SH2-54 - The Serpent Nebula
Fri Sep 04 2026
This was an area of the sky that I noticed on my ASIAir app that looked interesting when I needed something to image before my primary target was visible. I only needed to kill about 30 minutes each night so I would set up, start my plan and let it image this region for 30 minutes or so and then switch to my primary target for the rest of the night. After 6 clear nights of doing this, here are the results from a hydrogen only image of this area.
About this object
- Type
- Open Cluster
- Constellation
- Serpens (the Serpent)
- Apparent magnitude
- 6.5
- Apparent size
- 9.6′
- Catalogue designations
- NGC 6604
NGC 6604 is an open cluster in the constellation Serpens (the Serpent). It shines at about magnitude 6.5 and spans roughly 9.6′ on the sky.
Acquisition
- Antlia 3nm Narrowband H-alpha 36 mm: 57 × 3m (2h 51m)
- Total integration: 2h 51m
Equipment
- Telescope / Lens: Celestron C8
- Camera: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro
- Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6
- Filters: Antlia 3nm Narrowband H-alpha 36 mm
- Guiding scope: SVBony SV106 60mm Guide Scope
- Guiding camera: ZWO ASI174MM Mini
- Accessories: Celestron 0.63X SCT Reducer (94175), ZWO EFW 7 x 36mm
- Software: Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight
Astrophotography by David Joyce, AstroDavido.