Sh2-132 – The Lion Nebula

Image Title: SH2-132 : Lion nebula

Copyright: Team Alentejo (Alexandre Delarue – Patrick Delay – Loïck Viger – Song Ki)

Date image was taken: August 28, 2025

Location: AstroARO Observatory, Evora, Evora, Portugal, Alqueva (Distrito de Évora), PT

Data Acquisition Method: Personal Telescope Setup

Description and Details: Constellation: Cepheus
Apparent size: ~1°20’ (almost twice the size of the full Moon)
Total integration time: 60h21
Location: Remote Astro ARO (Portugal)
Team: Team Alentejo (Alexandre Delarue – Patrick Delay – Loïck Viger – Song Ki)

Sh2-132, commonly known as the Lion Nebula, is an emission nebula spanning about 230 light-years and located roughly 6,000 light-years away in the constellation of Cepheus. Its name comes from its resemblance to a celestial lion.

It appears in the sky with an angular size of about 1°20’, nearly twice the size of the full Moon.

This nebula is primarily composed of ionized hydrogen gas (H II).

At the heart of Sh2-132 lies a cluster of young massive stars of spectral types O and B. These stars are extremely hot and emit intense ultraviolet radiation. The nebula’s colors—mainly the red of ionized hydrogen and the blue of doubly ionized oxygen (O III)—are a direct result of this radiation.

One of Sh2-132’s striking features is the presence of dense filaments and dark dust lanes, which create dramatic contrasts within the nebula. These dense regions play a significant role in star formation. Gas and dust can collapse under gravity in these areas, eventually giving rise to new stars as the material cools and condenses.

In addition, Sh2-132 hosts Wolf-Rayet stars, particularly WR 152 and WR 153, which are massive stars in an advanced stage of stellar evolution. Wolf-Rayet stars are known for their powerful stellar winds, capable of shaping the surrounding nebula by creating shock waves and cavities in the interstellar medium. This strong stellar feedback plays a crucial role in regulating star formation, as the intense winds and radiation push away surrounding gas, compressing nearby regions and potentially triggering the birth of new stars.

Intégration totale: 60h 21m

Intégration par filtre:
- R: 40m (40 × 60")
- G: 32m (32 × 60")
- B: 34m (34 × 60")
- Hα: 21h 20m (256 × 300")
- SII: 22h 35m (271 × 300")
- OIII: 14h 40m (176 × 300")

Equipement:
- Télescope/Lunette: Sky-Watcher Esprit 120ED
- Caméra: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro
- Monture: Sky-Watcher AZ-EQ6 PRO
- Filtres: Optolong Blue 36 mm, Optolong Green 36 mm, Optolong H-Alpha 7nm 36 mm, Optolong OIII 6.5nm 36 mm, Optolong Red 36 mm, Optolong SII 6.5nm 36 mm
- Accessoires: PrimaLuceLab EAGLE5S, ZWO EAF, ZWO EFW 7 x 36mm, ZWO OAG-L
- Logiciel: Adobe Photoshop, Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight

Name: alexandre Delarue

Website or Facebook Profile: https://app.astrobin.com/i/rvoq2q