Western Veil and Pickerings Triangle

19. Aug. 2025

Gear used

• Telescope: ASKAR 103APO with 0.8x reducer
• Electronic focuser: ZWO EAF
• Filter: Optolong L-enhance
• Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC pro
• Guidescope: Uniguide 32
• Guidecamera: ZWO ASI220MM Mini
• Mount: ZWO AM5N
• Controls: ASIAIR Plus

Data collected

• Sky: Bortle 4 to 5
• Lights: 124 x 300s
• Biases: 30
• Darks: 21
• Flats: 30

Whispers of a Dying Star

Ever since I began my astrophotography journey, the Cygnus Loop has fascinated me. It is the remnant of a massive star, about 20 times the size of our Sun, that went supernova more than 10,000 years ago. The gases expelled in that cataclysm spread outward to form a vast nebula, now stretching about 150 light-years across. Still burning hot, these gasses emit a hauntingly beautiful glow, patiently waiting to be captured.

I had long known that I wanted to photograph the Western Veil together with Pickering’s Triangle, two striking parts of this supernova remnant, in a hopefully stunning image. This summer felt like the perfect opportunity, and I planned to bring out my largest telescope to capture as much detail as possible. When the conditions finally aligned, I fired up Stellarium and began carefully planning the imaging sessions. Precise planning was essential: in August the Cygnus Loop rides high in the sky, but the nights are short, and I didn’t want to lose even a single minute of precious data for this image.