Our version of CTA-1 & NGC 40 with the whole AstroFleet team. The data were acquired with our setup (TS-Optics CF-APO 155mm & ASI2600MM Pro) hosted at PixelSkies, Spain. Astrobin version here.
In the constellation of Cepheus lies the planetary nebula NGC 40, also known as Caldwell 2, surrounded by CTA-1 (SNR 119.5+10.2), a faint remnant of a supernova.
NGC 40 is located at a distance of about 3500 light-years and is approximately 4500 years old. A white dwarf, with a solar mass of 0.7, resides at the center of this nebula. The extensive structures surrounding NGC 40 correspond to CTA-1, a vast complex, the remnant of a supernova. Estimates suggest a distance of about 4600 light-years and an age of about 10000 years for CTA-1.
Processing this image was challenging. Our goal was to maximize the visibility of CTA-1's filaments, requiring long hours of exposure. NGC 40, on the other hand, was processed differently, with shorter exposures to highlight its core.
Narrowband (HOO) version: H-Alpha mapped to red, OIII mapped to blue and OIII+Ha mapped to the green channel. While the colors in this image are not the true colors, the narrowband filters were used to create the nebula color.
OPTICS TS-Optics CF-APO 155mm @ F/8
CAMERA ZWO ASI2600MM Pro
MOUNT iOptron CEM70
FILTERS Ha, OIII, SII, L, R, G, B
LOCATION PixelSkies, Castilléjar, Granada, Andalucia, Spain
DATE December 2023
EXPOSURES 60.3 hours (Ha 195 x 600 sec, OIII 155 x 600 sec & OIII 120 x 60sec)
PROCESSING SOFTWARE Pixinsight, CCDstack, Photoshop
COPYRIGHTS Team AstroFleet
RA 00h 09m 49.9s
DEC +72° 33' 17.7"
SIZE 1.3 x 1.01 deg
ORIENTATION Up is 181.8 degrees E of N
CONSTELLATION Cepheus