Astrophotography by Keith B. Quattrocchi

 Sh2-242
Emission Nebula in Taurus   
                  LRGB-Ha                       

Copyright 2013
Keith B Quattrocchi

Image Acquisition Information       
               
Telescope: 16" RCOS Richey Chretien Telescope (ion milled at 6/9) 
Camera: SBIG STL-11000
Guiding: SBIG AOL, Astrodon  MOAG AOG (SBIG 237 with Custom FLR)
Filters:  Astrodon Ha and Astrodon RBG Filters
Mount: Software Bisque Paramount ME
Programs:  The Sky,CCDAutopliot IV, CCD Soft. 
Processing Programs: CCDStack, Maxim DL, Photoshop
Date: Data processed February 8, 2013.  Data aquisition: January 2, 2013-January 30, 2013                              
Time: 12 x20 min ( 4 hours) each for each of Ha, L, R, G, B:
Total of  16 hours imaging time.                              
Processing:  CCD Stack and PhotoShop CS/3

Image Infornmation:  Sh2-242 ia an emission nebula in the constelation Taurus, with extremely low surface brighness. 

Processing Infornmation  This LRGB-Ha image was obtained using  AstroDon LRGB and 3nm band pass of Ha filters.  This object emits light in Ha with nearly no SII, NII or OIII content.  A separate LRGB and H-alpha image were produced in CCD Stack and then layered in Photoshop CS4.  The H-alpha image was layered three times, in order to bring out the fainter regions on the nebula.  Further data stretching, high pass filtering and background smoothing was performed with Adobe Photoshop CS/4.  All data stretching was by minimal stretching with gamma and DDP in CCD Stack and then further stretching with curves/levels in photoshop.