NGC2244_Bi-Colour_19-01-23

Manage to image this in one night, out of 3 clear nights I had recently (Who said Christmas comes but once a year). This is a wider field image than my previous ones at about 2°. Taken with the Explore Scientific 102mm F7 and Explore Scientific 0.7 focal reducer. After sleeping on it over night I felt that my processed image was over saturated so I dialled it back a bit. Always worth looking at your image with a fresh pair of eyes in the morning before posting.

 

Note:

I removed all the stars after the initial processing using StarNet++ and then added the combined Ha Oiii stars back in at the end.

 

The Rosette Nebula commonly known as NGC 2237 with its associated Open Cluster NGC 2244. This is a large Ha region which is part of a large molecular cloud in the of constellation Monoceros. It lies at a distance of approximately 5,200 ly from earth and is about 130 ly in diameter. The age of the open cluster is estimated to be less than 5 million years.

 

EQUIPMENT:-

Telescope: Explore Scientific 102mm F7 APO Carbon

Focal Reducer: Explore Scientific 0.7

Mount: AZ-EQ6 GT

Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI1600mm-Cool cmos

Guide Camera: Orion Mini Auto Guide

Filter: Astronomik 6nm Ha

Filter: Astronomik 6nm Oiii

 

IMAGING DETAILS:-

NGC2244, NGC2237 Rosette Nebula (Monoceros)

Gain 139 (Unit Gain)

Dithering

Chip Temp Cooled to -20 degC

25 Ha subs@300sec (2h 05min)

28 Oiii subs@300sec (2h 20min)

Total imaging Time 4h 25min

20 Darks

25 Flats

 

PROCESSING/GUIDING SOFTWARE:-

APT "Astro Photograph Tools"

StarNet++

DSS

PS CS2

Done