Image Description and Details :

Young suns still lie within dusty NGC 7129, some 3,000 light-years away toward the royal constellation Cepheus. While these stars are at a relatively tender age, only a few million years old, it is likely that our own Sun formed in a similar stellar nursery some five billion years ago. Most noticeable in the sharp image are the lovely bluish dust clouds that reflect the youthful starlight. But the compact, deep red crescent shapes are also markers of energetic, young stellar objects. Known as Herbig-Haro objects, their shape and color is characteristic of glowing hydrogen gas shocked by jets streaming away from newborn stars. Paler, extended filaments of reddish emission mingling with the bluish clouds are caused by dust grains effectively converting the invisible ultraviolet starlight to visible red light through photoluminesence. Ultimately the natal gas and dust in the region will be dispersed, the stars drifting apart as the loose cluster orbits the center of the Galaxy.Imaging System: Planewave CDK14, Paramount ME2, FLI 16803/Chroma filtersExposure – LRGB, 15 hoursProcessing – PixinsightLocation/Date - Fort Davis, Texas / October 2021

Copyright: Good Astronomy/Steve Timmons

Ced 51 is an interesting juxtaposition of dark and light, containing dense dark nebula in the foreground abs curing portions of the greater hydrogen nebula flowing in red. Right in the middle is an active star forming region birthing new bright blue stars. Part of the greater lambda orionis ring (head of orion), this nebula complex is approximately 5000 light years from earth in the constellation of Orion, the hunter.

Technically, this was a challenge as to do the area justice, we shot a 4 panel mosaic to frame it right.

Imaging System: Planewave CDK14, Paramount ME2, FLI 16803/Chroma filters; Stellarvue SV130, Paramount Mx+, ZWO ASI533MC

Exposure – LHa/OSC, 42.7 hours

Location/Date - Fort Davis, Texas / December 2020

Credit/Copyright – Good Astronomy/Steve Timmons