In The Bubble (M52/Sh2-162) (estabrook)

In The Bubble (M52/Sh2-162)

This image is the third and final of this year's North Carolina triptych.

One night, a very unusual weather pattern developed, which obscured three quarters of the sky in clouds, but left an undisturbed, crystal clear patch in the North/Northeast for several hours. Inside this protective bubble lay open cluster M52 and, appropriately, the Bubble Nebula (Sh2-162), which I decided to target on this strange night. Ordinarily, this was not the kind of night I would use for imaging, but I wanted to take advantage of every chance I had under the area's Bortle 4 skies. I'm glad I did. I managed to capture about 3 hours of integration—a good start, though I'd like to add more, likely in narrowband.

The biggest processing challenge was determining the optimal amount of star reduction and thus striking the right balance between the nebula and the open cluster. I've posted several revisions here, with each representing a different balance. After completing each revision, I said to myself, "Ah, that's it!" But by the next day, I realized "No, that's not it at all." So I'm not completely satisfied with any of these versions, but perhaps each has its appeal.

(Captured: C6, AVX, Hyperstar, ASI183MC Pro, Optolong IR/UV cut filter. Processed: AstroPixelProcessor, PixInsight, StarXterminator, NoiseXterminator)

B

Description: Increased contrast and performed a bit more star reduction to help the nebula stand out more. There is a real trade-off here, because star reduction obviously undermines the star cluster.

Uploaded: ...

C

Description: This revision reflects the heightened contrast of Revision B, but a happy medium of star reduction between A and B.

Uploaded: ...

G

Description: Used some newer processing techniques, including BlurX and Bill Blanshan's processes, for star reduction.

Uploaded: ...

H

Description: Re-cropped the image and improved star size and shape with newer versions of BlurX and Blanshan/Cranfield's star reduction tools.

Uploaded: ...

The OSC Club (One Shot Camera)
Virginia Astronomers and Astrophotographers
ZWO ASI183/QHY183
HyperStar Lens Astrophotography
NOVAC

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Status	Advanced success
Started	...
Astrometry.net job	6051236
PixInsight job	8OVGF95QVDP1K1FJS4Y4VFLSAMS3XF14
PixInsight queue size	n/a
PixInsight stage	TASK_LOG

RA (center)	23h22m33s.53
RA (top/left)	23h12m16s.40
RA (top/right)	23h21m49s.41
RA (bottom/right)	23h33m14s.10
RA (bottom/left)	23h23m14s.37

Dec (center)	+61°19′56″.4
Dec (top/left)	+60°41′47″.2
Dec (top/right)	+62°43′28″.5
Dec (bottom/right)	+61°54′58″.6
Dec (bottom/left)	+59°56′08″.4

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