Messier 51 (M51) 3x Drizzle

The Object
M51
Information on the web..

The Process

• 68 5 Minute lights (5h40m) captured 03/17/10 with Nebulosity 2
• 3 bad columns removed with my Fixfits utility
• Drizzle 3x stacked with 100 flats and 100 bias frames in DeepSkyStacker with custom rectangle to reduce output image size.
• Processed in PixInsight Core 1.5 with DBE, Background Neutralization, Color Calibration, histogram transformation, ACDNR (medium scale), High Dynamic Range Wavelet Transform (HDRWT), L-masked Saturation curves, SCNR.
• The monitor used during processing was calibrated using Spyder3Elite. The image was processed and published using the sRGB color profile for the widest possible compatibility. FireFox 3.5 has color management capabilities enabled by default.

The Hardware

• Celestron C11 with HyperStar 3 (F/2)
• QHY8 with IDAS-LPS filter
• EQ6/Atlas EQ/G controlled by EQMOD
• Guided with a DSI-Pro and PHD
• Focused with a self made Bahtinov mask
• Kept dew free with Dew-Buster
• Images of the setup

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