Instrument

Takahashi FSQ-106ED @ f/5.0 (530 mm F.L.) Captured at 2.1 arcsec/pixel. Shown at 4.40 and 9.38 arcsec/pixel.

Mount

Losmandy G11 with Gemini L4 v1.0

Camera

SBIG STF-8300M Self Guiding Package w/ mono ST-i, using Baader LRGB filters.

Acquisition Data

Taken 10/2/2014 to 10/22/2014 Chino Valley, AZ. with CCDSoft and CCD Commander

Exposure

Click here for the narrow band color mapped image.

Click here for an Ha filtered b/w image.

eXcalibrator RGB ratios are 1.00, 1.21 & 1.41

Software & Processing Notes

• CCDSoft, CCDStack, PixInsight & Photoshop CS6.

• eXcalibrator v5.0 for (g:r) color balancing, using 53 stars from the SDSS-DR9 database.

• CCDStack to calibrate all sub exposures.

• PixInsight processing includes registering, stacking, RGB creation, non-linear stretching with HistogramTransformation and LocalHistogramEqualization.

• PhotoShop for the final touch up.

• Noiseware 5, a PhotoShop plug-in.

Comment

North is to the top.

The North America Nebula in the sky can do what most North Americans on Earth cannot -- form stars. Specifically, in analogy to the Earth-confined continent, the bright part that appears as Central America and Mexico is actually a hot bed of gas, dust, and newly formed stars known as the Cygnus Wall. This beautiful skyscape shows the star forming wall lit and eroded by bright young stars, and partly hidden by the dark dust they have created. The North America Nebula (NGC 7000) spans about 50 light years and lies about 1,500 light years away toward the constellation of the Swan (Cygnus). 
Source: NASA APOD.