My PixInsight processing comparison between 2021, 2024 and 2025 and some Tools and Methods I use.
I am overwhelmed by the differences of the final results when skill and tools grow.

Blog Article: https://astrocamp.eu/hoogj

Over the past few nights, I’ve been running the RedCat with the ASI2600MC exclusively on IC 443, with the Monkey Head Nebula also in the frame. The nebula is processed in HOO (extract) using the APP RGB Combine process, while the stars were handled separately in pure RGB.

Dates: February 16–19, 2025
Sub-frames:
-Altair Ha Oiii DualBand ULTRA 4nm CERTIFIED CMOS Filter 2": 191×300″ (15h 55′) (gain: 100) at -10°C
-Optolong L-Quad Enhance 2": 13×300″ (1h 5′) (gain: 100) at -10°C
Total Integration: 17h

Calibration Frames:
Darks: 20
Flats: 20
Flat Darks: 20
Bias: 30
Processing followed my usual PixInsight flow, but after a NoiseX Light pass, I focused on TGVDenoise in CIE Lab* mode using an inverted lightness mask (see this guide). Final tweaks to the stars and composite were done in Photoshop. Edited on a BenQ in P3 with final checks in sRGB (P3 shows deeper reds, by the way). #astronomy #astrophotography #space #deepspace #pixinsight

Here’s the result so far:

PixInsight 1.9.0 dropped recently and I was intrigued by the new gradient correction tool, so I ran some tests on Cocoon Nebula narrowband, which I've been processing. In short, it's very powerful and definitely worth checking out!

Here's the rest of the story: https://blog.briangweber.com/gradient-correction/

The Helix Nebula Or: How I Almost Fried My Motherboard While Stacking Over 500 Light Frames

Imaging by @alex NYC-Bortle 9 / 533 x 300s subs / Poseidon-C Pro / Z61 (f5.9, 360 mm) /AM5 /ZWO asi120mm mini / Anti-Halo PRO Dual-Band Filter

My process: #Pixinsight

Here's our reshoot of the Pleiades for 2024, imaged over several nights in November and December.

"Moon has set and Pleiades: middle night, the hour goes by, alone I lie."

Imaging by @alex NYC-Bortle 9 / 489 x 300s subs / Poseidon-C Pro / Z61 (f5.9, 360 mm) /AM5 /ZWO asi120mm mini / UVI IR-CUT filter

My process: #Pixinsight

Been going through "old" data from 2022 and wanted to redo some edits. For this image of M33 (Triangulum Galaxy) I captured data in RGB (visible light) and hA (hydrogen emission). I combined it in #Pixinsight with the NBRGB scipt, unfortunately the frames with and without filter dont perfectly match after alignment, but I did not want to crop that much.
Still crazy to me how many nebulae can be seen there outside of our "home" galaxy! #astrodon #SilentSunday #deepsky #galaxy #photography

Thought I'd take another crack at processing data from a year ago of NGC6888 "The Crescent Nebula"

Telescope: Evostar 72ED
Camera: ASI 1600MM
Software (Capture): N.I.N.A.
Software: (Processing): #Siril, #Pixinsight, #darktable

It took twenty-four clear nights and more Pixelmath than I anticipated to generate this image of the Triangulum Galaxy. Fortunately, I had enough narrowband data to isolate and combine the HA signal with the stacked RGB subs.

Imaging by @alex NYC-Bortle 9 / Poseidon-C Pro / Z61 (f5.9, 360 mm) /AM5 /ZWO asi120mm mini / Anti-Halo PRO Dual-Band Filter and UVI IR-CUT Filter

NB: 264 x 300s subs
RGB: 395 x 300s subs

My process: #Pixinsight

Nothing super special about this image, except I used a brand new process for me. Instead of using DBE, GraXpert, or any other software solution for fraudulent removal, I used a process called Multiscale Gradient Correction and described in this tutorial: https://pixinsight.com/tutorials/multiscale-gradient-correction/index.html

It's a little complicated to go through the process, but the gist of the idea is that on a wide image you can correct the gradients better over a small area compared to a tighter field of view. So you take a wider image, correct the gradients, then subtract the corrected wider field from the tight field to give you only the gradients, which you subtract from your tight field image.

I was pleasantly surprised at how well it worked, taking out gradients I didn't realize were there. It made me want to take a wide field shot of all my targets so I can correct gradients better.

North America and Pelican Nebula
----------------------------------------------------------
- NGC7000 + IC 5070
- 4-Panel Mosaic Collaboration Project
- HOO color palette

Integration time: 6.5 h

Revisiting this data from this summer was well worth it :)
This is a training edit for getting a hang on #PixInsight. Already is much better than my previous one, but that was not difficult ^^

Details on Astrobin: https://www.astrobin.com/q0vkhd/D/

Messier 33: The #Triangulum Galaxy

Hastily processed in #PixInsight

It's been quite a while since I've captured any #skycandy . Weather, family, life! Had a rare clear night last Friday and spent it getting a hang of the ropes with NINA. And dealing with observatory equipment issues due to long idle time.

NINA has matured a lot since the last time I poked around with it a couple years ago!

#astrodon #nlskies #astronomy
#nlastro #astrophotography

1st test, maybe a little too red... what do you think ?
NGC7635 - Bubble Nebula. 50x180sec, I think we still need a little more data...
C8 Edge HD + CEM40 + 0,7 reducer + ASI533MC Pro + L-Ultimate filter- Processing #Pixinsight