VdB 123 Serpens Molecular Cloud

VdB 123 — Serpens Molecular Cloud

At the tail of Serpens lies a region of sky woven from pale white reflection nebulosity and deep dark clouds. Cloud-like veils of interstellar dust interlace with mysterious black nebulae, composing what looks like a natural cosmic painting. But it is exceedingly faint: capturing its detail takes long exposures and a highly sensitive camera.

Shooting it typically calls for a telescope with an astro camera, a precise equatorial mount and autoguiding, stacking many long exposures to beat down the noise and pull out detail. And with white nebulosity and dark clouds layered through each other, the post-processing is a genuine challenge too.

Near VdB 123 sits one especially striking object — the "Flaming Skull Nebula" (Sh2-68, outside this frame), a vividly colored, oddly shaped planetary nebula. Together with VdB 123, it makes this patch of sky all the richer. For astrophotographers, VdB 123 is a target as demanding as it is bewitching.

Planewave CDK 17"
SBIG STXL 11002 with AOX
Paramount ME
Astrodon 50mm LRGB
L24, 1200s; R18,G18,B22 900s
Total integration time: 22.5hrs
Location: El Sauce, Chile
Software: PixInsight, Photoshop