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The Butterfly Nebula - Gamma Cygni Region

This is a color version using the original hydrogen-alpha information shown below.  The bright star in this image is Sadr, the Gamma star in the constellation of Cygnus. Sadr is the central star of the Northern Cross and is surrounded by tremendous amounts of emission nebulosity.  The bright region to the left of Sadr is IC 1318, also known as the Bufferfly Nebula due to the two winged shape.  The dark lane separating the two "wings" is a dark nebula known as LDN 889.  The bright cluster of stars near the upper-left of the image is NGC 6910.  It's a lovely part of the sky!

Location: Texas Star Party 2004 near Fort Davis, Texas (Ha info) and Copperbreaks State Park near Quanah, Texas (RGB)
Date: May 18, 2004 (Ha info) and June 2004 (RGB)
Scope/Mount: Tak FSQ-106 @ f/5 on Tak NJP mount
Camera: SBIG STL-6303E with integrated filter wheel
Exposure Info: Ha(Ha+R)GB image, 80:12:11:11 minutes (10 minute subexposures for Ha unbinned; 1 minute subexposures for RGB binned 2x2, unguided)
Filter: Custom Scientific 5 nm H-Alpha filter
Processing Info: Dark calibration, deblooming, registration, and Sigma combine in MaxIm 4.  Digital development in MaxIm 4. Luminance and color combine, curves, levels, sharpening, blurring, cropping, and clean-up in Photoshop CS.
 
Extra Info:  I took the color information for this object at the June StarWalk.  Time for the RGB is very short, but I feel like I managed a decent final mix.  The Ha information was blended with the Red channel at 50% prior to adding luminance.  Ha information was added back as a luminance layer at 40%.  
 

 Click on the image for higher resolution (1600 x 1076 pixels)

The Butterfly Nebula in H-Alpha Light

The bright star in this image is Sadr, the Gamma star in the constellation of Cygnus. Sadr is the central star of the Northern Cross and is surrounded by tremendous amounts of emission nebulosity.  Taking a long exposure of the region in h-alpha light, as above, brings out the intricate wisps and tentrils that normally aren't seen, even in most other images.  The bright region to the left of Sadr is IC 1318, also known as the Bufferfly Nebula due to the two winged shape.  The dark lane separating the two "wings" is a dark nebula known as LDN 889.  The bright cluster of stars near the upper-left of the image is NGC 6910.  It's a lovely part of the sky!

Location: Texas Star Party 2004 near Fort Davis, Texas
Date: May 18, 2004
Transparency: 9/10
Seeing: 8/10
Scope/Mount: Tak FSQ-106 @ f/5 on Tak NJP mount
Camera: SBIG STL-6303E with integrated filter wheel
Exposure Info: Grayscale, H-alpha (8 x 10 minutes)
Filter: Custom Scientific 5 nm H-Alpha filter
Processing Info: Dark calibration, deblooming, registration, and Sigma combine in MaxIm 4.  DDP in MaxIm 4. Curves and levels in Photoshop CS.

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