h2-170 - The Little Rosette of the North

From my own backyard, I’ve captured Sh2-170, a cosmic gem hidden within the constellation of Cassiopeia. Known as the Little Rosette of the North, this emission nebula glows with ionized hydrogen, illuminated and sculpted by the powerful ultraviolet radiation of the blue giant star BD+63°2093. This image combines Hα and LRGB data, revealing both the deep, invisible tones of hydrogen (in red) and the natural hues of the surrounding stars. What we see here are wavelengths beyond human vision, translated into visible light — an authentic portrait of the invisible colors of the cosmos. Among the glowing filaments, you can trace dark clouds of interstellar dust, like strokes of shadow that add depth and mystery to the scene. Each photon recorded in this image began its journey more than 7,000 light-years ago, long before humans existed — a silent messenger that finally ended its travel in my backyard, under the same stars our ancestors once admired. Fun facts: Sh2-170 is part of the Sharpless catalog, published in 1959. It’s associated with the open star cluster Stock 18, visible near the upper edge of the nebula. Its apparent diameter is just 15 arcminutes — about half the size of the full Moon. Data obtained from my backyard in San Justo de la Vega, between August 27 and October 28, 2025 Equipment: SkyWatcher ED80 Pro Black Diamond telescope ASI 1600MM Pro camera iOptron GEM 28 mount ZWO LRGB filter set, ASI 7nm H-Alpha 36mm filter. Accessories: ASIAir Pro, EAF Focuser, 7-position Wheel Data: H-Alpha: 82x600 -10C bin 1x1 Luminance: 88x300 -10C bin 1x1 Blue: 43x300 -10C bin 1x1 Green: 44x300 -10C bin 1x1 Red: 41x300 -10C bin 1x1 Total Integration Time: 32.6 hours