The Pacman nebula is an HII emission nebula region located 10,000 light years away in the constellation of Cassiopeia. It is located in the Perseus arm of our galaxy. The nebula of NGC 281, as well as cluster IC 1590 and several Bok globules, make up the larger 35' region in the night sky known as Sh2-184.

NGC 281 is an HII emission region spanning approx. 35 arcminutes in the night sky. It contains cluster IC 1590 as well as numerous regions of absorption nebulae, including Bok globules. It is colloquially known as the "Pacman Nebula" for resemblance to the video game character, though, I personally see the angle as too small. It looks more like a heart, though, there is already a Heart Nebula in the same constellation. It looks as if the catalogue designation will have to do.

Bok globules are small patches of dark nebulosity found within HII regions where star formation may occur. As some of the coldest objects in the universe, Bok globules remain of high interest to astronomical studies.

IC 1590 is a relatively young cluster of less than 3.5 million years old. It contains some 279 stars, including multiple star system β 1 or HD 5005 which helps to illuminate surrounding nebulous gases.

This image is my first ever mosaic and largest ever project by integration time (to-date; larger one on the way over the next several many months [hopefully, as I am unaware if I am ready for such a large project]) with more than 21 hours per panel. It also bears significant meaning in my personal life as well, as I dedicate this image to my chromatic assistant. She has helped my poor dichromatic eyes over the past year despite me making the process incredibly difficult and not providing any significant means of pay (Unless 48 cents counts). I am overall very glad with how it turned out, despite the handling of bright stars by my admittedly cheap blue filter creating halos and artifacts I could not make a dent in.

Cheers & CS to all,

Lilith