The Tulip Nebula

Resembling a tulip, Sharpless 101 is an emission nebula in Cygnus about 6000 ly away. To the right of it is Cygnus X-1, a very strong X-ray source and widely believed to be a Black Hole candidate. The visible star is SAO69181 and orbits the black hole. The in-falling matter from the star is heated to millions of degrees, producing X-rays.

 

This image is a combination of H-alpha and RGB.

 

Details:

Scope: TMB130SS @ f/5.6

Reducer: AT30RED

Camera: QSI690-wsg8

Guide Camera: Starlight Xpress Ultrastar

Mount: Mach1 GTO

Ha: 15x15min

RGB: 15x5min each

Software: SGP, PHD2, APCC, Pixinsight

7.5 hrs total exposure

Done