Exploring the Sadr Region: Backyard Astrophotography of Cygnus’ Celestial Wonders

 Lots of celestial goodness in this field ...

On 7/18/2025, I captured this image of the Sadr region in the constellation Cygnus with my wide-field imaging rig.

A wide-field image of the Sadr region in Cygnus captured from my backyard on 7/18/2025.

When processing Astro photos, it is common practice to separate the stars from the image. The stars and the object are then processed separately and recombined at the end. Here is the Starless image used to create the final image above.

A starless version of the image used in processing the data.

What is it? (This section written with AI assistance)

An annotated version of the image.

A few of the Celestial Objects in the image:

Gamma Cygni Nebula (IC 1318)

A sprawling emission complex centered on the bright star Sadr (Gamma Cygni). It spans over a degree of sky and consists of two main lobes of hydrogen-alpha emission, sometimes called the Butterfly Nebula. Dark dust lanes weave through the red glow, tracing regions where cooler material absorbs background light. The Gamma Cygni Nebula belongs to the Cygnus X star-forming complex.

Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888)

Carved by the powerful stellar wind of the Wolf–Rayet star WR 136, this crescent-shaped bubble of ionized hydrogen glows vividly in red. The fast wind has excavated a hollow shell in the surrounding gas, creating sharp arcs and filamentary structures roughly 18 by 12 arcminutes in size.

Propeller Nebula (DWB 111/119)

Nicknamed for its propeller-like appearance, this faint emission and reflection nebula lies just south of the Crescent. Curved dust lanes and pockets of ionized gas form the “blades,” set against a rich Milky Way star field. Also known as Simeiz 57. The Propeller Nebula is also part of the Cygnus-X star forming complex.

Open Star Cluster M29

A compact grouping of about 50 bluish and white stars, M29 sits a few degrees east of Sadr. At roughly 4,000 light-years away and 10 million years old, its hot young stars form a loose “V” or “Y” pattern, contrasting with the surrounding nebular glow.

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Notable Stars and Field Features

• Sadr (Gamma Cygni): Magnitude 2.2 supergiant at the center of IC 1318, the principal illuminating source.
• Field Stars: Hundreds of fainter Milky Way stars pepper the background, highlighting the vast scale of the nebular structures.

How Big is it?

The Gamma Cygni Nebula (IC 1318) has a size of 40 x 20 arcminutes (1 degree is 60 arcminutes) on the night sky and is about 17.5 light years across.

The Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888) has a size of 20.0 x 10. arcminutes (1 degree is 60 arcminutes) on the night sky and is about 31.6 light years across.

The Propeller Nebula (DWB 111/119) - I could not size information for this object.

M29 has a size of 10 arcminutes (1 degree is 60 arcminutes) on the night sky and is about 14.6 light years across.

How Far is it?

The Gamma Cygni Nebula (IC 1318) is located about 1,500 light-years (ly) in the Constellation Cygnus.

The Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888) is located about 5,400 light-years (ly) in the Constellation Cygnus.

The Propeller Nebula (DWB 111/119) is located about 4,600 light-years (ly) in the Constellation Cygnus.

M 29 is located about 5,000 light-years (ly) in the Constellation Cygnus.

How to Find it?

M29 can be observed visually. So can NGC 6888 (nebula filters and aperture will help). IC 1318 most likely can be observed visually; a wide field of view and nebula filter will help. The Propeller would be a very difficult visual observation. 

The field of view of the image is shown below. The Star Sadr (Gamma Cygni) is naked eye visible in the Constellation Cygnus.

A finder chart for the image.

Imaging Notes:

Friday July 18^th was forecast to be clear at night. I set up my wide-field imaging rig before dark. Once it was dark enough, I polar aligned, calibrated PHD2, and slew to the target so I could focus the imaging camera and set the imaging camera rotation. Then I took my flat frames and initiated the imaging sequence for the night.

The first sub rolled in at 10:28 PM. The skies were really good, especially early in the night. I went to sleep around 1 AM. The rig kept collecting subs until 4:30 AM. A total of 103 good sub exposures were collected; four frames were discarded prior to processing.

Processing:

All pre and post processing was performed in PixInsight. Pre-Processing: All subs were visually inspected with Blink and subs with issues were removed. All light Frames, Flats, Darks and Dark flats were loaded into WBPP. Linear Post Processing: Background extraction was performed with GraXpert followed by BXT (correct only). SPCC was used for Color Calibration followed by a full application of BXT. The Stars were removed using StarXT. Starless Linear: Noise was reduced with NXT. The image was made non-linear with HT. Linear Stars: The stars were made non-linear with Seti Astro's Star Stretch Script.

Non-linear Post Processing: Starless: The Narrowband normalization process was used to get the "SHO look". Color, intensity, and contrast were adjusted with various applications of CT. Saturation was increased with CT. The Image blend Script was used to sharpen the image with a High Pass Filter. LHE was applied at 2 Kernel sizes and Unsharp mask was applied. CT was used to increase contrast. Stars: Saturation was increased with CT. SCNR was applied and the Correct Magenta Stars Script was used to help with stars captured with a dual narrowband filter. CT was used to adjust contrast one last time. Final: The Stars and Starless images were combined with Pixel Math to produce the final image. 

Image Details:

Capture Date: 7/18/2025

Location: Eden, NY

Telescope: Askar FMA180 Pro

Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro

Filter: Optolong L-eXtreme

Mount: Sky-Watcher USA EQ6-R Pro

Exposure: 103 exposures for a total exposure of 5 hours and 9 minutes. All exposures were captured at 180 sec / Gain 100 / Offset 50 / -10°C each.

Software: NINA, SharpCap Pro, PHD2, and PixInsight

Clear Skies!

Ernie

Wide-Field Cygnus Loop

 8,000 years ago, a star 20 times more massive than our Sun went KABOOM ...

If you said Kaboom in the voice of Marvin the Martian, then we think alike. Trying something new with this blog post. Going to change the order of the content. Let me know what you think. Note: An AI tool was used to help write the text in the "What is it?" section.

