NGC 281 – Pacman Nebula
NGC 281 is nicknamed the Pacman Nebula because of the thick silhouettes of dark molecular clouds that carve its shape and evoke the familiar open mouth of the video game character. This ionized hydrogen region (HII region) spans several tens of light-years and lies about 9,500 light-years from Earth, along the galactic plane in the constellation Cassiopeia. At its core it hosts a very young open cluster called IC 1590, whose most massive star, HD 5005, emits intense ultraviolet radiation that excites and illuminates the surrounding gas. Dense Bok globules also stand out within the nebula; these interstellar dust condensations resist erosion by stellar winds and act as true incubators for new stars.
General information
- Constellation
- Cassiopeia
- Category
- Nebulae
- Date
- 11 July 2021
Capture
- Total time
- 1h 45min
- Subframes
- 300s (light frames: 21x) ISO 1250
- Gain / Offset
- 0 / 0
- Calibration
- 15 dark frames, 50 flat frames, 50 dark-flat frames and 50 bias frames
Equipment
- Telescope
- TS102 f/5.6
- Camera
- modified Nikon D90
- Filters
- Optolong L-eNhance (Ha+OIII/Hb)
- Mount
- HEQ-5 Pro belt drive
- Guiding
- PHD2, Guide scope 60mm/f4 + ASI224MC
Processing and environment
- Processing
- Stacked and post-processed with PixInsight 1.8
- Acquisition
- NINA
- Location
- l'Ampolla
- Sky
- Bortle 4