The Heart Nebula in Cassiopeia (IC1805)
Imaged in the light of hydrogen alpha and RGB from Nova Scotia in Fall 2011 through a Canon 300mm f2.8 telephoto lens using a modified Canon T3i DSLR camera.
The top image shows The Heart in the light of hydrogen alpha with slight emphasis of the G and B channels to show the colors of foreground blue giant stars. The image is the result of stacking thirteen 12-minute exposures for a total integration time of 2 hours, 36 minutes. The bottom frame shows the result from stacking an additional twenty-two 4-minute exposures of RGB data with the same Ha frames as in the topmost image for a total integration time of 4 hours, 4 minutes. All exposures were through a Canon 300mm/f2.8 lens at f2.8 and ISO 800 on a Gary Honis modified Canon T3i DSLR. The H alpha exposures were through a 6nm Ha filter.
The Heart Nebula is located in close proximity to another emission feature. Together they are called "Heart and Soul." The both were captured in a single frame by a Canon 180mm f3.5 lens using the same modified Canon T3i DSLR as was used for the other images. They are shown below, both in the starkly dramatic light of hydrogen alpha only and the more conventional blend of Ha and RGB.
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