Outters 4 (Ou4), known as the Giant Squid Nebula + Massimo Di Fusco + L-UItimate, L-QEF

Outters 4 (Ou4), known as the Giant Squid Nebula

Credit: Massimo Di Fusco (Italy)

Filters: Optolong L-UItimate, L-QEF

 

 

 

Taking this photo was a challenge I had been thinking about for several years but had never had the courage to tackle until now, given the extreme difficulty of the subject, which was only discovered 14 years ago. I found inspiration after four years of experience in acquisition and hundreds of photos processed to obtain a more than respectable result, despite shooting from home with an average SQM of around 18.5 (Bortle 7).
The acquisition of the frames kept me busy for two months, during which I managed to take advantage of every good moment of the 20 nights that the weather allowed me (not all of them optimal, however). Unexpectedly, the processing was easier than I thought, perhaps also due to the consistent integration.
However, the subject of this photo needs no introduction for fans of astronomical photography. It is, in fact, the so-called Giant Squid Nebula (Ou4), which has part of the Bat Nebula (Sh2-129) as its “background”.

Outters 4 (Ou4), known as the Giant Squid Nebula, is a very faint planetary nebula located in the constellation Cepheus, discovered only in June 2011 by amateur astronomer Nicolas Outters. Ou4 appears completely surrounded by the reddish hydrogen-emitting region Sh2-129, but its true distance and nature have been difficult to determine. A recent survey suggests that Ou4 is actually located within Sh2-129, about 2300 light years away from us. If so, Ou4 would represent a spectacular outflow generated by HR8119, a triple system of hot, massive stars that can be observed near the centre of the nebula, and would have a physical diameter of nearly 50 light years.

 

 

 

Konus 200/1000 @950mm, f/4.8
Player One Poseidon-C camera @-5 °C
Sky-Watcher Eq6r Pro Mount
Optolong L-Ultimate filter 1000x300"
Optolong L-Quad Enahance filter 100x180"
N.I.N.A., APP, PixInsight, PS
Ferrara (Italy)

Hope you like it.