IC 1848 - The Soul Nebula

First light with the new scope! IC 1848 - The Soul Nebula in LRGB. The next door neighbor to the well-imaged Heart Nebula, which I imaged in narrowband back in 2020. I've never shot this target before and while initially it was "just a first light target", I was pleasantly surprised with the small structures and Bok globules within the nebula itself as well as the broadband dust that surrounds it.

 

- Location: Remote Observatory (Bortle 1, SQM 21.99) near Fort Davis, TX

- Total Exposure Time: 30.35 Hours

 

Equipment:

- Scope: Takahashi FSQ106EDX4

- Imaging Camera: QHY 268M

- Filters: Chroma LRGB (36mm)

- Mount: Astro Physics Mach1GTO

- Guidescope: SVBony 50mm Guidescope

- Guide camera: ASI 120mm mini

- Focuser: Moonlite Nitecrawler WR35

- Accessories: Pegasus Ultimate Powerbox v2, QHY Polemaster, Optec Alnitak Flip Flat

 

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Software:

- N.I.N.A for image acquisition, platesolving, and framing

- PHD2 for guiding

- PixInsight for processing

 

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Acquisition:

- L: 319 x 3m

- R: 99 x 3m

- G: 97 x 3m

- B: 92 x 3m

- All images at Gain 56, Offset 25 (Readout mode 1) and -5C sensor temperature

- 20 flats per filter

- Master Dark, Flat & Bias from Library

- Nights: 12/16, 12/18-12/20, 12/23-12/25, 12/27/22, 1/13/23

 

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Processing:

 

- WBPP for Calibration

- Blink to remove bad subs

- ImageIntegration for stacking

 

RGB Processing (apply to each master):

- DynamicCrop

- MureDenoise

- DynamicBackgroundExtraction

- StarAlignment to align G and B to R

- ChannelCombination to combine to color image

- Duplicate image and ImageSolver to platesolve

- SpectroPhotometricColorCalibration on platesolved duplicate

- StarAlign both original and SPCC'd image to Luminance

- StarXterminator on original image to extract stars and save for later

- StarXterminator to create starless SPCC'd image

- HistogramTransformation x3 on SPCC'd image to stretch to non-linear

- NoiseXterminator on RGB image for noise reduction

 

Luminance processing:

- DynamicCrop

- MureDenoise

- DynamicBackgroundExtraction

- StarXterminator to create starless and extract stars

- GeneralizedHyperbolicStretch for initial stretch

- HistogramTransformation x2 for further stretch

- NoiseXterminator for slight noise reduction

- UnsharpMask using RangeMask for sharpening of structures in nebula

 

Combine Luminance and RGB:

- LRGBCombination with saturation at 0.35

- HistogramTransformation for slight stretch

- CurvesTransformation for slight saturation boost

- MultiscaleMedianTransform for chrominance noise reduction

 

Add RGB Stars to Nebula and further processing:

- HistogramTransformation x3 to stretch RGB stars and then Luminance stars to approximately the same amount

- LRGBCombination to combine RGB and Luminance stars

- ColorSaturation for saturating blue stars

- PixelMath and HistogramTransformation to add RGB stars to Nebula image

- CurvesTransformation for color balancing

- Slight SCNR green

- NoiseXterminator for noise reduction

- DynamicCrop to remove edges

- Save and Export

Done