Capturing the North American Nebula Under Suburban Skies

Even in the challenging conditions of a Bortle 8 zone, dedicated astrophotographers can achieve remarkable results. This post explores the recent success in capturing the iconic North American Nebula, demonstrating that passion and careful execution can overcome significant light pollution.

The Challenge: Bortle 8 Skies

Photographing deep-sky objects from light-polluted suburban areas is a common hurdle for many amateur astronomers. With a sky classified as Bortle 8, the fainter details of celestial targets can easily be washed out by artificial light. Despite these odds, our intrepid astrophotographer decided to test the limits with a stock Nikon D810.

The Gear and Technique

The setup for this project was designed for efficiency and portability, proving that you don't always need the most specialized equipment to start. Key components included:

• Camera: Stock Nikon D810
• Telescope: 80mm refractor at 400mm focal length
• Mount: AVX mount
• Acquisition Control: ASI Air plus
• Guiding: ASI guide cam with SVBONY guide scope
• Data Acquisition: 56 x 60-second exposures (unfiltered), 30 darks, 40 flats, and 100 bias frames.

The imaging session focused on a target near the zenith, aiming to maximize the available darkness in the suburban sky.

The Processing Pipeline

Post-processing played a crucial role in extracting the subtle beauty of the nebula from the captured data. The raw images were meticulously processed using a combination of powerful software:

• Graxpert: For stacking and initial noise reduction.
• Siril: For further stacking, calibration, and initial stretching.
• Photoshop: For final adjustments, color balancing, and enhancement.

The Result: A Surprising Success

Despite the initial low expectations due to the light pollution and use of a stock DSLR, the results were highly encouraging. The North American Nebula, with its distinctive shape, was clearly discernible, showcasing surprising detail and color. This achievement serves as an inspiration, proving that with perseverance and the right approach, beautiful astrophotography is still possible even from urban environments.

This project highlights that while darker skies are always preferred, smart acquisition and processing techniques can unlock the wonders of the universe from almost anywhere.