20211122 - IC342 (CAM) - The Hidden Galaxy - Shrouded in dust 🙄
What’s in the picture(s) -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IC_342Quote: “
IC 342 (also known as
Caldwell 5) is an
intermediate spiral galaxy in the
constellationCamelopardalis, located relatively close to the Milky Way. Despite its size and actual brightness, its location in dusty areas near the
galactic equator makes it difficult to observe, leading to the nickname "The Hidden Galaxy"
The dust makes it difficult to determine its precise distance; modern estimates range from about 7 Mly to about 11 Mly
It has an H II nucleus. The galaxy has a diameter of 75 000 light-years”
What was the experience
As I want to build a broad experience during this learning year, I’m also checking out some galaxies, as the processing presents different challenges compared to nebula. I’ve done M31, M33, NGC 6946 that helped establish the base skills. I also had done M101, M81, M57 during my first month (small scope, non-cooled camera), but the intention is to revisit those later again, with a better skills level 😎
As the cloud cover continues to shroud the sky, the ‘clear sky’ even swamped with a haze which is lit up by all the light pollution from next door 😳 … and a full moon to top it all 🙄 … with all this, I pick a Galaxy that is shrouded itself by the dust in our Milky Way 🙃👍 Great pick …
Imaged this one as a straightforward rgb, standard processing, but I’m not entirely satisfied with the outcome. In spite of over 7 hours of data, it is missing the nice golden-brown colour that this Galaxy is supposed to have, and there is still a haze in the background that I didn’t manage to get rid of, in spite of flats, ABE, etc. I’m still going ‘public’ with this one though, hoping on some guidance from others. But this one calls for a re-visit later … bear with me 🙏
How it was done
Scope: TS-140 APO (FL 910mm)
Mount: CEM70G
Camera: ASI2600MM Pro
Filters: Baader LRGB 2”
Photons: 300s LRGB 40x 15x 15x 18x
Bortle 5/6
Processing: PixInsight (Mac)
What have I learned from this
Every image you capture and process, has its challenges. There is never a ‘BAU’. Either it’s the haze in the sky, the full moon, or the damned light pollution, or some quirks in the processing. Skills level is one dimension, experience is another. Every image should help you advance on both …
Constructive guidance is always welcome and appreciated, if it helps me improve my imaging routine and processing skills …
Clear Skies everybody! 🤩✨🔭
Follow me @astrowaut
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