Supernova & Fish
Supernova remnant HB3 and emission nebula IC 1795 in the constellation Cassiopeia.
I captured 106 total hours of this region during the first three weeks of November, 2o23. Having recently completed The Heart project and still experiencing quite fair weather, I wanted to image something else in this region before switching over to winter targets. The northern celestial hemisphere has the least obstructed view from my backyard in Leesburg, VA, and therefore I can capture over 10 hours per night in the fall. It is hard to pass on this significant advantage when it is available to me.
I recently saw a wide FOV image of the Heart Nebula and noticed the remarkably strong signal from this supernova remnant. After doing some quick research, I did not find many detailed images of this object. So, I took up the challenge and started planning my framing, shooting windows, etc. Honestly, I was fairly confident in this plan… but there was an element of unknown on this for sure.
Well, here we are with the project completed. Info for the capture:
Total imaging time: 106 hours
Ha: 197 x 600” (32h 50’)
Oiii: 218 x 600” (36h 20’)
Sii: 215 x 600” (35h 50’)
RGB: 40 x 30” each (20’+20’+20’ = 1h)
Scope: William Optics FLT120 w/ Flat 68iii 1.0x flattener
Mount: Skywatcher CQ-350 on tri-pier
Camera: ZWO ASI6200MM Pro (mono)
Filters: Antlia 3nm Pro SHO, Antlia V-Series Pro RGB
Guiding: ZWO OAG-L w/ ZWO ASI290MM mini
Capture SW: N.I.N.A.
Stacking/Processing SW: Pixinsight, Photoshop
Pixinsight plugins: BlurXTerminator, StarXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator
Planetary Nebula Gem PN G132.8+0.20
A beautiful little hidden gem in this image is a planetary nebula glowing bright in the oxygen wavelength. There was some weak hydrogen present, and the PN was completely invisible in the sulfur wavelength. It’s just a dozen or so pixels in this giant image. However, in a testament to the sharpness of this rig, you can still see some details! I see a “Z” pattern with a strike through it.
Interstellar Shockwaves
At the bottom left of this image we can see some of the shock front from this cataclysmic event. The shell of the explosion expands rapidly through interstellar space, slamming into other matter. The outer waves are glowing strong in hydrogen and oxygen, with some sulfur present as well. Supernova remnants are relics of the not-so-distant past. The initial ultra-bright supernova was observed by Japanese and Chinese astronomers in the year 1181.