IC63 - GHOST IN CASSIOPEIA
in the constellation of Cassiopeia lies IC 63, a stunning and slightly nebula about 500 light years away from our sun.
Also known as the ghost of Cassiopeia, IC 63 is being shaped by radiation from a nearby unpredictably variable star, Gamma Cassiopeiae, which is slowly eroding away the ghostly cloud of dust and gas.
The star Gamma Cassiopeiae is an eruptive variable star, whose apparent magnitude changes irregularly between +1.6 and +3.0. It is the prototype of the class of Gamma Cassiopeiae variable stars. In the late 1930s it underwent what is described as a shell episode and the brightness increased to above magnitude +2.0, then dropped rapidly to +3.4. It has since been gradually brightening back to around +2.2. At maximum intensity, γ Cassiopeiae outshines both α Cassiopeiae (magnitude +2.25) and β Cassiopeiae (magnitude +2.3).
THE NEBULA
THE STAR
Technical Data
| Bortle Scale / SQM-L | Bortle 5 / 20.04 - 20.26 |
| Period | August 2022 |
| Primary Scope | CCA-260 -- FSQ 106 |
| Camera | QHY600 -- MORAVIAN C3-26000 |
| Mount | AP 1100 GTO CP4 |
| Total Exposure Time | 8 h |
| Composition | HRGB |
| Location | Val Imagna (Bergamo) Italy |
© Efrem Frigeni Astrophoto