SH2-115_part of Cygnus nebula complex_SHO_27Jul25 v2

Target: SH2-115 is an area in Cygnus with the planetary nebula PK085+04.1 that I could not locate a common name for.

This was imaged over 2 nights from my backyard in a Houston suburb. This was a first time I created a synthetic luminance from a starless SHO, processed it and applied in using LRGB Combination in Pixinsight.

 

 

Gear:

• Mount: ZWO AM5

• Main Cam: ZWO ASI294MM Pro @ gain 120 and -10C

• Guide Cam: ZWO ASI120MM Mini with Askar OAG

• Telescope: Askar 103APO w/ 1x flattener - 700mm f/6.8

• Filter: Antlia EDGE Antlia SHO 4.5nm

 

Acquisition:

• Ha Filter - 3h 45min of 300 sec subs

• Oiii Filter - 3h 40min of 300 sec subs

• Sessions: 2025-07-21 and 27

• Location: Houston Backyard ~ Bortle 8/9

 

Pixinsight Processing - L_SHO Cygnus area

• Auto DBE, BTX correct, BTX

• Clone channels and STX

• Stars only channels

• NB to RGB Stars Combination script w/o star stretch

• GHX Arcsinh stretch

• Starless only channels

• Restore stars to clone

• Linear Fit, Statistical Stretch, LRGB Combination

• STX discard stars, NXT if needed, create synthetic Lum channel

• NBNormalization if needed

• HT to set black point, Curves for color balance, Saturation

• Lum channel

• HT, Curves, unsharp mask as needed

• LSHO

• LRGB combination

• HDRMT, Dark Structure Enhance if needed

Photoshop Processing

• Starless

• Levels color balancing

• ACR highlights, black point, clarity, color mixer, noise reduction

• Stars

• Screen mode

• Curves, Protect large stars reduce levels on tiny

• Duplicate Layer add black mask, reveal larger and apparent closer stars

• Watermark

Done