NGC281 is an emission nebula in Cassiopeia which is not much known, although shows a great number of details as other nebulas much more famous. It's a great photographical target, being in addition very high in the sky for the northern imagers. The nebula measure 35'x30', and seems a face with a large mouth. Over the mouth, which is a large dark nebula (15'x5') and near the border of the brighter part of the nebula, is easily visible a large Bok globule perfectly dark. Into the nebula is contained a small open cluster, which is named with the same catalog number of the nebula itself. The star HD5005, contained into the cluster, with its light excite the gas which form NGC281.

Camera : Starlight Xpress SXV-H9 with Astronomik 13nm Ha filter


Telescope : Takahashi FS-102 at F/6 with focal reducer on a GM2000-FS2


Guiding : ST4 on a Vixen 80/910mm.


Exposure : 6x600sec. unbinned


Processing : MaxIm (align, combine, stretching) - Photoshop (final enhancing)


Location : Piano di Nivolet (Val d'Aosta) - 2600mt. height


Date : July 30, 2003

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