On 7/3/2025, I captured this image of the Cygnus Loop from my backyard with my wide-field imaging rig.

A wide-field image of the Cygnus Loop captured from my backyard on 7/3/2025.

When processing Astro photos, it is common practice to separate the stars from the image. The stars and the object are then processed separately and recombined at the end. Here is the Starless image used to create the final image above. 

A starless version of the image used in the processing of this data.

What is it?

An annotated image of the Cygnus Loop.

Western Veil Nebula (NGC 6960 “Witch’s Broom”)

Located at the western edge of the Cygnus Loop, NGC 6960 is a tangle of glowing filaments spanning over a degree of sky. Also called the Witch’s Broom, its curved arc traces shock waves from a supernova that exploded roughly 8,000 years ago, heating and ionizing the interstellar gas. Bright knots and wisps of hydrogen- and oxygen-rich material alternately glow in red and teal, against a field of faint Milky Way stars.

Eastern Veil Nebula (NGC 6992, NGC 6995 & IC 1340)

This section consists of two main filamentary loops—NGC 6992 to the north and NGC 6995 immediately south—plus fainter outlying strands cataloged as IC 1340. The sinuous, lace-like structures mark where fast-moving debris slams into surrounding gas at hundreds of kilometers per second. Vivid filament edges glow in narrowband emissions, revealing intricate curlicues of supernova-heated plasma.

Open Star Cluster NGC 6940

Situated just south of the Eastern Veil, NGC 6940 is a rich grouping of several dozen 8th–10th magnitude stars. At about 2,500 light-years distance, this intermediate-age cluster (≈1 billion years) provides a contrasting backdrop of yellow-white suns set against the nebular filaments. Its loosely bound stars form a gentle arc, adding depth to the wide-field composition.

Foreground and Field Stars

• 52 Cygni: A 4th-magnitude star superimposed on the Western Veil’s arc, lending the Witch’s Broom its bright “handle.”
• 49 Cygni & 48 Cygni: Pair of 5th-magnitude stars near the Eastern Veil, framing the nebular loops.
• Countless fainter Milky Way stars fill the background, emphasizing the vastness of the supernova remnant.

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Together, these objects showcase the aftermath of stellar death alongside ongoing stellar life, framed by a tapestry of stars in the rich Cygnus Milky Way.

How Big is it?

The Cygnus Loop has a size of 3 degrees on the night sky and is about 120 light years across. For comparison, the Sun and the Moon have an angular distance of about 1/2 of a degree. 

The Western Veil Nebula (NGC 6960) has a size of 70 x 6 arcminutes (1 degree is 60 arcminutes) on the night sky and is about 53.1 light years across.

The Eastern Veil Nebula (NGC 6992) has a size of 60 x 30 arcminutes (1 degree is 60 arcminutes) on the night sky and is about 45.5 light years across.

NGC 6940 has a size of 25 arcminutes (1 degree is 60 arcminutes) on the night sky and is about 18.3 light years across.

How Far is it?

The entire Cygnus Loop (including Eastern & Western Veil Nebulae) is located about 2,100 light-years (ly) in the Constellation Cygnus.

NGC 6940 is located about 2,500 light-years (ly) in the Constellation Cygnus.

How to Find it?

This object can be visually observed. Dark skies are a must. A nebula filter, specifically an Oiii filter are almost required. This is a large object, so a wider field of view will let you see more of the object.

In the Finder Chart below. Find Cygnus the Swan, then locate Gienah (Epsilon Cygni) indicated by the letter "A" and Zeta Cygni indicated by the letter "B". Both stars will form an imaginary triangle with 52 Cygni, indicated by the letter "C". 52 Cygni is the bright star in the Western Veil. 

Finder Chart for the Cygnus Loop

Imaging Notes:

Thursday July 3^rd was forecast to be clear at night. I had a vacation day, extending the Independence Day holiday weekend. A clear night, no work the next day, no question I would be imaging. The 3^rd was one day past 1^st Quarter Moon, so a bright Moon would be up all night. Therefore, I decided to go after the Cygnus Loop with my wide-field setup and dual narrowband filter. I had to wait until nearly midnight for the object to clear the trees to begin the imaging sequence. The first sub came in at 11:46 PM. Subs continued to roll in until 4:14 AM as the skies started to brighten as dawn approached. Overall, an eventful evening. The skies were really good, and the equipment behaved. 

Processing:

All pre and post processing was performed in PixInsight. Pre-Processing: All subs were visually inspected with Blink and subs with issues were removed. All light Frames, Flats, Darks and Dark flats were loaded into WBPP. Linear Post Processing: Background extraction was performed with GraXpert followed by BXT (correct only). SPCC was used for Color Calibration followed by a full application of BXT. The Stars were removed using StarXT. Starless Linear: Noise was reduced with NXT. The image was made non-linear with HT. Linear Stars: The stars were made non-linear with Seti Astro's Star Stretch Script.

Non-linear Post Processing: Starless: Color, intensity, and contrast were adjusted with various applications of CT. Saturation was increased with CT. The Image blend Script was used to sharpen the image with a High Pass Filter. LHE was applied at 2 Kernel sizes and Unsharp mask was applied. CT was used to increase contrast. Stars: Saturation was increased with CT. SCNR was applied and the Correct Magenta Stars Script was used to help with stars captured with a dual narrowband filter. CT was used to adjust contrast one last time. Final: The Stars and Starless images were combined with Pixel Math to produce the final image. 

Image Details:

Capture Date: 7/3/2025

Location: Eden, NY

Telescope: Askar FMA180 Pro

Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro

Filter: Optolong L-eXtreme

Mount: Sky-Watcher USA EQ6-R Pro

Exposure: 79 exposures for a total exposure of almost 3 hours and 57 minutes. All exposures were captured at 180 sec / Gain 100 / Offset 50 / -10°C each.

Software: NINA, SharpCap Pro, PHD2, and PixInsight

Clear Skies!

