LDN 43 – A Dark Cloud in Serpens

Image Title: In the Depth of Darkness - LDN43

Copyright: Simone Curzi for ShaRA Team

Date image was taken: May 01, 2025

Location: Río Hurtado Valley (Coquimbo), CL

Data Acquisition Method: Remote Observatory (Commercial)

Description and Details: At the remote heart of the Ophiuchus constellation, LDN 43 emerges like a dark wound carved into the starry fabric of the Milky Way. It is a dark nebula, made not of light, but of absence. A silent presence that imposes itself by subtracting luminosity, veiling everything behind it with primordial dust.

This image was born from a challenge: to make the invisible visible. Photographing a dark nebula means working in the depth of darkness, where light is scarce, signal is subtle, and every step in post-processing risks disrupting the fragile balance between realism and perception.

Denoising becomes a double-edged sword. Too aggressive, and the fine grain of interstellar dust vanishes; too weak, and noise creeps in, blurring the line between what is real and what is digital artifact. Contrast must be applied with equal restraint: push it too far and the ethereal gradients are broken; hold back too much and the image feels flat, void of depth and dimension.

Every step was taken with respect for the subject, as if the nebula itself had asked not to be forced into visibility, but only whispered into existence. I approached this image more through subtraction than enhancement, allowing its darkness to speak, without trying to illuminate it fully. Because LDN 43 is not seen through light, but through silence.
Clear Skies.
Simone

Telescope
ASA 500N
Camera
FLI PL16803
Mount
ASA DDM500
Filters
Astrodon Gen1 E-Series Tru-Balance Blue
Astrodon Gen1 E-Series Tru-Balance Green
Astrodon Gen1 E-Series Tru-Balance Red
Astrodon Gen2 E-Series Tru-Balance Lum 50 mm
Software
Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight

Lum 42×300″ 3h 30′
R 16×300″ 1h 20′
G 16×300″ 1h 20′
B 16×300″ 1h 20′
Totals 7h 30′

Name: simone curzi

Website or Facebook Profile: http://www.instagram.com/simone_curzi_skylover/