Explanation: What does it take to image hundreds of nebulas?
Today’s image contains the entire
Sharpless Catalog of H II Regions, totaling 313 objects. Zoom in and explore! You may spot fan favorites like the
Eagle (Sh2-49),
Heart (Sh2-190), and
Orion (Sh2-281) Nebulas. Despite its name, this catalog contains more than the glow of ionized hydrogen that makes up
H II regions. There are
planetary nebulas (the
Medusa Nebula, Sh2-274) and
supernova remnants (the
Spaghetti Nebula, Sh2-240) as well. Astrophotographer Bing Xin traversed the dark skies of Eastern China and Inner Mongolia to
catch them all. Narrowband
filters that primarily capture light from ionized hydrogen and oxygen as well as red-green-blue filters were used. Each object took 2 to 6 hours to capture, with the entire catalog taking around 800 hours to complete! Which object is
your favorite?
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