LESSER-KNOWN IMAGING TARGETS by Ron Brecher

Lost Glare in
the

Some interesting objects await imagers

who can tear their cameras away from
the showpieces of the night skies.

Y
ears ago, when comedian Rodney Dangerfield said,
“I don’t get no respect,” he might as well have been
empathizing with the subjects of this article. I’m talk-
ing about deep-sky objects (DSOs) that are often ignored or
underappreciated by most astrophotographers. While trophy
objects such as M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, or M42, the
Orion Nebula, are great, it’s time to give some less-imaged
(or less-noticed) astronomical gems a moment to bask in the
spotlight in their own right.
Not all of these overlooked targets are faint. Even bright
DSOs can fail to get the respect they deserve when they lie in
the shadow of something “bigger and better.” On the other
NGC 2023: S. M A ZLIN / M. H A NSON / W. K ELLER / R.

hand, sometimes they occupy a region of sky that amateurs

ignore due to a perceived lack of interesting deep-sky objects;
these are lost in the dark, rather than the glare.
PA RK ER / T. TSE / P. PROUL X (SSRO)

p STEALING THE SPOTLIGHT Many fine deep-sky objects reside in

Targets Near Bright Stars the shadow of more glorious targets. Take NGC 2023 above — this com-
DSOs that are tucked up against a bright star can literally plex mixture of reflection and emission nebula resides about 5 arcminutes
from B33, the famous Horsehead Nebula, which draws more attention.
get lost in the star’s glare. In this situation, clean optics and
The close-up image reveals a complex interplay of dust and emission
a dry, transparent sky are extra important, since any dirt or nebulosity that makes this and other similar targets worthy subjects for
moisture amplifies light scatter around bright stars, over- astrophotographers to pursue. North is to the left in these images. Unless
whelming the view of anything nearby. otherwise noted, all images are courtesy of the author.

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 Lying adjacent to the bright, 2nd-magnitude star Gamma
Cassiopeiae (γ Cas) are two attractive nebulae, IC 59 and IC
63. Both contain a mix of red emission and blue reflection
components. But don’t let the brightness of γ Cas scare you
away. The right hardware, such as an anti-blooming camera,
a hydrogen-alpha filter (instead of or in addition to RGB
filters), combined with careful processing, allows these pretty
nebulae to be revealed basking in the rays of γ Cas.
Another interesting target also lies beside a bright naked-
eye star. The dwarf spheroidal galaxy Leo I hides within the
glare of 1st-magnitude Regulus. Even though the galaxy has a
respectable integrated brightness of magnitude 11.2, it’s low
surface brightness renders it nearly invisible next to Regulus,
which is more than 5,000 times brighter. Leo I displays little
detail, but it’s an accomplishment just to be able to record
it. As a galaxy, it emits light at all visible wavelengths, so
narrowband filters won’t help to record it. However, careful
processing of a combination of short and long exposures will
reveal this subtle galaxy while still controlling light scatter
around Regulus.

Overlooked Galaxies p NEIGHBORS Another target that gets little attention due to its
Speaking of galaxies, the best places to hunt them down is proximity to a showpiece object, dwarf elliptical galaxy Messier
usually far from the dense star fields of the Milky Way. This 110 orbits M31 and displays tantalizing dark dust near its core
is because the myriad stars and vast clouds of galactic dust when imaged with larger apertures.
seen within the plane of our home galaxy block distant gal-
axies, making them much harder to detect. But galaxies actu-
ally appear all over the sky — you simply need to know where q IN PLAIN SIGHT NGC 6888, the Crescent Nebula, is immersed
in a dense nebulous field. The recently discovered Soap Bubble
to look for them. In fact, you might have already imaged a
planetary nebula (PN G75.5+1.7) is the thin sphere just visible on the
few unknowingly. bottom left side.
For example, M13, the Hercules Clus-
ter, is arguably the finest globular clus-
ter visible from mid-northern latitudes.
Because of its brilliance, it’s easy to give
short shrift to the many galaxies in or just
outside its halo, including NGC 6207. If
you’re processing your image to highlight
the contrast between bold M13 and a dark
background, the galaxy might be rendered
too dark to see its structure. This approach
would also render another galaxy invis-
ible, namely IC 4617, which lies just off
the line connecting M13 and NGC 6207.
Brightening up the background or inverting
the image (black stars on white) can make
these tiny galaxies stand out better from
the background.
Even relatively bright galaxies can some-
times get passed over, particularly when
they are members of a crowded galaxy clus-
ter. Markarian’s Chain in the Virgo Cluster
is one of the most popular fields for galaxy
hunters. But next time you’re thinking
of exploring Virgo, why not go after NGC
4216 a bit to the chain’s west? It makes a

