The 2020 Pacman Nebula processing run, kept as an older revision of NGC 281.
This frame remains part of the Lost Photons archive.
- What am I looking at?
- The Pacman Nebula is an emission nebula whose round shape and dark lane resemble the video-game character.
- How far away is it?
- About 9,500 light-years away.
- Where is it in the sky?
- In Cassiopeia, in the rich star fields of the autumn Milky Way.
- Why does it matter?
- A popular narrowband target with a distinctive silhouette and embedded star cluster.
- When is the best time to photograph it?
- Autumn when Cassiopeia is high overhead.
Capture summary
Nebula in Cassiopeia
Narrowband
Ha, OIII, SII
Autumn target / wide composition
- Optolong L-eNhance 2 3h 30m 42 x 300s
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.
NGC 281 is listed here in Cassiopeia.
Current frame: Narrowband / Ha, OIII, SII.
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-eNhance 2 42 x 300s, 3h 30m
How I captured this
| Channel | Frames | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Optolong L-eNhance 2 | 42 x 300s | 3h 30m |
- 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
