The Bat Nebula - often cataloged as NGC 6995 but also known as IC1340, is actually a zoomed-in portion of the well-known Eastern Veil Nebula - located 2,400 light-years away in the constellation of Cygnus.

A portion of the Cygnus Loop, the objects associated with this region are the remnants of a supernova explosion that occurred 10-20 thousand years ago,  This target is an emission nebula, and glows by the light f excited molecular clouds and has a very strong signal in the Ha, O3, and S2 narrowband channels. 

We had an unprecedented stretch of clear skies during this past imaging cycle, and I collected 15.7 hours of narrowband data on this target.   Subsequent Blink and SubFrameSelector analysis identified 21 subs with either FWHM (star bloat) or Eccentricity (egg-shaped stars - from guiding issues or winds), and I culled those images before integration. It's always tough to cull images you worked hard for, but in the end, you only want the best data contributing to your master image. 

This image was shot with my William Optics 132mm FLT APO scope with a ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro Camera - all carried on an IOptron CEM60 mount. 
I was very pleased with the final result.  This is such an extraordinary section of the sky - filled with complex and subtle filaments and shimmering threads.  A real feast for the eyes!

The story behind this image, as well as a complete processing walkthrough showing the unorthodox way I ended processing this image, can be seen at:
https://cosgrovescosmos.com/projects/ngc6995-bat-nebula

Please note that for the second t time, I have included a short video introduction for the project.  I am not very good at this, but with practice, I hope to improve. View at your own risk - you have been warned.  Releasing the first one did not cause the downfall of modern civilization as I first feared, so I decided to do another.   Will I never learn?

Thanks for looking!  Let me know if you have any questions.

Pat