Melotte 15 - The Heart of the Heart Nebula — First Light Testing
Fri Nov 03 2023
Up until recently, I’ve been imaging with a 1600MM Pro and decided to finally upgrade to the 2600. I’ve read everywhere how much better this camera is with the added bonus of a larger sensor but never really understood what the improvements would be exactly. Now, after working with some of the data for awhile, I see how much cleaner it is and allows me to stretch further without adding as much noise. I’m glad I finally took the very expensive leap and here’s my first result. This is a colorized Ha only image with terrible stars (still working on getting the spacing correct and have the adapter needed on order) but I’m still happy with just seeing what this camera is capable of.
About this object
- Type
- Star Cluster with Nebulosity
- Constellation
- Cassiopeia (the Queen)
- Distance
- ~7,500 light-years
- Apparent magnitude
- 6.5
- Apparent size
- 60.0′
- Also known as
- Heart Nebula
- Catalogue designations
- IC 1805
The Heart Nebula (IC 1805) is a large emission nebula in Cassiopeia whose glowing gas forms an unmistakable heart shape. A cluster of hot young stars at its centre sculpts and illuminates the surrounding clouds.
Acquisition
- Antlia 3nm Narrowband H-alpha 36 mm: 101 × 2m (3h 22m)
- Total integration: 3h 22m
Equipment
- Telescope / Lens: Celestron C8
- Camera: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro
- Mount: Celestron CGEM II
- Filters: Antlia 3nm Narrowband H-alpha 36 mm
- Guiding scope: SVBony SV106 60mm Guide Scope
- Guiding camera: ZWO ASI224MC
- Accessories: Celestron 0.63X SCT Reducer (94175), ZWO EFW 7 x 36mm
- Software: Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight
Astrophotography by David Joyce, AstroDavido.