IC405: The Flaming Star Nebula

IC 405: The Flaming Star Nebula (and My Battle with Clouds)

IC 405, also known as the Flaming Star Nebula, is a truly magnificent and sprawling nebulosity, showcasing some absolutely stunning reds and purples. It’s also a notoriously challenging target when you’re shooting with a DSLR. My 3 hours and 30 minutes of integration time on this beauty were far from enough, but the clouds had other plans for the night, cutting my session short…

Capture Date: 2012-01-22
Credit: Cédric Thomas
Location: “Le petit Borobia” Observatory, remote operation
Telescope: William Optics FLT 110 TEC (oiled spaced) @ F/5.2
Focal Reducer: William Optics AFR-IV 0.8x
Mount: Sky Watcher N-EQ6 Pro
Autoguiding: LodeStar on 80mm guide scope + MaximDL
Camera: Canon EOS 1100D modified Astrodon
Total Integration: 3h30 (42x300s) @ ISO 800
Processing: DeepSkyStacker, Levels + Curves (Photoshop)