The Iris Nebula
Astrophotography, Nebulae, Sky-Watcher Newton 200 ·A perfect photo of the Iris Nebula, a reflection nebula in Cepheus!
The target
The Iris Nebula, also known as NGC 7023 or Caldwell 4) is a diffuse and bright reflection nebula in the constellation Cepheus. It was first discovered in 1794 by the British astronomer, physicist and composer Sir Frederick William Herschel. It is 1300 light-years away and is six light-years across and contains the star HD 200775 (of which the nebula reflects the light) and an open cluster. NGC 7023 can be found at 3.5° SW from the variable and double star Beta Cephei and has an apparent magnitude of 7.7.
My photo
I took 64 260-sec subs in my backyard at ISO 400, for a total of almost five hours. I didn’t use the UHC filter since it isn’t an emission nebula, but I was able to remove gradients and the effects of light pollution while editing it. Processing with Astro Pixel Processor, Darktable and The GIMP. I feel very satisfied with the result!