IC342 - Hidden Galaxy
IC 342 is known as the Hidden Galaxy, and is about 11 million light-years from Earth… relatively close to us in space terms! It is as large as the full Moon on the sky. And as a spiral galaxy, it is considered a look-alike of the Milky Way. The Galaxy earned the nickname “Hidden Galaxy” because the galaxy is somewhat obscured by the plane of our very own Milky Way.
September 29, 2024
The hidden galaxy is an interesting target, but it sure is beautiful. It is relatively close to the Milky way, and thus, is actually fairly large in the sky! It is a starburst galaxy, full of active star formation, seen in the numerous knots of nebulosity throughout the galaxy. It was very windy as well, and I finally understand how much even a gentle breeze or gust can affect imaging at longer focal lengths. Wasn't really much of an issue on my Redcat! I tossed about an hour's worth of data. This target is also in the most light polluted part of the sky for me, so dealing with the gradient on this one was especially challenging, but I still ended up with a pretty good result! Really enjoying the new scope and new processing tools afforded by making the switch to PixInsight.
Technical Details
Imaging Telescope: Orion Optics IDEAL 8
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro
Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
Filter: Antlia Tri-band RGB Ultra Filter - 2” Mounted
Accessories: ZWO ASIAIR Plus, ZWO EAF
Software: PixInsight, Photoshop, NoiseXterminator, Starnet, BlurXterminator
Guiding Telescope: SVBony SV106 60mm Guide Scope
Guiding Camera: ZWO ASI174MM
Imaging Dates: Sep. 28, 2024
Frames (gain 101.0) f/4.9 -10c: 165x120” (5.5h)
Integration Time: 5.5h
Darks/Flats/Dark Flats: 30/30/30
Bortle Dark-Sky Scale: 7.00