This image subject is faint planetary nebula in the constellation Lynx – Jones-Emberson 1. Its total apparent magnitude is 14mag, but due to large dimensions its surface brightness is pretty low. Nebula is placed about 1600 light years away. Its central star is 16.8mag very blue white dwarf. Due to the specific shape of Jones-Emberson 1, this nebula is sometimes called Headphones.
Image below has been made from my suburban backyard. It is total 18 hours of exposures with Baader hydrogen alpha filter (12h) and oxygen iii filter (6h). Shot with 130mm Photoline refractor and QHY163M camera on EQ6 mount.
Large version https://astrojolo.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/2017-01-27-JnEr1HO-3.jpg
When imaged under dark sky with wide band LRGB filters there is plenty of small galaxies in the background. But imaged under light polluted sky with narrowband filters galaxies are cut off.
This planetary nebula does have also a nickname – Headphone nebula. And is also known at Perek-Kohoutek catalogue as PK 164+31.1
Clear skies!
Hello there! That is an amazing image! Congrats! How did you achieve truth star colours from just Ha and OIII?
Very nice project.
All the best!
Thanks Igor!
As I remember I did not do anything special with star color here. Once I balanced the nebula color I just left them as they were. Plan B was (in case the colors of the stars look bad) to desaturate them and make just white.
Clear skies,
Lucas