The Prawn Nebula (IC 4628) – Foraxx Palette

Description

Photographed and processed by Sudath Wijeratne

This vivid capture of the Prawn Nebula (IC 4628) reveals the dynamic textures and glowing filaments of a vast star-forming region approximately 6,000 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius. Rendered in the Foraxx palette, this image showcases rich sulphur-red structures, vibrant oxygen blues, and golden hydrogen clouds—each trace of colour representing distinct wavelengths of ionised gas.

Acquisition & Equipment

Captured using an EDGHD 8″ telescope with a focal reducer and an ASI2600MM Pro monochrome camera, the image integrates a deep narrowband dataset composed of:

• 178 exposures (300s/420s) through 3nm Hα, OIII, and SII filters

• 20 × 10s RGB exposures for true-colour star rendering

The final composition balances the complexity of emission-line detail with naturalistic colour contrast made possible by Foraxx blending techniques—a modern narrowband processing method developed to enhance both structural and chromatic dynamics.

Processing Workflow

Pre-processing and integration were completed in AstroPixelProcessor (APP). Advanced tone mapping, colour calibration, and structure enhancement were executed in PixInsight, with final colour grading and finishing touches in Adobe Photoshop.

This piece represents over 30 hours of total exposure time, revealing both the grandeur and fine detail of this lesser-known yet richly complex nebula.