M31 Andromeda with rarely imaged Oxygen Nebula


Posted by Scott Fairbairn on Fri Nov 08, 2024 10:12 am

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This image was the most challenging I have taken, both in the sheer number of hours required to image the oxygen(bluish nebula above the galaxy) and in the time needed to process it.
I made several runs at processing and discovered that my processing skills have a long way to go. lol
The bluish nebula is from Oxygen, and the red clouds are from hydrogen. 
The oxygen nebula was only discovered a few years ago, yet it is one of the most photographed objects out there. I used a 3-nanometer oxygen III filter and captured 690 ten-minute frames for 115 hours of oxygen data. I also used a 3nm Hydrogen filter and captured 38 hours to get enough signal for it to show up. I used hydrogen, oxygen, sulphur, red, blue and green filters for 171 hours to make this image. Ultimately, I didn't include 7 hours of sulphur because there was little signal to work with. 
The telescope was a William Optics 68mm with a ZWO 2600 monochrome camera. The 3 nm filters record a narrow spectrum slice, which significantly helps in light-polluted skies. For example, red covers 600-700 nanometers in the light spectrum. The hydrogen emission line is 656nm, so the filter should record 654.5 to 657.5 and effectively block all light outside that spectrum.
I spent months dragging a tripod and lens in and out of the house. lol

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by E.J. Peiker on Fri Nov 08, 2024 10:34 am
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An absolutely amazing capture and thank you for the detailed explanation.
 

by Mark Boranyak on Fri Nov 08, 2024 11:35 am
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Yikes. What a technical achievement. Outstanding image.
 

by david fletcher on Fri Nov 08, 2024 2:28 pm
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E.J. Peiker wrote: An absolutely amazing capture and thank you for the detailed explanation.


8) 8) 8)   +1
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by Dan Kearl on Fri Nov 08, 2024 4:46 pm
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This is really spectacular, Epic look at M31 and surroundings.
 

by Cynthia Crawford on Fri Nov 08, 2024 5:02 pm
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TYour patience and skill are beyond measure, as are the results! Absolutely fantastic!
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by John Labrenz on Sat Nov 09, 2024 1:56 am
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I have no words Scott!!!
Hats off to your dedication, time spent and technical expertise.
Just fantastic.
 

by Axel Hildebrandt on Sat Nov 09, 2024 6:44 am
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Such a beautiful image, Scott, thanks for sharing and the explanation. The result is definitely worth the effort.
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by paul fletcher on Sat Nov 09, 2024 10:31 pm
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Certainly a great deal of talent and thought went into achieving this image, Scott. I'm sure you are very satisfied with the results. A pleasure to view !
 

by Karl Egressy on Mon Nov 11, 2024 3:47 pm
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"An absolutely amazing capture and thank you for the detailed explanation."
As E.J. commented I could not word it any better. I could see it as a large print nicely framed, hanging on the wall.
 

by bruco63 on Tue Nov 19, 2024 1:08 am
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INCREDIBLE!!
 

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