Located approximately 3300 light-years (ly) away in the constellation of Cepheus is a large emission nebula known as NGC 7822. The object also goes by SH2-171 and is less commonly referred to as Cederblad 214 (Ced 214). The nebular complex is 65- light-years across and consists of many smaller bright nebulae, dark nebula, and a young star cluster designated as Berkeley 59. The dark 'pillars' in the center of the nebula are filled with cold dust and gas. Interaction between these regions and the bright areas of gas and dust are responsible for creating the Berkeley 59 cluster - the small grouping of stars in the blue-white region of the central portion of the NGC7822. Powerful winds and radiation from the star cluster further sculpt these pillars much like the more famous 'Pillars of Creation' in the Eagle Nebula.

SH2-170 or the Little Rosette Nebula makes up the small period underneath the main portion of the question mark. This nebula only appears small because it is much further away at 7500 light-years. I imaged this last year with my much larger focal length Celestron EdgeHD 800 (https://www.astrobin.com/fcjeyt/?nc=collection&nce=712). For comparison, SH2-170 is about 45 light-years across compared to NGC 7822 at 65 light-years across.

Overall I am pretty happy with the outcome especially with 30.5 hours of total exposure. I wish that faint nebulosity at and below SH2-170 came out better but I did what I could. I imaged over numerous nights and had to trash a lot of subpar exposures so really there was more than 40 hours. The Canon 200mm Lens - ZWO ASI2600MC makes for a really good widefield setup if you already have the camera lens or prefer camera lens setups, however, a true small focal length astrograph would be better in my opinion. I am planning to do one more project with the Canon 200mm Lens/ZWO ASI2600MC on the Orion Atlas Pro mount before reattaching the Edge to the mount.


Dates: 9-13-22, 9-14-22, 9-15-22, 9-17-22, 9-20-22, 9-23-22, 9-24-22, 9-27-22, 9-28-22

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