I have wanted to photograph the Iris nebula for a long time. In the first month of this summer after the long cloudy period, I finally had the opportunity to go out for several nights. It was self-evident that I would turn my telescope and camera towards the Iris Nebula to realize the earlier idea.
I planned to spend a lot of time for this object, but due to a planned purchase of a new telescope in the near future, I changed my mind.
Finally, between June 13 and 20, 2023, I collected the photons coming from the direction of C4 during three short summer nights. On all three occasions, a clear and quite calm sky looked back at me from the new spot. I spent a total of 10 hours and 29 minutes exposition.
The Iris Nebula is located about 1,300 light-years away from us in the direction of the Cepheus constellation, near the 3.2 Magnitude β Cephei star.
Together with its surroundings, we can talk about a complex object, an association of star cluster, reflection nebula and dark cloud.
The star cluster is Collinder 429, the reflection nebula is NGC 7023, while the open cluster and nebula together bear the designation Caldwell 4.
The bluish glow of the reflection nebula is due to the hot star SAO 19158 illuminating it, as it reflects its light. The bluish-colored NGC 7023, embedded in a dusty environment, has a diameter of about 6 light years.
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