Flying Dragon Nebula: A Glimpse from the City
Behold the majestic Flying Dragon Nebula, captured here in a breathtaking image. This is an ambitious attempt to bring out the details of this celestial wonder from a Bortle 9 environment, showcasing the challenges and rewards of astrophotography in urban settings.
The Challenge of Light Pollution
Capturing deep-sky objects from a Bortle 9 zone, like Los Angeles, presents a significant hurdle due to intense light pollution. This image represents a dedicated effort to push the equipment and processing techniques to their limits, increasing gain and exposure to gather as much light as possible from the faint nebula.
Equipment and Acquisition Details
The following equipment was used for this capture:
- Telescope: 8" Meade LX200 f/10 SCT
- Camera: ZWO 2600MC Camera
- Filter: L-enhance narrowband filter
- Mount: ZWO AM5 Mount
- Controller: ASIAIR Plus
The image was captured on August 22, 2025, from Los Angeles, CA, under Bortle 9 conditions.
Processing Journey
The post-processing was a meticulous endeavor, employing PixInsight to refine the raw data into the final image. The workflow included:
- Integration: 18 x 600s subs (gain: 300)
- Calibration: Background removal, Spectrophotometry Calibration
- Enhancement: BlurXterminator, Noise reduction, Histogram Stretch, Star Reduction
- Color Mapping: HOO Palette
- Final Touches: Curves Transformation (applied twice), Star Combination
This detailed process highlights the sophisticated techniques required to extract such detail from challenging acquisition conditions. The result is a testament to the perseverance of astrophotographers in revealing the universe's beauty, even from the heart of a city.
