Scutum Star Cloud

Scutum Star Cloud, The "cloud" is the brigher white area at upper left center. Near lower right center is M16 and M17, the Eagle Nebula and Swan Nebula respectively. This image was originally taken with a 4X5 view camera and a 210mm lens using Kodak E100S slide film. The exposure was 1 hour at F9.5 and push processed two stops. The camera was a Toyoview mounted on top of an Astrophysics 120ED refractor which was used for guiding (by hand) all mounted on a Losmandy GM8 mount. I think the mount was struggling a bit. It was scanned into the computer and processed with Photoshop CS2. Most of what is visible is barely discernable in the original 4X5 slide. M20, Trifid Nebula is near the lower right and M8, Lagoon Nebula is at the lower right edge. The original image was taken in Sept. 1999 from Mt. Auburn, Indiana. The image has the appearance of being a painting, supposedly due to the conversion from film to digital.

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