The Western Veil Nebula
(Click on Picture for larger view)
Added June 17, 2021 ...
The Western Veil Nebula (NGC 6960)
I took this image on the morning of June 17, 2021, between midnight - 5:30 am. This is a collection of 42 frames at 300 seconds each for a total of 3 hours, 30 minutes. I did have some issues with clouds and high moisture content of the atmosphere causing me to discard 1.5 hours of data. This is the first image using the new SkyWatcher EQ6-R Pro mount along with the controlling software of EQMOD.
This nebula is also known as the "Witch's Broom Nebula" is a cloud of heated and ionized gas and dust. It is the remnant filament of a supernova explosion that occurred about 8,000 years ago, perhaps from a star about 20 times more massive than our sun. It is about 1,470 light-years away. This is part of the 'Cygnus loop' in the constellation Cygnus the Swann and is moderately high in the NE by midnight in middle June. (However, you can't see it without the aid of a telescope and time-lapse photography).
That Techy Stuff for those who want to know:
Telescope: Orion EON 130mm Apochromatic Triplet (FL=910mm)
Mount: SkyWatcher EQ6-R Pro
Connection software: EQMOD
Capture Program: N.I.N.A. (Beta 11.1 build #89)
Camera: ZWO ASI 071 one-shot-color
Camera Sensor Temp: -5°C
Filter: Orion SkyGLow Light Pollution
Sub-frames used: 42 at 300sec each
Calibration frames: 20 Darks, 30 Flats, 30 Dark-flats
Stacking: Deep SkyStacker
Post-Processing: PixInsight & Photoshop CC
Sky Conditions: 8 (10 is perfect ... 0 is total cloud cover)
Sky Bortle rating: 4.5
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