ScienceDownEast | ScienceDownEast Astrophotography | Nebulae | NGC 281 Pacman Nebula | IC 1590 7x15min. PacMan Nebula

Click on the image to view it at full resolution,
then click again for actual size.

Accoding to ChatGPT... IC 1590 is a young open star cluster embedded within the bright emission nebula NGC 281, also known as the Pacman Nebula, in the constellation Cassiopeia. The cluster lies at the heart of this active star-forming region, illuminating and shaping the surrounding gas and dust through powerful stellar winds and radiation from its massive, hot stars (SIMBAD). Prominent dark dust lanes carve out the “mouth” of the Pacman shape seen in deep astrophotography.

Located about 9,200 light-years away (NED), IC 1590 spans roughly 10 light-years across and is part of a much larger molecular cloud complex associated with the H II region Sharpless 2-184. The cluster and its nebula are prominent targets for narrowband imaging, revealing intricate details of hydrogen, oxygen, and sulfur emissions (APOD 2014-09-08). The region is visually challenging under light-polluted skies but rewarding for astrophotographers using Hα filters. Look for it near the eastern portion of Cassiopeia, the celestial Queen.

Total image time was 1.75 hours. Imaged during the Full Moon with cloudy periods.

Moon Phase	Full Moon
Exposure	7 × 15 min
Gain	100
Camera	ToupTek ATR2600C [6224 × 4168]
Optics	120 mm Sky-Watcher Esprit on a Proxisky UMi20S Strain Wave mount
Guiding	ToupTek GPM462M using PHD2 with a 400 mm guide scope. Average 15-min sub GuideRMS ranged from 0.61 to 0.82 using 0.5 s exposures.
Controller	KStars on MeLe Quieter 4C
Filter	Triad Quad Ultra
Location	Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia.
Date	2025-09-30
Processing	Processed in PixInsight.
PixInsight Processing	WeightedBatchPreprocessing Script BlurXTerminator GraXpert NoiseXTerminator Screen Transfer stretch applied using the Histogram Stretch HDRMultiscaleTransform CurveTransformation

References: NASA APOD (2006-09-06), NASA APOD (2014-09-08), SIMBAD Astronomical Database, NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED), Sharpless 2-184 entry.

---