SUNSET: 
0
Photographer:
Jon Greif
Location of Photo:
Alpine, CA, USA
Date/Time of photo:
September 23 to October 8, 2025, between 7 and 11 pm PDT
Equipment:
TS-Optics 8" f/4 ONTC Newtonian Telescope, 10Micron GM1000HPS Mount, ZWO ASI2600MM Pro camera, ZWO RGB, Ha, Oiii and Sii filters, MoonLite focuser, NINA acquisition software and Pixinsight processing software.
Description:
This is the Wizard Nebula (aka Sh2-142 and NGC 7380), gaseous emission nebulosity surrounded by a young open cluster of stars in the northern circumpolar constellation Cepheus. It was discovered by Caroline Herschel in 1787. The complex is located approximately 8500 light-years from Earth, in the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way, spans approximately 20 light-years in diameter and has age estimates that range from 4 to 11.9 million years. The nebula is extremely difficult to observe visually, usually requiring very dark skies and narrowband filters. This image is from our Backyard Observatory and represents 21.6 hours of exposure time over a two week period of time, and includes the use of narrowband hydrogen alpha and oxygen-iii filters for the nebulosity.
