BEHIND THE IMAGE
Notes from the session
This image blends broadband with hydrogen-alpha data, isolating the nebula's ionised hydrogen to accentuate the crimson filaments and the newborn stars energising them. Set against a star-rich Sagittarius backdrop roughly 5,000 light-years away, the Trifid's contrasting hues and tangled tendrils showcase the delicate balance between chaos and beauty that defines a stellar nursery.
Image:
117x 180s Luminance
35x 180s Red
35x 180s Green
33x 180s Blue
77x 300s 6nm H-α
Total integration 17.5 hours. Focal length: 840mm
Hardware:
Skywatcher Esprit 120
Skywatcher EQ8Rh Pro mount
ZWO ASI533 Camera @ -10°C
Astrodon RGB Gen2 E-Series Tru-Balance filters
Astronomik Luminance and 6nm H-α filters
Starlight Xpress Lodestar X2 Autoguider
Starlight Instruments Feather Touch Focuser
Location:
Exposed over 3 nights between 27th July to 29th July 2025
Orange zone in Brisbane, Australia. (Bortle 7)
Software:
Planning & camera alignment with Aladin 10
Captured with TheSkyX Professional
Guiding with PHD2
PixInsight: Calibrate, align, integrate, dynamic background extraction, LRGB combination, noise reduction, spectrophotometric flux calibration, multiscale gradient correction, background neutralisation, spectrophotometric colour calibration, histogram, curves.
Image:
117x 180s Luminance
35x 180s Red
35x 180s Green
33x 180s Blue
77x 300s 6nm H-α
Total integration 17.5 hours. Focal length: 840mm
Hardware:
Skywatcher Esprit 120
Skywatcher EQ8Rh Pro mount
ZWO ASI533 Camera @ -10°C
Astrodon RGB Gen2 E-Series Tru-Balance filters
Astronomik Luminance and 6nm H-α filters
Starlight Xpress Lodestar X2 Autoguider
Starlight Instruments Feather Touch Focuser
Location:
Exposed over 3 nights between 27th July to 29th July 2025
Orange zone in Brisbane, Australia. (Bortle 7)
Software:
Planning & camera alignment with Aladin 10
Captured with TheSkyX Professional
Guiding with PHD2
PixInsight: Calibrate, align, integrate, dynamic background extraction, LRGB combination, noise reduction, spectrophotometric flux calibration, multiscale gradient correction, background neutralisation, spectrophotometric colour calibration, histogram, curves.