NGC 7380

The Sorcerer's Nebula, so named because some would see the face of a sorcerer in it, is an open cluster located in the constellation of Cepheus. It is located at a distance of about 7,500 light years.

It is a gas cloud composed of hydrogen ionized by the new stars that are born within it. The creation of these stars is possible thanks to the gravitational collapse of more concentrated areas of gas that amplifies over time, thus allowing this impressive phenomenon.

The image was captured in Hubble palette (because this is how the world-famous telescope proceeds), that is to say by isolating the wavelengths corresponding to hydrogen (Ha), ionized oxygen (OIII) and sulfur (SII) using filters. The separate layers are then weighted and assembled into a single image. Without this approach, the nebula appears to our naked eyes as a heterogeneous red/pink. Indeed, our eye is not able to capture all the wavelengths of light and this is the reason why we prefer SHO images (in Hubble palette) in order to have a rendering of the atomic anatomy of nebulae.

If you like this image, it is available for purchase in the "Astrophotographs to print at home" category of our catalog.

Equipment used:
- Skywatcher 80ed Evostar
- ZWO 533mc pro
- ZWO 120mm mini
- EQM-35 Pro
- Asiair plus
- EFW
- EAF
- OAG
- L-Ultimate filter for Ha and OIII layers
- SII filter
- Stacked and Ha/OIII extracted with Siril
- Processed with PixInsight
- Finished with Lightroom