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Thursday, January 16, 2020

Deep view to IC 1396

This is the first light photo for my "new" wide field imaging system based on Tokina AT-x 300mm f2.8 camera optics and Apogee Alta U16 camera. I have published a mapped color version at January 13. This time I'm publishing the same target in visual colors. This palette is combined from the light emitted by the ionized elements, H-alpha = Red, O-III = Green and O-III + 20% H-alpha = Blue.

IC 1396 in visual colors
Please, click for a large image

Red glow of an ionized hydrogen (H-alpha) is dominating the view, bluish hues at center are from an ionized oxygen (O-III). There is some very faint O-III emission visible at nine o'clock position, near the left edge. I can see some circular shape there as well. It might be a very dim and diffused planetary nebula, I must look into this later. It can be seen better in mapped color version of this photo, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/01/first-light-for-winter-season-2019-20.html

INFO
IC 1396 spans hundreds of light years at distance of about 3000 light years in constellation Cepheus. The famous formation of glowing gases, the "Elephant's Trunk Nebula" can be seen at four o'clock position.
This is an active star formation region and it has several massive young stars inside it, coursing the ionization of elements of this emission nebula.


Technical details

Processing workflow

Image acquisition, MaxiDL v5.07.
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Deconvolution with a CCDStack2 Positive Constraint, 33 iterations, added at 50% weight
Color combine in PS CS3
Levels and curves in PS CS3.

Imaging optics
Tokina AT-x f2.8 camera lens

Mount
10-micron 1000

Cameras and filters
Imaging camera Apogee Alta U16 and Apogee seven slot filter wheel
Guider camera, Lodestar x 2 and an old spotting scope of Meade LX200


Astrodon filters,
5nm H-alpha 3nm S-II and 3nm O-III

Total exposure time

H-alpha, 12 x 600 s, binned 1x1 = 2 h
O-III, 6x 600 s, binned 4x4 = 1 h.
S-II, 3 x 600 s. binned 4x4 = 0,5 h


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