Target
NGC 281 — The Pacman Nebula
Frame / Rev
007 / A
Integration
8h 55m
Catalog
NGC 281
Class
Emission nebula
Constellation
Cassiopeia
Distance
9,500 ly
Coordinates
RA 00h 52m 30s · Dec +56° 38′38″
Palette
SHO
Sessions
2 nights · Aug 2025
Sky
Bortle 9
Target & processing
NGC 281, the Pacman Nebula, is a vast hydrogen cloud nearly 9,500 light-years away in Cassiopeia, where the young stars of cluster IC 1590 sculpt pillars of dark dust and ignite new generations of stars. Hidden within its crimson glow, dense Bok globules drift like cosmic seeds, waiting for gravity to spark the birth of future suns.
Note to self
Although the processing is okay, I would probably want to re-process it with more experience now.
Per-filter integration
Hα 41.1% · 3h 40mSII 30.8% · 2h 45mOIII 28.1% · 2h 30m
KeptRejected at integration
Equipment
Optics
William Optics RedCat 51 · 250mm f/4.9
Camera
QHY MiniCam8M · IMX585 · 2.9µm / px
Filters
XiMei 7nm Hα / OIII / SII + XiMei Broadband R / G / B
Mount
ZWO AM3 harmonic, no counterweight
Guiding
Uniguide 32mm + ZWO ASI120MM Mini
Control
Mele Quieter 4C · NINA + PHD2
Site
Montréal, QC · Bortle 9 · 45.5° N
Adjacent frames
