StarTools

Captured the Helix nebula under my Bortle 8 light polluted skies using my new Antlia dual band ( Golden ) filter

Bortle 8 skies
New moon period
6” f6 GSO Newt
Skywatcher EQ6-R pro mount
ZWO2600MC cooled to -10C Gain 100
TS Optics GPU coma corrector
ZWO filter drawer
105 x 3 min dithered guided subs ( over 2 nights )
40 x Flats
60 x Bias
PHD2 Multistar guiding ( 0.50 to 0.60 arc sec total )
Stacked in DSS
Processed in Startools V1.8 Compose OSC Bicolor

New filter performed well on a faint object under heavy LP. The real test will be a larger emission nebula with some larger stars and Star field


Comments welcome
Thanks

Martin

Hi Martin,

great result! I am very curious about your results with the filter since upgrading from the l-eNhance is a consideration...will definitely wait until Optolong's l-Ultimate is launched and see how the two compare.

I agree that a field with brighter stars will be more challenging. The Helix is in the middle of nowhere. With my old color guide cam it has been hard to find a guide star at all...

Again, awesome result! What do you think about the white area between the blue "pupil" and the outer red part? I guess I haven't seen this in other images.

Regards
Stefan

Beautiful! Excellent to catch that fainter area off to the side too.

White is appropriate for bicolor in the region of more equal concentration of H and O, I believe. Seems reasonable for the transition area between the two.

I never can remember which thread(s) to find Ivo's graphic that displays the H-O bicolor continuum with saturation etc.

Thanks Stefan and Mike,
The area between the pupil and eye lid is suppose to be a contrasted zone , most folk are too heavy handed with saturation and it’s ends up swamped in one colour , Startools works beautifully using the Bicolor option
Yes the true test of the filter will be an object like M16 or M8 as the Star fields are dense
I can see already this new filter is promising

Thanks

Martin