This astrophoto, with a resolution of 1 gigapixel, captures the celestial wonder of the Cygnus constellation, and was produced with the use of a SharpStar 103 APO combined with a 0.6x focal reducer, on a ZWO AM5 mount using the camera of ASI6200MM. Over a month, I painstakingly collected around 80 hours of exposure, selecting about 40 hours from this collection to create the final image.
The image is a mosaic of 25 panels, arranged in a 5x5 grid, contributing to its tremendous pixel count. The exposure was expanded across SHO channels, and was post-processed into a Hubble palette. Due to the extreme difficulty in presenting this picture on a mobile screen, I made this HDR video, hoping to lead the audiences across the Cygnus constellation in a visual journey.
The Cygnus constellation, often referred to as the Swan, is a masterpiece of celestial formations situated in the Northern Hemisphere. It's home to a plethora of intriguing regions, particularly those abundant in hydrogen alpha emissions - an indication of areas where new stars are being born. The constellation is an astronomer's delight as it contains numerous star-forming nebulae such as the North America Nebula (NGC 7000) and the Veil Nebula (NGC 6960/95), both of which are renowned for their high hydrogen alpha emission.
The North America Nebula, named due to its resemblance to the continent, is a large, emission nebula where the red hue signifies the presence of hydrogen gas. The Veil Nebula, on the other hand, is a cloud of heated and ionized gas and dust, remnants of a supernova explosion. It's also a strong emitter of hydrogen alpha light. These regions, among others in Cygnus, are crucial for understanding stellar birth and death processes. They serve as a reminder of the constant activity and transformation occurring in the seemingly static night sky.