The Pac-Man Nebula (NGC 281)
The Pac-Man Nebula (NGC 281) is an emission nebula with an open cluster and star forming region full of young stars. It’s located in the constellation Cassiopeia and is roughly 9,500 light years away from us.
This nebula gets it name from the video game character Pac-Man which it shares a similar look to due to dark band of gas and dust in the foreground creating a mouth-like shape.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_281
This is the second time I’ve imaged this target the first, being in the Fall of 2019 using my DSLR (image to the right)
This image was made with 18 hrs of data collected over the span of a week using my Ha, Oiii, and Sii narrowband filters. Below you can find some additional color mappings with an SHO version that did not remove the green as well as a HOO version that would be more natural.
Technical
Explore Scientific 127 FCD100 APO telescope
Explore Scientific .7x Focal Reducer/Field Flattener
MoonLite focuser
SkyWatcher EQ6-R Pro mount
ZWO ASI1600 MM Pro camera
Chroma Ha, Oiii, and Sii filters
Pegasus Astro Falcon Rotator