Heart Nebula

A large diffuse nebula of red and blue clouds that is roughly shaped like a heart.

The Heart Nebula, NGC 896/IC 1805, is something I’ve wanted to capture for a long time. The problem is, it and its neighbor the Soul Nebula are generally quite large. I’ve gotten more comfortable both shooting automated mosaics with N.I.N.A. and processing the resulting panels into final images.

Panels
6
Frames
360
Time
6h
Gain
56
Offset
25
Telescope
Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm f/7 ED Triplet Refractor w/ 0.8x Reducer/Flattener
Mount
Losmandy GM-8 German Equatorial Mount, Gemini 2, Losmandy FLW Tripod
Camera
QHY 268C
Guider
QHY 5II7C
Filters
Optolong UV / IR Cut Filter
Accessories
ZWO EAF Electronic Automatic Focuser, iOptron iPolar
Software
N.I.N.A., PHD2 Guiding, SkySafari Pro, AstroPixelProcessor, Capture One

So, this is the Heart Nebula, a six panel mosaic. This will be part of a larger mosaic I’m capturing with the Soul Nebula next door.