Collecting Photons
VdB 134 - LBN 381 - LBN 382- LBN 386 Cygnus
Objects: VdB 134 (reflection nebula) embedded in a large but faint emission nebula (LBN 381, 382, 386). Planetary nebula PN G086.1+05.4
Constellation: Cygnus
Coordinates of field center: 20h 30m +48° 59'
Notes:
VdB 134 is
a faint but large reflection nebula surrounding the double star ω Cygni. During
a preliminary survey image I realized the complexity and extension of the
background emission nebula so it was a natural choice to complete the RGB data
with the narrowband data.
Telescope and camera: ASA 10', f 3.6; SBIG STL 11000.
Exposure: Hα 26x16'; R, 22x10'; B 24x10'; G 15x8'. About 16.6 hrs total.
Date: 4 nights on 24, 26-06-10 and 8, 9-07-10.
Software used: acquisition, CCDsoft, FocusMax, CCDcommander, The Sky VI. Calibration; registration and stacking: CCDstack, Registar; processing: PixInsight, Photoshop CS.
Processing notes: Like any other star filled field like this one, star protection has been a major issue. This is one of the first images in which I am experimenting with a new workflow for the protection of the star colour and I am pretty happy with the result. The reflection nebula is very faint and is almost devoid of recognizable structures. It was very hard to enhance its appearance. I did that in a pretty rigorous way, using luminance masks obtained from the blue channel only.
In this close-up of VdB 134 it is easier to appreciate the interesting morphology of the planetary nebula PN G086.1+05.4. This is a faint spherical shell on the left of VdB134. It is a pretty large object, as far as PN go, at 3.2' of diameter. In the largest image the distinctly bluish exciting star is visible in the dead centre of the sphere.
Copyright © 2010 by Gimmi Ratto. (September2, 2010)
