Log in

View Full Version here: : The Snake Nebula


TrevorW
11-04-2025, 11:26 PM
Barnard 72, also known as the Snake Nebula, is formed by a concentration of dark, dusty clouds that obscure the light from stars behind them, creating a dark, "S"-shaped silhouette.
Location:
It's located in the constellation Ophiuchus, approximately 650 light-years away from Earth.
Shape:
The nebula's distinctive "S" shape is formed by the way the dust clouds are arranged, creating a dark, meandering path across the sky.
Formation:
These dark nebulae, like Barnard 72, are thought to form from clouds of cold interstellar gas and dust that collapse under their own gravity.
Star Formation:
Dark nebulae are often regions where new stars are forming, as the dense clouds provide a "cradle" for stellar material to coalesce.
Part of a larger structure:
Barnard 72 is part of the larger Dark Horse nebula.


620 minutes in 4min subs collected over 3 nights - OSC QHY268c SVbony 2" DBF, Orion Eon110ED, (Bortle 7) NINA capture PHD2 guiding -7 9,10/4/25 - 86 % moon- Stacked processed SIRIL and PS

AlexN
15-04-2025, 11:04 AM
I love this target!

I'm wondering what temperature you're running your camera at, and if you're using dark frames at all?

Its hard to say exactly being the lower resolution of the image, but this and your Centaurus A image both appear to be quite noisy given relatively generous integration times. I would think the QHY268C would provide silky smooth images with a 10h integration.

Love the colour you've achieved, and the starfield colours and sharpness look awesome too!

TrevorW
15-04-2025, 01:15 PM
Minus 10 camera, no darks or flats etc, under moonlit skies some smoke haze around so seeing hasn't been the best. Had issue with NINA autofocus can't seem to get it to run a perfect hyperbolic curve

AlexN
16-04-2025, 10:39 AM
I had a lot of trouble initially getting NINA to autofocus, until I realised that the backlash setting doesn't have to be accurate - it has to be arbitrarily larger than the actual backlash figure.

I have mine set at 4x my step size now, and since doing so, I've not once had an issue with AF.

That said - if there is smoke haze or thin cloud around AF goes haywire....with the sky clear though, I find it to be incredibly good!

TrevorW
29-04-2025, 07:31 PM
Cheers Alex, since sorted the NINA issue :)

tim.anderson
30-04-2025, 03:50 PM
Very beautiful image.

Tim Anderson

Dave882
02-05-2025, 07:40 PM
Really nice framing Trevor full of glittering beauty.

TrevorW
02-05-2025, 07:45 PM
Thanks Tim and David :)