M81-M82

 Posted: Feb 23rd, 2026
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NGC
IC
HD
Technical Info
Telescope/Lens: Sky-Watcher 150/750
Camera: ZWO ASI 585 mm Pro
Mount: homemade harmonic mount
Guide Scope: SVBONY 60/240
Guide Camera: ASI120MM mini
Software: Siril. Photoshop. StarNetv2. PixInsight 1.8
Accessories: Asi mini. Sharpstar 0.95x
Exposure:
330 x 120" ISO/Gain: 200 - L-Optolong
120 x 120" ISO/Gain: 200 - R-Optolong
120 x 120" ISO/Gain: 200 - G-Optolong
120 x 120" ISO/Gain: 200 - B-Optolong
Green, Bortle 4 zone:
 Kasimov, Russia
 Feb 5th, 2025
23 h 0 m
59
Resolution: 3711x2019 px
Scale: 7624 KB

Overall, this is my first experience working with a monochrome camera and filters. The weather wasn't great, of course—freezing temperatures, poor atmospheric transparency, and light pollution.

There were many, many different versions, but I chose this one as the best in my opinion. I struggled a lot with the stars; they looked really scary—bloated and fluffy. I wanted a hydrogen explosion in the Cigar, but apparently not this time :))

I processed it on my main monitor, which displays black as true black, not glowing black or semi-black. I decided to check it on another 4K monitor with an IPS panel, and oh, the horror—in the mid-tones, you can see a green tint, and the image looks completely different.

So, be mindful of what you're viewing it on :)

 

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Comments

That's how much I need to save up) maybe even more) I'll start this season)
Today, at 17:50 Reply
Konstantin Tihonov Replied to Robert Nik
And a hydrogen filter would be nice too.
Today, at 18:37 Reply
Robert Nik Replied to Konstantin Tihonov
Everything is already there, you just need to keep collecting.
And you should definitely get it, it's a useful thing ????
Today, at 18:53 Reply
The entire image is soft from noise reduction, the Cigar Galaxy lacks contrasty HDR, while in Bode's Galaxy the core is washed out from HDR.
Today, at 19:47 Reply
Konstantin Tihonov Replied to Konfuz
Well, if you make it darker and suppress the background, the contrast will appear. I saw your processing on Evgeniy's (oeswww) page—you did some nice denoising there too. But the Bode's Galaxy, yeah, it's much sharper there. I couldn't achieve that. Maybe the Mesmaya sky played a role. Well, as they say, let the one who doesn't denoise now cast the first stone.
Today, at 20:35 Reply
Konfuz Replied to Konstantin Tihonov
The point is not about "banning noise reduction," but about using it wisely. The image looks like it's smeared, and the contrast isn't between the background and the object, but within the object itself. The two galaxies seem to sit in a haze—an artifact from using HDR.
Today, at 21:11 Reply
Konstantin Tihonov Replied to Konfuz
Well, the haze is especially noticeable around the Cigar Galaxy; you can't avoid it anywhere around it. It's present in the stack too, especially when stretching the L channel.
No HDR. It's like some kind of cocoon. I added a photo to the description where I reduced the brightness. Do you think it should be like that?
There's both contrast and separation of objects from the background.
Today, at 21:31 Reply

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