Finally, a night with both a clear sky and cool temperature. Unfortunately, a mote of dust had settled, unnoticed on my focal reducer's lens. It's effect – a large black spot - did not become apparent until I started to process the images the next day. The spot lies in the lower left quadrant of, I'm sad to sav, every image.
NGC 7023
Known to many astronomers as the “Iris Nebula” due to its vaguely flower-like shape, this reflection nebula located in the constellation Cepheus, is actually surrounded by a dark nebula, which obscures the background starfield. The nebula itself reflects the light of a nearby 7th magnitude star.
NGC 7380/Sh2-142
NGC 7380 is an open star cluster with an associated nebula complex in the constellation Cepheus. It is thought to be about 7,500 light years away.
NGC 7538
Located in the constellation of Cepheus, NGC 7538, an unremarkable nebula, lays claim to having the largest known proto-star (a star in the process of forming) gestating inside it. The proto-star is believed to be 300 times larger than our solar system. The nebula is located 9,100 light years distant in an area of particularly active star formation.
NGC 281
Dubbed the Pac Man nebula by some observers, NGC 281 features a small open cluster (IC 1590) embedded near its center. The nebula itself is a stellar nursery, with dark dust lanes obscuring areas where new stars are slowly forming. The nebula lies about 10,000 light years away in the constellation Cassiopeia.
The following image is a stack of 50, 30 second sub-exposures.
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