Capturing the Celestial Sorcerer: My Journey with the Wizard Nebula (NGC 7380)
As a budding astrophotographer, I'm thrilled to share my latest creation: an image of the magnificent NGC 7380, affectionately known as the Wizard Nebula. This is my second attempt at capturing a deep-sky object, and I'm constantly learning and refining my process.
The Gear Behind the Magic
Achieving a detailed image of a celestial object requires a dedicated setup. Here's what I used for this capture:
- Telescope: Skywatcher 200/1000
- Camera: ASI533mc pro
- Guide Camera: Zwo Asi 120mm
- Mount: Skywatcher EQ6 Pro
- Autoguiding Scope: 165mm SVBONY Guidscope
- Filter: SVBONY 220 Dual H-Alpha + Oiii Filter
- Control System: ASIAIR+
Acquisition Details
Every photon counts in astrophotography! My data acquisition consisted of:
- Lights: 50 exposures, each 300 seconds long (total of 4 hours 10 minutes)
- Flats: 50 frames
- Dark Flats: 50 frames (with the same exposure time as the lights)
- Bias: 50 frames
Processing Workflow
Bringing out the hidden details of a nebula involves careful processing. My toolkit for this image included:
- Siril
- Graxpert
- Photoshop
- Lightroom
I'm always eager to learn and improve, so I'm open to any suggestions and feedback on my processing workflow. The journey of astrophotography is one of continuous learning and discovery!
Behold the Wizard Nebula!
Here is the result of my efforts. I hope you enjoy this glimpse into the cosmos!
This image represents my ongoing learning process, and I'm excited to see what I can capture next!
