The Cone Nebula
Image Details:
The Cone (Sharpless 273) is an emission region associated with the Christmas Tree Cluster (NGC 2264) located in the Monoceros constellation. It is best observed and photographed during Winter (Northern Hemisphere). This was shot partially unintentionally as a test for framing, but I did not end up pursuing it for further data. As an emission region, this object would have benefitted from significantly more time in H-alpha and Oxygen-III for higher contrast, but under Bortle ~1 skies even regular RGB can appear impressive.
Equipment:
TS Optics 86mm Petzval (486mm Focal Length F/5.6)
ZWO ASI6200MM-P, Antlia Filters
AstroPhysics Mach2GTO Mount
Autoguiding: Orion 50mm Guidescope + ZWO ASI174MM
Exposures:
Red, Green, Blue: 24, 19, 18 x 300” (Total: 5h 5m)
Misc Details:
Capture Software: N.I.N.A. (capture), PHD2 (guiding)
Processing Software: PixInsight
Taken from: Starfront Observatories, TX, Bortle 1
Capture Dates: 24-26 September 2025
