Description and Details: LBN 534 is an elongated molecular cloud in the constellation Andromeda. The reflection nebula vdB 158 lies along its southern edge. It is illuminated mainly by a hot B-type star. Its distance is estimated at 1,435 light-years (Wikipedia, 18 October 2026, “vdB 158”).
Below the nebula in the image is the small, inconspicuous planetary nebula PK 110–12.1.
Unfortunately, high, invisible clouds moved in during the last evening, producing visible halos. As a result, I had to discard two-third of the data.

Image:
ZAWO ASI 2600mc duo
Sharpstar 94epdh
-with Reducer auf 414mm f/4.4
Skywatcher EQ5 Pro
ASIAIR Plus
136x240s (9h 4m)
Flats, Biases, Darks
Bortle 3.5 und 4.3

Processing:
Siril, LightRoom und GIMP

Copyright: Jan Lindemann

Description and Details: In the constellation Pegasus, approximately 35,000 light-years from Earth, shines M15—a globular cluster that harbors some of the oldest stars in our galaxy. With an estimated age of about 12 billion years, this immense collection of over one hundred thousand stars serves as a testament to the early stages of the Milky Way’s history.

Bound together by gravity, its stars form a nearly spherical structure that becomes increasingly crowded toward the center. M15 is, in fact, one of the densest known globular clusters; its core contains a multitude of stars whose light overlaps to create a nucleus of extraordinary brightness. The hottest stars glow with blue hues, while those with lower surface temperatures take on golden and orange shades.

Hidden among its stars is Pease 1, the first planetary nebula ever discovered within a globular cluster—a shell of gas ejected by a star during the final stages of its evolution. This rare feature adds yet another chapter to the story of this ancient stellar system.

To photograph M15 is to capture light that has traveled for tens of thousands of years, originating from stars born long before the Sun—a fragment of our galaxy’s memory, held within the skies of Pegasus.

Light: 95 x 60 seconds
Filter: Optolong L-Qef
Camera: ZWO Asi 294 mc pro
Telescope: Sky-Watcher Newton 200/1000 PDS (CUSTOM)
Mount: Sky-Watcher Eq 6-r Pro
Acquisition: ZWO Asiair Plus
Software: DSS - Pixinsight – Photoshop
Shots: 18/10/2026
Location: Torricella (TA) ITALY
Sky Bortle: 6
Author: PRO’ GIACOMO.

Copyright: GIACOMO PRO'

Description and Details: NGC 1333, commonly known as the Embryo Nebula, lies approximately 960 light-years away in the constellation Perseus. Part of the vast Perseus molecular cloud, this active stellar nursery contains young stars still embedded within dense clouds of gas and dust. Their light illuminates the striking blue reflection nebulosity, while intricate dark molecular clouds wind through the surrounding field.

What drew me to this region was the extraordinary interplay between the delicate blue reflection nebulae and the vast, complex structures of brown dust. I wanted to bring out as much of that faint dust as possible while preserving the natural colors and subtle transitions throughout the field.
L 162 x 300 seconds: 13:30
R 44 x 300 3:40
G 42 x 300 3:30
B 60 x 300 5
Total: 25: 40

Shot between October 6-17th over several partially clear nights in Vermont.


Rig #1
Takahashi TOA 130 NFB Refractor/.99x flattener
Astro-Physics Mach 2 Mount
Dark Matters Astro Custom NUC I9 32 GB RAM/2TB SSD
Pegasus Astro Ultimate Power Box V3
Moravian C3-Pro-61000 with EFW 3M-7 filter wheel
QHY 174M Guiding Camera/Optech OAG/Precise Parts adapters
Moonlite NightCrawler WR35 Rotator/focuser
PrimaLuceLab Giotto and Alto Flat Panel with custom Chris White adapter
Chroma LRBG/SHO 50mm 3nm filters
Sky Shed Pod Pier

