SUNSET: 
0
Photographer:
Giancarlo Melis
Location of Photo:
Barrali
Date/Time of photo:
15/08/2023
Equipment:
Celestron RASA + ASI 183 MC-Pro
Description:
The reflection nebula LBN 437 near the emission nebula SH2-126. Also known as the Gecko Nebula due to its bizarre shape, it is curiously located within the constellation of the Lizard. The final part of Sh2-126 is clearly visible (the two red filaments on the left, a typical Ha emission color). The Gecko Nebula is composed of several dark, unilluminated clouds with emissions visible in the carbon monoxide (CO) band, masses of ionized and luminous gas, and some small reflection nebulae illuminated by the stars. The image, captured from the backyard of a small town in southern Sardinia named Barrali, is the result of integrating 10 shots, each lasting 10 seconds, to avoid overexposing the brightest stars, and 120 shots, each lasting 3 minutes, for a total of 6 hours of exposure. The shots were taken with an 8" Celestron RASA telescope with a focal length of 400mm at f/2, a cooled color camera (ZWO ASI 183 MC-Pro), and an Optolong L-Pro light pollution filter. The night was quite humid, with a not perfectly transparent sky, under a Bortle 4 sky.
