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LBN 406, a Non-Galaxy, Non-Star-Based Spring Target.  (OK a Few Galaxies!), Alan Brunelle
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LBN 406, a Non-Galaxy, Non-Star-Based Spring Target. (OK a Few Galaxies!)

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
LBN 406, a Non-Galaxy, Non-Star-Based Spring Target.  (OK a Few Galaxies!), Alan Brunelle
Powered byPixInsight

LBN 406, a Non-Galaxy, Non-Star-Based Spring Target. (OK a Few Galaxies!)

Equipment

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Acquisition details

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Description

Revision 2/2023:
Not much to say.  Hoped to achieve a significant improvement by adding a good deal of subs to the mix.  I do have a better noise profile and probably a more accurate background and color given the use of SPCC.  Looks a little less purple.  But this revision is less dynamic.  Stars are also better.  But hate the close in issues that pop up here.  This is over stretched to get those faint clouds.  So not a pixel peeping wonder!  Just could not get rid of the gradient that shows a bit still in the lower left corner.  Need to get better at that...

Original:
Lynd's Bright Nebula 406, hmm. Well, one of the least bright in the catalog. If it were denser, it might have made the LDN catalog, but as you can see, this tenuous molecular cloud is not blocking much behind it. It is the leftmost cloud accumulation in this view and lies in the belly of Draco. It is my understanding that this is 2600 light years distant. If it weren't one of the relatively few non-stellar/galactic/cluster targets at this time of the year, it might not be so well known. I doubt that this cloud will be forming any stars anytime soon and to me more resembles the IFN.

But to not disappoint anyone, there are galaxies in this field! The largest appears to be an elliptical. Then there are a number of nearly edge on spirals and small ill defined. The best in my opinion is the small "Saturn" galaxy on the left center edge of the frame. Upon closer inspection, it is a strongly barred spiral with two arms. The tilt to our view helps to visually fuse the arm ends to the opposite bar, thereby making them look like a ring.

This target allowed me a breather from galaxies for me as a unique low surface brightness target scaled well for my telescope. In fact, I would have appreciated a full-frame sensor because this is only part of a larger area of nebulosity. It also allowed me to play with a different readout mode of my new camera. These were 60 second subs. For those with this camera (QHY268c), I used the Photo DSO mode at gain 28. If I repeat this, I would probably try the High Gain mode at gain 60. Actually the same system gain for each of these modes and close to the same deep well, but High Gain Mode has the highest dynamic range this camera yields in an elevated gain setting, with the lowest readout noise of all available modes. Might not have overexposed quite so many stars. Although I have done worse!

I have tried to process this so that some of the fainter nebulosity in the upper right quadrant is visible. It is fan shaped and I did not want to lose the central part of the fan. A little noise sneaks in at these stretch levels, but this is not an object to examine too close up anyway. Not enough detail in these clouds.

Comments

Revisions

  • LBN 406, a Non-Galaxy, Non-Star-Based Spring Target.  (OK a Few Galaxies!), Alan Brunelle
    Original
  • LBN 406, a Non-Galaxy, Non-Star-Based Spring Target.  (OK a Few Galaxies!), Alan Brunelle
    B
  • Final
    LBN 406, a Non-Galaxy, Non-Star-Based Spring Target.  (OK a Few Galaxies!), Alan Brunelle
    C

B

Description: The original suffered from some mid-range noise that always bugged me because it was visible to me even when viewed at roughly a 12X10 in size. While I originally blamed that on the high stretch I used with the 60 sec subs, I have also learned a lot more about noise reduction since that effort. So I decided to give it a shot! Two goals here: 1. reduce the mottling in the background darks without impacting stars. 2. reduce the smaller scale noise within the lighter regions without impacting what I believe to be real detail. The latter was especially challenging because the nebula signal is pretty low. But I am happy enough to add this revision.

Uploaded: ...

C

Title: Revision 3/2023

Description: See under Description for revision info.

Uploaded: ...

Sky plot

Sky plot

Histogram

LBN 406, a Non-Galaxy, Non-Star-Based Spring Target.  (OK a Few Galaxies!), Alan Brunelle