A dark molecular cloud of dust lies in the Cepheus constellation, parts of it so thick, that it absorbs all the light that comes from the stars behind it. Thanks to all the light emitted by the stars behind this dust cloud, a distinct dark shape emerges and with a little bit of imagination from the mind’s eye, one can easily recognize why this cloud is referred to as the Seahorse Nebula.
Imaging was done at the Roboscopes Observatory in Spain on the fast F2.8 Takahashi E180 scope. About 170 subs with a duration of 5 minutes each was collected and about 30 subs were deleted due to thin hight clouds. The 12hrs of remaining data were sufficient to pull out enough details and contrast in the image. Star reduction was invoked to better show of the faint dust streams and tendrils. I considered cropping the image to a 5:4 or a square ratio but eventually decided against it as I felt the dark nebula is better represented against a wider swath of space…
Telescope: Takahashi E180 F2.8
Camera: Zwo 2400MCpro
Mount: Software Bisque Paramount MX
Observatory : Roboscopes
OSC = 144 x 300s
Total integration = 12hrs
Software = Pixinsight