Sh2-129 (R.A.: 21h 12m 20.24s, Dec: +60º 02’ 15.1”) is a Bright Nebula of Visual Magnitude 10 in the constellation Cepheus at a distance of 9318 lightyears from Earth. It is one of the many beautiful H-alpha emitting objects that can be found in the Sharpless catalogue. The nebula is also known as Flying Bat Nebula. Interestingly, at the heart of the nebula, there is another nebula located, often referred to as Flying Squid Nebula (Ou4). This OIII emitting nebula was only recently discovered by the French amateur astrophotographer Nicolas Outters in 2011. Recent research seems to indicate that Ou4 is indeed located within Sh2-129. It is assumed that the nebula is getting it’s energy from a strong outflow from HR8119, a triple star system right in the middle of the Flying Squid Nebula.

Explore Scientific CF 102 Triplet Apo Refractor
Stellarvue 0.8 reducer/flattener
Guiding Scope: Stellarvue 60 mm
Guiding Camera: ZWO ASI224 MC with Astronomik 1.25" UV/IR cut filter
AVX EQ Mount
Imaging Camera: Canon D40 (Astro modified)

33.63 hours of integration. Data collected throughout April-June 2022
84 x 600" OII
65 x 600" Ha
80 x 400" Lum
Darks, Bias & Flats
ISO 1600
Stacked in DSS, edited and cropped in PixInsight, GIMP2 and Raw Therapee 5.8