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Object Type: Emission nebula, open cluster
Constellation: Cassiopeia
Magnitude: 7.4
Size: 35' x 35'

Called by some observers the "Pac Man Nebula," the nebulosity in NGC 281 is large but of low surface brightness, which makes it difficult to discern detail when viewed without a filter. With a narrowband or O-III filter, the nebula and its structure become much more apparent.

Equipment: Vixen 102-ED/TS Optics field flattener/Astrodon RGB filters/ST-10XME/Paramount ME
F-ratio: f/6.5
Exposures: RRGB: R 12 x 20 minutes: G 12 x 5 minutes: B 12 x 5 minutes: GB binned 2x2
Date: November 26, 2011
Location: Landers, California, USA
Technical Notes: Individual exposures were dithered with CCDAutopilot2 and sigma combined. The RGB image was created in Registar 1.0. Reduce Noise and Gaussian Blur were applied to the RGB image and Reduce Noise was applied to the dim portion of the luminance image. A high-pass filter of 4 pixels was applied the bright portions of the nebula. A copy of the RGB image was combined with original using Soft Light to enhance color.