Ernie

North America Nebula, Pelican Nebula, and Friends in HOO

 Can you find Deadpool's head in the photo ...

Saturday night 6/28 was forecast to be cloudy up until midnight, then clear through dawn. The following night was forecast to be clear all night. Even though the Moon was in a waxing crescent phase and would set not long after the imaging session would start, I decided to go after a narrowband object. I set a sequence to capture NGC 7000 (The north America Nebula), IC 5070 (The Pelican Nebula), and some surrounding nebulosity. 

I set up my wide field imaging rig Saturday night before dark. The forecast was holding true. That's when the gremlins hit. Somewhere between 10 PM and 11 PM, I fell asleep in my chair. I woke up at 12:30 AM and went outside and the skies were clear. How much time had I wasted??!!! Polar alignment and PHD2 calibration were completed without issue. After getting focused and getting the camera rotation set, I slewed the scope to Zenith to take flat frames. Somehow the Anti Dew feature in my imaging camera got turned off on a very humid night. I had a large area of dew or frost in the center of the frame. I lost about an hour figuring this out and correcting it. I finally started imaging sequence, and the first sub downloaded from the camera at 1:45 AM. The sequence ran until 3:54 AM, when NINA parked the scope and warmed the camera up. I covered the scope the next morning to protect it.

Sunday night was clear as predicted and I uncovered the scope. I checked the polar alignment and got the camera cooled down at dark (making sure the camera's anti dew heater was on). Once my target cleared the trees, I started the imaging sequence in NINA. The first sub was downloaded from the camera at 12:00 AM. The sequence ran until 3:50 AM. Although it got off to a bumpy start, things ended up well. Here is the resulting image. Can you find Deadpool's head? Can't find it? There's a Hint in the "How to find it" section below. 

The North America Nebula, Pelican Nebula, and Friends from my backyard on 6/28/2025 & 6/29/2025.

Processing:

All pre and post processing was performed in PixInsight. Pre-Processing: All subs were visually inspected with Blink and subs with issues were removed. All light Frames, Flats, Darks and Dark flats were loaded into WBPP. Linear Post Processing: Background extraction was performed with GraXpert followed by BXT (correct only). SPCC was used for Color Calibration followed by a full application of BXT. The Stars were removed using StarXT. Starless Linear: Noise was reduced with NXT. The image was made non-linear with HT. Linear Stars: The stars were made non-linear with Seti Astro's Star Stretch Script.

Non-linear Post Processing: Starless: The Narrowband normalization Process was used to get the "HOO" look. Color, intensity, and contrast were adjusted with various applications of CT. Saturation was increased with CT. The Image blend Script was used to sharpen the image with a High Pass Filter. LHE was applied at 2 Kernel sizes and Unsharp mask was applied. The DSE script was used to enhance dark nebula regions. CT was used to increase contrast and The Create HDR script was used to compress some of the brighter regions of nebulosity. Stars: Saturation was increased with CT. SCNR was applied and the Correct Magenta Stars Script was used to help with stars captured with a dual narrowband filter. CT was used to adjust contrast one last time. Final: The Stars and Starless images were combined with Pixel Math to produce the final image. 

What is it?

There's a lot going on in this image. I asked an AI tool to help, and this is what it provided. Overall, it is pretty good. I did have to edit some mistakes out. For example, the AI tool claimed the bright star Deneb (not in the image) was responsible for ionizing the gas. Although this was thought to be true in the past, by none other than Edwin Hubble himself, Deneb is too far away and not hot enough. 

NGC 7000 (North America Nebula)

This vast emission nebula in Cygnus spans over two degrees of sky, roughly three times the diameter of the full Moon. Its name derives from the striking resemblance to the North American continent, with the “Gulf of Mexico” dark lane carved by interstellar dust. Located about 1,600 light-years away, it glows as hydrogen atoms are ionized by ultraviolet light from nearby hot stars.

IC 5070 (Pelican Nebula)

Adjacent to NGC 7000, this emission nebula acquires its nickname from the bird-like silhouette formed by dusty filaments and bright gas. Also around 1,600 light-years distant, it shares the same massive H II region and is energized by young, massive stars. Dark lanes outline the “beak” and “body,” while bright ionized hydrogen gives the Pelican its luminous appearance.

Other Cataloged Objects

Catalog	Type	Description
NGC 6996	Open star cluster	Loose grouping of a few dozen stars embedded in faint nebulosity.
NGC 6997	Open star cluster	Richer cluster, slightly older, appearing as a tight knot of yellow-white stars.
NGC 7039	Open star cluster	Sparse cluster with mixed-age stars set against the Milky Way background.
NGC 7044	Open star cluster	Compact cluster with a handful of bright members, slightly reddened by dust.
NGC 7027	Planetary nebula	Small, dense shell of ionized gas ejected by a dying sun-like star.
IC 5068	Emission nebula	Fainter patch of ionized hydrogen, part of the extended complex.

Notable Stars

• 55 Cygni, 56 Cygni, 57 Cygni, 60 Cygni: Foreground stars that help define the field’s perspective.
• 62 ξ Cygni and 68 A Cygni: Bright guidepost stars for framing the North America/Pelican region.

Whether you’re tracing the dark lanes or marveling at the glowing hydrogen, this region offers a textbook view of star formation and stellar evolution in our Galaxy. 

An annotated version of the image.

How Big is it?

NGC 7000 has a size of 120 x 100 arcminutes (1 degree is 60 arcminutes) on the night sky and is about 90 light years across.

IC 5070 has a size of 80 x 70 arcminutes (1 degree is 60 arcminutes) on the night sky and is about 30 light years across.

How Far is it?

NGC 7000 is located about 2,600 light-years (ly) in the Constellation Cygnus.

IC 5070 is located about 2,000 light-years (ly) in the Constellation Cygnus.

How to find it?

