The Pacman’s Dark Ghosts
Sun Oct 11 2026
NGC 281, also catalogued as IC 11 and Sh2-184, is the Pacman Nebula, an emission nebula and star-forming region in Cassiopeia that sits in the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way. Distance estimates range from roughly 9,200 to 10,000 light-years, depending on the method. The young open cluster IC 1590 lights it up, and its brightest member, HD 5005, is a multiple star whose primary is a hot, luminous O-type star. The dark knots near the center are Bok globules, dense clumps of gas and dust named after astronomer Bart Bok, who proposed them in the 1940s. Some of them may eventually collapse into new stars; others may simply evaporate. The locator and close-ups below show the globules, the bright rims along the nebula’s edge, and the dust lane that forms the Pacman’s mouth. 📷 NGC281_locator.png 📷 NGC281_closeup_1.png 📷 NGC281_closeup_2.png 📷 NGC281_closeup_3.png 📷 NGC281_closeup_4.png
About this object
- Type
- Star Cluster with Nebulosity
- Constellation
- Cassiopeia (the Queen)
- Apparent size
- 6.3′
- Catalogue designations
- IC 1590
IC 1590 is a star cluster with nebulosity in the constellation Cassiopeia (the Queen). It spans roughly 6.3′ on the sky.
Acquisition
- Antlia 3nm Narrowband H-alpha 36 mm: 143 × 3m (7h 9m)
- Antlia 3nm Narrowband Oxygen III 36 mm: 209 × 3m (10h 27m)
- Antlia 3nm Narrowband Sulfur II 36 mm: 210 × 3m (10h 30m)
- Antlia V-Pro Red 36 mm: 60 × 30s (30m)
- Antlia V-Pro Green 36 mm: 60 × 30s (30m)
- Antlia V-Pro Blue 36 mm: 60 × 30s (30m)
- Total integration: 29h 36m
Equipment
- Telescope / Lens: Celestron C8
- Camera: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro
- Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6
- Filters: Antlia 3nm Narrowband H-alpha 36 mm, Antlia 3nm Narrowband Oxygen III 36 mm, Antlia 3nm Narrowband Sulfur II 36 mm, Antlia V-Pro Blue 36 mm, Antlia V-Pro Green 36 mm, Antlia V-Pro Red 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.