Gothmog the Balrog in Cygnus (LBN 184 & 186)
September 28, 2022
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What has Gothmog, prince of the balrogs, been up to since Eönwe, Herald of the Valar, banished him to the void after the War of Wrath? Here, we see him overlooking a cauldron of fire—waiting for the day when his lord, Melkor, escapes his chains and returns to Middle Earth to exact vengeance.
Astronomers, on the other hand, have a more pedestrian view of this scene. It’s just a part of the clouds of hydrogen, oxygen, sulfur, and other gasses and dust that populate the area in the Cygnus constellation just North of the famous Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888).
This image is not going to win any awards, but it’s still one of my very favorites. A filler panel in a much larger mosaic, I was astonished to see the Balrog form emerge from it surrounded by fire. A reminder of iconic moments in the Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings.
William Optics ZenithStar 61
Telescope
Finder Chart
Click to expand
Total integration: 22h 4m 30s
Integration per filter:
- Lum/Clear: 9h 18m (186 × 180")
- R: 18m 30s (37 × 30")
- G: 20m (40 × 30")
- B: 20m (40 × 30")
- Hα: 7h 21m (147 × 180")
- S2: 7h 9m (143 × 180")
- O3: 6h 36m (132 × 180")
Coordinates: 19h 58m 29s · +38° 35′ 34″
Image Capture
Location:
Back yard in North Dallas
Camera:
ZWO ASI6200MM-Pro
Awards
