Chasing Squirmy Tadpoles Across The December Sky (IC 410) (estabrook)

Chasing Squirmy Tadpoles Across The December Sky (IC 410)

The Tadpole Nebula (IC 410). 1058 x 20 second frames, approximately 5.8 hours of integration. I chased these squirmy tadpoles across the sky on two nights in early December. I'm somewhat mystified by this image. With the L-Enhance filter, 6 hours is usually more than enough time to overcome the noise in my Bortle 8 neighborhood, but for some reason my initial processed version was suffused with it. Likewise, my calibration frames were not as effective as usual, and I had to resort to some dark arts in Photoshop to flatten the field in my initial version. A reprocessed image (using PixInsight) was much better, but there's still plenty of room to improve next year!

(Captured: C6, Alt-Az, Hyperstar, ASI183MC Pro, Optolong L-Enhance filter. Processed: Photoshop, Star Xterminator, Gradient Xterminator, and Topaz DeNoise AI.)

Original
B
D
Final
G

B

Description: I refined my Gradient Xterminator technique to further flatten the image.

Uploaded: ...

D

Title: Reprocessed with PixInsight and Russell Croman's excellent new NoiseXterminator!

Description: Reprocessed with PixInsight (which greatly improved the colors) and with Russell Croman's excellent new NoiseXterminator process (which vastly improved the noise). I tried not to overdo it, so limited the NR to 75%. BTW, the misshapen stars are my fault and not NX!

Uploaded: ...

G

Description: I had some fun reprocessing my Tadpoles Nebula this morning as I tried to learn a bit more about color masking in PixInsight. (I also used Bill Blanshan's new PI star reduction process for the first time, to good effect.) This image--composed of 6 hours worth of 20-second exposures--is the best that I took on my old Alt-Az mount, and I enjoyed revisiting it.

Uploaded: ...

The OSC Club (One Shot Camera)
ZWO ASI183/QHY183
Light Polluted skies
Virginia Astronomers and Astrophotographers
HyperStar Lens Astrophotography
NOVAC
Optolong L-eNhance filter

	Distinct awarded users	Total awarded images
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Deep sky
Solar system
Extremely wide field
Star trails
Northern lights
Noctilucent clouds
Landscape

	Image of the day	Top pick	Top pick nominations	Total submitted
Backyard
Traveller
Own remote observatory
Amateur hosting facility
Public amaeteur data
Professional, scientific grade data
Mix of multiple sources
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Unknown

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Status	Basic failed
Started	...
Astrometry.net job	6186747
PixInsight job	n/a
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