The cameras and tools available to astroimagers today make possible images with small telescopes that would have seemed impossible only a decade or so ago. But some of this technology is a double-edged sword. Tools can be misused and the result is inaccurate, overprocessed images. The image in this post is one example. I like to invert my solar images as the inverted image sometimes shows fine detail missing in the positive image. In the inverted image, the red narrowband sun becomes blue. Black spots become bright areas and dark filaments transform into ribbons of light. The image is inaccurate, but it allows easier visualization of scientifically valuable information. However, sometimes things can get out of hand. I was trying to reduce light gradients in an inverted solar mosaic. As an experiment, I opened the image in Astroflat Pro, which does a great job of removing gradients from dark sky image backgrounds. It made little difference to the solar image, but then I accidentally pulled an image parameter slider to its maximum position, and the result you can see below. It definitely a Weird Sun and of little other value other than an interesting picture. But on the other hand, it could make a great album cover for a progressive Jazz or Metal album--or maybe even a print for the observatory wall :)
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