NGC 7331, edited by Andrea Girones (Data from RASC Robotic Telescope) | SkyNews
NGC 7331, edited by Andrea Girones (Data from RASC Robotic Telescope)

Astroimage editing winner: November 2021

Andrea Girones’ edit of NGC 7331 is the winner of the November 2021 SkyNews Astroimage Editing Contest

Noting the smooth background and moody vibe, our judges chose Andrea Girones’ edit of NGC 7331 as the winner of the November 2021 SkyNews Astroimage Editing Contest.

NGC 7331, edited by Andrea Girones (Data from RASC Robotic Telescope) | SkyNews
NGC 7331, edited by Andrea Girones (Data from RASC Robotic Telescope)

“Vibrant, nice colours/saturation and clean background,” noted one of the judges.

Girones said she used the Level 3 data package and edited the image using PixInsight.

She said she used Weighted Batch PreProcessing (WBPP) script for calibration only of luminance, red green and blue, with cosmetic correction — “many hot pixels!” she noted.

In building the image, she used tools like deconvolution, dynamic background extraction, MultiscaleLinearTransform (MLT), TGVDenoise and a variety of other features.

“What a wonderful galaxy!” Girones wrote.

The contest

Located near Auberry, California, The RASC Robotic Telescope is a 16-inch, f/8.9 RCOS with a SBIG STX-16803 camera on a Paramount ME mount. It has seven filters: LRGB, Hydrogen-alpha, Oxygen III and Sulphur II. A Canon 6D — used to capture larger targets — is piggy-backed on the scope, sporting a 200mm f/2.8 lens.

To learn more about the contest or enter this month, click here.

The prize

The prize for the winner of the astroimage editing contest. | SkyNews
SkyNews prize pack

Each month, SkyNews will be giving the winner a prize package that includes: access to RASC Robotic Telescope data for the year, as well as some essential stargazing tools — a one-year gift subscription to SkyNews (to use or to give to a friend), a SkyNews folding chair, a SkyNews backpack and a SkyNews red light keychain.