More Astrophotos from my Backlog

I just completed the post-processing of a couple of objects from my backlog - one from Feb 6, 2024 (open star cluster M35) and the other the Wizard Nebula imaged between September 5 and September 18, 2023.

M35

M35, Open Cluster in Gemini
WO ZS61/ASI1600mm Pro
Feb 6, 2024 - 24x60sec RGB

M35, also known as NGC 2168 or the Shoe-Buckle Cluster, is a relatively close open cluster of stars located in the constellation Gemini. It lies approximately 2,970 light-years away from Earth. Directly above in this image is NGC 2158  which, although looks like a globular cluster, recent data shows it to be a very compact open cluster, with a radius of 8 light years and an estimated age of around 2 billion years. It lies approximately 14,700 light-years away from us, far beyond the nearby M35 cluster.

The Wizard Nebula

Wizard Nebula (in SHO, Narrowband Palette)
September 2023 - EdgeHD11/ASI2600mm Pro
Integration Time: 17h 15m

The Wizard Nebula (NGC 7380) is an emission nebula that surrounds the open star cluster NGC 7380 in the constellation Cepheus. The nebula gets its name as it is said to resemble the appearance of a medieval sorcerer when viewed sideways. It lies approximately 7200 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 7.2. It has a radius of 100 light years and occupies 25 arc minutes of the apparent sky. For comparison, the moon has an apparent size of approximately 31 arc minutes (about 1/2 degree).

This image was another capture session from my backlog of projects. Because of it's size and the fact that I was using my Edge OTA, this is also one of the few mosaic images that I have processed. It is a two panel mosaic taken over the period September 5 to September 18, 2023. Each panel has 33x600sec subs of NB data and 30x30sec subs of RGB data for the stars.