Target fun facts
The nebula known as IC 410 is home to a pair of intriguing structures popularly known as the “tadpoles.” These are clumps of gas and dust left over from the formation of the cluster and are likely forming yet new stars within them. The tails of the tadpoles are caused by the radiation pressure and solar wind from the stars of NGC 1893; note how they point away from the star cluster. IC 410 is a faint and dusty emission nebula of more than 100 light-years across approximately 12,000 light-years away from Earth in the northern constellation of Auriga. Notable are two streamers of material, known as the “Tadpoles of IC 410”. These tadpoles, which consist of denser, cooler gas and dust, are approximately 10 light-years long and potentially sites of ongoing star formation.
Other Catalog Designations: IC410, SH2-236, LBN807, Ced43
Subtype: Star Cluster associated with nebulosity
Distance from Earth: 12,000 light years
Size: 100 light year (diameter), 10 light year (length of Tadpoles)
Constellation: Auriga
{From: http://www.enchantedskies.net/IC410.htm, https://www.swagastro.com/ic4101.html, Stellarium}
Capture Notes
All three of the weather apps (Weather Underground, Clear Skies, Astrospheric) gave different starting times for the clear skies – but none of them predicted what actually happened – clear night right after nightfall. So, I hustled to get Big Zeus set up on the front patio and got the process going. At about 2100, I woke up and took a look outside – it was completely cloudy and the sequence had ended due to a lost guide star. I was up and down for the next couple of hours until the skies were clear enough. They cleared at about 2230MST and stayed that way until the target set behind the house at about 0315MST.
Equipment
Polar alignment: QHYCCD camera (controlled by Polemaster)
Imaging stream: Orion 10″ f/8 Ritchey-Chretien Astrograph Telescope, Canon EOS Ra with with Teleskop Service Flattener 1.0x for RC Telescopes (TS-RCFLAT2) and Optolong L-Extreme LP filter.
Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro Equatorial Mount (controlled by EQMOD)
Autoguider: Orion 60mm Multi-Use Guide Scope, Orion StarShoot AutoGuider Pro Mono Astrophotography Camera (controlled by PHD2)
All equipment controlled by HP Probook running Sequence Generator Pro v3.2.0.660.
Capture & processing notes
Sequence plans: : ISO3200; 71x300sec. Total exposure time: 5:37.5hrs. Captured 16Jan2023 1857 – 2025MST (17subframes, last deleted during culling for clouds); 16Jan2023, 2239 – 17Jan2023, 0325MST. (54 subframes, last deleted due to intersection with roof parapet, 3 in the middle culled due to clouds)
Capture: 16 January 2023
Shooting location: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Processing: Stacked in APP, processed in LR/PS.