Photos

IC59 & IC63: Gamma Cass's Ethereal Neighbors

My First Dive into IC59 and IC63 (and What I Learned!)

IC59 and IC63, two gorgeous nebulae in Cassiopeia, nestled around the star Gamma Cass. I managed to capture them in just 2.5 hours with my trusty Canon 1100d. These nebulae are notoriously faint, so I know longer individual exposures (subs) will be absolutely essential to really pull out more detail and get a better result. I’ll definitely be revisiting them next winter; I’ve got a few other exciting projects lined up for this year!

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  • Capture Date: 2012-02-16
  • Credit: Cédric Thomas
  • Location: ‘Le petit Borobia’ Observatory, remote acquisition
  • 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 (Astrodon Modified)
  • Total Exposure: 2.5 hours (30x300s) @ ISO 800
  • Processing: DeepSkyStacker, Levels + Curves + Cropping (Photoshop)