The Soul Nebula
The Soul Nebula (W5) is an emission nebula located in the constellation Cassiopeia.. The target is commonly designated by the open star cluster within it, IC1848. The Soul Nebula is very close to the Heart Nebula, and is frequently photographed together.
Specifications:
Designation: W5, IC1848
Known As: The Soul Nebula Nebula
Apparent Size: 40′ x 10′
Magnitude (lower is brighter): 6.5
Distance from Earth: 6,000 LY
Soul Nebula Mosaic
The image above was taken in a Bortle 7 sky using the ZWO Duo-Band Filter. The nebula was too large to fit in a single frame, so 2-pane mosaic was needed.
EQUIPMENT
Telescope: Apertura 60EDR
Mount: Skywatcher EQ6R-Pro
Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro
Guiding: ZWO ASI120MM Mini
Brain: ZWO ASIair Pro
Filters: ZWO Duo-Band Filter
ACQUISITION
Integration Time: 40 min/pane
RGB: 20 x 300sec
BIN: 1×1
Gain: 110
Temperature: -10° C
Bortle Scale: 7
CALIBRATION
Darks: 10
Flats: 30
Dark Flats: 30
Offset/Bias: 30
The Cassiopeia Constellation
Cassiopeia (Seated Queen) is easily recognizable due to its distinctive ‘W’ shape, formed by five bright stars. A dense portion of the Milky Way goes through Cassiopeia containing a number of open star clusters, galactic disc stars, and nebulae, including the Heart Nebula and the Soul Nebula.
*General information regarding constellations, galaxies, nebulae, and planets have been sourced from: AstroBackyard, VisibleDark, Wikipedia, EarthSky, and NASA.