How to photograph the Bubble Nebula (NGC 7635)
A bubble of gas blown by a hot young star, near the cluster M52.
Photo byNASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage Team(Public domain)
When to shoot it from your location
About the Bubble Nebula
The Bubble is a small shell inside a larger cloud of hydrogen. At 400-600mm it frames with M52. At longer focal lengths the bubble fills the frame.
Gear and framing
The Bubble Nebula spans about 15′ of sky. It frames best with:
- Small refractor (250-600mm)
- Long focal length (800mm and up)
You can see how other people have built their rigs on RigDesigner, including my Sony a6700 and 60mm refractor rig.
Filters
This target glows in hydrogen-alpha and oxygen-III light. A dual-band filter, or separate narrowband filters with a mono camera, lets that light through and blocks most light pollution and moonlight. It is a good choice for city skies and for nights with the Moon up.
Tips
- Narrowband data shows the shell clearly against the surrounding nebula.
Processing
Stack your light frames with darks and flats, then remove the background gradient before stretching. AstroBake does all of this for you. Point it at your folders of raw frames, then adjust the result with live sliders.