Rig #2
Stellarvue 140T Raptor
Astro-Physics Mach 2 Mount
Dark Matters Astro Custom NUC I9 32 GB RAM/2TB SSD
Pegasus Astro Ultimate Power Box V3
Moravian C3-Pro-61000 with EFW 3M-7 filter wheel/C0-1500 guide camera
with Precise Parts adapters
Moonlite NightCrawler WR35 Rotator/focuser
PrimaLuceLab Giotto and Alto Flat Panel with custom Chris White adapter
Chroma LRBG/SHO 50mm 3nm filters
Sky Shed Pod Pier

Copyright: Michele Bayliss

Description and Details: Messier 83 (also known as M83, NGC 5236, or the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy) is a barred spiral galaxy located in the southern constellation Hydra, at a distance of 15.2 million light-years from Earth. Located 30 degrees south of the celestial equator, Messier 83 is the southernmost galaxy listed in Messier’s catalogue. This makes it one of the most difficult Messier objects for northern observers to see, as it never rises very high above the southern horizon.

Until recently, the outer regions of M83 were believed to lack star-forming material. However, on June 16, 2008, NASA’s Galaxy Evolution Explorer detected large numbers of very young, newly formed stars in these areas.

Observations with the Hubble Space Telescope have revealed that the galaxy’s core has a double nucleus, a feature it shares with the Andromeda Galaxy (M31). This does not mean that M83 has two supermassive black holes at its centre, but rather that the central black hole may be surrounded by an orbiting disk of stars, giving the appearance of a dual core. This double nucleus may be the result of a merger with a smaller galaxy that occurred in the distant past; the second nucleus could be the remnant core of the smaller galaxy absorbed by M83.

The Southern Pinwheel Galaxy was discovered by French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille on February 23, 1752, at the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. Lacaille catalogued the object as "Lacaille I.6" and described it as a “small, shapeless nebula.” Charles Messier later included the object in his catalogue on February 17, 1781.

Copyright Massimo Di Fusco

Image Title: Abell 347 NGC891

Copyright: Günter Kerschhuber

Date image was taken: October 12, 2026

Location: Gahberg Observatory

Data Acquisition Method: Personal Telescope Setup

Description and Details: Lacerta 30012c DSPro 2600m L46x500s, ASA N10 DSPro 2600C 48x300s, total:10,4h, ASA DDM85, Gahberg 20261012 150% resolution, drizzle preprocessing.

Name: Günter Kerschhuber

Website, Instagram or Facebook Profile: www.astro-photo.at

Image Title: LBN 576 — The Garlic Nebula

Copyright: Jeff Fishman

Date image was taken: October 01, 2026

Location: Palm Springs, CA. USA

Data Acquisition Method: Personal Telescope Setup

Description and Details: Telescope
Askar 140APO
Camera
ZWO ASI2600MM DUO
Mount
ZWO AM5
Filters
Antlia Blue 2"Antlia EDGE H-alpha 4.5nm 2"Antlia EDGE OIII 4.5 nm 2"Antlia EDGE SII 4.5 nm 2"Antlia Green 2"Antlia Red 2"
Software
Adobe PhotoshopDigital Image Solutions Astro PanelDxO Image Science NIK CollectionPleiades Astrophoto PixInsight
LBN 576
9 Cas
The star 9 Cas
This one was tough for me. REALLY tough.

LBN 576 is an incredibly faint supernova remnant, and trying to pull it out of a Bortle 7 backyard was definitely a challenge. I spent 5 nights and 40 hours collecting data in both RGB and SHO to capture as much of this elusive object as possible. My first look at the masters - they seemed empty.

Then came the processing… another 3 hours in PixInsight, Photoshop, Nik 9, APF-R, and Astro Panel 2027.

I also created a synthetic luminance layer to bring out additional detail and structure that was hiding in the data.

This image represents a LOT of time, patience, experimentation, and processing. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the challenge of bringing it to life!

