A miracle happened, I finally got some clear skies on a weekend night when the moon was not up or bright. It just so happened that Milky Way “season” has just begun so I was finally able to put my new scope – the Radian Raptor 61 – through its paces and image something I have been waiting to image since last November – The North American Nebula (NGC 7000).
Image 1 – Starless
Image 2 – Negative
Image 3 – Inverted
Image 4 – Final Process
45 x 240s
7 x 300s
(3 hours, 35 min total integration)
20 darks, 25 flats, 25 dark flats, & 50 biases
800 ISO – Bortle 8
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Radian Raptor 61
Canon EOS Ra
Optolong L-eNhanced Filter
Sky Watcher EQ6-R Pro
ZWO 30mm f4 MiniScope (guide)
ZWO ASI224MC (guide)
Imaging Notes:
I felt like the focus was a little soft. I realized this about 3/4 of the way through the session and decided to roll with it and keep my fingers crossed it would end up alright.
I was able to get 3 hours and 35 minutes of total integration – essentially from the moment it rose above the trees to the East until the ambient light from the pending sun rise began to wash out the nebula.
Processing Notes:
Stacked and channels separated in Astro Pixel Processor –
– Extracted Ha & Oiii, simulated Sii with Ha-Oiii Mono
Processed in Photoshop
SNC Astro - Photo 