The Boogeyman Nebula (LDN1622) is hard to spell

No matter how you choose to spell “Boogeyman” (Boogyman? Boogieman?), LDN1622 is a stunning knot of dust to image. Part of Barnard’s Loop, this smaller feature is incredibly photogenic. LDN1622 is the main dark nebula in the image. The smaller one just below it is LDN1621 (no funny name here). You can see a slight yellow haze at the top of LDN1622; that’s the reflection nebula vdB 62. Less visible here is vdB61, which is the haze around the yellow star just to the right of LDN1622. The reflection nebulae are less prominent because I used H-alpha data for 80% of the luminance in this HRGB image. While this obscured the small reflection nebulae, it greatly enhanced the contrast of the emission nebulosity that fills the frame.

• Exposures (-10ºC):
  • H-alpha: 30×180s (gain=100)
  • R, G, B: 20×90s each (gain=0)
  • Total exposure time:  3 hours
• Taken from Doylestown, PA, Dec 3, 2022
• Telescope: Takahashi FSQ-106ED with 0.73x reducer (f/3.7)
• 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