The Lidless Eye

 
 

Image Details:

NGC 7023, or the Iris Nebula, is a popular target in the late Summer as it is high in the Cepheus constellation for Northern Hemisphere imagers. The designation itself refers to the notably bright area of reflection seen as the blue glow near the top (rough distance of 1,300 l.y.), but Cepheus is well known to astrophotographers for also featuring numerous areas of dark nebula, which is interstellar dust often thick enough to block some or all visible starlight, throughout much of its area of sky. In this case, the surrounding Dark Nebula is designated as LBN 487.

Equipment:

  • Celestron C8 + Reducer (1280mm Focal Length, F/6.3)

  • ZWO ASI1600MM-P, ZWO Filters

  • ZWO AM5N Mount

  • Autoguiding: ZWO Off-Axis Guider + QHY178M

Exposures:

  • Luminance: 220 x 180” (Total: 11h)

  • Red, Green, Blue: 99, 92, 90 x 180” (Total: 14h 3m)

Misc Details:

  • Capture Software: NINA (capture), PHD2 (guiding), Pegasus Powerbox (dew heater control, power management)

  • Processing Software: PixInsight

  • Taken from: Okie-Tex Star Part 2021, Bortle Class 1 skies

  • Capture Dates: 28 September - 3 October, 2024

 

Annotation