Two months past the summer solstice in late August, shortly after the new moon, I was drawn to the constellation of Vulpecula (Latin for “little fox) and an interesting region of reflection and dark nebulae that provide good imaging possibilities.  In particular, a vast area of stars in which the contrasting dark nebulae create some intriguing shapes.

At the centre of the resulting image, strung out from east to west (left to right), several of the dark nebulae seem to coalesce (visually) to create the form of a black cat: LDN 773, 774, 769 & 768; an alternative interpretation is that of the Loch Ness Montser.  Further enhancing the image, the cat is adorned by two large, bright orange stars near its head and within the ‘body’ to the right, several various reflection nebulae created by hot blue stars (VdB 126 / LBN 133 & 134 etc.). 

 

Moreover, above the cat’s head another group of dark nebula form what I’d describe as a furled umbrella (LDN 781, 782, 783 & 779).  Finally, towards the lower right edge of the image (below the cat’s rear leg) is the open star cluster of NGC 6793.

Apart from its obvious beauty, the inspiration for this image was my four-year old granddaughter who just loves cats – especially her own one-eyed black cat! 

	IMAGING DETAILS
Object	LDN 768, LDN 772, LDN 781, Vdb 126, LBN 133
Constellation	Vulpecula
Distance	Various
Size	Various
Apparent Magnitude	Various
Scope	William Optics GT81 + Focal Reducer FL 382mm  f4.72
Mount	SW AZ-EQ6 GT + EQASCOM computer control & Cartes du Ciel
Guiding	William Optics 50mm guide scope
	+ Starlight Xpress Lodestar X2 camera & PHD2 guiding
Camera	ZWO ASI294MM CMOS sensor
	FOV 2.87o x 1.96o Resolution 2.50”/pix   Max. image size 4,144 x 2,822 pix
EFW	ZWOx8 EFW & 31mm Chroma LRGB filters
Capture & Processing	Astro Photography Tool (APT), WBPP & PixInsight v1.8.9-2
Image Location &              Orientation	Centre = RA 19:26:24.59      DEC +22:58:04.2                         Top = North
Exposures	L 52 x 120 sec, R 29x + G 25x, B 26x 180 sec Total Integration Time: 5hr 44 min
	@ Gain 120 & Offset 30 @ -15oC
Calibration	10 x 120 sec & 180 sec Darks  20 x  LRGB Flats & Falt Darks         @ ADU 32,000
Location & Darkness	Fairvale Observatory – Redhill – Surrey – UK        Typically Bortle 5-6
Date & Time	21st 22nd 23rd August 2023 @ +23.00h
Weather	Approx. <18oC   RH >=70%                  🌙 >10% Waxing