Before and After: Revitalizing the Fireworks Galaxy with GraXpert in Siril

Astrophotography is a journey of capturing faint light from distant celestial objects. Sometimes, even with dedicated effort and equipment, the raw data can be challenging to process, especially when dealing with light pollution and faint galaxies. Today, I'm excited to share a dramatic before-and-after demonstration of how a powerful tool can transform your astro-images.

The Challenge: Fireworks Galaxy Under Light Pollution

Capturing the Fireworks Galaxy (NGC 6946) can be a rewarding experience, but it's known for its dim nature, often requiring significant exposure time. Compounding this, the image below was taken under challenging conditions: 930 frames of 10 seconds each with a SeeStar S50, and heavily impacted by light pollution due to being near a bright building.

The Game-Changer: GraXpert Script in Siril

I recently experimented with the GraXpert Python script within the Siril software, and the results were nothing short of astonishing. The primary goal was to clean up the background and enhance the galaxy's details. After running the script, I made some minor adjustments to the histogram, and the transformation was truly impressive. The background became remarkably clean, and the faint structures of the Fireworks Galaxy started to pop.

The Results: A Clearer View of the Cosmos

The difference speaks for itself. The GraXpert script effectively tackled the challenges presented by the data, revealing a much more aesthetically pleasing and detailed image.

• Original State: Dominated by background noise and light pollution, obscuring fine galactic details.
• After GraXpert & Histogram Adjustments: A significantly cleaner background, improved contrast, and enhanced visibility of the galaxy's spiral arms and dust lanes.

This experience highlights the power of dedicated processing tools in astrophotography. While the initial data acquisition is crucial, effective post-processing can unlock the full potential of your captures.

Future Plans

This image represents one night of data acquisition. My goal is to continue observing the Fireworks Galaxy over the upcoming weekend, aiming for approximately 9 hours of data before stacking. Accumulating more data is key for faint objects like this, and I'm eager to see how further processing will enhance the results even more. Stay tuned for more updates!