2019 Aug. 2 ~ Hydrogen Clouds and Le Gentil 3 Dark Nebula in Cepheus and Cygnus

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Photographed at Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada

(285 km by road north of Toronto)

between 23.55 Aug. 1 and 00.11 EDT Aug. 2

* Altitude of centre of frame at time of exposures: ~70°

* Temperature 17° C.

 

* Total exposure time: 8 minutes

* 105 mm focal length lens

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Description:

 

High in the northern hemisphere summer sky, the gossamer band of our Milky Way galaxy passes through the constellations Cepheus (to the left) and Cygnus (to the right). This area of the sky is rich with red-pink clouds of glowing ionized hydrogen gas, as well as numerous star cluster and foreground clouds of dark gas.

 

The distinctively shaped north America Nebula in Cygnus appears in the lower right. The large gas cloud IC 1396 in Cepheus is in the opposite corner. At the upper left edge of IC 1396 is Herschel's Garnet Star, with its striking ochre-orange colour.

 

For a version of this photo WITH LABELS, click on your screen to the RIGHT of the photo, or click here:

www.flickr.com/photos/97587627@N06/48527625751

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Technical information:

 

Nikkor AF-S 70-200 mm f/2.8 G ED VRII lens on Nikon D810a camera body, mounted on Astrophysics 1100GTO mount with a Kirk Enterprises ball head

 

Eight stacked subframes; each frame:

105 mm focal length

ISO 6400; 1 minute exposure at f/4.5, unguided

(with LENR - long exposure noise reduction)

 

Subframes stacked in RegiStar;

Processed in Photoshop CS6 (levels, brightness, contrast, colour balance)

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Done