NGC 2353 in Monoceros

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Scope: Megrez II at f/5.5, Location: Blair Valley, Anza Borrego State Park, CA   1 January 2011  Camera: Artemis285

Exposure: 8 x 3 min  (1x1 bin) exposure with IR block, 8 x 3 min (1x1 bin) RGB exposures.

Processing: Images were captured  with Artemis Capture (as FITs).  Aligned/stacked and dark subtracted in Astroart with Sigma Combine.   IR / UV Blocking  filter  and Color channels were scaled and  color balanced in Astroart.  Channels were co-registered in Astroart.   Central gradient removal was performed in Astroart. Luminance channel consisted of the IR/UV blocking filter exposures.  Curves and Levels applied in Photoshop to the Luminance channel to optimize star depth.    Final LRGB combine was done in Photoshop.    Final Image size is approximately 1500 x 1125.

North is to the right in this (mirrored) image. The image was guided for all exposures. NGC 2353 is in the upper right in this image. In the lower center, there is a bright star surrounded by a reddish tint. This is the emission glow of a larger but dim emission nebula - only part of which is in this image. That nebula is cataloged in Lynd's Bright Nebula catalog as LBN 1036. The bright star apparently in NGC 2353 is not a cluster member but it is instead a foreground star. NGC 2353 distance is estimated at 3,600 light years.  An earlier image of NGC 2353 can be seen  in the Archives here.  Horizontal FOV is 66'.

Image center is approximately - Equatorial 2000: RA: 07h 15m 04s Dec: -10°33'06"

All images and content remain the property of Jim Thommes - copyright 2003 - 2012

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