IC434 Horsehead Nebula
This image of IC434 - The Horsehead Nebula is part of a larger mosaic which is still a work in progress, but I couldn't help but try and process this old favourite. I run two telescope rigs now, so whilst my primary one I use to shoot more challenging targets, I can use my secondary rig to play around and return to some targets that I haven't visited since many years ago.
Whilst there are quite a few criteria to evaluate images, a typical trade-off is between a technically pleasing image with little noise, or one that shows the maximum detail but also all the noise as well (not everything can be averaged out or "algorithmed" to non-existence). So here the processing has been more on the aggressive side and shows a terrible amount of noise, but what a great way to explore the wonderous nebulas that twist and flow around this region!
