I had such plans for this one!
I was targeting the Elephant's Trunk Nebula (IC 1396/Sh2-131) for my first mosaic project, but ambition got the better of me. First, I decided to start with a modest 2-panel mosaic--NO, make that 4 panels! Second, because it was my first mosaic, I decided to settle for narrow-band stars--NO, make that 4 panels of broadband stars too! And when processing revealed abominable gaps in the fully assembled image, I committed myself to adding 2 more panels of narrowband and broadband data to fill them in. Alas, processing failed me again, and the fully assembled image somehow erased most of the nebulosity and left me with little more than a bare star field.
So I present you with this image--which is what I could salvage from the Mosaic Catastrophe of 2022. This is the most important panel of the planned mosaic, featuring the Trunk itself, and a blanket of broadband stars on top. Certainly, I view this as a satisfying product for a night's work--but please don't remind me about the other seven nights whose efforts remain unrewarded!
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