The Pacman Nebula (NGC 281) is a bright emission nebula in the northern constellation of Cassiopeia which is part of the Milky Way’s Perseus Spiral Arm.
Milestones
- First astrophotograph on a camping trip.
Viewing Location – Crystal Lake Recreational Area
I really wanted to take advantage of the low light pollution. My plan was to capture 3-4 hours worth of data. Unfortunately, my campsite was covered in trees, so I had to setup 200ft away in an open clearing. This meant I was a little worried about animals (a.k.a. bears and raccoons) wreaking havoc on my equipment. So, I kept getting out of my tent every hour to make sure everything was OK. It was fine, but I got tired of the process and cut short the observation time. Hopefully, the next time I do this while camping, I will setup near my tent so I won’t worry so much.
- Lat/Lon: 34.32588, -117.83712 (SHOW ON MAP)
- Sky Magnitude: 20.65 magnitudes/square arcseconds
- Sky Luminance: 0.594 mcd/m2
- Bortle-scale: 4 (rural/suburban transition)… which isn’t bad for being only 1.25 hrs drive from my house.
Observation
- Catalog Designation: NGC 281
- Celestial Coordinates: RA 00h 52m 59.3s | Dec +56° 37′ 19″
- Observation Duration: 1 night, 363 x 10sec = 60.5 minutes
- CCD temperature in degrees Celsius: 17
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Surrounding Constellation – Cassiopeia
Here’s a map showing where my photograph of NGC 281 fits in the larger stellar field.
Again, very cool.