NGC 281 Pacman Nebula 2020 vs 2023 Edits (Brandon Tackett)

Celestial hemisphere: Northern · Constellation: Cassiopeia (Cas) · Contains: HD5005 · IC 1590 · LBN 615 · LBN 616 · NGC 281 · Sh2-184

NGC 281 Pacman Nebula 2020 vs 2023 Edits

After completing a recent PI demonstration on dark and dusty nebula for the The Astro Imaging Channel, I wanted to completly redo my edit of NGC 281 from late 2020 and early 2021. I had used my orginal photo for a bok globules example, but it got me thinking how much better could I make the image today. I think the comparison speaks for itself. The mouse over is the 2020 edit and the main image completed Jan 2023.

In late 2020 when I edited this the first time, I had been doing astrophotography for 1 year. Now 3.5 years later my editing process is much improved but so are the tools. Russell Croman's BlurX and NoiseX really allow the image to be further processed without generating artifacts. Additionally, star removal tools like starnet2 and starX allow the data to be further curtailed without damaging the stars.

The Pacman Nebula, NGC 281, is a hydrogen emission nebula in the constellation of Cassiopeia in the Perseus arm of the Milky Way. The nebula is an estimated 9,200 light years from Earth . The nebula contains a bright open cluster of stars as well as dark Bok globules that represent dense area of gas that are likely area of new star formation that we cannot see.

Final
Original
C

N.I.N.A. Users
Images from the EdgeHD Series
Central USA
Sharpless2 Objects

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Status	Advanced success
Started	...
Astrometry.net job	7091268
PixInsight job	0YSKQTBQ7XWKRBZL0DMAIKLJ1WPQHVTN
PixInsight queue size	n/a
PixInsight stage	TASK_LOG

RA (center)	00h52m45s.750
RA (top/left)	00h54m20s.570
RA (top/right)	00h54m23s.757
RA (bottom/right)	00h51m08s.502
RA (bottom/left)	00h51m07s.904

Dec (center)	+56°38′51″.66
Dec (top/left)	+56°20′47″.62
Dec (top/right)	+56°56′37″.62
Dec (bottom/right)	+56°56′50″.93
Dec (bottom/left)	+56°21′00″.29

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NGC 281 Pacman Nebula 2020 vs 2023 Edits

NGC 281 Pacman Nebula 2020 vs 2023 Edits

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NGC 281 Pacman Nebula 2020 vs 2023 Edits

NGC 281 Pacman Nebula 2020 vs 2023 Edits

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