Photo of the Week for February 1, 2019
Well situated for early evening winter viewing is the distinctive “W” of Cassiopeia. The constellation is home to numerous deep-sky objects, both bright and faint. And one that definitely falls into the latter category is the Bubble Nebula, also known by its catalogue designation, NGC7635. Although it shows up well in this deep image, the Bubble is a visual target reserved for dark skies and big scopes. If you find the nebula elusive, try for its celestial neighbour, Messier 52—an easy open cluster lying only ½ degree to the northeast.
Benjamin Law made this Bubble Nebula portrait from Stouffville, Ontario. He used a Celestron EdgeHD 8-inch telescope and a ZWO ASI294MC Pro imaging camera to acquire the 270 minutes exposure data used for the shot. North is to the left.
