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Thursday, October 2, 2014

I see red

Hydrogen is most abundant material in the universe, astrophotographers often see red nebulas in their images. Expecially emission nebulas are often red or magenta. The color is caused by Hydrogen-alpha: a specific deep-red spectral line of 656.28 nm.
Constellation of Cyqnus has alot material to photograph. Large and bright emission nebulas like North-America nebula are easy targets even for unmodified cameras. You can get a good looking image with just 30 second exposure time, however the more you gather light the better your images turn out. The California nebula in the constellation of Perseus is also worth a try.

The California nebula glows red because of hydrogen and a really hot star near by called Menkib. It has gotten its name from it shape that resembles the state of California.

The California nebula

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