NGC 6823 Open Cluster and Emission Nebula in SHO Palette
Saturday, May 23rd, 2026 at 7:10:54 PM · 2026/Astrophotography
This is a narrowband astrophotograph of NGC 6823, an open star cluster surrounded by an emission nebula located approximately 6,000 light-years away in the constellation Vulpecula. The image was processed using the Hubble SHO palette, mapping Sulfur-II to red, Hydrogen-alpha to green, and Oxygen-III to blue, producing the vivid yellow-green core, teal ionized oxygen regions, and deep purple-magenta sulfur-rich outer clouds. The bright central region shows the young hot stars of the open cluster energizing the surrounding gas, with dark Bok globule-like pillars silhouetted against the glowing nebulosity near the core. Swirling filaments of ionized gas extend throughout the field of view, creating a dramatic and colorful cosmic landscape. The total integration time of 2.2 hours was collected using a TMB-92 APO refractor and ZWO ASI533MM Pro monochrome camera with individual Ha, OIII, SII, and RGB filter sets.
Chronologically Adjacent
