The Tulip Nebula, Sh2-101, blooming in Cygnus about 6,000 light-years away — an emission region sculpted into petals by radiation from young O-type stars. The same field hides one of the sky’s most famous invisible objects: Cygnus X-1, the first widely accepted black hole, whose jet inflates a faint shock bubble near the Tulip. 11½ hours of 3nm narrowband across Hα, SII, and OIII.

All renders are in the gallery folder, and the image is on AstroBin.

Acquisition details

  • Total integration: 11h 30m — Hα 3h 50m (46 × 300″), SII 3h 50m (46 × 300″), OIII 3h 50m (46 × 300″)

Equipment

  • Telescope: William Optics SpaceCat 61
  • Camera: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro
  • Mount: Sky-Watcher Wave 150i strain-wave mount
  • Filters: Antlia 3nm Hα / OIII / SII, 36 mm
  • Accessories: MeLE Quieter4 mini PC, Pegasus Astro FocusCube 3
  • Software: N.I.N.A., PHD2, Green Swamp Server, PixInsight, Adobe Lightroom Classic