Sunday, Sep 14, 2025

Last July, under the dark skies of summer, I pointed my telescope toward the heart of Cygnus and captured this ethereal scene. Here, the delicate blue glow of VdB 134, a reflection nebula illuminated by the blue subgiant ω1 Cygni, dances alongside the faint, mysterious ring of PN 86+05.1, a planetary nebula born from the final breath of a dying star. Reflection nebulae like VdB 134 scatter starlight like cosmic dust in a sunbeam, while planetary nebulae such as PN 86+05.1 mark the grand finale of a star’s life, enriching the universe with elements that will one day form new worlds. Technical Details: Ha: 128x300''; Oiii: 247x300''; Red: 183x180''; Green: 193x180''; Blue: 208x180''. Total integration: 60h27 Twinstar FG80 | Noctutec Red Dwarf Mark II 200mm f4 | TS Optics GPU Coma Corrector 1x | QHYCCD 268M | Optolong RGB | Astronomik Ha and Oiii 6 nm | RBFocus Myrrdin 2.3 | RBFocus Camelot 2’’ | RBFocus Excalibur V2 Acquisition: N.I.N.A. | Processing: Pixinsight