Rich in colour and detail, Ian Barredo’s vibrant astrophoto of the nebulous region and star-forming complex NGC 7822 takes our Photo of the Week title on May 21, 2021.
NGC 7822 includes Sharpless 171, the nebulous region, as well as the star cluster Berkeley 59. Located about 3,000 light-years away, it is a star-forming complex that lies at the edge of a giant molecular cloud toward the constellation Cepheus. NASA writes that as those baby stars have grown up, their winds and light have sculpted and eroded the nebula’s pillars, while their radiation lights up the emission nebula.
Imaging on May 3, 5 and 6, 2021, from Regina, Saskatchewan, Barredo said he used a Sharpstar61mm triplet apochromatic refractor telescope and a ZWO ASI533 colour camera to capture the data. He also used an Optolong L-eXtreme duo narrowband filter and a Sky-Watcher AZ-GTi mount.
Keep your eyes on the skies — and on the prize! Prizes for the 2020-21 SkyNews Photo of the Week contest are sponsored by Sky-Watcher, Celestron, iOptron and The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. Click here for more details on the prize packages that will be awarded to the best photos this year.
