NGC 7023, the Iris Nebula |
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| NGC 7023 is nicknamed the Iris Nebula. It is
one of my favorite objects and on my target list ever since I
heard about it. There's something about its cool blue reflection
glow framed by the dark nebulosity that makes it stand apart
from the hordes of emission nebulae out there. It is located in
the northern constellation Cepheus, a group of faint stars
looking somewhat like a lopsided drawing of a house. This
constellation is near the familiar “W” (or “M”, depending on its
orientation) of Cassiopeia. NGC 7023 is illuminated by star HD 200775, a massive star with 10 times the mass of our sun. Its light is reflected off a surrounding dust cloud. Interactions between the star and the surrounding dust are responsible for the distinct hourglass shape of this nebula. The above image is a highly-compressed version of the full image. Please click on that preview image to see a full-sized view. |
| Constellation: Cepheus |
| When Visible: August - January |
| Distance: 1,200 Light-years |
| Date: August-September 2017 |
| Location: Dark Sky New Mexico, Animas, NM |
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Exposure Details: L: 44 x 10 minutes Binned 1 x 1 R: 16 x 10 minutes Binned 1 x 1 G: 16 x 10 minutes Binned 1 x 1 B: 16 x 10 minutes Binned 1 x 1 15 hours and 20 minutes total exposure time |
| Equipment Used: PlaneWave CDK on a Software Bisque Paramount ME mount. SBIG STL-6303 camera with 5-position filter wheel, AO-L and Astrodon LRGB filters |
| Acquisition Software: MaximDL, TheSky6, CCDAutopilot |
| Processing Software: MaximDL, Photoshop CS5, IrFanView, HLVG Plugin, Carboni Actions |