NGC7023 Iris Nebula

NGC7023, the Iris Nebula is a bright reflection nebula located in the Constellation Cepheus, 1300 to 1400 Light-Years distant. NGC7023 actually references the star cluster within the body of the nebula, and the bright, magnitude +7 star, SAO 19158 blasted out the distinctive cavity resembling an Iris. The Iris Nebula spans about 6 Light-Years across. The blue reflection nebula is surrounded by large amounts of brownish dust. The bright star has ionized some of the gas surrounding it, giving it a pinkish glow.

Object: NGC7023 (Iris Nebula)
Distance: 1300-1400 Light-Years
Magnitude: 6.8
Date: September 2009
Place: Ft. Davis, TX
Exposure Details: LRGB:400:180:180:240 minutes unbinned

Processing: MaxIM DL, CCDStack, Photoshop CS3, various apps

Optics: 12.5" RCOS Truss
Focal Length: 2808mm @ f9
Mount: Paramount ME
Camera: STL6303E
Focuser: RCOS
Guiding: Off-Axis with SBIG Guide Camera
Filters: Tru-Balance Gen II LRGB 2"