20261008_IC405 HSB Flaming Star Nebula
this was a little experiment. instead of using a traditional narrowband palette, i combined h-alpha, sii, and broadband blue into an hsb composition.
since oiii emission is generally very weak in ic 405, i came up with the idea of using broadband blue instead, hoping to bring out some of the faint blue reflection nebulosity around ae aurigae.
the golden-yellow structures show the emission nebula in a deliberately artistic color palette. a bit unconventional and definitely more work than usual, but i'm pretty happy with how it turned out 😊
equipment
telescope: vixen vc200l
mount: skywatcher neq6 pro
camera: zwo asi1600mm-cool
filters: h-alpha 3nm, h-alpha5 nm, sii3 nm, broadband blue
acquisition: asiair, gain 139, bin 1, −10 °c
processing: siril 1.4.4, adobe photoshop
exposure times
h-alpha 3nm: 6×450s
h-alpha 5nm: 10×450 s
sii 3nm: 6×450 s
blue: 10×120s + 5×60s
channel mapping: r = h-alpha, g = sii, b = broadband blue