NGC281 by Dave Collings
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
NGC281: “The Pacman Nebula”
This is “The Pacman Nebula” NGC281 that I imaged in SHO Narrowband “Hubble Palette.” Took two weeks due to the weather and the number of hours required. You will find it incredible with the resolution of any APOD out there now and captured with a Plane Wave 12.5” CDK!
- I have a total of 16 hours in this image consisting of 5 hours Ha, 6 hours OIII, and 5 hours of SII.
- The telescope is the Plane Wave Instruments 12.5” CDK with the PW 0.66 Reducer sitting on the Astro-Physics 1100GTO CP4 mount.
- Filters used are Chroma Ha, OII, and SII narrowband.
- Main camera is the ATIK 16200 Mono with ATIK EFW 2.2 filter wheel.
- Guide scope is the Astromania 400mm Refractor and ASI 290 guide camera.
NGC281 is a bright emission nebula and part of an HII region in the northern constellation of Cassiopeia and is part of the Milky Way’s Perseus Spiral Arm. It is located at a distance of 9,500 light-years from Earth. It has a magnitude of ~ 7.4. Long-exposure photography is necessary, preferably using narrowband H-alpha, Sulfer II and Oxygen III filters where the most details are resolved.
David Collings – Blue Ridge Observatory | Sparta, North Carolina USA