SH2-114 is an extremely faint emission nebula located in the constellation of Cygnus. This image was the result of 17.5 hours of HSSrgb exposure.
This image was shot with my Askar FRA400 72mm f/5.5 Astrograph system - using a ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro camera - all mounted on an IOptron CEM26 mount.
This target is not very well known and is even more rarely imaged. There is not a lot of information about it available. It is believed to be the result of a supernova, but no supernova remnant has been associated with this object.
An early 5-minute exposure test through narrowband filters showed the nebula only barely registering in Ha (see below), even fainter in S2, and non-existent in O3. This demonstrated how challenging this target was going to be to deal with! It demands a great deal of total image integration - but given my weather patterns and restricted access to the sky because of the tree lines on my property - this was going to be a tough challenge for me to go after. But sometimes, I like those kinds of challenges!
After my first imaging cycle, I collected 8 hours of useful data. Processing that data produced image results that I was not satisfied with, so I went back during another imaging cycle and increased my integration time to 17.5 hours. I also included RGB data to replace the HSS stars with true RGB stars.
I am pleased with my final result and the challenge this target gave me.
Is this the right amount of integration for this object? Is this the best image of the Flying Dragon you will ever see?
No!
But I must say I found this project to be quite enjoyable and I am pleased with the result I was finally able to produce - given the constraints of my capture situation.
The full posting covering the entire story of this project, as well as a complete image processing walkthrough, can be seen here:
https://cosgrovescosmos.com/projects/sh2-114-flying-dragonClear Skies!
Pat
Comments