California Dreamin'

[Mike Lewis]

So I have always wanted to go back and redo the California Nebula (NGC1499) since my last effort, where I neglected to take Oiii data, and therefore ended up with just Hα and Sii, which made for some mixing options I did not like. I ended up with 2 mixes on that image (which was a 2 panel mosaic) and did not much like either of them. So I decided to give this target another go from my remote location in dark sky TX. I did once again notice how faint the Oiii signal was compared to the other channels but this time, taking longer subs and taking twice as much Oiii seemed to help that out, and in fact, the mixing of the channels this time was really easy, with both SHO palette and a Foraxx palette results just falling out in a pleasing fashion with very little fiddling involved. This time, I like both results, although after many comparisons I think I do have a favorite. But I am VERY interested to hear what the group might think as far as picking a favorite color mix, as they are certainly quite different. In both cases I did not accentuate the colors to any real degree - I wish I knew why some 'mixes' come out with great color and contrast immediately where other data sets require hours of yanking and tweaking to get a result I like.

I have not yet posted these on Astrobin as I want to wait a little longer to make sure the one I mark as the final version over there is the choice I am happy with. Thanks for looking and any input you care to share.

For comparison's sake, here are the previous versions:
https://www.focalworld.com/media/lrcc_srgb_fw_caneb_withstars_pscc-jpg.6977/
https://www.focalworld.com/media/lrcc_srgb_fw_srgb_caneb_nb_mix7_withstars_pscc-jpg.6982/


A quick little bit on this target from Wikipedia:
The California Nebula (Also known NGC 1499 or Sh2-220) is an emission nebula located in the constellation Perseus. Its name comes from its resemblance to the outline of the U.S. State of California in long exposure photographs. NGC 1499 is almost 2.5° long on the sky and, because of its very low surface brightness, it is extremely difficult to observe visually. It lies at a distance of about 1,000 light years from Earth. Its fluorescence is due to excitation of the Hβ line in the nebula by the nearby prodigiously energetic O7 star, Xi Persei (also known as Menkib).

The SHO version:

The Foraxx version:

Collection details:

Equipment:
Poseidon-M Camera @ -5C and
Gain:125 Offset:25
Astro-Physics Mach2 Mount
Williams Optics Cat 91 Refractor, 448mm @ f/4.9
Antlia Pro Filters (3nm narrowband plus RGB)
Askar FMA180 Guide scope with ASI290MM

Software:
Pixinsight Commercial Version 1.9
Lightroom CC
Photoshop CC
N.I.N.A. Control Software
BlurXTerminator (Russell Croman)
StarXTerminator (Russell Croman)
NoiseXTerminator (Russell Croman)
Astro-Physics APCC and APPM

Light Frames:
Gain 125 / Offset 25
Hα: 12 x 900 secs 3 hrs)
Oiii: 28 x 900 secs (7 hrs)
Sii: 14 x 900 secs (3 hrs 30 mins)
Red: 23 x 120 secs (46 mins)
Green: 24 x 120 secs (48 mins)
Blue: 31 x 120 secs (1 hr 2 mins)

16 hrs 06 mins total

Dark Frames:
10 x 120 secs (20 mins)
10 x 900 secs (2 hrs 30 mins)

 

[Jameel Hyder]

Quite a dramatic change - both colors and texture.

 

[AlanLichty]

The new version is quite stunning and is much more engaging than the first version.

 

[JimFox]

Thanks for post this here first Mike! I think it's a good idea to do that, not because we will give you any earth shattering opinions, but I have noticed often in my own images, that once I post them, all of a sudden I will notice something else I needed to work on in the image, that I just never noticed until I posted. So I think FocalWorld works as a great testing ground for you, before you get the polished version posted up on Astrobin.

I scrolled back and forth a bit. The SHO version does look really nice, but ultimately I like the Foraxx version better.

The reason I like the Foraxx better is that top layer being orange/red is more distinct then the golden/yellow in the SHO version. It helps to separate and add more dimension to the image. I also like the softer blue version of the OIII at the bottom.

 

[Mike Lewis]

Thanks everyone! Lots to think about. I do like your comments Jim about using FW as a testing ground. As you say, easy to post something that you think is finished and then you see a tweak or fix you wish you had made...

ML

 

[Comet Hunter]

Welp, I'm no help as I love both renditions. Well done.

 

[Andy Elliott]

The best of both worlds Mike! Overall I prefer the Foraxx, however, I do prefer the blue in the SHO version. Agree re posting a final image; its great to get feedback on here. I must admit, after having several 'go back and tweak' moments, I now only post my images the following day after finishing them. By doing that I get a fresh look and sometimes some blindingly obvious edits are needed

 

[Mike Lewis]

Thanks Ed and Andy for chiming in. I agree - posting too soon almost always results in edits for me as well...

ML