The beautiful Bubble Nebula
Less than 1 minute
Minutes
NGC 7635, better known as the Bubble Nebula, is a beautiful emission nebula nestled within the constellation Cassiopeia. This nebula was discovered in 1787 by the astronomer William Herschel, and it continues to fascinate both amateur and professional astronomers.
The nebula’s distinctive bubble shape is sculpted by the powerful stellar winds emanating from its central star, SAO 20575. This young, hot star is approximately 45 times more massive than our Sun!
Using my trusty ES ED80CF apochromatic refractor telescope and a ZWO ASI533MC PRO camera, I managed to collect 39 minutes of total exposure time. Despite the relatively short integration time, the image reveals the nebula’s distinctive bubble shape and the surrounding star-filled field. The central star’s intense radiation illuminates the surrounding gas, creating a glowing and ethereal appearance.
To obtain a wider field composition, I decided to include the nearby open cluster, M52, which is visible in the lower right of the image.
As always, you can use the slider to toggle between the image and its starless version.
Setup
Date: 2024-08-31
Location: My backyard in Richmond Hill, ON
Scope: Explore Scientific ED80 CF
Location: My backyard in Richmond Hill, ON
Scope: Explore Scientific ED80 CF
Camera: ZWO ASI533MC PRO (cooled at -10 °C)
Filters: Optolong L-eXtreme 2″
Mount: Celestron AVX
Guiding camera: ZWO ASI224MC, IR-Cut filter, PHD2
Guide Scope: Orion Deluxe Mini 50mm Guide Scope
Mount: Celestron AVX
Guiding camera: ZWO ASI224MC, IR-Cut filter, PHD2
Guide Scope: Orion Deluxe Mini 50mm Guide Scope
Software: NINA, PixInsight, BlurXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator, GIMP
Total integration time: 39 minutes (13×180 secs.)
Calibration frames: 20 dark, 10 flat, 100 bias
Total integration time: 39 minutes (13×180 secs.)
Calibration frames: 20 dark, 10 flat, 100 bias
