Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Cepheus (Cep)  ·  Contains:  HD200775  ·  Iris Nebula  ·  LBN 487  ·  LDN 1170  ·  LDN 1172  ·  LDN 1173  ·  LDN 1174  ·  NGC 7023
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C4 - Iris Nebula 3h21m 20230422, Gary Sizer

C4 - Iris Nebula 3h21m 20230422

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
C4 - Iris Nebula 3h21m 20230422, Gary Sizer

C4 - Iris Nebula 3h21m 20230422

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Description

We had three clear nights this week, so I spent some time pointing the scope at a challenging part of the sky. This is the Iris Nebula, which can be found in the northern sky near the constellation of Cepheus.
This gas cloud is lit by the bright star at its center, and it's 1,300 light years away, and six light years across. The dark parts of this image where there are no stars are also part of the nebula. They are dust clouds, too dark to see, but thick enough to block out any star light from behind.
This image is the total of 3 hours and 21 minutes total exposure, shot from my back yard.

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C4 - Iris Nebula 3h21m 20230422, Gary Sizer

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