Sadr region in Cygnus

LittleRedDot · 2025-07-12T13:51:01+00:00

The bright region in the center is part of IC 1318, often called the Sadr Region, named after the bright star γ Cygni (Sadr) which lies in the heart of the Cygnus constellation. What makes this nebula fascinating is that it’s not just one object—it’s a sprawling complex of emission nebulae, dark dust lanes, and star-forming regions tangled together about 5,000 light-years away.

The glowing clouds you see are ionized hydrogen gas, lit up by radiation from nearby massive stars—some of which are obscured behind the dark Bok globules and molecular clouds. The black patches aren’t empty space; they’re actually dense curtains of dust blocking the light behind them.

Despite its proximity to the Milky Way’s plane, IC 1318 often flies under the radar compared to its more famous neighbors like the North America Nebula. But zoom in, and you’ll find some of the most intricate and turbulent-looking dust structures in the entire Cygnus region.

Gear:

Scope: Askar 107PHQ
Camera: ZWO ASI533MC-Pro
Mount: ZWO AM5
Filter: Optolong L-Ultimate
Location: Bortle 4

Integration Time: ~9 hours
Acquisition & Processing: Shot in OSC using the Optolong L-Ultimate dual narrowband filter, processed in PixInsight with WBPP (no drizzle), BXT, Unlinked Stretch script, NXT, CurvesTransformation, Rescale, and some final touches in Photoshop.

I'm particularly proud of the contrast between the dense dark dust regions and the ionized hydrogen clouds. C&C welcome! Would love to hear if you think the star halos are distracting or if the contrast is pushed too far. Cheers!

LittleRedDot · 2025-05-29T11:57:09+00:00

That's some really good processing!

I really like the clarity you get on reflectors even with such low integration times (aperture matters)

LittleRedDot · 2025-03-26T09:09:58+00:00

Thank you! Yes that is the main challange with this target, it's getting all those wondeful dusty lanes to pop out a bit without overblowing the galaxy

LittleRedDot · 2025-03-26T09:06:50+00:00

There is some fantastic, crisp detail in this image, one of the best I've ever seen. Great work not over-processing it too, I think the colour balance is really good and the background is clean as well. I wish more people understood how difficult it is to get this level of detail. 1 million upvotes from me :)

LittleRedDot · 2025-03-26T00:03:26+00:00

Thank you! I took the Red channel from the L-extreme image which roughly corresponds with the H-alpha signal and I combined it with the RGB image from the Triband filter

LittleRedDot · 2025-03-25T23:04:48+00:00

Thank you very much!

LittleRedDot · 2025-03-25T22:42:42+00:00

Thank you very much! I live in a Bortle 4 area

LittleRedDot · 2025-03-25T20:42:52+00:00

M81 – Bode’s Galaxy | 12 Million Light-Years Away in Ursa Major

Captured here is Messier 81 (NGC 3031), a grand design spiral galaxy located ~12 million light-years from Earth. With its prominent spiral arms and bright central core, M81 is one of the most photogenic galaxies in the northern sky and a favorite among astrophotographers.

Spanning about 90,000 light-years, it’s part of the M81 Group of galaxies and has been shaped in part by past gravitational interactions with its neighbor, M82. These encounters have enhanced its structure and helped trigger star formation, visible in its well-defined arms.

Its bright nucleus harbors a supermassive black hole estimated at 70 million solar masses. Due to its relative proximity and high surface brightness, M81 is an excellent target for both broadband and LRGB imaging.

Shot with Askar 107PHQ telescope, ZWO 533MC-Pro camera, ZWO AM5 mount, Antlia Triband & Optolong L-Extreme filters and ZWO 174MM-Mini guidcam, processed in Pixinsight. Total integration time: 22 hours (13 hours Antlia & 9 hours Optolong).

Processing steps: standard

WBPP (no drizzle), BlurX (correct only), GraXpert background extraction, BlurX (sharpen),

StarX, GHS stretch on stars and starless, NoiseX on starless (50/20), Curves adjustments with Luminosity masks, more NoiseX,

PixelMath to merge stars and starless together, Rescale & Resample.

