Observation by Dean Ashton OBE: The squid in the wings of the bat

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Dean Ashton OBE

Observer

Dean Ashton OBE

Observed

2026 Aug 21 - 23:00

Uploaded

2026 Sep 21 - 08:48

Objects

The Flying Bat Nebula (Sharpless 129)

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Constellation

Cepheus

Field centre

RA: 21^h11^m
Dec: +59°59'
Position angle: -89°47'

Field size

1°28' × 0°47'

Equipment

Celestron 9.25EHD, Celestron CGX Mount, QHY268C Camera, Optolong LeXtreme Filter

Exposure

Fl-1,650mm, 170x600s exposures

Location

St Austell, Cornwall

Target name

Ou4 Squid Nebula

Title

The squid in the wings of the bat

About this image

The Oiii nebula of Ou4 is challenging because it is so faint. This image is composed from a total of 28hours and 20 minutes of exposure taken over 9 short summer nights in May, June, July and August 2026. The second challenge for me is the angular scale of the nebula. With my 9.25 EdgeHd scope in its /f7 configuration, and a QHY268C camera chip, I needed to capture the image as a three-panel mosaic. To reduce flux and SNR variations between each panel of the mosaic I captured some of each panel on every observing session. This was also a challenge during the short nights in May, June and July.

All processing and preprocessing carried out using PixInsight.

A project that will continue to collect more data!

Files associated with this observation

Ou4_170x600s_Foraax_HOO.jpg (4.7 MB)

Like this image

Dominic Ford, Andy Wilson

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