SH 103, the Cygnus Loop - Wide Field Mosaic

Conditions on 08/09/2026 were excellent for imaging from my semi-rural location. My fall Bortle rating averages 4.0, providing reasonably dark skies once the moon sets. The weather was clear and warm, with very stable seeing and transparency throughout the session, which is always a bonus when collecting data for mosaics. The image truly showcases the complex 'veil' of gas expanding through space. On the far left, you see the Western Veil (NGC 6960), the well-known segment running perpendicular to the bright star 52 Cygni. Sweeping across to the right are the incredibly delicate, braided red and blue filaments of the Pickering's Triangle section. The loop continues downward and right to include the larger structure of the Eastern Veil, appearing as a more chaotic but defined arch of illuminated gas against the background stars. To the right of the Eastern Veil, the faint star cluster and dark dust lanes that are less luminous but integral to the region are visible.

10-15 05:09 · United States Pennsylvania

3 comments

SpaceMan97

Fantastic job

Oct 15, 12:03 PM United States California

Izaiah

I did the same thing on my dwarf mini For three hours

Oct 15, 10:58 AM United States Florida

别开腔是我

genious

Oct 15, 10:12 AM China Hubei