Print- Fire and Smoke (NGC 7129)

NGC 7129 is a reflection nebula composed of dust which is illuminated by a cluster of newly formed stars! It is located 3,300 light years away in the constellation of Cepheus. There is a cloud of hydrogen gas in the surrounding area and bursts of hydrogen within the nebula, which give it some brilliant color!

This image is the integration of 335 photographs, 70 of which were 15-minute exposures for hydrogen gas, with a total integration time of 40 hours. Photos were taken between July and September, 2023 from Sierra Remote Observatories in California. Photographs were captured with Luminance, Red, Green and Blue filters to highlight the reflection nebula, and with a Hydrogen Alpha filter for surrounding gas. 

Equipment:   Planewave CDK14 telescope
                        QHY600M camera
                        Planewave L300 mount
                        Astrodon filters in L,R,G,B and Ha

Software:      PixInsight
Russel Crowman’s: BlurX, StarX, NoiseX
Photoshop