and process it a little differently -- maybe get the best of both worlds. 😊
Greg
