Central Auriga

 
 
   
Lenses: SMC Takumar 300mm f/4 (for Ha)
Tokina 300mm f/4 w/Lumicon Minus Violet Filter (for color)
Cameras:

ST-2000XM w/CFW-8 (Schuler Ha filter)
Canon 350D (Hutech Type I modified)
Mount:

Losmandy G11 w/Gemini
Guider: STV w/135mm lens (for Ha)
Exposures:
Ha: 5x10 min. (unbinned) for each of the four frames used in the mosaic.
21 @ 5 min. for 350D
Processing:

CCD images were captured using CCDSoft v.5. They were reduced, histogram adjusted, aligned and median combined with AIP4WIN and CCDSoft. The four separate images were assembled into a mosaic in Photoshop 7 and adjusted (cropping, Curves).
The digital color images were focused, reduced, aligned, and combined (Average) in ImagesPlus. The Ha and color images were aligned in RegiStar and the composite was adjusted (Levels, Curves) in Photoshop CS2. Finally, Grain Surgery was used to reduce noise.

Location: My backyard in SE Minnesota.
Note:

This is one of my favorite areas of the sky. IC405 (the Flaming Star Nebula) is at the top; IC410 is at the bottom. The small nebula at the extreme bottom left is IC417.

 
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