NGC 7331 & Stephan's Quintet: A Cosmic Dance Captured

Prepare to be mesmerized by this breathtaking 8K crop showcasing two magnificent celestial landmarks: NGC 7331 and Stephan's Quintet. This image, captured from the pristine skies of Cherry Springs State Park in Pennsylvania, offers a unique glimpse into the vastness of space.

A Supernova Discovery

Eagle-eyed observers might notice a faint celestial event near the core of NGC 7331. In July, a supernova was discovered in this region, and it's visible in this image just below the core. While low contrast due to its position within the galactic glow, its presence is a testament to the dynamic nature of the universe.

Exceptional Conditions, Stellar Results

The data for this image was acquired during a single night, blessed with excellent seeing and transparency – the kind of conditions astrophotographers dream of. This allowed for the capture of incredibly clean and easy-to-process data, making the subsequent processing a straightforward yet rewarding endeavor.

The Technical Details

This masterpiece was brought to life using a meticulous acquisition and processing workflow:

Gear:

• Pegasus Astro NYX101
• 10 inch carbon fiber truss tube imaging Newtonian
• ASI1600MM-Cool
• ZWO LRGB filters

Acquisition:

• Final stack: Approximately 1.5 hours per filter
• Sub-exposures: 60s for Luminance, 120s for RGB

Processing:

• WBPP for stacking
• Graxpert for background neutralization
• BlurX for deconvolution
• Creation of an RGB image without Luminance
• Spectroscopic color calibration on RGB
• Minor color balancing tweaks
• Statistical stretch applied to Luminance and RGB independently, with Luminance background value set higher than RGB
• Luminance data was then added to the RGB image
• Final adjustments included curves, histogram adjustments, minor cropping, and NoiseX for finishing touches.

This image is a stunning example of modern astrophotography, combining cutting-edge technology with meticulous processing to reveal the beauty of distant galaxies.