An Insight into Capturing SH2-86: A Deep Dive into Astrophotography

Astrophotography is a journey, a blend of science, art, and immense patience. Today, I want to pull back the curtain and share a glimpse into the meticulous process behind capturing SH2-86, a target that has been a personal project of mine.

The Target: SH2-86

SH2-86 is a fascinating emission nebula, and I'm currently dedicating around 20 hours of exposure time to capture its intricate details. This requires meticulous planning and execution over multiple nights.

Equipment and Setup

My approach involves using two distinct setups to gather data:

• Setup 1 (Left Image):

  • Telescope: Celestron C14
  • Camera: ZWO ASI6200MM (cooled, monochrome)
  • Filters: Chroma narrowband filters
  • Exposure: 5-minute subs. The screenshot you see here was taken with the Hydrogen-alpha (Ha) filter.

• Setup 2 (Right Image):

  • Telescope: Celestron C11
  • Camera: ZWO ASI6200MC (cooled, color)
  • Filter: Sightron Quad BP 48mm filter. This allows for color data capture directly from the color sensor.

The Imaging Process

Both telescopes are currently working hard, capturing hundreds of individual frames, or 'subs', over the coming nights. The raw data from these subs then undergoes a crucial process called stacking.

• For the C14 (monochrome data): Each narrowband filter's subs (Ha, OIII, SII) will be stacked separately. This allows for greater control and the ability to map these channels to specific colors later in processing to create a false-color image.
• For the C11 (color data): All sub-frames are stacked together into a single stack.

This painstaking process of acquiring and stacking data is what allows us to reveal the faintest details and vibrant colors hidden within these cosmic objects.

A Passion from Your Backyard

It's truly remarkable what's possible for private individuals today. To be able to pursue such a profound hobby, capturing the wonders of the universe from our own backyards, is a testament to the advancements in technology and the accessibility of these tools.

All this data was acquired at an altitude of 1700 meters in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, near Reno. The clear, dark skies at this elevation are essential for capturing the faint light of deep-sky objects.

I hope this insight into the capture process has been as enjoyable for you to read as it is for me to carry out this incredible hobby!