LDN (Lynds Dark Nebula) 1001, 1002 & 1003 are dark nebulae found in the constellation Cygnus about 7 degrees 56 minutes 39 seconds southwest of the bright star Deneb. Also located in this region are some Herbig-Haro objects, specifically HH380, HH381, & HH382. In addition to these jewels, we captured a hint of the Red Nebulous Object (RNO) 127.
Dark nebulae, also known as absorption nebulae, are dark cloud regions, composed of sub-micrometer dust particles coated with frozen carbon monoxide and nitrogen gases, that effectively block the passage of visible light that lie behind them. These nebulae are great stellar nurseries where new stars are born.
Herbig-Haro objects are small regions of nebulosity that are formed when narrow jets of gas are ejected by young stars collide with other nearby clouds of gas and dust at speeds of several hundred kilometers per second. These objects are often found around a single star and aligned with its rotational axis. Their lifespan is relatively short, lasting no more than a few thousand years. Herbig-Haro objects were first observed in the late 19th century, but not recognized until the 1940s when George Herbig and Guillermo Haro determined they were a byproduct of the star formation process.
Telescope: Stellarvue Raptor SVR105 Apo @ f/7
Accessories: Stellarvue SFF7-21 flattener; Dew control by Dew Buster; Alnitak Flat Man
Mount: Takahashi EM-200 Temma2
Camera: QSI683wsg-8 CCD @ -15C
Guiding: Starlight Xpress Lodestar via PHD
Filters: Astrodon E-Series Gen II LRGB filters
Exposure: Lum: 12 x 15min. binned 1x1 ; RGB: 16 x 5min. binned 2x2 each channel
Acquisition: ImagesPlus 5.0 Camera Control
Processing: PixInsight 1.8
Date(s): August 21-22, 2014 & August 13, 2015
SQM reading (begin - end): N1:21.20 – 21.32; N2:20.15 – clouds; N3:21.46 – 21.46
Temperature (begin - end): N1:72.9ºF – 69.1ºF; N2:74.3ºF – 69.6ºF; N3:66.0ºF – 62.6ºF
Capture conditions: TRANSPARENCY: N1 = Avg 3/5, N2 = Poor 2/5, N3 = Avg 3/5; SEEING: N1 = Above Avg 4/5, N2 = Above Avg 4/5, N3 = Avg 3/5
Location: Fall Creek Falls State Park, Pikeville, TN, USA