M45_NGG1499 processing Help

[Sidartha]

This is my first processed image with Startools and I would like to know if it is possible to improve it.
1h30min stacked DSS f4 1600iso 60sg. Thanks, sorry for my english i am spanish.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pldU1P ... sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/17D4xRJ ... sp=sharing

[admin]

Hi,

First off, your English is just fine! (and much better than my Spanish )

Your image will vastly improve if you start taking flats; they are not optional!
Once you do that, you will have clean data that you can "trust" when you stretch it.
What I mean by "trust" is that you (and your viewers) don't have to wonder whether something is a gradient or faint nebulosity, or whether something is dust on the sensor or a real dust lane.
At this focal length and 1h30m you have acquired some really nice deep data, but if you can't calibrate it with flats a lot of your efforts are going to waste.

To give you an idea of the darker structures/dust you have picked up;

M45_NGC1499_3.jpg (736.18 KiB) Viewed 2208 times

I can, however, see some walking noise starting to come up (faint streaks). To avoid this, dither between frames. Dithering is the #2 most important thing to improve your data. Best of all, both flats and dithering are free!

Finally, if you are trying to tame a busy star field, try using the Life module's Isolate preset.

Hope this helps!