Astrophotography by Keith B. Quattrocchi

IC 1318b: Butterfly Nebula 
Central Region: Emission Nebula in Cygnus
LRGB Image

Copyright 2008
Keith B Quattrocchi

Image Acquisition Information                      
 
Telescope: 16" RCOS Richey Cretien Telescope (ion milled at 6/9) 
Camera: SBIG STL-6303 M
Guiding: SBIG AOL, Astrodon  MOAG AOG (SBIG 237 with FLR)
Filters: Astrodon L, R, G, B
Mount: Software Bisque Paramount ME
Acquisition Programs:  The Sky,CCDAutopliot III, CCD Soft. 
Processing Programs: CCDStack, Maxim DL, Photoshop
Date: June 12 - June 25, 2008                              
Time: 18x20 min ( 6 hours) each for each of L,R, G.
 Total of 24ours imaging time.                              
Processing:  CCD Stack and PhotoShop CS/3
 
Image Infornmation:  The original Narrow Band of this emission nebula was published in June.  With my camera in for repairs I got a chance to assemble the LRGB data, and (next image) a composite LRGB/NB image.  IC 1318 is a large emission nebula surrounding Sadr, within  Cygnus the Swan.  The northern section, also known as the Butterfly nebula (IC 1318b) has a dark nebulosity which bisects it (this image was taken near this region).  IC 1318b  It is primarily made up of ionized hydrogen but there is a significant SII component.  The nebula is believed to be about 4000 light years distant.  This image, spanning about about 15 arc-min, and located near the dark nebulosity, is just a small part of this large, 1.5 degree, nebula (IC 1318a, b and c).

Additional Comments:  Image processing with CCDStack, producing an RGB image which was later combined with a Luminance image in Photoshop CS/3.  Further data stretching, high pass filtering and background smoothing was performed in Adobe Photoshop CS/3.