Sh2-132 / The Lion Nebula
| Name | Lion Nebula |
| Designation(s) | Sh2-132 |
| Object Type(s) | Emission Nebula |
| Relevant Catalog(s) | All (Chron), Sharpless |
| Obs. Lat/Long | 42° 17', 073° 57' |
| Constellation | Cepheus |
| Date and Time Observed | 2025-07-04 00:52:00 |
| Instrument | Askar V 80mm w extender f7.5-600mm FL |
| Camera | ASI2600MC-Pro |
| Image Details | Up is 358.0 degrees E of N. Transparency: Fair. Seeing: Good. Total integration time was 53m. Exposures 20s@250g, L-eNhance Filter. Dithered and recentered in SharpCap. No guiding. Stretch Mode 7. |
| Description | This object was so challenging that I essentially captured it 3 separate times... the first for 20 minutes, hoping to get away with a UV/IR filter and relatively low gain (150g). When effectively no details at all emerged in 20m, I stopped and installed the L-eNhance filter, and started over. Still at 150 gain. This was better but half an hour in and only a few details. Started a third time, upping the gain to 250, and starting using a SharpCap technique called Stretch Mode. I used to use it a lot, now rarely do because it adds noise and drops data that is often useful. However, in this case I needed to go to SM-7. Most images I capture at SM-1; max is 10. This is a challenging object. To put this in perspective "famous" targets like the North American Nebula or the Elephant Trunk, would show this level of detail in around 5 minutes on a clear, dark night. This is 53 minutes. Anyway, I was glad to get this far. I also didn't recognize the "lion" until I looked at some online images. As it turned out, I captured (barely) all of the key elements that make it the lion. I've done a limited annotation in the gallery. |
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