Capture summary
Nebula in Cepheus
5 days in Jun 2022 / Moon 65%
Chroma H-alpha 5nm Bandpass, Chroma OIII 5nm Bandpass, Chroma SII 5nm Bandpass
Summer target / square composition
- H-alpha 3h 40m 44 x 300s / 17-19 Jun 2022 / Moon 77%
- SII 2h 24 x 300s / 18 Jun, 20 Jun 2022 / Moon 67%
- OIII 3h 35m 43 x 300s / 4 days in Jun 2022 / Moon 55%
- Totals 9h 15m 5 days in Jun 2022 / Moon 65%
Sh2-132 is a faint emission nebula in Cepheus, often called the Lion Nebula because of the way its brighter ridges and darker gaps suggest a profile across the field.
This is the kind of target where narrowband data does the heavy lifting. Hydrogen, oxygen, and sulfur bring out the curling structure and help separate the nebula from the dense star background around it.
Acquisition Data
Technical capture details from the public AstroBin record for this image. View on AstroBin.
- H-alpha: 44 x 300s, 3h 40m, 17-19 Jun 2022, Moon 77%
- SII: 24 x 300s, 2h, 18 Jun, 20 Jun 2022, Moon 67%
- OIII: 43 x 300s, 3h 35m, 4 days in Jun 2022, Moon 55%
- Totals: 9h 15m, 5 days in Jun 2022, Moon 65%
Equipment and Software
- Telescope: Explore Scientific ED APO 127mm f/7.5 FCD-100 CF HEX
- Camera: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro
- Mount: iOptron CEM60
- Filters: Chroma H-alpha 5nm Bandpass, Chroma OIII 5nm Bandpass, Chroma SII 5nm Bandpass
- Software: Adobe Photoshop, Sequence Generator Pro, PixInsight
Target Planner
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.
Sh2-132 is listed here in Cepheus.
Current frame: Narrowband / Ha, OIII, SII.
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.
