M38

(Image will appear best on screens with a horizontal pixel resolution of at least 1600 pixels or more).

For lower-resolution screens, view a smaller version of the M38 image here.

Image Details:

•  
  •  
    • Instrument: Planewave Instruments CDK 12.5 @ f/8 (2544mm focal length)
    • Mount: Paramount MX by Software Bisque
    • Image Scale:  1.35 arc-seconds/pixel after processing
    • Camera: SBIG STL-11000M CCD camera with AO-L Adaptive Optics
    • Filters:  Astrodon I-Series LRGB using integrated STL filter carousel
      Exposure: Luminance: 4 x 3 minutes binned 1 x 1
                        Red:  2 x 3 minutes binned 1 x 1
    •                   Green: 2 x 3 minutes binned 1 x 1
    •                   Blue:  2 x 3 minutes binned 1 x 1
    •                   Total equivalent unbinned exposure time of 48 minutes

      Capture Software: Maxim DL/CCD
      Processing Software and Steps, in order:
      PixInsight:  Calibration, Image Alignment and Integratiion, Stacking, DBE, Color Calibration, Histogram adjustments, HDR Wavelets, ACDNR,  Saturation Boost with Curves (all done on RGB master file, then all steps repeated except color steps on LUM master file separately), SCNR, LRGB combine, Dynamic Crop.

      Adobe Photoshop CS2 on master LRGB combined file:  Levels, Curves tweaking, Gradient X-Terminator, Color Noise tool for final color noise reduction. 

      Location:  Little Rock, AR., El. 300 ft
      Capture Dates: March 24th, 2013

Wade Van Arsdale
Little Rock, AR., USA
September 8th,  2013