NGC 281 - The Pacman Nebula
NGC 281, also known as the Pacman Nebula, is a bright emission nebula located about 9,500 light-years away in the constellation Cassiopeia. This nebula gets its nickname due to its distinctive shape, which resembles the iconic video game character Pacman. The nebula is a stellar nursery, where new stars are being born, and it is filled with glowing hydrogen gas, primarily due to the intense radiation from young, hot stars at its core. The dark patches within the nebula are regions of dust and gas that are dense enough to block the light from the stars behind them.
For this image, I used the HOO (Ha, OIII) color palette to highlight the emission regions of hydrogen and oxygen. The H-alpha data is represented in red, while the Oxygen III data is mapped to green and blue tones. This palette really helps bring out the fine details in the nebula, giving it a striking contrast between the gas and the surrounding dark areas. NGC 281 is not only a beautiful object to observe, but it also provides valuable insight into the process of star formation, making it a favorite target for both amateur and professional astronomers alike.
Acquisition details:
Calibration frames:
20 Darks
20 Flats
20 Dark flats
Bortle: 5
Optolong L-eNhance lights:
4hr 05min
49x 300sec
Gear used:
🔭 Askar 103APO
⚙️ Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro
📸 ZWO ASI294MC Pro
🌌 Optolong L-eNhance
NGC 2244 - The Rosette Nebula
This image is dedicated to the Sterrenstof podcast, the best Dutch podcast about astronomy and spaceflight. Their "Astrophotography tip of the month" inspired me to make the Rosette Nebula my next project.
To create this image, I used the Optolong L-eNhance dualband filter, which isolates two specific emission lines from ionized gas: Hydrogen Alpha (Ha) and Oxygen III (Oiii). In this palette, the Ha appears in deep red tones, while the Oiii shows up as blue and cyan hues.
The Rosette Nebula, located about 4,500 light years away in the constellation Monoceros, is a massive star-forming region. The nebula is home to the open star cluster NGC 2244, whose young stars ionize the surrounding gas, making it glow. With its intricate gas and dust structures, the Rosette Nebula is one of the most striking stellar nurseries in the Milky Way.
If you look closely at the darker structures near the core, you might even spot some animal-like shapes hidden in the dust. I highlighted a few of them in the second image of this post. Let me know what you see.
Acquisition details:
Optolong L-Pro lights:
4hr 45min
57x 300sec
Calibration frames:
20 Darks
20 Flats
20 Biases
Bortle: 5
Gear used:
🔭 Askar 103APO
⚙️ Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro
📸 ZWO ASI294MC Pro
🌌 Optolong L-eNhance
NGC 7000 - The North America Nebula
NGC 7000, also known as the North America Nebula, and IC 5070, the Pelican Nebula, are two beautiful emission nebulae located in the constellation Cygnus, about 2,600 light-years away. The North America Nebula’s shape resembles the continent of North America, while the Pelican Nebula looks like a pelican with its head and beak, (I don’t think it looks like that at all haha).
For this image, I used the Hubble color palette, where Hydrogen Alpha is represented in orange-gold and Oxygen III in blue-cyan. This color choice brings out the stunning contrast between the different gas regions in the nebulae.
I was thrilled that this image was later chosen as the cover for the Sterrenstof Podcast astronomical calendar for 2024, a nice recognition of the effort put into capturing this beautiful scene, and it was also the first time my work got published!
Acquisition details:
Calibration frames:
20 Darks
20 Flats
20 Dark flats
Bortle: 5
Optolong L-eNhance lights:
3hr 10min
38x 300sec
Gear used:
🔭 Askar 103APO
⚙️ Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro
📸 ZWO ASI294MC Pro
🌌 Optolong L-eNhance
NGC 7830 - The Wizard Nebula
NGC 7380, also known as the Wizard Nebula, sometimes referred to as "Harry Potter and the Golden Snitch Nebula," is a fascinating emission nebula located in the constellation Cepheus. It was too large to properly fit in the frame with my William Optics Redcat 51 MK2.5 telescope, which is why I was excited to capture it as one of the first targets with my new Askar 103APO.
For this image, I used the SHO Foraxx color palette to bring out the contrast and detail in the hydrogen and oxygen emissions. In this palette, the hydrogen regions take on a fiery appearance, adding a dramatic glow to the scene. The sharpness and clarity from this new setup really made the Wizard come to life.
Acquisition details:
Optolong L-eNhance lights:
7hr 30min
90x 300sec
Calibration frames:
20 Darks
20 Flats
20 Biases
Bortle: 5
Gear used:
🔭 Askar 103APO
⚙️ Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro
📸 ZWO ASI294MC Pro
🌌 Optolong L-eNhance
NGC 6888 - The Crescent Nebula
NGC6888 - The Crescent Nebula is an emission nebula with a bright Wolf-Rayet-star in the middle of it. It's located approximately 5000 lightyears from our Earth. My picture also displays the faint Soap Bubble Nebula (Ju 1) which was discovered in 2007/2008. For this image I choose to use a HOO colour palette which was possible to create with with my OSC camera and dualband Ha/Oiii filter.
Acquisition details:
Calibration frames:
20 Darks
20 Flats
20 Dark flats
Bortle: 5
Optolong L-eNhance lights:
4hr 05min
49x 300sec
Gear used:
🔭 Askar 103APO
⚙️ Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro
📸 ZWO ASI294MC Pro
🌌 Optolong L-eNhance