M33 - Galaxy in Triangulum

Image Details:


Half-resolution, non-cropped image.
M33 Cropped Full resolutionM33 Uncropped M33 Half-resolution uncropped after color balancing

Click Thumbnail for full sized image. Left image is before color balancing on shadows, the right is after.

Full-resolution, cropped image.
  M33 Cropped Full resM33 Cropped - Better Color Balance M33 Full Res cropped with better color balance
Click the thumbnail for full sized image. Left image is before color balancing on shadows, the right is after. M33 Half resolution image, uncropped.
 Telescope Takahashi FS-128 at F/8
 Mount Astrophysics 900
 Camera Class 1 NABG ST-8E, Second cooling stage enabled (all images taken at -18C).
Camera Control Software MaximDL/CCD 2.01
 Location My light poluted yard in San Jose, California
 Date September 3, 1999
 Sky Conditions Poor transparency (a lot of smoke from fires throughout California) but moderately good seeing.
 Exposures R=1x20 min, G=1x27 min, B=1x44 min, Lum=2x10, 1x20 min (with IR filter on)
 Image Resolution All images were taken at 1530x1020
 Processing All frames corrected with bias, dark, and flat field frames. MaximDL was used to register and stretch (linear) the RGB image. The luminance layer was processed wth DDP set at 1.5% and the effect subdued a bit. I think with more experimentation I could create a much better luminance image. Perhaps when the skies are more transparent I'll retake the luminance image (without the IR filter too!). Photoshop 5 was used to correct a couple booming spikes and to make and crop the final LRGB.