Location / Date

Zellerndorf, September - October 2014

Telescope / Mount / Guiding

ASA 10" Astrograph, ASA 3" Wynne Corrector
ASA DDM60, no Guiding

Camera / Exposure

Michael Hirmer's self-modified peltier-cooled Canon EOS 500Da
39 x 15min ISO 400 (9h 45min)
Canon EOS 500Da mono
Hα 12nm Astronomik Clip-Filter 21 x 15min ISO1600 (5h 15min)

Processing

Theli, Fitswork, PixInsight, Photoshop

Notes

IC 59 and IC 63 are a combination of faint, arc-shaped emission and reflection nebulae, located about 600 light-years away in the constellation Cassiopeia. IC 63 — the brighter of the two and slightly closer to Gamma Cassiopeia than IC 59 — is a combination of an emission and reflection nebula. Unlike a reflection nebula which appears blue, the glowing hydrogen gas appears red. IC 59 is primary a refection nebula, showing much less red hydrogen, and is appearing blue of dust reflected starlight that is passing through it.
The bright, hot star Gamma Cassiopeia is located only 3 to 4 light-years from the nebulae, and which may also have shed this nebulous material into the space around it. The edges of the nebulae glow brightly from this intense radiation that is slowly evaporating and lighting up these flowing shapes of gas and dust.