LBN 437: The Gecko, Lacerta
The Gecko Nebula, officially cataloged as LBN 437, is a reflection nebula located within the constellation Lacerta (appropriately meaning "the Lizard") that resembles a gecko crawling across the sky. The nebula is illuminated by nearby young stars, reflecting light in delicate, bluish shades.
It is situated near the much larger Sh2-126 emission nebula, which is visually marked by striking red hydrogen-alpha filaments that overlap and create a striking contrast with LBN 437.
This nebula is a popular target for astrophotographers due to its complex structure, which includes both dark molecular clouds (beige-brown here) and reflection regions that are illuminated by interstellar light, offering unique textures and colors.
A total integration of 202 * 180s = 10.1 hours with the Neodymium filter and an OSC camera to capture both the reflection and extra Ha simultaneously; processing in PixInsight included extracting a synthetic Ha layer, boosting the contrast and re-blending together in a HaRGB palette
It is situated near the much larger Sh2-126 emission nebula, which is visually marked by striking red hydrogen-alpha filaments that overlap and create a striking contrast with LBN 437.
This nebula is a popular target for astrophotographers due to its complex structure, which includes both dark molecular clouds (beige-brown here) and reflection regions that are illuminated by interstellar light, offering unique textures and colors.
A total integration of 202 * 180s = 10.1 hours with the Neodymium filter and an OSC camera to capture both the reflection and extra Ha simultaneously; processing in PixInsight included extracting a synthetic Ha layer, boosting the contrast and re-blending together in a HaRGB palette
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