Dates & Location

5th August 2018 - 9th August 2019 from the ICAstro site, Alcalali then Oria, Spain. Elevation 1022 m
Lat 38°:45.4 N, Long 00°:02.1W https://icastronomy.com/services/oria/location-oria.html

Catalogue Identification(s)

SH2-129 - the Flying Bat Nebula (red Ha)
Ou4 - the Squid Nebula (teal OIII)

In this image, North is up

Tak FSQ106N at 530 mm focal length, F5.0.
Paramount ME German equatorial Mount.
Camera - Moravian Instruments G3-16200 with 7 position FW and OAG.
TheSkyX Pro telescope control.
SGP used for camera, PHD Guide and Focus control.
Starlight Instruments Boss Focuser with FSQ rear cell replacement.
Lodestar guide camera.
.

Where it is in space

This field is approx 141 x 176 arcminutes - ie ~ 6 x 4 Moon diameters
This emission nebula lies approx 2.5 degrees South of alpha Cephei (Aleramin).

Remote sessions using Splashtop control from Ravenshead, UK
Exposures: L:20  x 10 min + R:G:B 10 x 10 min each
Narrowband exposures: Ha 16 x 20 min, OIII 44x20min + 30x30 min. Total exposure time 43hrs 20min.

All sub-exposures -20°C. All images binned 1x1.
Automated remote sessions using Sequence Generator Pro (SGP)

Discovered in 2011 by French astro-imager Nicolas Outters, the Squid Nebula's alluring bipolar shape is distinguished here by the telltale blue-green emission from doubly ionized oxygen atoms. Though apparently completely surrounded by the reddish hydrogen emission region Sh2-129, the true distance and nature of the Squid Nebula have been difficult to determine. Still, a recent investigation suggests Ou4 really does lie within SH2-129 some 2,300 light-years away. Consistent with that scenario, Ou4 would represent a spectacular outflow driven by HR8119, a triple system of hot, massive stars seen near the center of the nebula. If so, the truly giant Squid Nebula would physically be nearly 50 light-years across. loud.

Processing Methods

All data reduction with CCDStack. Lum, RGB masters and RGB colour combine prepared in CCDStack.

Narrowband Ha and OIII masters combined with LRGB master in PhotoShop 6. LRGB master used for star colouring only.

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