A subtle field where the main drama is shadow: dark dust, faint reflection light, and a delicate star field.
- What am I looking at?
- A subtle field where the main drama is shadow: dark dust, faint reflection light, and a delicate star field.
- Where is it in the sky?
- van den Bergh 152 (vdB 152) lies in Cepheus, a autumn constellation for mid-northern latitude observers.
- When is the best time to photograph it?
- Cepheus is best placed during autumn (September through November), when it clears the horizon earlier in the night.
Capture summary
Nebula in Cepheus
Broadband RGB
Broadband RGB
Autumn target / wide composition
- Chroma 36mm Ha 5nm 17h 20m 208 x 300s
- Chroma 36mm Oiii 5nm 2h 25m 29 x 300s
- Chroma 36mm Red 3h 3m 183 x 60s
- Chroma 36mm Green 1h 55m 115 x 60s
- Chroma 36mm Blue 2h 32m 152 x 60s
- Chroma 36mm Lum 4h 25m 53 x 300s
- Totals 31h 40m
When to image this target
Nebula in Cepheus; 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.
vdB 152 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.
- Chroma 36mm Ha 5nm 208 x 300s, 17h 20m
- Chroma 36mm Oiii 5nm 29 x 300s, 2h 25m
- Chroma 36mm Red 183 x 60s, 3h 3m
- Chroma 36mm Green 115 x 60s, 1h 55m
- Chroma 36mm Blue 152 x 60s, 2h 32m
- Chroma 36mm Lum 53 x 300s, 4h 25m
- Totals 31h 40m
Field notes for this target.
Browse all capture notesHow I captured this
| Channel | Frames | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Chroma 36mm Ha 5nm | 208 x 300s | 17h 20m |
| Chroma 36mm Oiii 5nm | 29 x 300s | 2h 25m |
| Chroma 36mm Red | 183 x 60s | 3h 3m |
| Chroma 36mm Green | 115 x 60s | 1h 55m |
| Chroma 36mm Blue | 152 x 60s | 2h 32m |
| Chroma 36mm Lum | 53 x 300s | 4h 25m |
| Totals | — | 31h 40m |
- 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