NGC 7000 and IC 5070 are objects that can be visually observed. A telescope/eyepiece combination with a large Field of View is required. Binoculars are an excellent choice, providing a very wide field of view. Dark skies and a nebula filter will also provide significant benefit. The region is very close (see finder chart below) to the bright star Deneb. Deneb is one of the three stars that comprise the Summer Triangle. It is also the tail of Cygnus the Swan and the top of the Northern Cross asterism. 

Hint: To find Deadpool's head, look between the East Cost of the North America Nebula and the beak of the Pelican Nebula. Look for two eyes.

Finder Chart 

Image Details:

Capture Date: 6/28/2025 & 6/29/2025

Location: Eden, NY

Telescope: Askar FMA180 Pro

Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro

Filter: Optolong L-eXtreme

Mount: Sky-Watcher USA EQ6-R Pro

Exposure: 40 exposures from 6/28/2025 and 70 hours from 6/29/2025 for a total of 110 exposures for a total exposure of almost 5 hours and 30 minutes. All exposures were captured at 180 sec / Gain 100 / Offset 50 / -10°C each.

Software: NINA, SharpCap Pro, PHD2, and PixInsight

Clear Skies!

Ernie

Cr 399 - The Coathanger Asterism - Wide Field

 I'll Say it again; this is a great target to observe using binoculars ...

Monday June 23^rd was forecast to be a clear night (the second clear night in a row). I was able to get my astrophotography rig set up before dark. Since we were so close to New Moon, I looked for a broadband target that would get high above the trees that obscure my horizon and would be appropriate for my wide field set up. Collinder 399, The Coathanger Asterism fits the criteria. The only thing that gave me pause is that I imaged this target previously, at a longer focal length (click here to view the blog post). After looking at this target in the Framing Wizard in NINA, I decided to go for it. 

Targets like this one are not as "exciting" as emission nebula or galaxies, but I'm always overwhelmed by the enormous number of stars contained within the field. Furthermore, The Coathanger is a great target to observe using binoculars. Regardless of whether you are an experienced amateur astronomer with many telescopes or you are just getting started with astronomy, binoculars are super useful for observing. Most people have access to binoculars, and they are a great way to get started in the hobby. I have a pair at home and a pair I keep in my truck. This target is very easy to find (see the "How to Find" section below). I never get tired of looking at it.

The evening went relatively well. I got everything set up and connected. After polar aligning the mount and calibrating PHD2, I began the imaging sequence. The first sub came in at 10:42 PM. I went to sleep, soon after that. The rig continued to collect subs until 3:58 in the morning. Here's the resulting image.

An image of Cr 399 - The Coathanger, captured from my backyard on 06/23/2025

Processing:

All pre and post processing was performed in PixInsight. Pre-Processing: All subs were visually inspected with Blink and subs with issues were removed. All light Frames, Flats, Darks and Dark flats were loaded into WBPP. Linear Post Processing: Background extraction was performed with GraXpert followed by BXT (correct only). SPCC was used for Color Calibration followed by a full application of BXT. The Stars were removed using StarXT. Starless Linear: Noise was reduced with NXT. The image was made non-linear with HT. Linear Stars: The stars were made non-linear with Seti Astro's Star Stretch Script.

Non-linear Post Processing: Starless: Color, intensity, and contrast were adjusted with various applications of CT. Saturation was increased with CT. The DSE script was used to enhance dark nebula regions. Stars: Saturation was increased with CT. Final: The Stars and Starless images were combined with Pixel Math to produce the final image. CT was used to adjust contrast one last time.

What is it?

The Coathanger is known as Collinder 399 (Cr 399) or Brocchi's Cluster. This object is an Asterism (a prominent or recognizable pattern of stars). It is not a true open star cluster, it is a chance alignment of 10 bright stars. There are about 30 more stars that some consider to be a part of the asterism. 

An annotated image of Cr 399.

How big is it?

This object has an angular distance of 89 arcminutes (1 degree is 60 arcminutes) on the night sky.

How far is it?

It is located about 4,200 light-years (ly) from Earth in the Constellation Vulpecula.

How to find it?

This is object is relatively easy to find in a pair of binoculars, optical finder scope, or telescope with a wide field of view. It is located in the Constellation Vulpecula which is a dim constellation located within the Summer Triangle.  Use the finder chart below to help you locate it.

1. Find the Summer Triangle (Vega, Deneb, & Altair).
2. Method 1: 
1. Find Albireo (a beautiful visual target itself) which is the head of Cygnus the Swan or the base of the Northern Cross. 
2. Find the star Alpha Vulpecula and draw an imaginary line from Albireo through Alpha Vulpecula. The Coathanger is roughly the same distance from Alpha Vulpecula as Alpha Vulpecula is from Albireo. 
3. Method 2:
1. Find Vega and Altair and draw an imaginary line between them.
2. The Coathanger is roughly between both stars (it's a little closer to Altair).

Finding Chart for Cr 399

Image Details:

Capture Date: 6/23/2025

Location: Eden, NY

Telescope: Askar FMA180 Pro

Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro

Filter: N/A

Mount: Sky-Watcher USA EQ6-R Pro

Exposure: 221 exposures at 60 sec / Gain 100 / Offset 50 / -10°C each for a total exposure of almost 3 hours and 41 minutes.

Software: NINA, SharpCap Pro, PHD2, and PixInsight

Clear Skies!

Ernie

First Light with the Askar FMA180 Pro

 It was a good night to shake down a new setup ...

The forecast for Saturday night 5/10 was for intermittent clouds early on and clear skies after midnight. this forecast, coupled with the fact that there was a very bright 96% illuminated Moon up almost the entire night, made it easy to decide to shake down my Askar FMA180 Pro (click here to view a post about building this rig). The goal was to get everything working, an imaging would be a bonus. 

The process started well before dark. It began when the Askar FRA600 (on loan from a friend) was removed from the mount. I took the Pegasus Astro Pocket Powerbox Advance off the Askar FRA600 rings and installed it on the Losmandy Dovetail Rail that the Askar FMA180 Pro was installed on. I have three gutter spikes in the ground where I set up my mount for imaging. The mount was leveled, then the Askar FMA180 Pro rig was installed on the mount and connected all the cables (performing some cable management to tame the mess of cables). I connected everything to my laptop and verified that all the devices could connect to NINA, adjusting COM port settings as required. The telescope was then slewed to point at the tree line across the street so the Guide Scope and the Imaging Scope could be roughly focused. I also created the PHD2 profile for this setup and took darks for the guide camera. The mount was parked and covered with a tarp. 

