M27 on Nikon D5300a

June 3, 2016

Messier 27 Dumbbell Nebula

  Nikon D5300A, Skywatcher ED80  + IDAS LPS-D1 filter  + 0.85x Focal Reducer/Corrector Skywatcher EQ-3 Synscan, guided, ISO 400 150secs x 47

Summer is here once again, and the summer triangle asterism ( Deneb, Vega & Altair) is slowly rising high every night. Located in the middle of it is the constellation Velpecula which the Dumbbell Nebula or simply known as M27 is located. It is a  planetary nebula, a supernova remnant, one of  my first targets when i started astrophotography last year. But last years' results are a  bit different using a stock dslr. 
With the modified D5300, it is easier to reveal the red colors (H-Alpha emission). I was also able to resolve finer details by using a lower ISO and less aggressive post processing. The green colors from Oxygen III emission is also easily visible.  Thanks to the magical performance of the IDAS LPS-D1 filter.

Messier 27 Dumbbell Nebula taken  last year using stock Nikon D610,  45 minutes total exposure @ ISO640

Notice the suppressed red colors on this photo. Stock dslr is not suited to record H-Alpha emission on short exposures. The Nikon D610 used for this shot has impressive dynamic range but due to its aggressive IR filter, it  is not sensitive enough for H-Alpha.

IDAS LPS-D1 Filter by Hutech.

This was also the first test using my new light pollution filter. It has no color cast, unlike my Baader UHC-S filter which gives off a strong blue color cast on all my raw files. The IDAS filter in my opinion is a perfect match for an astro modified dslr.