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Lesser-Known Imaging Targets

photogenic trio with fainter NGC 4222 and NGC 4206 and One of my favorites in this category is Trumpler 5 (Tr
is bright enough (10th magnitude) to record with relatively 5), which lies not far from the more famous Christmas Tree
short exposure times. Cluster and Cone Nebula, together designated NGC 2264. In
Another example of a galaxy gem hiding in plain sight is contrast to most open clusters, which tend to have white or
M110, one of the Andromeda Galaxy’s large satellite galax- bluish colors, Tr 5 is composed primarily of red, yellow, and
ies. It looks like a spider’s nest — or perhaps a tightly wrapped orange stars. The cluster is much older than most, so its hot-
meal in a spider’s web. Although M110 appears relatively large ter, more massive blue and white stars have long since faded,
and bright, it is completely overshadowed by its proximity to imparting a golden hue to Tr 5.
spectacular M31 and is rarely the main focus of imagers. But There are a few more “surprise” clusters that I now look
high-resolution images of M110 show mottling and a distinct for through the eyepiece, having first seen them as bonus
dark feature, while long integration times reveal a faint bridge objects in my photos. Two favorites are NGC 436, which lies
of stars that appears to tether the satellite galaxy to M31. beneath the “feet” of the famous E.T. Cluster (NGC 457) in
Cassiopeia, and NGC 6802, next to Brocchi’s Cluster (the
Buried Treasure Coathanger) in Vulpecula.
In contrast to galaxies, the rich star clouds of the Milky Way
are a great place to find attractive open clusters. Yet they Lonely Outposts
seem to be less popular with astrophotographers than other I have friends who think that if you’ve seen one globular
classes of DSOs, such as galaxies and nebulae. I’ve heard cluster you’ve seen them all. I disagree. I think each has its
many people say that open clusters look better through the own character, and I’ve shot many of them over the years.
eyepiece than through a camera. However, some gorgeous One of my favorites is NGC 2419. It tends to be ignored
examples are worth exploring with your camera, even though because there are so many bigger, brighter globular clusters
they’re not easily accessible to most visual observers. available. I think the location of NGC 2419, in the relatively

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t WASHING AWAY The comet-like shapes of nebulae IC 59 (left) and
IC 63 (bottom) are due to the ionizing radiation from the luminous star
Gamma Cassiopeiae at upper right, which is slowly dissipating the two
objects. North is to the left.

p FAINT TREASURE While the large, faint emission nebula Sharpless

2-129 has been known for more than a half century, the teal-colored
object within called Ou 4 was only discovered in 2011.

u GALACTIC CASCADE When imaging the Virgo Cluster of galaxies,

most imagers focus on Markarian’s chain. But only about 2° west is a
wonderful cascade of three moderately large spiral galaxies, including
NGC 4222 (lower left), NGC 4216 (center), and NGC 4206 (upper right),
collectively spanning about ½°. North is at left.

sparse constellation Lynx, also contributes to its obscurity.

Its nickname, the “Intergalactic Wanderer,” just feels right.
About 300,000 light-years away, it’s farther than galaxies like
the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds and the Sagittarius
Dwarf. There’s not much in the field around it, except for two Nebula (NGC 7635), Pleiades (M45), and Dumbbell Nebula
bright field stars that enhance the perception that NGC 2419 (M27) are examples. But many other, less familiar examples
is tiny, dim, and distant. In reality, it’s one of the Milky Way’s are worthy of your camera’s gaze. The Sharpless catalog is full
most massive star clusters. of dim emission nebulae (and some of other types). One of
The dwarf spiral galaxy NGC 6503 in Draco gives me the the most interesting yet least appreciated is Sh2-290 in Can-
same feeling of isolation. Every star in the field surrounding it cer. It’s a classic planetary nebula, showing distinct red- and
lies in the Milky Way, so there’s mostly empty space between teal-colored regions corresponding to hydrogen-alpha and
us and it. The galaxy actually does lie at the edge of a vast, oxygen-III emissions, respectively.
nearly empty region of space called the Local Void (see page Planetary nebula Abell 39 in Hercules has to compete for
12). Only about 30,000 light-years across, the galaxy is puny attention with bright globular clusters M13 and M92. This
compared to the Local Void, which might be as big as 250 ghostly green object is a near-perfect sphere about 2½ light-
million light-years across! years in diameter, making it the largest such sphere currently
known. Several background galaxies are seen through the
Obscure Nebulae nebula that are thousands of times more distant.
Like star clusters, nebulae abound in the Milky Way. This Another faint spherical structure, PN G75.5+1.7 known
catchall term includes pinkish emission nebulae, blue (and as the Soap Bubble Nebula, is hidden in plain sight in Cygnus
sometimes yellow) reflection nebulae, and planetary nebu- just ½° southeast of NGC 6888, the Crescent Nebula. In fact,
lae with a colorful mix of emission nebulosity. The Bubble (continued on page 64)