At dusk, I came back out and uncovered the scope. The first order of business was to properly focus the Guide Scope. I used SharpCap to do this. Once focused, the mount was polar aligned. SharpCap was used for this too. The Guide Camera was disconnected from SharpCap and was reconnected to PHD2. Using the Calibration Assistant Tool, the mount was slewed to 0 declination and about 5 degrees from the Meridian. After calibration was completed, I ran the Guiding Assistant for 15 minutes and applied the recommended changes to the guiding settings. The Imaging Scope was focused by eye. I worked on multiple autofocus runs in NINA to optimize the autofocus settings. After getting the autofocus set up, I verified plate solving worked. So far so good. Dodged a few clouds here and there but everything progressed smoothly. So now what?

I started to search for imaging targets that would be a good fit for this wide field rig. The best option was IC 1396, The Elephant Trunk Nebula. I have imaged this target before with my 80 mm Refractor at 480 mm of focal length (click here to view the previous result for IC 1396). Unfortunately, this target did not clear the tree line until about 1:30 AM. Since this was the first weekend with nice weather this spring, we did a lot of yard work during the day and I did not want to stay up all night. Then it hit me, maybe this was the time to finally try the (Advanced) Sequencer in NINA. I had already download templates from Patriot Astro, but never had a need to try this functionality out. I modified the OSC template for my setup and did a quick test. It worked perfectly. I loaded in a Sequence to image IC1396 starting at 1:30 AM until about 4:45 AM.  Again, it worked perfectly! I woke up the next morning and the scope was parked, the camera warmed, and 55 subs were saved to the laptop's hard drive. I was worried the subs would be of poor quality due to the 96% illuminated Moon but was pleasantly surprised after processing the image. Having said that, if the opportunity presents itself to add more exposure time to this, I will! 

Here's the resulting image :

IC 1396 - The Elephant Trunk Nebula - first light with the Askar FMA180 Pro.

Processing:

All pre and post processing was performed in PixInsight. Pre-Processing: All subs were visually inspected with Blink and subs with issues were removed. All light Frames, Flats, Darks and Dark flats were loaded into WBPP. Linear Post Processing: Background extraction was performed with GraXpert followed by BXT (correct only). SPCC was used for Color Calibration followed by a full application of BXT. The Stars were removed using StarXT. Starless Linear: Noise was reduced with NXT. The image was made non-linear with HT. Linear Stars: The stars were made non-linear with Seti Astro's Star Stretch Script.

Non-linear Post Processing: Starless: The Narrowband normalization Process was used to get the "SHO" look. Color, intensity, and contrast were adjusted with various applications of CT. Saturation was increased with CT. The Image blend Script was used to sharpen the image with a High Pass Filter. LHE was applied at 2 Kernel sizes an the Unsharp mask was applied. The DSE script was used to enhance dark nebula regions. Stars: Saturation was increased with CT. SCNR was applied and the Correct Magenta Stars Script was used to help with stars captured with a dual narrowband filter. CT was used to adjust contrast one last time. Final: The Stars and Starless images were combined with Pixel Math to produce the final image. 

What is it?

IC 1396 is a region of ionized interstellar gas and dust that contains smaller regions of concentrated gas and dust that appear as dark knots or globules in visible light images. The gas in the entire region is being ionized by the bright star HD 206267 in the center of the image. The Elephant Trunk Nebula is one of those concentrations of gas and dust. It can be seen rising from the bottom of the image. These areas of concentrated gas and dust, including The Elephant Trunk, are star forming regions. Young stars within The Elephant Trunk were discovered in 2003 using infrared telescopes.

An annotated image of IC1396

How Big is it?

IC1396 has a size of 170 x 140 arcminutes (1 degree is 60 arcminutes) on the night sky and is about 100 light years across.

How Far is it?

IC 1396 is located about 2,400 light-years (ly) in the Constellation Cepheus.

How to find it?

The constellation Cepheus is located near the bright signpost constellation Cassiopeia. Cepheus is a circumpolar constellation for observers at mid-northern latitudes and above. This means the constellation never sets. It is visible all night, appearing to circle the north celestial pole currently located near the North star, Polaris. to me, this constellation looks like a house with a disproportionately large roof. IC 1396 is indicated in the chart by the red rectangle just off what would be the ground floor of the house. 

Finder Chart for IC1396

Image Details:

Capture Date: 5/11//2025

Location: Eden, NY

Telescope: Askar FMA180 Pro

Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro

Filter: Optolong L-eXtreme

Mount: Sky-Watcher USA EQ6-R Pro

Exposure: 55 exposures at 180 sec / Gain 100 / Offset 50 / -10°C each for a total exposure of almost 2 hours and 45 minutes.

Software: NINA, SharpCap Pro, PHD2, and PixInsight

Clear Skies!

Ernie

NGC 281 - The Pac-Man Nebula

 I wonder how many quarters I spent on Pac Man when I was a kid?

Sunday September 15th was forecast to be clear with poor transparency due to wildfire smoke and a bright Moon. Since I had a vacation day on Monday, I decided to go ahead and image. I setup with the Optolong L-eXtreme dual narrowband filter to help fight against the bright Moon. I started the evening collecting subs on another target that I had collected some data on Friday 9/14. Imaged that target until i lost it to the trees around 12:30 AM and switched to NGC 281. Struggling to get the result I want from the other data, so no post for now. NGC 281 is also known as the Pac-Man nebula as the shape resembles the protagonist of the famous video game from the 80's. I think the resemblance is slightly diminished by deeper exposures like this, as additional details are revealed. 

NGC 281, The Pac-Man Nebula from 9/15.

