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I agree with Bert, there is not much that can be done to circumvent the effects of the moon, especially a full one. My solution is to not image on those nights or when the moon 80%+. I typically do other tasks such as pointing accuracy runs, take calibration frames or plan the next object acquisition. After all, there is no point wasting precious time collecting calibration frames when the skies are dark with no moon.
Regardless, its still a nice image. What it could have been if acquired with no moon is anyone's guess, but feel certain it would be spectacular. The problem with image processing out gradients is how much nebulosity of the extended object will be lost. You need to be careful with automatic background flattening tools. Subtraction masks in photoshop give you incredible flexibility but are complex and time consuming to get right. This is always a compromise. If you can escape to dark skies on new moon nights, you'll always have cleaner data than those stuck in the suburbs. You'll know when you've acquired good data, as it will be a pleasure to work with requiring a simplified processing work flow.
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