M42 -- finally have something halfway worth showing

[Diane Miller]

After 4 months of many speed bumps, I'm getting some usable data from my Orion Sirius and simple software setup.  Using a Canon 7D Mk II on a Canon 400mm DO II lens.  36 exposures, ISO 1600, f/4, 90 sec.   Processed in PixInsight.  Still in kindergarten there (and with the mount, my first EQ) but at least getting a start.

Would still be at Step One without the excellent support and information here!  Huge thanks to everyone!

[Duncan]

Nice work!

[Geoff]

Lots of nice detail Diane. The next step is to use HDRComposition to combine short exposures with long exposures to show detail in the core.  Not easy! The Orion nebula is one of the most difficult objects to process and you've done well.
Geoff

[Diane Miller]

I see now I had a misalignment of a layer in Photoshop where i added a lower exposure for the core.  It was partial opacity and the stars didn't quite overlay correctly.  Fixed now so I'll re-post.

[Pleiades]

*** Message from the forum Administrator ***

... a misalignment of a layer in Photoshop where i added a lower exposure for the core.

Please review the forum rules. This  forum is for images processed exclusively with PixInsight:

http://pixinsight.com/forum/index.php?topic=9359.0

[Diane Miller]

Apologies -- I didn't read the fine print.  I went back to the last .xisf file and did another round of SCNR for greens (I had only done it at 0.5 before) and star reduction.  It's pure now.

Now I'm seeing there is a fine sprinkle of dark noise-like spots, most visible in the mid-tones.  I wonder if I didn't do cosmetic correction properly?  Or another likely cause?  I'm still dubious I'm handling darks correctly, as I have read there can be problems with Canon DSLRs.  I am integrating the darks into a master and then using it to calibrate the lights.  In ImageCalibration for the lights I load the master dark and do not check Calibrate or Optimize.  I also load the master flat and do not check Calibrate for it.

[Luigi]

If you simply integrated your dark frames, then when you calibrate your lights you will want to check Calibrate (i.e. subtract the master bias from the master dark). I also check Optimize.

For the master flat you do not need Calibrate if the master bias has already been subtracted from it.