Processing:

All pre and post processing was performed in PixInsight. Pre-Processing: All subs were visually inspected with Blink and subs with issues were removed. All light Frames, Flats, Darks and Dark flats were loaded into WBPP. Linear Post Processing: Background extraction was performed with Auto DBE Script from Seti Astro followed by BXT (correct only). SPCC was used for Color Calibration followed by a full application of BXT. Noise was reduced with NXT. The image was made non-linear with HT. Non-linear Post Processing: Stars were removed with StarXT. Stars: Saturation was increased with CT. Starless: The Narrowband normalization Process was used to get the "SHO" look. Color, intensity, and contrast were adjusted with various applications of CT. Saturation was increased with CT. LHE was applied at 3 Kernel sizes. Unsharp mask was applied and MMT was used to increase sharpness. The DSE script was used to enhance dark nebula regions. The Stars and Starless images were combined with Pixel Math to produce the final image. 

What is it?

NGC 281 is an HII region in the constellation Cassiopeia. Like most HII regions, it contains emission nebulosity, dark nebulosity, Bok Globules, and an open star cluster (IC 1590). One of the stars in this open cluster, HD 5005, is a multiple star that is helping to ionize the gas, creating the emission nebula.

Annotated image of NGC 281.

How Big is it?

NGC 281 has a size of 35 x 30 arcminutes (1 degree is 60 arcminutes) on the night sky. It is about 41.5 light years in diameter.

How Far is it?

NGC 281 is located about 4,100 light-years (ly) from Earth in the constellation Cassiopeia.

How to find it?

It may be possible to view this object visually (I have never done so). I would suggest a nebula filter (like a UHC or H-beta filter) to improve contrast and make the nebula "pop" in the eyepiece.

NGC 281 is located near the bright star Shedar in Cassiopeia. If you draw an imaginary line connecting Ruchbah and Shedar, NGC 281 would be a little less than 1/4 of the way to Ruchbah, and a bit off the line (towards Andromeda)/

Finder Chart for NGC 281.

Image Details:

Capture Date: 9/15//2024

Location: Eden, NY

Telescope: Askr FRA600 (no reducer)

Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro

Filter: Optolong L-eXtreme

Mount: Sky-Watcher USA EQ6-R Pro

Exposure: 51 exposures at 180 sec / Gain 100 / Offset 50 / -10°C each for a total exposure of almost 2.55 hours.

Software: NINA, SharpCap Pro, PHD2, and PixInsight

Clear Skies!

Ernie

A Tiptoe Through the Tulip Nebula

 Target Number Two from Friday 7/26

So picking up from where we left off in the last post (click here). After taking flats with no filter to match my B150 exposures, I installed the L-eXtreme filter and took flats. Then slewed the telescope to the Tulip Nebula (SH2-101) in Cygnus. Started collecting subs at 2:40 AM and stopped the sequence at 3:57 AM due to the increasing sky brightness and immanent loss of the target to the trees in the West.  Sky conditions weren't great due to the smoke from the wildfires out west. I've settled on 180 sec as the default exposure time for imaging with the L-eXtreme. Here's the resulting image:

SH2-101, The Tulip Nebula

Something cool in the image:

Any Rush fans out there? Any fans of Black Holes? The star labeled as HD226868 in the annotated image below is the star that orbits the black hole Cygnus X-1! See if you can see a very faint arch starting from the label HD226868 and arcing back towards +35°20’. It is really subtle, but it is the bow shock created by one of the relativistic jets emanating from the black hole interacting a denser area of dense interstellar medium. Cygnus X-1 is one of the strongest X-ray sources detectable from Earth and the first X-ray source to be widely accepted as a black hole. Cygnus X-1's status as black hole was the subject of a friendly bet between Stephen Hawking and Kip Thorne.

Crop of the annotated image of SH2-101 highlighting the star (HD226868) that orbits the black hole Cygnus X-1.

Processing:

All pre and post processing was performed in PixInsight. Pre-Processing: All subs were visually inspected with Blink and subs with issues were removed. All light Frames, Flats, Darks and Dark flats were loaded into WBPP. Linear Post Processing: Background extraction was performed with Auto DBE Script from Seti Astro followed by BXT (correct only). SPCC was used for Color Calibration followed by a full application of BXT. Noise was reduced with NXT. The image was made non-linear with HT. Non-linear Post Processing: Stars were removed with StarXT. Stars: Saturation was increased with CT. Starless: The Narrowband normalization Process was used to get the "SHO" look. Color, intensity, and contrast were adjusted with various applications of CT. Saturation was increased with CT. LHE was applied at 3 Kernel sizes. Unsharp mask was applied and MMT was used to increase sharpness. The DSE script was used to enhance dark nebula regions. The Stars and Starless images were combined with Pixel Math to produce the final image. 

What is it?

The Tulip Nebula (SH2-101) is a bright nebula in the constellation Cygnus. This region of gas and dust is an HII region. Unlike the Dark Nebula B150, the gas in the tulip is ionized and is giving off its own light.

Annotated image of SH2-101

How Big is it?

SH2-101 has a size of 16 x 9 arcminutes (1 degree is 60 arcminutes) on the night sky. It is about 70 light years in diameter.

How Far is it?

SH2-101 is located about 6,000 light-years (ly) from Earth in the constellation Cygnus.

How to find it?

It may be possible to view this object visually (I have never done so). I would suggest a nebula filter (like a UHC filter) to improve contrast and make the nebula "pop" in the eyepiece.

SH2-101 is located in the neck of Cygnus the Swan. About 1/2 way between the head (Albireo) and Sadr.

Finder Chart for SH2-101.

Image Details:

Capture Date: 07/26/2024

Location: Eden, NY

Telescope: Askr FRA600 (no reducer)

Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro

Filter: Optolong L-eXtreme

Mount: Sky-Watcher USA EQ6-R Pro

Exposure: 25 exposures at 180 sec / Gain 100 / Offset 50 / -10°C each for a total exposure of almost 1.25 hours.

