How to photograph the Heart Nebula (IC 1805)
A big heart-shaped hydrogen cloud, often paired with the Soul Nebula.
Photo byRam samudrala(CC BY 4.0)
When to shoot it from your location
About the Heart Nebula
The Heart sits high in the north in fall and winter, circumpolar for much of the Northern Hemisphere. At 135-200mm it frames with the Soul Nebula for the classic “Heart and Soul” image.
Gear and framing
The Heart Nebula spans about 2.5° of sky. It frames best with:
- Telephoto (85-300mm lens)
- Small refractor (250-600mm)
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
- A dual-band filter and a few hours of data give a strong result from almost any sky.
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.