NGC 7380 (also known as the Wizard Nebula) is an open cluster discovered by Caroline Herschel in 1787. William Herschel included his sister’s discovery in his catalog, and labeled it H VIII.77. It is also known as 142 in the 1959 Sharpless catalog (Sh2-142). This reasonably large nebula is located in Cepheus. It is extremely difficult to observe visually, usually requiring very dark skies and an O-III filter.
Located 7200 light years away, the Wizard nebula, surrounds developing open star cluster NGC 7380. Visually, the interplay of stars, gas, and dust has created a shape that appears to some like a fictional medieval sorcerer. The active star-forming region spans about 100 light years, making it appear larger than the angular extent of the Moon. The Wizard Nebula can be located with a small telescope toward the constellation of the King of Aethiopia (Cepheus). Although the nebula may last only a few million years, some of the stars being formed may outlive our Sun.
Imaging Data
Image: NGC 7380
Date: 7/2/2023
Exposure: 180s
Number of Lights: 97 of which 15 were used for 45 min
Darks: No
Flats: NoGain: 100
Binning: 1×1
Imaging Software: Sequence Generator Pro
Camera Type: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
Cooling Temp: 0 deg C
Filter: IDAS-NBZ Duo-Narrowband
Telescope: Celestron 1100HD SCT
Mount: 10MICRON GM1000HPS
Focuser: MicroTouch Focuser