A newer Ghost of Cassiopeia frame with the faint nebular edge and surrounding star field preserved.
This frame remains part of the Lost Photons archive.
- What am I looking at?
- The Ghost Nebula is a faint reflection and emission nebula near the bright star Gamma Cassiopeiae.
- How far away is it?
- About 550 light-years away.
- Where is it in the sky?
- In Cassiopeia, close to the bright star Gamma Cas.
- Why does it matter?
- Illustrates how bright stars can illuminate nearby dust into ghostly blue and red glows.
- When is the best time to photograph it?
- Autumn when Cassiopeia is overhead; narrowband helps reveal faint structure.
Capture summary
Nebula in Cassiopeia
Ha, OIII, RGB
Ha, OIII, RGB
Autumn target / wide composition
- Chroma 36mm Ha 5nm 6h 40m 80 x 300s
- Chroma 36mm Sii 5nm 7h 20m 88 x 300s
- Totals 14h
Same target, different years.
Older revisions stay in the archive so you can see how the target changed with different equipment, processing, and experience.
When to image this target
Nebula in Cassiopeia; best planned for September through November from New Jersey.
Autumn is a strong window for Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Andromeda, and late Cygnus fields.
Assumes a New Jersey backyard horizon and evening imaging.
Emission nebulae are good candidates for narrowband filters; reflection nebulae prefer darker skies.
IC 63 is listed here in Cassiopeia.
Current frame: Narrowband + RGB / Ha, OIII, RGB.
Live altitude, moon, and filter guidance
Calculating target altitude and moon context.
Use the full planner to enter a ZIP code, choose a date, and compare the target from your sky.
Based on the current time.
Green marks usable dark-sky altitude.
Next upper transit.
Approximate horizon crossing.
Moon phase and altitude.
Acquisition & processing notes
Filter channels, integration times, and capture dates for this frame.
- Chroma 36mm Ha 5nm 80 x 300s, 6h 40m
- Chroma 36mm Sii 5nm 88 x 300s, 7h 20m
- Totals 14h
How I captured this
| Channel | Frames | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Chroma 36mm Ha 5nm | 80 x 300s | 6h 40m |
| Chroma 36mm Sii 5nm | 88 x 300s | 7h 20m |
| Totals | — | 14h |
- Equipment used
- From my current rig
- Mount
- iOptron CEM60
- Telescope
- Explore Scientific FCD100 127mm Carbon Fiber Triplet APO
- Camera
- ZWO ASI2600MM Pro
- Filters
- Chroma 36mm Ha, OIII, SII, and LRGB (ZWO EFW 7×36mm)
- Focuser / rotator
- MoonLite NiteCrawler
- Reducer
- Starizona Apex ED 0.65×
- Guiding
- ZWO off-axis guider + ASI290MM Mini
- Control / power
- PrimaLuceLab Eagle 4S, Powerwerx PSU, Bioenno field battery, and MEGAbox
