Astrophotography by Keith B. Quattrocchi


NGC 2264 (The Cone Nebula)
Emisssion Nebula in Monoceros
Ha/LRGB Image 

Copyright 2022
Keith B Quattrocchi and Bray Falls

Image Acquisition Information  
                    
Telescope: 16" RCOS Richey Chretien Telescope (ion milled at f/9) 
Camera: ZWO Full Frame Back Illuminated CMOS ASI 6200 MM
Guiding: Starlight Xpress AO with UltraStar Autoguiding Camera (AO control using maxim DL software).
Filters: Astrodon LRBG, H-alpha, S-II and OIII Filters
Acquisition Programs: NINA, The SkyX, PHD2, PWI4
Processing Programs: PixInsight, RC Astro, CCDStack, Photoshop CS4
Date: Data processed on January 1, 2022.  Data acquisition: December of 2021                            
Time:  6 hours (10 minute exposures) for each of Ha/LRGB for a total of 30 hours.                   

Image Information:  The Cone Nebula is a pillar of gas and dust located 2,500 to 2,700 light-years away in the constellation Monoceros. It is 7 light-years long and is named for its conical shape, which is formed by the radiation from young, nearby stars eroding the cloud.  
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Processing Information  This Ha/LRGB images were obtained using  AstroDon filters.  The Hq/LRGB images were batch processed (calibrated, registered, normalized and integrated) in PixInsignt.   Further stretching, high pass filtering and background smoothing was performed with Adobe Photoshop CS/4 and PixInsight.