NGC 7822 in Cepheus

NGC 7822 is a young star-forming complex located in the constellation Cepheus, about 3,000 light-years away from Earth. It spans over 100 light-years across and contains several star clusters, such as NGC7762 (center right of the image), surrounded by glowing gas and dust. The complex is believed to have formed as a result of the compression of gas and dust by shockwaves from nearby supernovae explosions or massive stars.

NGC 7822 is particularly interesting to astronomers because it contains a high concentration of massive stars, which have a significant impact on their surroundings. The complex is also rich in organic molecules, including complex hydrocarbons, which makes it a target for astrobiological research.

Nearly 30h hours of images were needed to capture this color image from my backyard observatory located in Prades (Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain) this 2023. Its colors are the result of mapping the data captured with narrowband filters that capture the atomic hydrogen, oxygen and sulfur emissions, in a natural color palette as follows: red (sulfur + hydrogen), green (hydrogen + oxygen), blue (oxygen).

Broadband filters (R, G, B) have been used to capture the star’s colors.

 

The full image covers an area of 3º36′ x 2º58′ at a resolution of 2.59″/pixel.