M42 Wide Field RGB

M42 Wide Field RGB: Orion nebula.

Messier: 42
NGC: 1976
Right Ascension: 5hr 35.4m
Declination: -5° 27'
Apparent Magnitude: 4

Date: January 2012
Equipment:
Mount: Losmandy G-11 with Gemini 2
Telescope: Orion ED80T CF apo refractor
Televue 0.8x Field Flattener (53 mm from focal plane)
Camera: SBIG ST-10XE
Guiding ST-80; DSI; PHD

Exposure:
RGB: 13x1min binned 1x1

Processing Notes: All data was captured using CCDSoft. The data was reduced and aligned in CCDStack. Individual colors were combined in Sigma Beta, and saved as 32bit FITs. Files were imported to CCDStack and combined at 1:1.04:1.7 and imported into Photoshop. Several iterations of curves and levels. Dim areas got a Gaussian blur. Slight contract enhancement with a highpass filter, and a slight unsharp mask to bring out details.
Scale: ~3.6"/pixel

Links to images of this object on other sites:
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap090222.html
http://www.jthommes.com/Astro/images/M42_FSQ_PS4.jpg

Additional Comments: This is "image 2.5" with the 80mm scope. This is the first image with the field flattener and proper spacing. The stars in the upper left are not as round as desirable. This might be from camera alignment - something requiring more tests. Previous FLC versions of M42 with the 16" scope are here:
RGB: http://www.fortlewis.edu/observatory/image_detail.asp?ID=147
[SII]:Ha:[OIII]: http://www.fortlewis.edu/observatory/image_detail.asp?ID=144
Single channel images can be found by searching for M42.

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