Saturn · October 18, 2026
Best three centered 180-second captures from the overnight October 17–18 session. Original 51 SER recordings reviewed; 26 met the 180-second and full-field screening conditions. Three strongest screened candidates fully stacked and processed using Saturn Favorite v1. All source SER files are preserved.
Compare Neutral Topaz with Rich Neutral (1.47× saturation) or examine the original stacks and pre-Topaz wavelet controls. Two earlier favorites are available as visual references. This is a Work/Processing Lab trial, not a replacement for the final gallery.
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Slide the divider or drag directly across the image. Different captures and nights are not geometrically registered; assess sharpness, ring detail, background, and color—not exact pixel differences.
New ring-whitening/RGB-balance trial (October 18): The pre-Topaz stack already received the earlier October 13-derived RGB gains. We retained that base and measured a separate capture-specific channel adjustment in the bright outer rings to bring them closer to neutral white. Three new treatments above: no-Topaz balanced, balanced with a modest 20% real Topaz blend, and stronger ring whites. October 7 remains the preferred visual color reference. This is selective color and luminance processing, not new resolved detail. Measured channel adjustments and exact recipe.
Capture details
| Rank | Time (EDT) | Duration | Frames | Screening score* | Edge margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1:59 AM | 179.994 s | 23,982 | 1.46053 | 15 px min |
| 2 | 2:15 AM | 180.001 s | 23,982 | 1.45685 | 15 px min |
| 3 | 2:12 AM | 180.004 s | 23,983 | 1.44373 | 17 px min |
* Screening score from sampled frames, not a subjective ranking of finished images. Up to 110 temporally distributed frames were checked in each SER for centering and sharpness; AutoStakkert evaluated all captured frames in each selected video.