Fun Facts

• LBN 576 is also known as CTB 1, the Garlic Nebula, and the Medulla Nebula.
• It is a supernova remnant, not a planetary nebula.
• The explosion occurred roughly 10,000 years ago.
• The remnant is estimated to be about 100 light-years across.
• It lies approximately 10,000 light-years away in the constellation Cassiopeia.
• It is extremely faint, making it a challenging target even under dark skies.

5 Nights • 40 Hours • Bortle 7

I hope you enjoy all the time and effort that went into this one!

#AstroFishPhotography #ASIWeek #APOD

www.astrofishphotography.com

Name: Jeff Fishman

Website, Instagram or Facebook Profile: www.AstroFishPhotography.com

Image Title: Helix Nebula (NGC 7293) — The Eye of God

Copyright: Cícero Jailton de Morais Souza

Date image was taken: October 11, 2026

Location: Sanharó, Pernambuco, Brazil

Data Acquisition Method: Personal Telescope Setup

Description and Details: The image was captured in Sanharó, in the Agreste region of Pernambuco, Brazil, under Bortle 5 skies, using a SkyWatcher 150PDS Newtonian telescope with a 150 mm aperture and an f/5 focal ratio, mounted on an EQ5 with a SynScan system. A Touptek ATR533C camera equipped with an Optolong L-Enhance dual-band filter was used for imaging, along with a guiding system consisting of a 50 mm SV106 guide scope and a SVBONY SV305 camera. A total of 8 hours and 10 minutes of exposure time was accumulated, with image acquisition carried out using N.I.N.A. and SharpCap. Processing was performed in PixInsight and Affinity, with the aim of bringing out the nebula’s faint structures and fine details.

Name: Cícero Jailton de Morais Souza

Image Title: "Andromeda Galaxy surfing above the hydrogen clouds"

Copyright: Maritxu Poyal & Rogelio Sanchez Albusac

Date image was taken: October 12, 2026

Location: Observatorio ROMA . Saceruela , Ciudad Real Spain.

Data Acquisition Method: Personal Telescope Setup

Description and Details: Equipment and acquisition details:

165 exposures (900 seconds each) using an FSQ-106N, paired with a QHY367C camera and an SV220 dual-band filter.( Rogelio Sanchez Albusac)

152 exposures (900 seconds each) using a FRA400 with an f/3.9 reducer, paired with a QHY268M camera and a 3 nm Chroma H-alpha filter.( Rogelio Sanchez Albusac)

2 hours of additional data captured with a Canon 60D and a 70–300 mm lens.( Maritxu Poyal )
Procesing: Maritxu Poyal . By Pixinsight and Photoshop.

Name: Maritxu Poyal Rogelio Sanchez Albusac

Website, Instagram or Facebook Profile: https://www.flickr.com/photos/145930274@N05/ https://www.instagram.com/astromaritxu/?hl=es

Image Title: m33

Copyright: paulin

Date image was taken: October 14, 2026

Location: corralrubio(albacete) españa

Data Acquisition Method: Personal Telescope Setup

Description and Details: eq6 , SCA310 f3.8 ,asi 6200mc, 200x 300s antlia quad band ,90x 300s antlia atl ha/oiii

Name: JOSE MIGUEL

Image Title: Helix Nebula NGC7293

Copyright: Alex Linde

Date image was taken: September 30, 2026

Location: My own equipment, which I sent to StarFront Observatory in Texas, USA.

Data Acquisition Method: Personal Telescope Setup

Description and Details: Helix Nebula (NGC 7293) – The Eye of God

The Helix Nebula is a planetary nebula located approximately 650 light-years from Earth. It represents the final stages of a Sun-like star, which has shed its outer layers into space.

Equipment:

* Telescope: Takahashi FSQ-85EDX
* Camera: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro
* Mount: ZWO AM5N

Total integration time: 50 hours

* Ha: 100 × 600s
* SII: 100 × 600s
* OIII: 100 × 600s

Name: Alex Linde

Image Title: LBN 420 — Galileo Finger

Copyright: Stefano Martellucci

Date image was taken: October 01, 2026

Location: Rockwood, Texas

Data Acquisition Method: Personal Telescope Setup

Description and Details: LBN 420, the Galileo Finger, is a bright nebula from the Lynds catalog located in the constellation Lacerta, characterized by an elongated shape. Captured remotely from the SFRO observatory in Rockwood, Texas.

