Wizard Nebula NGC 7380 in SHO+LRGB Narrowband Palette
Tuesday, September 15th, 2026 at 11:29:00 AM · 2026/Astrophotography
This is a deep-sky astrophotograph of the Wizard Nebula (NGC 7380), an emission nebula located approximately 7,200 light-years away in the constellation Cepheus. The image was captured using a Hubble-palette SHO composite (Sulfur-II mapped to red, Hydrogen-alpha to green, Oxygen-III to blue) combined with LRGB data, yielding the characteristic orange-red emission regions surrounding a vivid blue-white core. Towering gas pillars and ionized cloud structures are visible, sculpted by radiation from the young open cluster NGC 7380 embedded within. The total integration time of 8.29 hours (5.8h narrowband + LRGB) over three nights using a ZWO ASI533MM Pro and TMB-92 APO refractor at f/4.6 has revealed exceptional detail in both the bright ionization front and faint outer nebulosity. Processing included Python-based reduction and Syqon Starless AI star removal, giving the nebula exceptional prominence against the dense Milky Way star field.
Chronologically Adjacent
