The Tadpole Nebula
NGC 1893 (also known as IC 410) is an open cluster in the constellation Auriga. It is about 12,400 light years away. The star cluster itself is embedded in the center of the larger region of nebulosity known as the Tadpole Nebula. X-ray observations estimate that there are as many as 4,600 young stellar objects within the nebula.
January 16, 2025
Finally some clear skies after almost a month of clouds! This is my first time imaging the Tadpole Nebula. It’s getting a little late in the year for imaging this object, but I wanted to make sure to capture it before it’s gone. I was able to gather 4.5 hours of useable subframes out of 9 hours of shooting. Everything went smoothly but I there were some high level clouds that ruined about 3.5 hours worth of data, and I tossed about another hour’s worth of lower quality frames. Notably, there seems to be a pretty clear separation of the OIII and Ha signals in this nebula, with only a small area around he tadpoles showing the nice gold colors where these two elements mix. Even with less integration time, I’m still pretty happy with the result.
Technical Details
Imaging Telescope: Orion Optics UK Ideal 8
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro
Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
Filter: Antlia ALP-T Dual Band 5nm 2”
Accessories: ZWO ASIAIR Plus, ZWO EAF, ZWO Filter Drawer (Gen 2)
Software: PixInsight, Starnet, BlurXterminator, NoiseXterminator, AutoDBE, SetiAstro NB to RGB Star Combination, SetiAstro Statistical Stretch, DBExtract
Guiding Telescope: SVBony SV106 60mm Guide Scope
Guiding Camera: ZWO ASI174MM
Imaging Dates: January 15, 2025
Frames (gain 101.0) f/4.9 -10c: 90×180″(4h30m)
Integration Time: 4h30m
Darks/Flats/Dark Flats: 30/30/30
Bortle Dark-Sky Scale: 5.00