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

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

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

A Tale of Two Supernovae ... Part 1

 Saturday Night at the Observatory

It has been several months since we have had a clear night. It was clear Saturday night 2/3/2024 into Sunday morning 2/4/2024. Our Astronomy club’s imaging group assembled at our Dark Sky Observatory. We call ourselves the Tuesday Night Imagers, but Tuesday night can be any night of the week.  We put my camera (ZWO ASI2600MC Pro) on the club’s Celestron 14” Edge HD Telescope which is on an Astro Physics AP-1200 mount. An Optolong L-eXtreme Dual-Narrowband filter was used to target specific wavelengths of light.

The imaging team (for the club's equipment) was our Observatory Director (Dan), a member named Mike, and me. Our target was Messier 1 (M1) a.k.a. The Crab Nebula. M1 is a supernova remnant located in the constellation Taurus. We lost some time at the beginning of the night getting things running. The Observatory had not been used (due to poor weather) since mid-December. Programs and drivers needed to be updated and we needed to fine tune the Acquisition software for this new Telescope/Camera combination. We started to acquire images at 8:40 PM and imaged until 11:30 PM when we lost M1 to the Muck near the horizon and the trees. We closed the roof and took our flat frames. Mike removed his camera from the Tele Vue NP-10is that rides on the mount with the 14" Edge HD. We replaced it with an eyepiece to keep things close to balance so Dan and I could go after one more target. We'll cover that in part 2.

We did encounter an issue with aberrations (spikes) on our stars. We were unable to resolve the issue Saturday night. Dan and Mike returned to the observatory Monday evening, and I joined them via Zoom. After some troubleshooting, we believe the issue is caused by the Celestron Dew Heater Ring. Even with the Star spike issue, we managed to collect 13 usable subs at 600 sec each for a total exposure of 130 minutes. Here is the resulting image:

M1, The Crab Nebula from 2/3/2024, HOO version. BAA Tuesday Night Imagers.

Processing:

I did all pre and post processing in PixInsight. Pre-processing: Blink & WBPP. Linear Post-processing: GraXpert, BlurXTerminator (correct only), Spectrophotometric Color Calibration, BlurXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator, and Histogram Transformation. Non-Linear Post-processing: StarXTerminator. Starless: Narrowband Normalization (two methods as described below), 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 to different methods in the Narrowband Normalization process. Method 2 which produces an HOO result and Method 1, which produces a result that simulates the Hubble or SHO palette. The image above is the HOO version. I prefer this version. Here is the simulated SHO version:

M1, The Crab Nebula, simulated SHO Version. BAA Tuesday Night Imagers.

What is it?

M1 is a supernova remnant. Humans observed the Supernova when it occurred in 1054. It was recorded by Chinese astronomers, and it appears that the event is also depicted in Petroglyphs in Arizona and New Mexico. The Chinese astronomers referred to it as a "Guest Star". it was visible during the day for 23 days and was visible at night for 653 days. The supernova also left behind a stellar remnant known as a Pulsar. The Crab Pulsar rotates 30.2 times per second. The nebula is expanding at a rate of 1,800 km/sec.

Annotated image of M1, The Crab Nebula. 

How big is it?

This object has an angular distance of 6 x 4 arcminutes (1 degree is 60 arcminutes) on the night sky. The object is 13 x 11 light-years (ly) across. 

How far is it?

It is located about 6,300 light-years (ly) from Earth in the Constellation Taurus.

How to find it?

This object is relatively easy to find. It's very close to the bright star Zeta Tauri in the constellation Taurus. Refer to the finder chart below. This is a great visual target. It can be seen in binoculars and small telescopes. Dark skies help as it is it can get lost in light polluted skies. Larger aperture helps significantly. Although visible in smaller instruments, I believe it is far more interesting to observe in large aperture scopes. Nebula filters can aid in viewing this object.

Finder Chart for M1.

Image Details:

Capture Date: 02/03/2024

Location: Beaver Meadow Observatory (North Java, NY)

Telescope: Celestron 14" Edge HD w/0.7x Reducer

Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro

Filter: Optolong l-eXtreme 

Mount: Astro Physics AP-1200

Exposure: 13 exposures at 600 sec / Gain 100 / Offset 50 / -10°C each for a total exposure of 130 minutes (2.2 hours)

Software: NINA, PHD2, and PixInsight

Clear Skies!

Ernie

NGC 6888 -The Crescent Nebula

 Attack of The Floating Space Brain!!!

Tuesday October 3rd was forecast to be our last clear night for about 2 weeks. Even though it was a work night, decided I had to get out and image something. Fortunately, the Sun is setting earlier, which means we can get some time on targets before it gets too late. Unfortunately, the 82% illuminated Moon would rise around 9 PM. Therefore, I decided to image a bright narrowband target using my L-eXtreme Dual Narrowband filter. The target selected was NGC 6888, The Crescent Nebula. I see a floating space brain. Perhaps I've watched too much sci-fi.

NG6888 - The Crescent Nebula captured on 10/3/2023. Can you spot the Soap Bubble Nebula?

As soon as I got home from work, I set up the telescope. Once it was dark enough, the scope was polar aligned and PHD2 was calibrated. The sequence, created ahead of time, was initiated and the first sub was taken at 8:19 PM. Tuesday night also happened to be the night our astronomy club's (Buffalo Astronomical Association) imaging group was in session. We are called the Tuesday Night imagers (even though we don't always meet on Tuesday). I was imaging from my backyard, so I joined the group at the observatory via Zoom. One of our members advised that I don't need to calibrate PHD2 every time I setup once I have a good calibration. will have to give this a try next time. Will save a little time setting up. May only need to redo calibration if my setup changes. 

