The Hidden Galaxy (IC 342). Hidden is exactly right--this galaxy was nearly invisible in my 2-minute subframes (in broadband from my Bortle 8 yard). I spent two relatively clear and moonless nights tracking it, stacked only the very best data I collected, and yet my 6.5 hour stack was still remarkably faint. The first time I processed it, I brightened the galaxy a bit and stripped away the stars that obscured it. On reflection, I decided that its understated modesty was part of its charm, and I opted for a lighter touch and a less dramatic look.
@Gary Imm put this one on his amusing list of
"The 25 Worst DSOs to Image From Your Backyard," but despite the challenge, I found this to be quite a fulfilling project.
Finally, I noticed that
ESA's Euclid space telescope captured this target in one of its first images, so I've provided a quick comparison of my rig's result to Euclid's. Mine doesn't quite match Euclid's, but at a saving of about $1.5 billion, it's still a good value (but I still would like a bigger scope)!
(Captured: Askar FRA500, AM5, ASI183MC Pro, Optolong UV/IR Cut Filter. Processed: AstroPixelProcessor, PixInsight, StarXterminator, NoiseXterminator, Blanshan/Cranfield Star Reduction Script)
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