Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Cassiopeia (Cas)  ·  Contains:  IC 1848  ·  IC 1871
Soul Nebula in RcGBHb, David McClain
Soul Nebula in RcGBHb
Powered byPixInsight

Soul Nebula in RcGBHb

Soul Nebula in RcGBHb, David McClain
Soul Nebula in RcGBHb
Powered byPixInsight

Soul Nebula in RcGBHb

Equipment

Loading...

Acquisition details

Loading...

Description

Raw frames courtesy of Deep Sky West Remote Observatory in New Mexico, USA. (deepskywest.com) Data obtained with FSQ 106EDXiii / QSI683wsg / Lodestar / Paramount MyT.

21 hrs total integration (16x900s R, 16x900s G, 16x900s B, and 18x1800s H-alpha).

We have all seen images of the Soul Nebula -- just absolutely loaded with H-alpha. And so why bother to take another image set with R and H-alpha? Here's another possibility...

Suppose we use the H-alpha data to give us inferred H-beta in the sky-blue region, and then use the H-alpha excess over the R channel to subtract out the H-alpha contribution, leaving just the nebular continuum radiation in the red?

There is plenty of red continuum radiation in any HII region -- free-free, free-bound, and 2-photon relaxation of excited states induced by Lyman-series photon scattering.

This image has also had field star reduction applied.

The image is a refreshing change for me.

-------------

Rev B -- colors not so saturated.

-----------

Rev C -- after a more careful determination of the continuum / H-alpha energy balance, we end up with this version. Since H-beta should already be present in the G and B channels, we are exaggerating them by adding in the inferred H-beta. The R channel is observed R - H-alpha, where the continuum has been removed from the H-alpha.

Comments

Revisions

  • Soul Nebula in RcGBHb, David McClain
    Original
  • Soul Nebula in RcGBHb, David McClain
    B
  • Final
    Soul Nebula in RcGBHb, David McClain
    C

Sky plot

Sky plot

Histogram

Soul Nebula in RcGBHb, David McClain