Soul Nebula
IC 1848, Sh2-199 · Emission nebula in Cassiopeia
- Magnitude
- 6.5
- Size
- 60′ × 30′
- Effective surface brightness
- 22.9 mag/arcsec²
- Best months
- Oct, Nov, Dec
- Declination
- +60°
- Filter
- Dual-band recommended
The Heart's companion, a knobbly emission cloud full of pillars. Faint overall; long dual-band integrations reward you.
Reachable from mid-northern latitudes (UK, northern US, central Europe) and from the south.
How long with each smart telescope
| Telescope | In frame | Bortle 3 (rural) | Bortle 5 (suburban) | Bortle 7 (urban edge) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZWO Seestar S5010 s subs, dual-band | 1.4× frame | 2 h 16 min819 subs | 2 h 42 min974 subs | 4 h 36 min1,654 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S50 Pro10 s subs, dual-band | 72% | 2 h 36 min937 subs | 3 h 04 min1,105 subs | 5 h 07 min1,841 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S3010 s subs, dual-band | 84% | 2 h 52 min1,033 subs | 3 h 18 min1,188 subs | 5 h 11 min1,868 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S30 Pro10 s subs, dual-band | 45% | 2 h 50 min1,023 subs | 3 h 20 min1,200 subs | 5 h 29 min1,974 subs |
| DwarfLab DWARF 315 s subs, dual-band | 61% | 2 h 26 min583 subs | 3 h 06 min743 subs | 6 h 01 min1,443 subs |
| DwarfLab DWARF mini15 s subs, dual-band | 84% | 2 h 13 min533 subs | 2 h 39 min637 subs | 4 h 32 min1,090 subs |
| DwarfLab Draco30 s subs, dual-band | 80% | 1 h 45 min210 subs | 2 h 06 min253 subs | 3 h 41 min442 subs |
| DwarfLab DWARF II15 s subs | 56% | 9 h 14 min2,215 subs | 13 h3,156 subs | 30 h7,270 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera II10 s subs | 70% | 1 h 59 min715 subs | 3 h 24 min1,223 subs | 9 h 34 min3,445 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera Pro10 s subs | 62% | 4 h 58 min1,786 subs | 7 h 56 min2,855 subs | 21 h7,525 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera 310 s subs | 68% | 1 h 53 min676 subs | 3 h 14 min1,164 subs | 9 h 09 min3,297 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera Pro 210 s subs | 60% | 4 h 40 min1,682 subs | 7 h 31 min2,708 subs | 20 h7,193 subs |
| Unistellar eQuinox 24 s subs | 1.8× frame | 2 h 52 min2,588 subs | 3 h 45 min3,380 subs | 7 h 36 min6,841 subs |
| Unistellar Odyssey4 s subs | 1.8× frame | 16 h14,063 subs | 19 h16,944 subs | 33 h29,538 subs |
| Celestron Origin10 s subs | 1.2× frame | 27 min164 subs | 51 min308 subs | 2 h 36 min938 subs |
| Celestron Origin Mark II10 s subs | 1.3× frame | 33 min198 subs | 1 h 08 min406 subs | 3 h 39 min1,313 subs |
Imaging the emission nebula
Emission nebulae glow in a few narrow lines, mostly hydrogen-alpha (deep red) and doubly ionised oxygen (teal). A dual-band filter passes those lines and blocks most skyglow, which is why it cuts the time needed from a suburban sky so dramatically. Use it. From a genuinely dark site the gain is smaller because there is less skyglow to block, and read noise becomes the limit, which is where longer subs (EQ mode, or Expert Mode on a Vespera) earn their keep.
Stars lose colour through a dual-band filter; a short broadband stack blended in fixes that if you care.
Per-telescope pages
- How long to image the Soul Nebula with the ZWO Seestar S50
- How long to image the Soul Nebula with the ZWO Seestar S50 Pro
- How long to image the Soul Nebula with the ZWO Seestar S30
- How long to image the Soul Nebula with the ZWO Seestar S30 Pro
- How long to image the Soul Nebula with the DwarfLab DWARF 3
- How long to image the Soul Nebula with the DwarfLab DWARF mini
- How long to image the Soul Nebula with the DwarfLab Draco
- How long to image the Soul Nebula with the DwarfLab DWARF II
- How long to image the Soul Nebula with the Vaonis Vespera II
- How long to image the Soul Nebula with the Vaonis Vespera Pro
- How long to image the Soul Nebula with the Vaonis Vespera 3
- How long to image the Soul Nebula with the Vaonis Vespera Pro 2
- How long to image the Soul Nebula with the Unistellar eQuinox 2
- How long to image the Soul Nebula with the Unistellar Odyssey
- How long to image the Soul Nebula with the Celestron Origin
- How long to image the Soul Nebula with the Celestron Origin Mark II