Ghosts Above Us
There are a few deep sky objects with Ghost in the name. This one is quite obvious why.
This particular target is affectionately called the Ghost of Cassiopeia, found within the constellation of Cassiopeia.
Located in the north area of the night sky, Cassiopeia rotates around the North Star, making it a reliable point of reference for stargazers. The constellation is a prominent feature being the 25th largest constellation, and easily identifiable by its distinctive "W" shape formed by five bright stars. During the month of November, the constellation appears higher above the horizon around 9 pm.
This constellation is named after the vain queen Cassiopeia from Greek mythology, who was known for her beauty and pride. She was the mother of Andromeda, another well-known figure in mythological tales and celestial bodies.
In addition to its striking shape and mythological significance, this constellation is home to several fascinating astronomical phenomena. One notable feature is the nebula within its boundaries, often referred to as the Ghost of Cassiopeia (IC 63), which showcases beautiful wisps of gas and dust illuminated by nearby stars. The nebula itself is created from radiation that emits from its closest star, the third star in the consultation (Gamma Cassiopeiae). This particular star is slowly eroding away the ghostly cloud of dust and gas around the nebula, and will eventually cause the ghost to disappear.
At a distance of 550 lightyears from Earth, the faint gaseous material is a challenge for my little telescope to capture perfectly. This image is the result of four hours of imaging. Even after processing in Siril, Topaz and Photoshop, I was still not happy with the final color version. I was getting far too many artifacts in the background. My final decision was to make two separate layers; one of just stars and no background and the other of just the nebula with no stars, and edit them independently. Then remove all color and blend them back together. Eventually, I will gather enough image data on this target and will make another attempt at processing, but until then, the monochrome version is the best result I can muster. Below my image are two reference images from Stellarium to help you identify where to locate this nebula.
If you want to peruse the night sky, this link to Stellarium Web is a great resource! —> https://stellarium-web.org/
