A Mosaic Image of Orion’s Belt and Sword
Only about 1,500 light-years away in the famous constellation of Orion, there’s a region of abundant nebulosity, from the famous Orion Nebula to the Horsehead and Flame Nebulae. I wanted to capture a mosaic of the region to show that there’s even more to see in Orion beyond its famous nebulae!
February 15, 2024
Same data as before, but reprocessed a little bit for a better color balance and less red. The red really accentuated the more subtle nebulosity, but this revision strikes a better overall color balance.
Technical Details
Imaging Telescope: William Optics RedCat 51 II
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro
Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
Filter: Antlia Tri-band RGB Ultra Filter - 2” Mounted
Accessories: ZWO ASIAIR Plus, ZWO EAF, ZWO Filter Drawer (Gen 2)
Software: Siril, StarNet, Photoshop, NoiseXterminator
Guiding Telescope: William Optics UniGuide 32
Guiding Camera: ZWO ASI174MM
Imaging Dates: Jan. 29-30, 2024; Feb. 11, 2023
Frames (gain 101.0) f/4.9 -10c: 180x180” (9h)
Integration Time: 9h
Darks/Flats/Dark Flats: 30/60/60
Bortle Dark-Sky Scale: 4.00
February 15, 2024
As I mentioned in my previous post, I was inspired initially by mosaics done by others on Astrobin (especially this 32(!) panel mosaic by Rogelio Bernal Andreo), so I took a shot at doing a mosaic on one of the great targets in the night sky - Orion. Also as I mentioned before, Mosaics are especially challenging due to the need for consistent color (as you process each panel independently, since you usually process the starless image separate from the starfield and then recombine later) and any coma that may need corrected at the edge of each frame. I reshot every panel with my Antlia Tri-Band filter, as it would not have blended well with my UV/IR cut filter on my test shots. It probably took me upwards of 8-9 solid hours of post processing time trying to get reasonable matches in the realm of stretching the data, background extraction, color balance, etc. I think I’ll be taking breaks from large mosaics for now, or maybe I’ll just need to invest in a camera with a larger sensor so I don’t need to do as many panels!
Technical Details
Imaging Telescope: William Optics RedCat 51 II
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro
Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
Filter: Antlia Tri-band RGB Ultra Filter - 2” Mounted
Accessories: ZWO ASIAIR Plus, ZWO EAF, ZWO Filter Drawer (Gen 2)
Software: Siril, StarNet, Photoshop, NoiseXterminator
Guiding Telescope: William Optics UniGuide 32
Guiding Camera: ZWO ASI174MM
Imaging Dates: Jan. 29-30, 2024; Feb. 11, 2023
Frames (gain 101.0) f/4.9 -10c: 180x180” (9h)
Integration Time: 9h
Darks/Flats/Dark Flats: 30/60/60
Bortle Dark-Sky Scale: 4.00
January 30, 2024
I wanted to capture a mosaic of the region to show that there’s even more to see in Orion beyond its famous nebulae! Inspired initially by mosaics done by others on Astrobin (especially this 32(!) panel mosaic by Rogelio Bernal Andreo), I figured I would like to give a mosaic a try as well, and what better target than Orion. Mosaics are especially challenging due to the need for consistent color (as you process each panel independently, since you usually process the starless image separate from the starfield and then recombine later) and any coma that may need corrected at the edge of each frame. This is my first go using my UV/IR Cut filter, however, I am restarting it with the new Antlia Triband Filter as it pulls out much more nebulosity than the UV/IR Cut and it would be hard to match panels if I mixed both., so if I’m going to do it, I might as well do it properly! Stay tuned on this page for the final version!
Technical Details
Imaging Telescope: William Optics RedCat 51 II
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro
Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
Filter: SVBony UV/IR Cut 2”
Accessories: ZWO ASIAIR Plus, ZWO EAF, ZWO Filter Drawer (Gen 2)
Software: Siril, Photoshop, NoiseXterminator
Guiding Telescope: William Optics UniGuide 32
Guiding Camera: ZWO ASI174MM
Imaging Dates: Dec. 17, 2023; Dec. 31, 2023
Frames (gain 101.0) f/4.9 -10c: 205x30” (1h42m), 20x180” (1h), 40x180” (2h), 40x180” (2h)
Integration Time: 6h42m
Darks/Flats/Dark Flats: 60/60/60
Bortle Dark-Sky Scale: 4.00