NGC 281

NGC 281
NGC 281 is an emission nebula located in the constellation Cassiopeia, often referred to as the Pacman Nebula due to its resemblance to a video game character. It spans 48 lightyears across and contains several Bok globules as well as a small, open star cluster (IC 1590). Dark lanes of dust cutting into bright clouds of gas create the trademark “mouth” shape that gives the nebula its nickname.
Imaged in SHO Narrowband OTA CDK 14
Integration time: 30 hours
Image Processing: Mike Selby