Sh2-173 is a moderately faint HII region in Cassiopeia. I actually took this image while waiting for my main target for the night, Simeis 147, to rise. But I’m pleased with the way that it turned out. Shooting at f/3.7 helps. Most images show only the central area, but there is a lot of interesting nebulosity in the surrounding area. To see the “face,” look at the image upside-down, and it’s a lot more apparent.
- Exposures (-10ºC):
- H-alpha: 46×180s (gain=100)
- R, G, B: 20×90s each (gain=0)
- Total exposure time: 3 hours 48 minutes
- Taken from Doylestown, PA, Nov 3, 2022
- Telescope: Takahashi FSQ-106ED with f/3.67 reducer
- Camera: ZWO ASI2600MM-Pro with Astrodon filters (5 nm)
- Mount: iOptron CEM60
- Guiding: ZWO ASI174MM (off-axis)
- Acquisition: NINA + PHD2 and ASTAP
- Processing: AstroPixelProcessor, PixInsight
The H-alpha image is shown below.
Deep-sky Imaging 