Iris Nebula and the Ghostly IFN
Among wisps of interstellar dust, the Iris Nebula (NGC 7023) blooms like a pale flower reflecting the light of its central star. Surrounding it is a vast network of faint, ghost-like clouds, integrated flux nebulae (IFN) that float above the plane of our Milky Way. These ethereal structures are made of fine cosmic dust reflecting the combined glow of the galaxy itself.

Captured with over 20 hours of total exposure, this deep image reveals the full extent of the faint IFN wrapping around the Iris. The delicate interplay of blue reflection and sepia dust gives the scene an almost haunting presence, as if the cosmos itself were cloaked in mist.

Image Description and Details :

The Iris Nebula is a reflection nebula in the constellation Cepheus, which is actually a patch of interstellar dust illuminated by a blue star. In the 2-panel-mosaic wide-field image, you can see that this area of the sky is actually filled with interstellar dust, but the other dust is not illuminated by nearby stars like the Iris Nebula. Image Telescope/Lens: SharpStar 150 2.8 HNTImage Camera: QHYCCD QHY268CMount: iOptron CEM 70Frames :301 * 300sIntegration: 25.1 hoursLocation: Milky Way Observatory, Kangbao County, Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, China.

Copyright Information: Steed Yu