Elephant's Trunk part of IC 1396

[Carole]

Not the greatest image I have done, but wanted to show something for my stay at Runnings Waters.
This wasn't the intended target but just a "fill in" while I was waiting for Scorpius to rise.  In the event I only got this as I ran out of clear skies.
I think I will do narrowband if I do this object again.  
It was a pig to process and still not happy with it, I want to get rid of those salmon pink background stars without affecting the colour in the nebula.  

I'll be going on holiday tomorrow so won't be able to respond to replies after tonight.

Lum 600secs x 9
RGB 300secs x 6 each binned x 2
WO ZS71 + FR
Atik383L

[JohnP]

Carole, Not a bad effort. I remember trying this myself in RGB when I went to Olly's back in 2008  & it was a real pig to process I ended up getting some Ha for it - the colour by itself though looked pants....

[Carole]

I ended up getting some Ha for it

That's a good idea John, I think I'll do that.  
Perhaps I shouldn't be so disappointed with the result then.

Carole

[JohnP]

I found the colour balance really hard & spent ages messing with adjustments - also had big issues with Halo's.. I think in the end I just ended up blurring the RGB layer like mad & adding to the Ha just to give impression of colour..

[Carole]

I had problems with the halos too John, I wonder what it is about this object?

Carole

[Fay]

you will have more time to process when you come back off holiday Carole

[MarkS]

It's a difficult target that one.  There's not much colour in that region anyway.

I think a boost to the Red would give it a better balance.

Mark

[RobertM]

Good attempt Carole and I know what you mean about the colour balance especially when not too much Ha has come through.  It also looks to me like your camera may not have been square to the telescope since stars become progressively out of focus towards the bottom left.

Robert

[Carole]

Thanks Mark and Robert.

It also looks to me like your camera may not have been square to the telescope since stars become progressively out of focus towards the bottom left.

We've had this conversation before Robert, and it's an on-going problem I am trying to sort.  If you remember I said I was getting a 3rd hole drilled for the screws that clamp on the camera, but the person doing it for me has been a bit busy.  Can't use a tilt adjuster as can't get at it with the filterwheel in the way, unless it can go on the other side of the filterwheel, but then the ones I have sussed have the wrong thread on them which means more adapters and thus making the spacing too much.  It's a difficult one to remedy and a bit fed up about it really. 

Meanwhile taking a large crop, but must have missed a bit, I don't get this problem with the 314, and having to take such a large crop I might as well stick to using that camera anyway.   

Carole