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Lesser-Known Imaging Targets

u LOOK TO THE RIGHT Just 1° west of NGC 2264 is the beautiful old
open cluster Trumpler 5, which is populated by old reddish stars and is a
treat for observers and imagers alike.

p LONELY GLOBULAR Relatively dim, NGC 2419 is the most distant

globular cluster associated with the Milky Way.

u CLUSTER COMPANIONS M13 is perhaps the showpiece globular

cluster for northern observers and imagers. Long exposures of this target
with 6-inch or larger instruments will reveal a wealth of detail in the bonus
spiral galaxy NGC 6207 (top left) just ½° to its northeast. Between it and
M13 lies an even more distant galaxy, IC 4617 (arrowed).

uu BANDED NEBULA About 1½° south of IC 5070, the Pelican Nebula

in Cygnus, resides another large-but-faint nebula, IC 5068, which
rewards imagers shooting through narrowband filters with complex, over-
lapping bands of nebulosity in a roughly rectangular shape.

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Lesser-Known Imaging Targets

(continued from page 61) HH 170. This hourglass-shaped Herbig-

due to its subtle, thin shape and the Haro object signals the recent birth of a
nebulous field it sits in, the Soap Bubble new star at its center.
was only discovered about a decade ago One of the most photographed DSOs
by amateur astronomer Dave Jurasevich is the Horsehead Nebula (B33) in Orion,
using a 160-mm refractor and CCD often sharing the field with the spectac-
camera with narrowband filters. The ular Flame Nebula (NGC 2024). NGC
object was independently noted and 2023 usually appears in these portraits
reported to the International Astronom- p NEARBY PLANETARY The large nebula too, since it lies more or less between
ical Union by amateurs Keith B. Quat- Sh2-290 in Cancer, also known as Abell 31, the Horsehead and the Flame. But due to
is among the closest and largest planetary
trocchi and Mel Helm who imaged PN its location, NGC 2023 is rarely imaged
nebulae in the sky, but it is exceedingly faint
G75.5+1.7 in 2008. and requires long exposures to reveal all its at high resolution, when it can reveal
colorful glory. tremendous color and detail.
Surrounded by Bling Similarly, try photographing the
Speaking of busy nebulous fields, one of my favorites is the regions in Cygnus around the North America Nebula (NGC
region around the Bubble Nebula (NGC 7635), which is full 7000), particularly beneath the “Gulf of Mexico” and the
of splashy star clusters like M52 and other emission nebulae. neighboring Pelican Nebula (IC 5070). IC 5068 is a boldly
Amid all these sparkling jewels, it’s easy to overlook little textured, rhombus-shaped patch of emission nebula full of col-
orful stars. Not far to its west is the blue
reflection nebula NGC 6914, within a
Lost in the Glare Targets few degrees of Simeis 57, the Propel-
ler Nebula, another underappreciated
Object Type Size RA Dec. nebula often misidentified as DWB 111.
h m
IC 59 Emission nebula 10′ × 5′ 0 56.7 +61° 04′
IC 63 Emission nebula 10′ × 3′ 0h 59.5m +60° 49′ Resources
Planetarium software is helpful for
Leo I Dwarf spheroidal galaxy 10′ × 7′ 10h 08.5m +12° 18′
identifying potential subjects in loca-
NGC 6207 Spiral galaxy 3.0′ × 1.3′ 16h 43.1m +36° 50′ tions that are off the beaten track, or
IC 4617 Spiral galaxy 1.2′ × 0.4′ 16h 42.1m +36° 41′ in the background that might be worth
NGC 4216 Spiral galaxy 8.3′ × 2.2′ 12h 15.9m +13° 09′ our attention. My first clue that there
were hundreds of galaxies in the same
NGC 4222 Spiral galaxy 3.1′ × 0.5′ 12h 16.4m +13° 18′
field as the Pleiades was when I zoomed
NGC 4206 Spiral galaxy 6.2′ × 1.0′ 12h 15.3m +13° 01′ in on the field in Software Bisque’s
M110 Dwarf elliptical galaxy 17′ × 10′ 0h 40.4m +41° 41′ TheSkyX (bisque.com). While these
Tr 5 Open cluster 20′ 6h 36.5m +9° 29′ galaxies appear small and featureless,
just being able to resolve them in the
NGC 436 Open cluster 5′ 1h 16m +58° 49′
distant background imparts a sense of
NGC 6802 Open cluster 5′ 19h 30.5m +20° 16′ the vastness of the cosmos that M45
NGC 2419 Globular cluster 4.7′ 7h 38.1m +38° 53′ on its own can’t deliver. Most camera-
NGC 6503 Dwarf spiral galaxy 7.1′ × 2.4′ 17h 49.5m +70° 09′ control and planetarium software can
chart the location of celestial objects. A
Sh2-290 Planetary nebula 17′ 8h 54.2m +8° 54′
great freeware option is Stellarium (stel-
Abell 39 Planetary nebula 3′ 16h 27.5m +27° 55′ larium.org), which can display Digi-
PN G75.5+1.7 Planetary nebula 4.3′ 20h 15.5m +38° 03′ tized Sky Survey image overlays that
HH 170 Herbig-Haro object 1′ 23h 17.5m +60° 51′ provide a more photo-realistic view.
Get familiar with compilations of
NGC 2023 Reflection nebula 10′ 5h 41.6m -2° 16′
nebulae, like the Sharpless (Sh) and
IC 5068 Emission nebula 40′ × 29′ 20h 50.8m +42° 31′ van den Bergh (vdB) catalogs, as well
NGC 6914 Reflection nebula 12′ × 12′ 20h 24.7m +42° 29′ as Lynd’s Bright Nebulae (LBN) and
Simeis 57 Emission nebula 30′ × 20′ 20h 16.1m +43° 41′ Lynd’s Dark Nebulae (LDN). Many of
their members aren’t visible through
Sh2-129 Emission nebula 175′ × 113′ 21h 11.7m +59° 58′
the eyepiece and are only revealed in
Ou 4 Emission nebula 68′ × 23′ 21h 11.8m +59° 59′ deep exposures. These catalogs are
Angular sizes are from recent catalogs. Right ascension and declination are for equinox 2000.0. accessible via the planetarium soft-
ware mentioned previously, with many