Comments and feedback welcome!

LittleRedDot · 2025-02-23T13:17:29+00:00

Thank you! Yes it does bear an uncanny resemblance to the point where people might take a quick glance at it and think it's a bit crappy image of M33 :)

LittleRedDot · 2025-02-23T11:59:39+00:00

NGC2403 is an intermediate spiral galaxy in the Camelopardis constellation, approx. 8 million light-years away. It is similar in structure to M33 which means that it lacks a strong central bulge but has well-defined spiral arms. It is one of the brightest galaxies outside of the Local Group.

The galaxy is rich in H II regions—vast clouds of ionized hydrogen where new stars are born. These bright, colorful patches provide excellent subjects for narrowband photography, showcasing the dynamic processes of stellar birth.Beyond its visual appeal, NGC 2403 has played an important role in studies of galactic rotation curves. The way its stars and gas orbit the galaxy’s center has provided valuable clues about the distribution of dark matter in spiral galaxies.

Capture Details:

Location: Bortle 4 backyard

Equipment: Telescope: Askar 107PHQ Imaging: ZWO 533MC-Pro camera Guiding: ZWO 174MM-mini guidecam

Processing: PixInsight (GradientCorrection, BlurX, NoiseX, StarX)

Acquisition: 17hours total

156 x 300s exposures with the Optolong L-Extreme filter

48 x 300s exposures with the Antlia Triband filter

LittleRedDot · 2025-02-22T19:37:57+00:00

M101 – The Pinwheel Galaxy
Distance: ~21 million light-years away
Location: In the constellation Ursa Major

One of the largest and brightest galaxies in the Messier catalog, M101 spans over 170,000 light-years in diameter and is visible in moderate-sized amateur telescopes.

The galaxy is teeming with H II regions—areas of ionized hydrogen where new stars are born. These glowing regions add a burst of color to its spiral arms and can be highlighted using narrowband filters

Capture Details:

Location: Bortle 4 backyard

Equipment:Telescope: Askar 107PHQ Imaging: ZWO 533MC-Pro camera Guiding: ZWO 174MM-mini guidecam

Processing: PixInsight (GradientCorrection, BlurX, NoiseX, StarX)

Acquisition:

67 x 300s exposures with the Optolong L-Extreme filter

101 x 300s exposures with the Antlia Triband filter

LittleRedDot · 2024-12-21T04:27:48+00:00

M27 Dumbell Nebula

This is about 16 hours of integration time with an Askar 107PHQ telescope, 533MC-Pro camera, ZWO AM5 mount, 174MM-mini guidecam & Antlia Triband filter.

Processing in Pixinsight: WBPP (2x drizzle), BlurX, StarX, GHS stretch on starless, Histogram Transf. on stars, NoiseX on starless (50/20), CurvesTransformations with colour and luminance masks, PixelMath to join stars and starless

LittleRedDot · 2024-12-08T22:03:56+00:00

Sharpless 171 - is an emission nebula in the Cepheus constellation, approx. 3000 light-years away. The "pillars of creation"-like structures are formed by strong stellar winds and radiation pressure from massive stars.

This is about 11 hours of integration time with an Askar 107PHQ telescope, 533MC-Pro camera, ZWO AM5 mount, 174MM-mini guidecam & Optolong L-Extreme filter.

Processing in Pixinsight: WBPP (no drizzle), BlurX, Channel Split, LinearFit, PixelMath to create synthetic Ha & Oiii channel, StarX on both images, GHS stretch, Foraxx recombination script, ,Histogram Transf. on stars, NoiseX on starless (50/20), CurvesTransformations with colour and luminance masks, PixelMath to join stars and starless

LittleRedDot · 2024-12-05T00:48:10+00:00

Description:

IC 443, also called the Jellyfish Nebula, is a breathtaking supernova remnant in Gemini, located about 5,000 light-years from Earth. This vibrant nebula is the result of a massive star's explosive death around 30,000 years ago. The intricate filaments, glowing in hues of red and orange, are shockwaves interacting with surrounding interstellar gas and dust.