Setup
- Telescope: Skywatcher Esprit100
- Mount: ZWO AM5N
- Camera: ZWO ASI2600MM
- Filters: Antlia V-Pro LRGB and Ha 3nm
- Asiair

Frames (total 833 frames, 74h42m integration)
- L -> 370x300''
- H -> 209x600''
- R -> 24x300'' + 60x60''
- G -> 24x300'' + 60x60''
- B -> 24x300'' + 62x60''

Name: Stefano Martellucci

Website, Instagram or Facebook Profile: https://sideris.art instagram: @siderisart

Image Title: The Fornax Dwarf Spheroidal galaxy

Copyright: Jean-Yves Beninger

Date image was taken: October 10, 2026

Location: Warrumbungle National Park

Data Acquisition Method: Personal Telescope Setup

Description and Details: Imaged from Warrumbungle National Park through red, green and blue filters (2h 10mn each) with an AP130 mounted on an AP Mach1 mount.

The Fornax Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy is a faint satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, located approximately 460,000 light-years away in the constellation Fornax. Despite containing millions of stars, Fornax has a diffuse appearance, with its ancient stellar populations spread across a broad region of the sky.

Fornax is particularly interesting because it hosts five well-known globular clusters, an unusually rich collection for a galaxy of its size. Its stars span a wide range of ages and chemical compositions, revealing a complex history of star formation that continued for billions of years.

One of Fornax's most intriguing mysteries is how its ancient globular clusters have survived without spiralling into the galaxy's centre. Understanding their orbits may provide important clues about the distribution of dark matter and the gravitational processes shaping dwarf galaxies.

Name: Jean Yves Beninger

Email: jy@lesbeninger.com, accepts marketing: false

Image Title: SNR G179.0+2.6 Buckyball Nebula

Copyright: Ciavaglia Francesco

Upload Image File (Max Size 10MB): https://drive.google.com/open?id=1cVQvyzYIlZkZQQAmhMxF8TETutEQvb2u

Date image was taken: December 12, 2025

Location: Gualdo Tadino (PG), Italy

Data Acquisition Method: Personal Telescope Setup

Description and Details: SNR G179.0+2.6, the Buckyball Nebula, is a large, faint supernova remnant located in the constellation Auriga; it is what remains after the explosion of a massive star. The equipment used is as follows:
Telescope: Tecnosky 70AG F5
CMOS Camera: Player One Poseidon-M PRO
Camera Temperature: -20°C
Camera Angle: 222°
Mount: iOptron CEM120EC
Guiding System: Player One FHD-OAG MAX + Lodestar X2
Software: Voyager - PixInsight
Light Frames: Ha 69x600s (Gain 125, Offset 30, Bin 1x1) - OIII 92x600s (Gain 300, Offset 30, Bin 1x1) - R 12x120s (Gain 125, Offset 30, Bin 1x1) - G 12x120s (Gain 125, Offset 30, Bin 1x1) - B 12x120s (Gain 125, Offset 30, Bin 1x1) - 11 Darks, 11 Flats, 11 Biases
Filters: Optolong L 50.8mm – Optolong R 50.8mm – Optolong G 50.8mm – Optolong B 50.8mm – Optolong Ha 3nm 50.8mm – Optolong OIII 3nm 50.8mm – Optolong SII 3nm 50.8mm
Accessories: Pegasus Astro Ultimate Powerbox - Pegasus Astro FocusCube V2 Electronic Focuser - Wanderer Rotator Mini M54
Dates: 12-12-25, 13-12-25, 14-12-25
Moon: 47%, 37%, 27%
Imaging Location: Gualdo Tadino (PG), Italy

Name: Francesco Ciavaglia

Email: francy2727@gmail.com, accepts marketing: false

Website, Instagram or Facebook Profile: https://www.instagram.com/ciavagliafrancesco/?hl=it

Terms and conditions: I agree

Image Title: CTA1 and NGC40 – two different ways of death.