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 EXPANDING SPHERE Abel 39 in Hercules is
a challenging target for imagers with larger
scopes. This ancient planetary nebula appears
as a nearly perfect teal-colored sphere.

online resources providing photos or descriptions. While ing them when they are at their highest in your sky, say 2 or
I don’t try to duplicate the aesthetic, I sometimes refer to 3 hours on either side of the meridian (the imaginary line
others’ results — or more specifically, their technical informa- passing through both celestial poles and the zenith). That way
tion — to help me decide what scope and camera combination you’ll be shooting through less atmosphere and will be able to
might achieve a desired composition, and to estimate how reveal fainter structures and finer details.
much exposure time might be needed. Narrowband filters — particularly hydrogen alpha — can
be useful to better record fine structure in emission nebulae,
Imaging Strategies planetary nebulae, and supernova remnants. What’s more, test
Most of these DSOs are much fainter than their better- shots can be taken even when there’s a bright Moon up (S&T:
known kin or are challenging to see due to their environ- Nov. 2017, p. 68).
ment, such as the proximity to a bright star. Successfully
imaging them requires a total integration time long enough Conclusion
to reveal the dimmest features in the field. In some cases, We all want to capture showpiece DSOs. Those big, bright,
extremely long total exposure time is required, sometimes and beautiful objects impress astronomers and non-astron-
along with specialized narrowband filters. For example, for omers alike. While you’re imaging their amazing fields, be
my sky conditions and equipment, Sh 2-129, the Flying Bat, alert to hidden treasures you might be missing. Eventually,
is known to be exceedingly faint. I didn’t stop data acquisi- you’ll have shot most of the popular Messier and NGC objects
tion until I had 104 hours total exposure, including 30 hours accessible from your site. When that day comes, it’s time to
through an oxygen III filter, which was needed to reveal the start looking further afield for new wonders to photograph.
exceedingly faint Squid Nebula, Ou 4, discovered in 2011 by Use the examples described above to get started, and then
French astro-imager Nicolas Outters. dive into the catalogs and online tools I’ve mentioned to find
While patience is a virtue when going after low-surface- even more candidates to explore. And when you’re preparing
brightness DSOs, at some point you need to call it a day. to image your chosen subjects, have a good look around it to
Increasing exposure time yields diminishing returns in see what you might be missing — maybe it’s worth a test shot
terms of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). For example, doubling or two or a little adjustment to the framing of your shot.
a 10-hour exposure only nets you about a 40% improve- By the way: Don’t be surprised if you can’t find much tech-
ment; doubling the SNR would require a whopping 40 hours! nical information about some of your chosen targets. After
“Going long” requires a shift in mindset: When I first began all, they just don’t get no respect!
imaging I went after three or four targets in a night. Now I
spend several nights — sometimes months during the short ¢ RON BRECHER likes to image lesser-known deep-sky
nights of summer — dedicated to a single patch of sky. objects from his home observatory in Guelph, Ontario. Visit his
Your best results on faint objects will come from captur- website at astrodoc.ca.

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