Wizard Nebula

This photo is of the Wizard Nebula. I created this photo using my astrophotography kit, which comprises of a William Optics Redcat 61 WIFD telescope, a ZWO ASI585 MC Air astro camera and a Sky Watcher EQ AL55I Pro equatorial mount. The final image shown here is comprised of 60 x 3 minute exposures, stacked and edited in Pixinsight.

The Wizard Nebula is the informal name for a star-forming region containing the open star cluster NGC 7380, located in the constellation Cepheus. It spans about 110 light-years and is approximately 7,000 to 8,500 light-years from Earth. The nebula’s name comes from its resemblance to a wizard in a pointed hat, and it was discovered by Caroline Herschel in 1787.