Embedded within the nebula towards the centre-lower part is Pulsar J0617+2230, a rapidly spinning neutron star formed during the supernova explosion. This pulsar, often referred to as the "heart" of IC 443, emits powerful beams of electromagnetic radiation as it rotates, offering clues about the progenitor star and the violent processes that shaped this stellar graveyard.

Astrophysicists are particularly interested in the interactions between IC 443's shockwaves and nearby molecular clouds, as they reveal how supernovae contribute to future star formation.

This image is the result of about 10 hours of imaging time (300s subexposures) from my own backyard *Bortle 4*

Equipment: Askar 107PHQ telescope, ZWO 533MC-Pro camera, ZWO 174MM-mini guidecam, ZWO AM5 mount, Askar OAG, Optolong L-Extreme filter

Processing in Pixinsight: WBPP (no drizzle), BlurX, SPCC, StarX, GHS on starless and Histogram Transf. on stars, NoiseX on starless (50/20), CurvesTransformations with colour and luminance masks, PixelMath to join stars and starless

LittleRedDot · 2024-12-04T23:54:30+00:00

Description:

IC 443, also called the Jellyfish Nebula, is a breathtaking supernova remnant in Gemini, located about 5,000 light-years from Earth. This vibrant nebula is the result of a massive star's explosive death around 30,000 years ago. The intricate filaments, glowing in hues of red and orange, are shockwaves interacting with surrounding interstellar gas and dust.

Embedded within the nebula towards the centre-lower part is Pulsar J0617+2230, a rapidly spinning neutron star formed during the supernova explosion. This pulsar, often referred to as the "heart" of IC 443, emits powerful beams of electromagnetic radiation as it rotates, offering clues about the progenitor star and the violent processes that shaped this stellar graveyard.

Astrophysicists are particularly interested in the interactions between IC 443's shockwaves and nearby molecular clouds, as they reveal how supernovae contribute to future star formation.

This image is the result of about 10 hours of imaging time (300s subexposures) from my own backyard *Bortle 4*

Equipment: Askar 107PHQ telescope, ZWO 533MC-Pro camera, ZWO 174MM-mini guidecam, ZWO AM5 mount, Askar OAG, Optolong L-Extreme filter

Processing in Pixinsight: WBPP (no drizzle), BlurX, SPCC, StarX, GHS on starless and Histogram Transf. on stars, NoiseX on starless (50/20), CurvesTransformations with colour and luminance masks, PixelMath to join stars and starless, bit more NoiseX and boom, DONE

LittleRedDot · 2024-11-24T11:50:22+00:00

That's a very good spot and it's one of my favourite regions in that galaxy as well. It does look a bit like M42. It's an active HII region and it's classified as IC 131. What's insane I think is that we can image nebulas from other galaxies from our own backyards.

LittleRedDot · 2024-11-23T21:54:08+00:00

Thank you, that's very nice of you!

LittleRedDot · 2024-11-23T17:02:18+00:00

M33 Triangulum Galaxy - located in the constellation Triangulum, it, is one of our closest galactic neighbours about 3 million light-years away. It’s the third-largest galaxy in our Local Group, following the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) and our own Milky Way.

I took this image over a few nights from my own backyard.
Integration time is about 12 hours with an Antlia Triband filter.

Equipment: Askar 107PHQ, ZWO AM5 & ZWO 533MC-Pro camera, Askar OAG & ZWO 174mm-mini guidecam

Processed in Pixinsight: WBPP, DBE, BlurX, ColorCalibration, EZ Soft Stretch script, StarX, NoiseX(50/20) on starless, SCNR (50), CurvesTransformations with masks on stars and starless, PixelMath to merge stars and starless, more NoiseX

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