Software: NINA, SharpCap Pro, PHD2, and PixInsight

Clear Skies!

Ernie

A Smoky Sea Horse Nebula

 It was perfectly clear, except for the wildfire smoke!

Friday 7/26 was the second night of what turned out to be a string of 4 clear nights. That was the good news. The bad news was that wildfire smoke from out west had rolled in. It would be the only night I would have any chance of imaging, so when we got home around 10 pm, I set up and was collecting subs by 11 pm. The week before I tore down my setup. I removed the dovetail saddle on my EQ6-R pro and replaced it with an ADM Saddle that was purchased at last year's NEAF. I also replaced my telescope with an Askar FRA600 that is on loan from a friend. He is unable to use the scope for a bit and generously allowed me to borrow it. I did some cleanish skies last Saturday night and was able to get focused and verify everything was working. 

The first target of the evening was Barnard 150, The Sea Horse Nebula. The 61% illuminated Moon rose around 11:38 PM. I continued to image this target until a little after 2 am, when the Moon started to clear the trees and was impacting the image quality. I took flats, popped the L-eXtreme filter in the image train, took flats with that and switched to a second target for the session. That will be another story. I captured a total of 74 exposures at 2 minutes each. Hope to get more time on this object, as I believe this will improve the result. Here's the final image. 

Barnard 150, The Sea Horse Nebula.

Processing:

All pre and post processing was performed in PixInsight. Pre-Processing: All subs were visually inspected with Blink and subs with issues were removed. All light Frames, Flats, Darks and Dark flats were loaded into WBPP. Linear Post Processing: Background extraction was performed with Auto DBE Script from Seti Astro followed by BXT (correct only). SPCC was used for Color Calibration followed by a full application of BXT. Noise was reduced with NXT. The image was made non-linear with HT. Non-linear Post Processing: Stars were removed with StarXT. Stars: Saturation was increased with CT. Starless: Saturation was increased with CT. LHE was applied at 3 Kernel sizes. Unsharp mask was applied and MMT was used to increase sharpness. The Stars and Starless images were combined with Pixel Math to produce the final image. 

What is it?

B150 is a Dark Nebula in the constellation Cepheus. It is an interstellar cloud and dust so dense that blocks the optical or visible light behind it (from our point of view). 

An Annotated image of B150.

How Big is it?

B150 has a size of 60 x 60 arcminutes (1 degree is 60 arcminutes) on the night sky. 

How Far is it?

B150 is located about 1,200 light-years (ly) from Earth in the constellation Cepheus.

How to find it?

I'm not going to say this object can't be observed visually because I don't know. I've never attempted to visually observe this. Definitely not a target for beginners. Dark skies with excellent seeing/transparency would be required to have a chance. This object is about 1 degree in angular size, so a fairly wide field of view would be required.

This object is in Cepheus as shown in the finder chart below. B150 is between Cepheus and Cygnus as indicated by the solid red rectangle in the finder chart.

Finding Chart for B150.

Image Details:

Capture Date: 07/26/2024

Location: Eden, NY

Telescope: Askr FRA600 (no reducer)

Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro

Filter: none

Mount: Sky-Watcher USA EQ6-R Pro

Exposure: 74 exposures at 120 sec / Gain 100 / Offset 50 / -10°C each for a total exposure of almost 2.5 hours.

Software: NINA, SharpCap Pro, PHD2, and PixInsight

Clear Skies!

Ernie

M8, M20, and friends from the farm across the street

 Imaging in the heart of the Milky Way ...

I have not imaged with my home rig for several months. Been imaging with the club's scopes at the observatory and life has been pretty crazy (let's not talk about the weather). Saturday 7/6 was no exception. Our club had a Public Night at our observatory. I couldn't attend due to a family commitment. Fortunately, we got home in time to do some imaging. I live in farm country and have reasonably good skies. Unfortunately, I have a lousy horizon due to the trees. So, I set up across the street in my neighbor's backyard. Their yard borders their farm fields, so the horizon is amazing. This allowed me to go for M8 & M20, something I could never get from my yard.

I got imaging so late; I'm calling this on a Sunday 7/7 image. I had to stop multiple times due to clouds. Ended up with just under 2 hours of data (114 subs at 60 sec each). Really pleased with the result. Especially for a target that is so low in the sky here.

M8, M20, and friends from across the street from my house.

Processing:

All pre and post processing was performed in PixInsight. Pre-Processing: All subs were visually inspected with Blink and subs with issues were removed. All light Frames, Flats, Darks and Dark flats were loaded into WBPP. Linear Post Processing: Background extraction was performed with GraXpert followed by BXT (correct only). SPCC was used for Color Calibration followed by a full application of BXT. Noise was reduced with NXT. The image was made non-linear with HT. Non-linear Post Processing: Stars were removed with StarXT. Stars: Saturation was increased with CT. Starless: Saturation was increased with CT. LHE was applied at 3 Kernel sizes. Unsharp mask was applied and MMT was used to increase sharpness. The Stars and Starless images were combined with Pixel Math to produce the final image. I ended up with 2 versions one bright image and a darker version. I liked elements of each, bit was not totally satisfied with either. I ended blending both images (70% dark with 30% bright) to get the final image.  

What is it?

There is a lot going on in this image. The scope was pointed into the heart of the Milky Way. Going to focus on the three Messier objects in the image. 

Messier 8 (M8) The Lagoon Nebula. M8 is a large star forming region, some dark nebula, and a star cluster. This is giant glowing cloud of interstellar dust where stars are forming and have been formed (the star cluster).

Messier 20 (M20) The Trifid Nebula. M20is a unique combination of a star cluster, emission nebula, dark nebula, and a reflection nebula. It is called the Trifid nebula due to the tree lobed appearance.

Messier 21 (M21). M21 is an open star cluster located near M20. This is a relatively young cluster at about 4.6 million years old.

An annotated image of M8 & M20.

How Big is it?

M8 has a size of 9o x 40 arcminutes (1 degree is 60 arcminutes) on the night sky. It is 113.6 light-years (ly) in diameter.

