SH2-129 and Ou4 – Giant Squid Nebula
Description:
Sh2-129, also known as the Flying Bat Nebula, is an HII emission nebula located about 1,300 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cepheus.
Through this emission nebula, a planetary nebula can be seen, cataloged Ou4 after its discoverer, the French amateur astronomer Nicolas Outters. This one is located about 2,300 light-years away and appears blue-green in this photo because of the nature of its gas, doubly ionized oxygen. This nebula represents an immense challenge to photograph because it shines only very faintly.
Technical details:
Telescope: William Optics GT81 and 0.8x focal reducer
Camera: ZWO ASI 2600 MC Pro and Antlia ALP-T hα/OIII filter to isolate emissions of ionized hydrogen and doubly-ionized oxygen
Mount: iOptron CEM26EC
Exposure: 84 x 10 minutes with the ALP-T filter and 25 x 5 minutes without filter, for a total of 16.5 hours of exposure
Location: My telescope at Starfront Observatorie in Rockwood, Texas operated remotely.