Copyright: Mateusz Wiśniewski

Upload Image File (Max Size 10MB): https://drive.google.com/open?id=1RETycU4o_e18LRjLC2pL3vNyA-cA5xMc

Date image was taken: September 10, 2026

Location: Czarne, Poland

Data Acquisition Method: Personal Telescope Setup

Description and Details: CTA 1 was the very first entry because it was 'heard' in radio waves before it was ever seen (!!)
In the optical spectrum, it is so faint that in a 1973 supernova remnants atlas, it was deemed the only one out of 24 objects too dim to be printed.
Unlike many other remnants, CTA 1 glows stronger in oxygen than in hydrogen. This accounts for its turquoise filaments and the nickname 'Burning Blue Dragon'.
Spinning at its core is what remains of the star—a pulsar. It was only detected later by the Fermi telescope, which observes the sky in gamma rays.
66h Ha OIII RGB
Askar FRA600, asi2600mm Antlia ha 3nm, OIII 3nm RGB-V

Name: Mateusz Wiśniewski

Website, Instagram or Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064191964783

Image Title: Pillars of Creation and Eagle Nebula

Copyright: Damian Gorylewski

Date image was taken: August 31, 2026

Location: Bortle 9 (Lublin centre, Poland)

Data Acquisition Method: Personal Telescope Setup

Description and Details: Pillars of Creation – is it possible to capture them reasonably well at a focal length of around 370 mm? That’s the question I’ve been asking myself recently while spending hours imaging Ha, OIII, and SII bands using a color camera and SV220 filters. I separated and averaged the overlapping bands to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. Thanks to collecting many hours of data and applying the 2x Drizzle technique, I managed to recover a solid amount of detail.

Evostar 72 ed + 0.85 flattener
AZ-GTi guided via Svbony SV165 + ZWO Asi 120 MM mini
ZWO ASI 585 MC Pro (T = -10 ℃)
SVbony SV220 Ha OIII Dual-Band 7nm Nebula Filter 1,25”
175 x 300s light frames (details) + calibration frames
SVbony SV220 SII OIII Dual-Band 7nm Nebula Filter 2”
167 x 300s light frames (details) + calibration frames
Baader UV / IR cut 1,25”
630 x 30s light frames (stars) + calibration frames
Bortle 9 (Lublin centre, Poland)
Raspberry Pi 5 (8 GB/1 TB) (Kstars) + PHD2

Stacked in Pixinsight (drizzle x2). Edited in PixInsight with SetiAstro, RC Astro plugins, GraXpert and Affinity Photo 2.

Name: Damian Gorylewski

Website, Instagram or Facebook Profile: https://www.instagram.com/pixel.of.shadow/

Image Title: Comet 220P/McNaught — Full Tail Capture

Copyright: Omid Shafe

Upload Image File (Max Size 10MB): https://drive.google.com/open?id=17KVQvZTSC9qifFQJOxVqOL2Jt0bn2sq6

Date image was taken: September 17, 2026

Location: Voshtan, Firuzkooh, Iran (35.7811649° N, 52.5086363° E)

Data Acquisition Method: Personal Telescope Setup

Description and Details: This image shows periodic comet 220P/McNaught on 17 September 2026, captured from a Bortle 4 site near Voshtan village, Firuzkooh, Tehran Province, Iran. Over the past two months the comet’s tail changed dramatically, becoming long, thin, and diffuse. To record its full apparent length, I used a Samyang 135 mm f/2.8 lens with a ZWO ASI2600MC on an iOptron GEM28 (unguided, APT auto‑dithering).

The comet was located in Taurus near the Eridanus border, where faint integrated flux nebula (IFN) and molecular clouds fill the background. The wide field allowed both the extended tail and the surrounding IFN to be captured in a single frame.

