The Iris is quieter than the emission targets, with blue reflected starlight emerging from brown dust.
- What am I looking at?
- The Iris Nebula is a reflection nebula where dust scatters blue light from a hot young star.
- How far away is it?
- About 1,300 light-years away.
- Where is it in the sky?
- In Cepheus, in the northern Milky Way.
- Why does it matter?
- One of the brightest reflection nebulae, showing how dust can glow without emitting its own light.
- When is the best time to photograph it?
- Late summer through autumn when Cepheus is well placed.
Capture summary
Nebula in Cepheus
Natural color
Broadband RGB
Summer target / wide composition
- Optolong L-Pro 2 1h 15m 15 x 300s
When to image this target
Nebula in Cepheus; best planned for June through August from New Jersey.
Summer targets often improve later at night as the Milky Way climbs higher.
Assumes a New Jersey backyard horizon and evening imaging.
Emission nebulae are good candidates for narrowband filters; reflection nebulae prefer darker skies.
NGC 7023 is listed here in Cepheus.
Current frame: Natural color / Broadband 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.
- Optolong L-Pro 2 15 x 300s, 1h 15m
Field notes for this target.
Browse all capture notesHow I captured this
| Channel | Frames | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Optolong L-Pro 2 | 15 x 300s | 1h 15m |
- 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
