Friday, Apr 25, 2025

Here is my astrophotography of M78, a stunning reflection nebula located in the constellation Orion, about 1,600 light-years from Earth. M78 is one of the brightest regions of the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. Its bluish glow is caused by the light of young stars being reflected by interstellar dust, creating a spectacular effect in the winter sky. Thanks to the integration of H-alpha data, even faint details of ionized gas become visible—details that would normally be lost in standard RGB imaging. Technical Data: Target: M78 Constellation: Orion Equipment: ASKAR FRA600 @F5.5 – QHYCCD 268M PRO @-15°C [gain:56, offset:25] – SkyWatcher AZEQ6 GT – QHYCFW3 7×2″ filter wheel – ZWO EAF – QHY OAG-M with QHY5II-L mono – N.I.N.A. + APP + PixInsight + PS Filters used: Red (2h), Green (2h), Blue (2h), H-alpha (2.5h) Total integration time: 8.5 hours Captured from my balcony under Bortle 8 skies (TURIN), February 2025 This image is a HaRGB composition, where the Hα channel was blended with the RGB data to enhance nebulous structures without compromising the natural color palette. A fascinating and challenging target, especially at just 600 mm focal length and from light-polluted skies—but every photon made a difference! What do you think of this cosmic glow?