Equipment: ASI2600MC, Samyang 135 mm f/2.8, iOptron GEM28

Name: Omid Shafe

Image Title: M76 Little Dumbbell Nebula

Copyright: Jean-claude MARIO

Date image was taken: September 15, 2026

Location: Alpes-Maritimes

Data Acquisition Method: Personal Telescope Setup

Description and Details: The Little Dumbbell Nebula (Messier 76 or NGC 650-651) is a planetary nebula located in the constellation Perseus, approximately 3,000 light-years away. Featuring a bipolar hourglass structure around a dense equatorial ring, it owes its glow to the ultraviolet radiation of an extremely hot central white dwarf exceeding 100,000 kelvins.

With an apparent magnitude of +10.1, it is accessible with amateur equipment and stands out particularly well in astrophotography using H-alpha and OIII narrowband filters, though it also responds well in LRGB. For this image, I did not use an OIII filter—only H-LRGB—and it is primarily the H-alpha that brings out the small nebulosities beyond the main nebula.

Name: Jean-claude MARIO

Image Title: The Nereides Nebula : 146h Deep Dive into SNR G107.5-5.2

Copyright: Lionel Malherbe

Date image was taken: September 14, 2026

Location: Dolomieu, Isère 3 , France

Data Acquisition Method: Personal Telescope Setup

Description and Details: Bonjour à tous,

Voici ma version du rémanent de supernova SNR G107.5-5.2, dit Les Néréides.

Un clin d'œil chaleureux à Marcel Drechsler et à toute l'équipe derrière la découverte de cette structure : leur travail de recherche et leurs standards de traitement restent une source d'inspiration constante pour pousser les temps de pose et le traitement des cibles ultra-faibles.

Situé dans la constellation de Cassiopée, SNR G107.5-5.2 est un rémanent de supernova géant et extrêmement délicat, s'étendant sur environ 3 degrés dans le ciel. Découverte fin 2023 par Bray Falls, Marcel Drechsler et leur équipe, cette structure se distingue par ses lignes d'émission d'oxygène ionisé (Oiii 500.7Nm) d'une finesse remarquable. Ses ondes de choc formant comme des "drapés" gazeux ont valu à l'objet le surnom de Néréides, en hommage aux nymphes marines de la mythologie grecque.

L’acquisition seule de cette cible a été d'une exigence extrême. Démarrée en juin 2026, elle s'arrête ici à 146 heures de signal cumulé , mon plus gros projet à ce jour.

Le traitement s'est avéré tout aussi complexe :

Palette (SHO/HOO) : Tout l'enjeu a été de faire émerger l'éclat bleu-cyan électrique des délicats filaments d' Oiii sans écraser le fond de ciel, le tout soutenu par un drapé H alpha rouge profond et ambré.

Données LRGB : Un traitement non destructif ciblé a permis de conserver la texture naturelle et les nuances chaudes des poussières sombres environnantes.

Soustraction de continuum : Une étape clé du flux de travail qui a permis de retirer la lumière à spectre continu du fond de ciel captée par les filtres bande étroite. Cela isole avec une grande précision la pure émission du gaz (Ha et Oiii ) et fait émerger les structures les plus ténues

J'espère que cette plongée dans les profondeurs de Cassiopée vous plaira !

English:
Here is my version of the supernova remnant SNR G107.5-5.2, also known as The Nereides.

A warm nod to Marcel Drechsler and the entire team behind the discovery of this structure. Their research work and processing standards remain a constant source of inspiration, encouraging us to push both integration times and processing techniques when tackling extremely faint targets.

Located in the constellation of Cassiopeia, SNR G107.5-5.2 is a gigantic and extremely delicate supernova remnant, spanning approximately 3 degrees across the sky. Discovered in late 2023 by Bray Falls, Marcel Drechsler and their team, this structure is distinguished by its remarkably delicate ionized oxygen emission lines (OIII 500.7 nm). Its shock waves, forming what appear to be vast gaseous “draperies”, have earned the object the nickname The Nereides, in tribute to the sea nymphs of Greek mythology.

