The Heart Nebula (IC 1805) is a massive emission nebula in Cassiopeia — so large that it required a two-panel mosaic to capture it all.
Equipment
- Telescope: Orion 8″ 1000mm f/4.9 Newtonian reflector
- Mount: Orion Atlas EQ-G
- Imaging Camera: Canon T3i (full spectrum modification)
- Guide Scope: Meade 800mm f/10 reduced to f/5 with Atik x.5 focal reducer
- Guide Camera: Meade DSI Pro monochrome 16-bit
Capture Details
- Integration: 85 x 180sec exposures per panel (~4.25 hours per panel)
- Panels: Two-panel mosaic
- Captured: Across five nights in October 2025
- Software: N.I.N.A 3.1 for capture, Siril 1.4.0 for stacking and mosaic
- Resolution: 4973 x 5757 pixels
About This Object
The Heart Nebula (also known as the Running Dog Nebula or Sharpless 2-190) is an emission nebula located 7,500 light-years away in the Perseus Arm of our galaxy. Key facts:
- Spans about 2 degrees of sky (4 full moons across!)
- Powered by a small cluster of hot young stars at its center
- The distinctive heart shape comes from stellar winds sculpting the hydrogen gas
- Also designated NGC 896 for the bright nebula at its “tip”
This was my most ambitious project yet — a two-panel mosaic requiring five nights to complete. Mosaics are challenging because each panel needs separate processing before being stitched together, but the result is worth it when you can capture an object this large at high resolution.
