How to photograph the Ghost of Cassiopeia (IC 63)
Faint red and blue wisps lit by the bright star Gamma Cassiopeiae.
Photo byKees Scherer(CC0)
When to shoot it from your location
About the Ghost of Cassiopeia
IC 63 and IC 59 are small clouds of gas and dust next to Gamma Cassiopeiae. The bright star makes them tricky, and they need narrowband data and long exposures.
Gear and framing
The Ghost of Cassiopeia spans about 10′ 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
- Place Gamma Cassiopeiae just outside the frame to cut down on glare.
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.