The acquisition alone was an extremely demanding undertaking. Started in June 2026, it ends here at 146 hours of total integration time, making this my largest project to date.

The processing proved to be just as challenging:

Color palette (SHO/HOO): The main challenge was to bring out the intense electric blue-cyan glow of the delicate [OIII] filaments without overwhelming the background sky, all supported by a deep red H-alpha drapery with subtle amber highlights

LRGB data: A targeted, non-destructive processing approach was used to preserve the natural texture and warm tones of the surrounding dark dust.

Continuum Subtraction: A key step in the workflow that allowed for the removal of broadband continuous background light captured by the narrowband filters. This isolates the pure gas emission (Ha and Oiii ) with high precision and reveals the faintest structures.

I hope you enjoy this dive into the depths of Cassiopeia!

Name: Lionel Malherbe

Image Title: LDN 1147 (Dark Nebula) & NGC 7023 (Iris Nebula)

Copyright: Alexandre Capdevila Corral

Date image was taken: July 17, 2026

Location: Albatàrrec , Lleida ( Spain)

Data Acquisition Method: Personal Telescope Setup

Description and Details: Cosmic dust clouds sprawl across this remarkably deep field in the constellation Cepheus. At the center lies LDN 1147, a dense, dark molecular cloud that acts as a cosmic veil, completely absorbing the light from background stars. This dark nebula appears to flow like a river across the interstellar medium, eventually leading the eye toward the vibrant blue glow of the Iris Nebula (NGC 7023), a reflection nebula illuminated by a hot, young star.
To capture both the expansive cosmic landscape and the intricate, three-dimensional filaments of the dark dust, this image is the result of a meticulously planned 65-hour integration using two different telescopes. A 115mm refractor was focused directly on the heart of LDN 1147 to resolve the finest structures and high-resolution details of the opaque filaments. Next, a 55mm wide-field astrograph was used to capture the broader environment, organically connecting the dark dust complex to the Iris Nebula. Both datasets were captured using the same dedicated astronomy camera to ensure perfect color and signal coherence, revealing a breathtaking depth to our local Milky Way.

Acquisition & Technical Details:
Objects: LDN 1147 (Dark Nebula) & NGC 7023 (Iris Nebula)
Capture Dates: May 2026 – July 2026
Total Integration: 65 hours, 20 minutes (824 total frames: 122x 300s, 322x 300s, 330x 300s, and 50x 60s)
Telescopes: TS-PhotoLine 115mm (with 0.79x reducer & ZWO EFW) & Askar SQA 55
Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC
Mount: ZWO AM5
Guiding: Evoguide 50ED + ZWO ASI385MC / OAG + ZWO ASI220MM
Control System: ZWO ASIAIR Pro
Filters: Optolong L-Quad Enhance
Processing: PixInsight, Photoshop
(Bortle 5)

Name: Alexandre Capdevila Corral

Website, Instagram or Facebook Profile: https://www.instagram.com/alex.c.c_astrophotography/

Image Title: LDN 1355 — The “Helping Hand”

Copyright: S.M.G Astro

Date image was taken: September 19, 2026

Location: Mont-Saint-Michel Bay

Data Acquisition Method: Personal Telescope Setup

Description and Details: Approximately 1,400 light-years away, in the constellation of Cassiopeia, vast clouds of interstellar dust form a strange silhouette: that of a hand reaching toward the sky.

LDN 1355, together with LDN 1357 and LDN 1358, is a dark nebula. Its dust absorbs the light from stars lying behind it, appearing as a gigantic dark silhouette against the starry background.

Beside it, the bluish reflection nebula vdB 9, illuminated by the variable star SU Cassiopeiae, adds a striking touch of light to this cosmic landscape.

Name: Mathieu Geffroy

Website, Instagram or Facebook Profile: https://www.youtube.com/@SMGAstro