Sharpless 132


An interesting and not often imaged emission nebula lies quietly in the northern skies between the constellations Cepheus and Lacerta.  It is quite faint but is rich in both hydrogen and Oxygen.  Sulfur is also present but to a much lesser extent.  Estimates on its distance from earth vary with 10,000 light years being commonly accepted.

 

Narrowband mapping during processing:  Red: 76%Ha/24%SII    Green: OIII    Blue: 85%OIII/15%SII  and the stars are RGB.

 

I imaged this nebula back in 2015 with a larger telescope but decided to try again with my Exprit 120 which gives a little wider field of view.  I've had this data for 3 years but finally got around to processing it.

 

OTA:  Skywatcher Esprit 120

Camera:  Atik 460ex

Filters:  Astrodon Ha/OIII/SII (all 3nm) and RGB Gen 2

Mount:  AP Mach 1

Exposure (m):  Ha:SII:OIII:RGB    180:160:220:30 (per channel)

Data obtained: Nov/Dec 2016


Meadowlark Ridge Observatory
Meadowlark Ridge Observatory