I recently completed a 15-panel mosaic using only the hydrogen alpha filter to capture IC 1805 – The Heart Nebula. The next step was to focus attention on the center of the heart, called Melotte 15. The heart of the heart nebula, shot with three narrowband filters to generate a color image.
For reference, IC 1805 is an emission nebula located in the constellation Cassiopeia. IC 1805 is roughly 7,500 light years away, which means the light captured today, left the nebula 7,500 years ago, about the time humans first started smelting copper.
Imaging Details
- Workflow: Narrowband
- Hydrogen-Alpha Filter: 24*600 seconds
- Oxygen-III: 50*600 seconds
- Sulphur-II: 47*600 seconds
- Binning: 2×2
- Color Combination:
- Red: SII
- Green: HA
- Blue: OIII
- Total Imaging Time: 20 hours
- Imaging Dates (6 nights):
- 10/9/2020
- 11/3/2020
- 11/16/2020
- 11/20/2020
- 12/4/2020
- 12/9/2020