I imaged until just a few minutes past midnight, as I would be losing the target to the trees. The Sequence was timed nearly perfectly, the last sub showed a small shadow from the tree. I was already asleep, NINA parked my mount and warmed up the camera. I got up early to retrieve my laptop and put my telescope in the shed. A total of 65 subs were captured at 180 seconds each (Gain 100 / Offset 50).

Processing:

All pre and post processing was performed in PixInsight. Images were reviewed with Blink and the Subframe Selector Process, with a total of 10 images rejected. The 55 remaining subs were loaded in WBPP. Astrometric solution, Autocrop, & 2X Drizzle integration were enabled. Linear: The background was removed with ABE and color calibration was performed with SPCC. The image was deconvolved with BlurXT, noise was reduced with NoiseXT, and the image was stretched with HT. 

Non-linear: The stars were removed with StarXT and here's where things get a little interesting. As a result of a conversation on the Zoom, I decided to try the Narrowband Normalization Process (Cosmic Photons) from Bill Blanshan and Mike Cranfield. Specifically, I used the HOO palate (no choice as i was using a dual narrowband filter with an OSC camera) in Blend 2 mode. This process is amazing (as my friend had indicated in our conversation). The Realtime Preview, sliders, and various selections make it easy to get the best results for your image! Stars: Applied saturation with CT, removed green noise with SCNR, and ran the Correct Magenta Stars script. Starless: Applied multiple iterations of CT to add saturation, increase brightness, and contrast. Applied LHE at 3 different kernel sizes. Applied MMT and DSE. I screened the stars back in with Pixel Math and did some star reduction with Bill Blanshan and Mike Cranfield's Star Reduction process. Finally, the image was down samples to a more manageable size.

What is it?

The Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888) is an emission nebula located in the constellation Cygnus. This object is formed by the strong stelar wind from a Wolf-Rayet star (WR 136). This star is losing its outer layers at the rate of the mass of our Sun every 10,000 years. This massive star is likely to go Supernova some day in a million or so years.

Annotated image of NGC 6888.

How big is it?

This object has an angular distance of 20 x 10 arcminutes (1 degree is 60 arcminutes) on the night sky. The object is 25 light-years (ly) across. 

How far is it?

It is located about 4,700 light-years (ly) from Earth in the Constellation Cygnus.

How to find it?

This object is relatively easy to find. It's very close to the bright star Sadr in the constellation Cygnus. Refer to the finder chart below. 

Finder Chart

Image Details:

Capture Date: 10/03/2023

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: 55 exposures at 180 sec / Gain 100 / Offset 50 / -10°C each for a total exposure of 2.75 hours.

Software: NINA, SharpCap Pro, PHD2, and PixInsight

Clear Skies!

Ernie

M27 with a Dual Narrowband Filter

A return to M27

Friday September 1st was a clear night, a clear night with a very bright (nearly full) Moon. I decided to use my Optolong L-eXtreme dual narrowband filter on M27. I imaged M27 without a filter under moonless skies back in May (click here for the related post). The L-eXtreme has 7 nm band passes in both Ha and Oiii. It would be interesting to see how it would perform with an almost full Moon. This is the resulting image.

M27 imaged with a dual narrowband filter on 9/1/2023.

Setup went relatively smoothly. Started collecting images at 9:14 PM and stopped at 1:56 PM when clouds started to roll in (I wouldn't have been long until I lost the target to the trees anyways). I collected a total of 52 subs at 300 sec each. All pre and post processing was performed in PixInsight. A total of 45 subs were used after inspecting the frames with blink and using the Subframe Selector process. Processes used: Blink, Subframe Selector, WBPP (enabled2x Drizzle Integration and Autocrop), DBE, SPCC, BlurXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator, HT, and StarXterminator (unscreen stars). Stars: Curve Transformation (saturation), SCNR, and Correct Magenta Stars Script. Starless: Curve Transformation with mask (RGB/K), Curves Transformation with mask (saturation), SCNR, LHE, MMT, and Pixel Math to Screen stars back in. Finally, the image is significantly cropped in as this object is very small in my setup.

What is it?

Messier 27 (M270, also known as the Dumbbell Nebula, is a form of Emission Nebulae known as a Planetary Nebula. It has the distinction of being the first planetary Nebula ever discovered.  A Planetary Nebula is the remnant of a star, like our Sun, that is too small to end its life as a Supernova. Instead, as the star reaches the end of its life, no longer capable of fusion, the star will lose its outer shells. A hot and very dense remnant known as a White Dwarf is left behind. Even though it is no longer capable of fusion, it is hot enough to ionize the expelled shells of gas.

How big is it?

This object has an angular distance of 8.0 x 5.7 arcminutes (1 degree is 60 arcminutes) on the night sky.

How far is it?

It is located about 1,400 light-years (ly) from Earth in the Constellation Vulpecula.

How to find it?

This 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. A nebula filter (like UHC or Oiii) filter can help improve contrast and make the nebula stand out more from the background sky. 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 Altair. 
3. M27 is the vertex of a imaginary triangle with Albireo and Altair as the other two vertices.
3. Method 2: (Darker skies may be required)
1. Find 13 Vulpeculae.
2. Find Gamma Sagittae.
3. M27 is the vertex of a imaginary triangle with 13 Vulpeculae and Gamma Sagittae as the other two vertices.

Finder Chart for M27

Image Details:

Capture Date:09/01/2023

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: 45 exposures at 300 sec / Gain 100 / Offset 50 / -10°C each for a total exposure of 3.75 hours.

Software: NINA, SharpCap Pro, PHD2, and PixInsight

Clear Skies!

Ernie