Sh2-142 / NGC 7380 / The Wizard Nebula in Narrowband
Planewave CDK12.5; AP 1100GTO AE
ASI6200MM, - Antlia Pro RGB & 3.5nm NB filters
Ha/O/S: (35,26,26 x 480s exposures, Bin 1x1, Gain 200)
R,G,B: (21,18,15 x 180s, Bin 1x1, Gain 100) for stars
Total Integration Time = 14.3 hours – Aug 2023
The Wizard Nebula is a star forming region in Cepheus, about 8,500 ly from us discovered by Caroline Herschel in 1787. Within the Nebula, cold gases are condensing under gravity and igniting to become newborn stars. These stars then radiate UV light which is then adsorbed by the surrounding gases. The gases then re-emit visible light in a colour indicative of their atomic composition, density, and amount of UV radiation. At the same time, the UV radiation and stellar winds push the gases away from the newborn stars in a unstable manner forming a forest of “Elephant Trunks”, “Tadpoles”, peaks, and valleys facing the source stars.
The Wizard Nebula is a kaleidoscope of shapes and colours and is a favourite northern hemisphere target in the late summer. It is about 20 light years in diameter, occupies 25 minutes of sky, and is estimated at 4 to 12 million years old.