The Cygnus Loop
Veil Nebula • Supernova remnant • Cygnus • 2400 light-years from Earth
🔭
Askar FRA400
📷
ZWO 2600MC Pro
🌃
Bortle 8
⏱️
15 hours
🗓️
Aug & Sep 2021
Overview
The Cygnus Loop is a vast supernova remnant formed by the explosion of a massive star around 15,000 years ago. Located roughly 2,400 light years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus, it spans several degrees of sky and consists of delicate filaments of glowing gas expanding outward into space. These intricate shock fronts make the Cygnus Loop a striking and scientifically rich target for astrophotography, particularly with a One Shot Colour camera using dualband filters. My main photograph on this page combines 15 hours of data from 2021 using the Askar FRA400. For a wider view of the surrounding sky, see my 2026 Cygnus Loop widefield photograph with the Svbony SV535.
Background
This was a tough image to edit, and I ended up restarting from scratch three times until I settled on something I was happy with.
The supernova remnant has a lot of green data in the integrated image — both within the structure of the gas that I wanted to look prominent, and also the background noise that I didn’t. Initially I tried keeping the remnant’s green in while removing the noise, but couldn’t get it looking good. Eventually I gave up and went with the nuclear option (PixInsight’s SCNR function to remove all the green). This smoothed out the background, and flipped the green in the gas to be more blue — which, happily, I like the look of.
I also had a tough time evening out the background. I tried a lot of different things, including loading the image in Photoshop and using Gradient eXterminator. Eventually I found that PixInsight’s AutomaticBackgroundExtractor (ABE) with the function degree setting set to three did a good job.
The framing was very tight around the entire Cygnus Loop, so I cheekily did a bit of Photoshop work to expand the canvas size and clone in more stars. This gives more “breathing space” around the edges of the photo. If I ever get a reducer for my telescope, I could have another go with a lower focal length and so avoid the need for that bit of cheating. I think the image would also benefit from a longer integration time (this is 15 hours) but the weather forecast is terrible and I want to wrap this one up!
When editing, I couldn’t help but notice that part of the Loop looks like a xenomorph head. See what I mean?
Urban Astrophotography art gallery
Images from my astrophotography projects are available as fine art prints and framed pictures.
Explore the field
Objects in this field 10 objects
10 objects
No matching objects.
- Western Veil NebulaNGC 6960
- Supernova remnantAlso catalogued as C 34 · LBN 191
- Eastern Veil NebulaNGC 6992
- Supernova remnantAlso catalogued as C 33
- Eastern VeilNGC 6995
- Supernova remnant
- Pickering's TriangleNGC 6979
- Supernova remnant
- 52 Cyg
- StarAlso catalogued as HR 7942 · HD 197912 · HIP 102453
- A K-type giant star with a catalogued companion 5.8 arcseconds away.
- Cygnus LoopSh2-103
- Supernova remnantAlso catalogued as SNR G074.0-08.5
- IC 1340
- Supernova remnant
- LDN 868
- Dark nebula
- Pa 27
- Planetary nebulaAlso catalogued as PN G075.0-07.2
- NGC 6974
- Supernova remnant
About the labels and credits
Positions and outlines are calculated from a plate solution of this photograph. Outlines are catalogue guides and may not follow every visible filament. Additional catalogue objects may be faint or indistinct in this exposure.
Plate solving and annotation data: SkySolver, by Dominik Sito. Stars: Gaia DR3 and Hipparcos (ESA). Deep-sky data: OpenNGC © Mattia Verga (CC BY-SA 4.0), SIMBAD and VizieR (CDS). Names: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0) and IAU WGSN. Catalogue overlay adaptations, including styling and selected display names, are shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph © Lee Pullen.
Imaging details
- Total exposure
- 15 hours
- Dates captured
- August & September 2021
- Location and sky
- Bristol, UK (Bortle 8)
Equipment and software
- Telescope
- Askar FRA400
- Camera
- ZWO ASI 2600MC Pro
- Mount
- Orion Sirius EQ-G
- Guiding
- WO 32mm + ZWO ASI 120MM Mini
- Control
- ASIAIR Plus
- Software
- PixInsight, Lightroom
- Image by
- Lee Pullen
Exposure by filter
Optolong L-eXtreme
- Channels
- Hα / OIII
- Subframes
- 450 × 2 minutes
- Integration
- 15 hours
View subframe and stack
Single subframe and integrated stack, both with a simple stretch applied.
Kit list
This is the equipment I used to capture the image.
Affiliate links help support the site at no extra cost to you.
Telescope: Askar FRA400
Read my review
Buy from Astroshop.eu
Buy from High Point Scientific
Camera: ZWO ASI 2600MC Pro
Read my review
Buy from Astroshop.eu
Buy from High Point Scientific
Guidescope: William Optics 32mm Slide-Base Uniguide
Read my review
Buy from Astroshop.eu
Buy from High Point Scientific
Guidecam: ZWO ASI 120MM Mini
Read my review
Buy from Astroshop.eu
Buy from High Point Scientific
Control: ASIAIR Plus
Read my review
Buy from Astroshop.eu
Buy from High Point Scientific
Filter: Optolong L-eXtreme
Read my review
Buy fromAstroshop.eu
Buy from High Point Scientific
Book an online Masterclass
Book a one-to-one Masterclass tailored to your skill level and equipment, with a practical focus on improving results even under light-polluted skies.
Seestar S50 image
This photo showing part of the Cygnus Loop was taken using my Seestar S50 telescope.
Donate
If you’ve found this content useful, please consider donating to help support the site!
Payment options load when this section is in view. Use the donation page
Discover more from Urban Astrophotography
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Definitely a xenomorph head!
I know, right! Now you’ll never be able to see it as anything else 🙂
I am editing my image of the Cygnus loop taken with a Samyang 135 and a ASI533MC Pro with a L-extreme. I feel for your editing pain. I had the same issues and used SCNR for the same reasons. I also used GraxPert to get rid of the unneeded red background. My challenge is integration time. Mine only has 70 subs = ~ 2 hours. Will add much more and see if I can bring up the fine detail between Pickering’s Triangle and the Eastern Veil.
Good luck, it’s a surprisingly tough target!