Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Cepheus (Cep)  ·  Contains:  Iris Nebula  ·  NGC 7023  ·  The star 4Cep
Iris Nebula (NGC7023 / C4) and IFN, emich
Iris Nebula (NGC7023 / C4) and IFN
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Iris Nebula (NGC7023 / C4) and IFN

Iris Nebula (NGC7023 / C4) and IFN, emich
Iris Nebula (NGC7023 / C4) and IFN
Powered byPixInsight

Iris Nebula (NGC7023 / C4) and IFN

Equipment

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Acquisition details

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Description

The Iris nebula is a reflection nebula in the constellation of Cepheus. It is located 1200 light years away and is about 20 light years in width.

What I really like about this part of the night sky is how it is surrounded by integrated flux nebula clouds, commonly referred to as "IFN". Unlike reflection nebulae, which reflect the light of a nearby bright star, integrated flux nebulae are illuminated by the energy of the integrated flux of the Milky Way. They make up for a cool visual effect. These clouds are made out of dust particles, hydrogen, carbon monoxide and other elements. IFN is a fairly recent discovery. (Wikipedia) IFN has a great potential to become my next obsession in the night sky. Even the Northern Star and the Pleiades have them!

I feel like I've made some progress lately with processing. I used luminosity masks, noise reduction, star reduction and many other things I didn't even know how to use about a month ago! My only regret is that the core is maybe a bit overblown, but I can live with that.

Equipment: -
Telescope: William Optics GT81
- Camera: Canon EOS Ra
- Mount: SkyWatcher H-EQ5
- Guide camera: ZWO ASI120MM

Integration:
- Light frames: 65x180s (ISO3200)
- Dark frames: 40x180s (ISO3200)
- 30 flat frames
- 40 bias frames
- Total integration time: 5h15m

Software:
- Capturing: ASIAIR Pro
- Processing: PixInsight
- Polishing: Adobe Lightroom CC

Location:
- Mendocino Magic
- Lake Sonoma
- Both are Bortle 3 skies

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Iris Nebula (NGC7023 / C4) and IFN, emich