Category: Astrophotography

This is the North American Nebula (aka NGC 7000) in the constellation of Cygnus. This was taken with a Canon EOS 800D and kit 75-300mm Zoom at f5.6. ISO was 3200 and this is a stack of about 40 60 second images stacked together. It’s right in the middle with the star Deneb (part of the Summer Triangle) to the right. I had the camera on a tracking mount. You can easily see “Mexico” and stubby “Florida” (I think sea level rise has claimed the southern end). This nebula is a so-called emission nebula where the cases are warmed by the embedded stars causing it to glow with a distinctive pinkish color.

As mentioned in an earlier post, I set up my 11″ Elf with the Hyperstar so I could shoot at f/1.9 and added an Optolong L-eNhance filter to the setup. This filter blocks most light but lets the reddish Hydrogen-alpha line, the blueish Hydrogen-beta line, and the greenish Oxygen III through so that your color camera can still do RGB photography. I used my ZWO ASI294MC Pro.

I’ve shot the Eagle Nebula before, just a couple weeks ago even, but I think this is my best so far. I don’t think I’ve ever shot the Helix or Crescent Nebulae before so it was nice to have them come out this well.

Click on the images for full size.

As mentioned in an earlier post, I set up my 11″ Elf with the Hyperstar so I could shoot at f/1.9 and added an Optolong L-eNhance filter to the setup. This filter blocks most light but lets the reddish Hydrogen-alpha line, the blueish Hydrogen-beta line, and the greenish Oxygen III through so that your color camera can still do RGB photography. I used my ZWO ASI294MC Pro.

I’ve never shot the Veil Nebula before. It is a large (6 times the diameter of the Moon) but faint supernova remnant in the constellation of Cygnus the Swan. Recent measurements have it about 2400 light years away and the progenitor star exploded 10,000 to 20,000 years ago.

Click the images for full size.