The Soul Nebula

The Soul Nebula (IC 1848) — captured from my Bortle 8.5 backyard in Nashville — is one of those regions that never fails to surprise me with how much depth and subtle structure emerges as you integrate more and more data. Taken over the course of 34 nights, I collected 235 hours of exposure through my Askar 120APO and ZWO ASI2600MM Pro.

This is a blend of SHO and Foraxx palettes, preserving the hydrogen data in red, while still leaving very subtle green tones.

Imaged entirely from my heavily light-polluted backyard, this is a good reminder that even under the city lights, patience (and a lot of subs) can bring out the beauty of the night sky.

Total integration: 234h 55m

Integration per filter:
- Hα: 78h 50m (946 × 300")
- SII: 79h 30m (954 × 300")
- OIII: 76h 35m (919 × 300")

Equipment:
- Telescope: Askar 120APO
- Camera: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro
- Mount: ZWO AM5
- Filters: Antlia 3nm Narrowband H-alpha 2", Antlia 3nm Narrowband Sulfur II 2", Chroma OIII 3nm Bandpass 2"
- Accessories: Askar 0.8x Full Frame Reducer / Flattener for 120APO Telescope, ZWO ASIAIR Plus, ZWO EAF, ZWO EFW 7 x 2″
- Software: Adobe Photoshop, Aries Productions Astro Pixel Processor (APP), Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight, ZWO ASIAIR

Integrated in Pixinsight, color tweaking and final edits in Photoshop.