Cygnus starcloud area taken Sept. 13, 2007 for stack of 4 x 4 minute exposures with 135mm L-series lens at f/2.8 and Canon 20Da camera at ISO 800. Inckudes IC 1318 and NGC 6888.
This is the central area of Cygnus and its bright Milky Way starcloud surrounded by red nebulosity. At left is the star Sadr (gamma Cygni) with the complex of nebulosity catalogued as IC 1318. At centre is the distinct Crescent Nebula, NGC 6888, a expanding nebula created by winds from a hot Wolf-Rayet star. At bottom left is the star cluster Messier 29, though looking a little lost in the rich starfields here. At top is the cluster IC 1311, looking more obvious than M29 but not observed visually and included in the NGC catalog. Odd. At far right are the large and loose star clusters NGC 6883 and NGC 6871, the latter an obvious binocular sight. To the left of Sadr is the small cluster NGC 6910. The dark nebulas B145 and LDN 862 are at right. The small emission nebula at bottom is Sharpless 2-104. This is a stack of 6 x 6-minute exposures at ISO 1600 without a filter, blended with 8 x 12-minute exposures at ISO 3200 taken through the Optolong L-Enhance dual narrowband filter to really bring out the faint nebulosity. All were with the William Optics RedCat 51mm f/5 astrograph and red-sensitive Canon EOS Ra full-frame mirrorless camera. Blending the two sets of exposures brings out the nebulosity while retaining the more natural colours in the stars and background sky. All stacked, aligned and blended in Photoshop CC. Taken from home in the wee hours of the morning of May 15/16, 2020 before dawn’s light began to wash out the sky.
This is a wide shot encompassing most of the constellation of Cygnus the Swan in the northern summer sky, showing the variety of colours in the starclouds and nebulas that populate this section of the Milky Way. The colours are brought out by the long exposure used and by contrast enhancements in processing. But yes, they are real! This is not false colour. The red and pink emission nebulas of the North America Nebula (NGC 7000), at left, and the Butterfly Nebula (IC 1318), at centre, dominate. The small red patch at right in the Tulip Nebula, Sh2-101. But the starclouds themselves go from being bluish at left, to more neutral at centre where the main Cygnus Starcloud shines brightest, to yellowish at right in southern Cygnus and northern Aquila, where obscuring dust tints the starlight a warm tone. Other nebulas in this view include the tiny (at this scale) and purple Cocoon Nebula (IC 5146) at far lower left at the end of the B168 dark lane, and the magenta arcs of the Veil Nebula complex (NGC 6992-5 and NGC 6960) at bottom centre. Numerous large star clusters show up, notably NGC 6940 and smaller NGC 6885 to the right of the Veil. NGC 6811 (centre top) and NGC 6819 (to the right) are at top. The yellowish dust-obscured clusters at centre may be Bica 1 and 2. The field is laced with dark nebulas, as this is the area where the Great Rift begins in the Milky Way, formed from dust lanes that split the visible Milky Way.. The most prominent dark nebula is the Funnel Cloud Nebula, aka Le Gentil 3, at left, and the Northern Coal Sack beside and framing the North America Nebula. Deneb is left of centre; at centre is Gamma Cygni, aka Sadr. Albireo is at far right, above centre. This is a stack of 22 x 2-minute exposures with the Canon RF 28-70mm lens at 50mm and f/2.8 on the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 3200, and on the Star Adventurer Mini tracker. I shot 24 frames and only 2 were slightly trailed and were not used. The lens had a URTH Night filter on it to reduce light pollution and airglow discolouration. Taken from home October 1, 2021 on a night with some loss of transparency due to haze. Nebulosity was brought out with the aid of luminosity and colour range masks created with Lumenzia. All stacking, alignment and blending in Photoshop.
