The Soul Nebula
Target
Name: Soul Nebula
Designations: IC 1848, Sharpless 2-199, LBN 667
Distance: 7,500 ly
Equipment
Camera: ASI2600MM Pro
Telescope: Askar 80 PHQ
Filters: Optolong 3nm SII, H-Alpha, and OIII filter set
Total Exposure Time: 9h 20m
Software: PixInsight, RC Astro Blur/Noise/StarXTerminator Plugins
The Soul Nebula is a large emission nebula located in the constellation Cassiopeia. The nebula is 300 light years across and is a large star-forming region, containing a number of open clusters and stars that are only a few million years old.
I really love the dark nebulosity in this one and how it stands out against the vibrant gold/orange and blue of the gasses. This is probably my favorite orientation of the nebula and it reminds me of a buffalo.
This image was creating using 112 separate 5 minute exposures taken over 2 nights. These photos were taking using filters that only allow very specific wavelengths of light to hit the camera sensor. All of those exposures were combined to create this false-color image in the SHO palette, made famous by the Hubble Space Telescope images that used it.