SH2-142 (Wizard Nebula) and NGC 7380
Characteristics:
RA (J2000): 22h 46m 27s
Dec (J2000): +58 degrees 03' 19"
Position Angle: 180 degrees
Description:
This
image represents a total exposure of 12 hours through SII, Ha, and OIII
narrowband filters, processed using the Hubble Palette (SII, red
channel; Ha, green channel; OIII, blue channel).
SH2-142 (also known as the "Wizard Nebula") is an emission nebula
ionized by the eclipsing binary DH Cephei (HD 215835), which is a
member of the associated open star cluster NGC 7380 (discovered by
Caroline Herschel in 1787). SH2-142 is a beautiful nebula filled
with a variety of shapes, including arcs, globules, and dark dust
regions typical of many star-forming nebulae. The nebula and its
associated open star cluster are approximately 4 million years old and
located 8,000 light years away in the constellation Cepheus.
Photographic
Details:
Dates: August 21, 22, 23, and 24,
2024.
Scope: Takahashi
FSQ106 at f5 on the Takahashi NJP
Mount.
Autoguider: ASI178 autoguider with SvBony 30mm guidescope, focal length
120mm.
Camera: ZWO ASI294MM at -10C,
with
7 position ZWO filter wheel. Pixel size is 2.3 microns (Bin 1x1),
yielding an image scale with the FSQ (530mm focal length) of 0.90
"/pixel (well matched for my seeing of 3 arcseconds).
Camera gain set to 50 (e-gain
2.13 electrons/ADU), offset 25.
Read noise at this gain level was 2.18 electrons rms.
Filters: Baader
Ha, OIII, and SII filters; 2 inch.
Image acquisition
software: MaximDL for camera control and autoguiding; CCD
Commander for automation.
Exposures: Total
exposure 12 hours (Ha: 4 hours, 300 second subs; OIII: 4 hours, 300
second subs; SII: 4 hours, 300 second subs).
Processing:
Calibration,
integration, deconvolution (BlurXTerminator), noise reduction
(NoiseXTerminator), and Narrowband Normalization (Bill Blanshan and Mike Cranfield
Pixinsight process) in
Pixinsight; subsequent processing in Photoshop.
Please
note: Graphics on this website may not be reproduced without
author permission.
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