IC 63 - The Ghost in Cassiopeia
November 30, 2021
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Also called the Gamma Cassiopeia Nebula—so named after the bright star (visible in the frame) that powers it and shapes it, the Ghost is about 550 light years away in Cassiopeia.
Gamma Cassiopeia is a monster star: 15 times more massive and 65,000 times brighter the sun. It spins at a blazingly fast one million miles per hour—200 times the spin rate of the sun. It gives off enough energy to ionized and light up IC 63 even though it’s several light years away.
IC 63, together with IC 59, is part of a much larger emission region surrounding Gamma Cassiopeia. IC 63 was noted by Stewart Sharpless and added to his catalogue as Sh2-185.
See below for a link to a wide-field image of this area.
Celestron 1100 EdgeHD
Telescope
Finder Chart
Click to expand
Total integration time: 22h 24m
Integration per filter:
- Hα: 7h 21m (147 × 180")
- S2: 6h 54m (163 × 180")
- O3: 8h 9m (113 × 180")
Coordinates: 0h 59m 5s · +61° 4′ 17″
Image Capture
Location:
Back yard in North Dallas
Camera:
ZWO ASI6200MM-Pro
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