NGC 253 The Sculptor Galaxy |
(Click on image for Full Resolution)
(Click here for a 1.5x enlargement)
(Click here for a version shot with my Vixen 102mm Flourite/ST-237A)
Date: | September 23, 2003 |
Exposure: | LRGB 4800:3600:3600:6000 : 8 x 600s L, 6 x 600 each R, G, and 10 x 600 B |
Processing: | MaxIm for Image calibration,(16 flats each LRGB, dark subtracted and median combined, 40 bias frames median combined, 30-600s darks median combined) dead/hot pixel removal, alignment, normalization, color combining. Photoshop for LRGB combine and final color balance and jpg conversion. I have started using MaxIm's "Line Profile" to better analyze the gradients after the RGB combine stage. This helps identify the gradients in the individual color panes as they are easily compared in a visual manner. |
Conditions: | Average, Mag 3-4 Skies |
Scope: | AP155EDF, f/7 |
Camera: | SBIG ST-8XE @ -20°, CFW-8A IR Blocking RGB filters |
Comments: | North is left. Clear night with still air, but humidity was around 100%. This Galaxy is low in the South from my location. Shot over multiple nights due to haze and thin clouds during portions of the exposure time. I took the Lum from the East side of the meridian and the RGB from the West side. |