NGC 7822

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CEPHEUS - NEBULAR REGION

NGC 7822 and CED 214 in CEPHEUS

About this Object:

You have to love the power of CCD cameras!

This photograph shows two distinctly different nebulae, NGC 7822 on the bottom and Cederblad 214 on the top. But through the "magic" of CCD technology, amateur imagers can now go so "deep" that it becomes difficult to know where one nebula starts and the other one leaves off! And because of that, there is often some confusion when it comes to identifying these two targets.

This nebular region can be found right at the Cepheus/Cassiopeia border. The easiest way to locate it would be to extend a line up from the center star (gamma cass) in the "W" shape of Cassiopeia until you hit the Cepheus border.

Though these nebulae are, in no way, small, they are difficult targets to detect visually. Apertures around 20 inches and dark skies are required, though many viewers report that an h-beta filter can make these much easier targets with much smaller, rich-field instruments. Approach this field like you would NGC 1499, the California Nebula, and it's likely you'll have success.

Location: Okie-Tex Star Party 2006, near Kenton, Oklahoma and Eldorado Star Party 2006 near Eldorado, Texas
Date: September-October , 2006
Seeing: 3/10 on average
Transparency: 8/10 on average
Temperature: -25 degrees C on camera
Scope/Mount: Tak FSQ-106 and Paramount ME
Camera: SBIG STL-11000M astro CCD camera
Filter: 4.5nm Custom Scientific H-alpha filter
Exposure Info: HaRGB image; 160:60:60:60 minutes (20 minute subexposures for Ha and 10 minute subexposures for RGB, all unbinned)
Processing Information: Acquisition with CCDSoft. Calibration (darks/flats), registration, and RGB channel combine in CCDstack (median combine). HaRGB combine and Ha blending, color balance, levels/curves, noise removal/local contrast enhancement/DSO enhancement-star reduction (Noel Carboni's Astronomy Tools) in Photoshop CS.

Exposure Notes: Interesting target. Sub-par seeing conditions. RGB data taken from Okie-Tex as well as 40 minutes of Ha data. The rest taken at Eldorado Star Party. Incidently, my friend Rockett Crawford calls Ced 214, "the nose." Indeed, looks quite like Karl Malden to me!