NGC 6888, WR-134 & Soap Bubble (2-panel mosaic)

[AstroGS]

NGC 6888, WR-134, and the Soap Bubble Nebula 

In recent months, I have focused on targets related to Wolf-Rayet stars and supernovae, where destructive cosmic explosions create mesmerizing night targets for astrophotographers. Over the past 60 days, I have embarked on an incredible astrophotography adventure, capturing over 100 hours of data in Ha, OIII, and RGB in a 2-panel mosaic.

 

The Equipment

• Telescope: William Optics Redcat 61
• Camera: ZWO ASI 2600mm
• Filters: Antlia 3nm Ha, Chroma 5nm OIII, and Antlia 3nm RGB
• Mount: ZWO AM5

Objects in the frame

• NGC 6888 (Crescent Nebula)
  • Type: Emission Nebula
  • Distance: ~5,000 light-years
  • Description: This striking nebula is formed by the fast stellar wind from the Wolf-Rayet star WR 136 colliding with the slower-moving wind ejected in an earlier phase of the star's evolution. The result is a shell of ionized gas, glowing beautifully in Ha and OIII.

 

• WR 134
  • Type: Wolf-Rayet Star
  • Distance: ~6,000 light-years
  • Description: WR 134 is a variable Wolf-Rayet star, notable for its intense stellar winds and dramatic spectral lines. It is part of a complex of nebulosity and hot gas, making it a fascinating object to capture in narrowband filters like Ha and OIII.

 

• Soap Bubble Nebula (PN G75.5+1.7)
  • Type: Planetary Nebula
  • Distance: ~4,000 light-years
  • Description: Discovered only recently, the Soap Bubble Nebula is a faint, nearly perfect spherical shell of ionized gas. It’s an excellent target for those with patience and the right equipment, like the Ha and OIII filters I used.

Technical Details

• Total Integration Time: Over 100 hours (Ha 276 x 600sec, OIII 355 x 600sec, RGB 30 x 120sec each)
• Image Scale: The image scale of the Redcat 61 and ZWO ASI 2600mm combo is approximately 2.2 arcseconds per pixel.
• Processing: The data was processed using Pixinsight and Photoshop, including calibration (bias, darks, and flats), stacking, and post-processing to bring out the intricate details and subtle colors of these celestial objects.

 

 

Edited July 21 by AstroGS

[Clarkey]

Great image! 100 hours is probably more than I manage from home in a year!👍

[Elp]

Tis an excellent image.

[AstroGS]

13 minutes ago, Clarkey said:

Great image! 100 hours is probably more than I manage from home in a year!👍

Thank you - I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to have my rig in Spain at a remote observatory. 

[AstroGS]

And the cropped version (that my wife said she likes most and thus, I have to share it 😉  )

 

[assouptro]

Awesome!
 

Amazing image and patience! 
I am lucky to get 10 min per month atm! Let alone 100hrs! 
Can I just clarify, is the soap bubble the feint bubble to the left of the crescent in image 3? 
 

Thanks for sharing 

Bryan 😊

Edited July 20 by assouptro

[AstroGS]

2 minutes ago, assouptro said:

Awesome!
 

Amazing image and patience! 
I am lucky to get 10 min per month atm! Let alone 100hrs! 
Can I just clarify, is the soap bubble the feint bubble to the left of the crescent in image 3? 
 

Thanks for sharing 

Bryan 😊

Thank you Brian - yes that is the Soap Bubble.....it is very faint indeed and it was invisible at each 10-min sub and you could just see it with 3-4 hrs of OIII data.

[bottletopburly]

That’s excellent George you’ve inspired me to  see if I can capture WR-134 once I’ve captured some more data on the crescent which I’ve currently got 3.2hrs of Ha data using your old Redcat 51 👍 don’t think I will get 100 hrs though  , I can just make out the outline of the soap in my image hopefully tonight weather plays ball 

[Roy Foreman]

Great image - love the colours !

[Mr Spock]

Lovely detail. Very nicely captured 👍

[WolfieGlos]

Great image, such depth and full of detail. Love the soap bubble, it’s very clear and well defined. I struggled to bring it out with 16 hours if I recall.

I cant imagine capturing 600s frames, never mind in that quantity. I just know a small passing cloud would ruin each sub at circa 9minutes in 😶‍🌫️