by Anthony Ayiomamitis
One of the most recognized bright stars in Cassiopeia is gamma Cas which shines at mag 2.17. It has a luminosity 3881 times that of the Sun and is approximately 613 light-years away. The immediate area surrounding gamma Cas is associated with lots of nebulosity resulting in stunning widefield images.
Technical Details:
Date: Nov 20, 2009 @ 21:40 - 22:25 UT+2
Location: Athens, Greece (38.2997° N, 23.7430° E)
Equipment: AP 160/f7.5 Starfire EDF, AP 1200GTO GEM, SBIG ST-2000XM, SBIG CFW-8A, SBIG LRGB + IR-block
Integrations: LRGB @ 10:10:10:10 using 1-/2-min subs, Binning: 1x1, Image Scale: 1.27" per pixel, +0.0° C
Further Details: http://www.perseus.gr/Astro-Star-Brightest-Cas-Gamma.htm