M20 has a size of 29 x27 arcminutes (1 degree is 60 arcminutes) on the night sky. It is 43.9 light-years (ly) in diameter.

M21 has a size of 14 arcminutes (1 degree is 60 arcminutes) on the night sky. It is 20 light-years (ly) in diameter.

How Far is it?

M8 is located about 4,300 light-years (ly) from Earth in the constellation Sagittarius.

M20 is located about 5,200 light-years (ly) from Earth in the constellation Sagittarius.

M21 is located about 3,900 light-years (ly) from Earth in the constellation Sagittarius.

How to find it?

The lagoon is naked eye visible in dark sky locations. All three objects are located in the constellation Sagittarius, which is low in the South for Northern Hemisphere stargazers in the summer. Find the Teapot, they are located above (North) of the Spout of the Teapot.

A finder chart for M8 & M20

Image Details:

Capture Date: 07/06/2024 into the morning of 07/07/2024

Location: Eden, NY

Telescope: Explore Scientific ED80 Essential Series Air-Spaced Triplet Refractor

Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro

Filter: none

Mount: Sky-Watcher USA EQ6-R Pro

Exposure: 114 exposures at 60 sec / Gain 100 / Offset 50 / -10°C each for a total exposure of 1.9 hours.

Software: NINA, SharpCap Pro, PHD2, and PixInsight

Clear Skies!

Ernie

NGC 2237 - The Rosette Nebula (Skull Orientation)

This target was way too close to the nearly Full Moon ...

The night of February 20th was just a few days before The Full Moon (2/24). Even worse, this bright Moon was in the Constellation Gemini. This meant the Moon was very close to that night's target, The Rosette Nebula. Well, I wanted to see just how well the Optolong L-eXtreme Dual Narrowband filter would perform under these unfair circumstances. Spoiler alert, it wasn't great, but it wasn't a total loss.

I got home from work and setup my rig. As we are approaching spring, it is staying light noticeably later. This takes a little pressure off when getting setup (nothing worse than setting up under a clear dark sky). It still gets dark early enough to get a decent amount of imaging before it is too late. This will change as Spring turns towards Summer. I started collecting subs (short for sub-exposures) at 7:11 PM and stopped at 10:00 PM due to clouds. Exposure time was 180 sec each at Gin 100 / Offset 50 / -10 deg C. Ended up using 44 subs (2.2 hours total exposure) to produce the image. I oriented the object to show the Skull. Please note, there is a separate deep sky object called the Skull Nebula. My daughter is a Radiology Technician and has always had a fascination with bones, skeletons, and skulls. So, I guess this is in her honor.

NGC 2237 - The Rosette Nebula. Do you see the skull?

So, what about that Moon thing? Well, it was an issue. The image below is a single exposure (sub) with Boosted Auto Stretch applied. Thankfully we have many capable tools to deal with Gradients. No doubt this gradient impacted the processing of the image, but I'm pleased with how it ended up after processing. 

Single exposure showing Gradient from the Moon.

Processing:

I did all pre and post processing in PixInsight. Pre-processing: Blink & WBPP. Linear Post-processing: Dynamic Background Extraction (DBE - see next paragraph), BlurXTerminator (correct only), Spectrophotometric Color Calibration, BlurXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator, and Histogram Transformation. Non-Linear Post-processing: StarXTerminator. Starless: Narrowband Normalization (simulated SHO), Curves (Multiple iterations to increase brightness, contrast, and color saturation), SCNR, Local Histogram Equalization, Unsharp Mask, and Multiscale Median Transform. Stars: Curves (to increase color saturation) and SCNR. PixelMath was used to screen the stars back in. 

I tried two different methods of Gradient removal. Specifically, DBE, GraXpert, and the new Gradient correction process. To my eye DBE gave me the best result. GraXpert removed too much nebula and the new Gradient Correction Tool did not seem to work well with this image. Note: This is a new tool so it could also be that I did not apply it in the optimal manner.

What is it?

The Rosette Nebula contains multiple deep sky objects, including bright nebulosity and a star cluster (NGC 2244). NGC 2237 usually denotes the whole nebula. Other objects contained in the area include NGC 2238, NGC 2239, & NGC 2246. The nebula is in the constellation Monoceros. The Nebula has a circular pattern that resembles a flower. However, it can be oriented (as shown in my images) in a way that resembles a Skull. As indicated above there is an entirely separate deep sky object known as the Skull Nebula (NGC 246).

This object is an emission nebula. Stellar winds from the hot, large, and young stars in the star cluster have carved out the central area. These stellar winds also exert pressure on the remaining gas and dust. This leads to star formation, which is actively occurring in the nebula. 

How Big is it?

This object has an apparent size of 80 by 60 arcminutes (1 degree is 60 arcminutes) on the night sky. It is 128 light-years (ly) in diameter.

How Far is it?

It is located about 5,500 light-years (ly) from Earth in the Constellation Monoceros.

How to find it?

This object is easier to photograph than visually observe. To visually observe you will need requires dark skies and good seeing conditions, specifically transparency. A wide field telescope with a large field of view is required to see the entire object, as it is 5 times the size of the Full Moon in the sky. Large telescopes (over 8 inches) can reveal the dark nebulosity contained with the object.

Even though the constellation Monoceros is relatively dim, this object is relatively easy to locate. It is roughly halfway between the bright stars Betelgeuse (in Orion) and Procyon (in Canis Minor) as indicated in the finder chart below.

Image Details:

Capture Date: 02/20/2024

Location: Eden, NY

Telescope: Explore Scientific ED80 Essential Series Air-Spaced Triplet Refractor

Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro

Filter: Optolong L-eXtreme

Mount: Sky-Watcher USA EQ6-R Pro

Exposure: 44 exposures at 180 sec / Gain 100 / Offset 50 / -10°C each for a total exposure of 2 hour and 12 minutes.

Software: NINA, SharpCap Pro, PHD2, and PixInsight

Clear Skies!

Ernie