galacticsights

astrophotography

NGC 7129

2021-11-11 / Click on image to enlarge


"Also called 'Valentine day' ('Rose') Nebula."

NGC 7129 is a reflection nebula located about 3,500 light years from Earth in the constellation Cepheus. An open cluster of more than 130 young stars is found in this rosebud-shaped (and rose-colored) nebulosity. The stars formed from a massive cloud of gas and dust that contains enough raw materials to create a thousand Sun-like stars. In a process that astronomers still poorly understand, fragments of this molecular cloud became so cold and dense that they collapsed into stars. Most stars in our Milky Way galaxy are thought to form in such clusters (Text adapted from Caltech, Spitzer Space Telescope)

Technical Details

LocationZollikerberg, Switzerland
CameraNikon DSLR D810A
TelescopeTS ONTC 12" f/4 Carbon Newton
OpticsTS 2,5" Wynne Coma Corrector
Focal Length1113mm
MountiOptron CEM120 Center-Balanced Equatorial Mount
AutoguidingMGEN-3 (Dithering)
FocuserMoonlite
Planetarium SoftwareStellarium
Image Session ControlAPT - Astro Photography Tool v3.88, ASCOM Platform 6
Lights58 x 120s (total 1h56'), ISO-1600, additional Biases, Flats, no Darks
Stacking SoftwarePixinsight 1.8, Drizzle 2x
Image ProcessingPixinsight 1.8