Nebulae from a balcony
12 of 22 captured, 7 gathering light, 3 ahead; 107 h 32 min of light over 34 nights in total.
Nebulae are the most rewarding targets for a city. Most of them glow in the narrow lines of hydrogen and oxygen, and a dual-band filter passes exactly those lines while blocking most of the street-light glow. That is why the Rosette, the Heart or California show up better from a balcony than any galaxy.
The price is time: under a city sky every nebula needs four to eight hours of total exposure, gathered over several nights. Below are all the nebulae of the challenge: captured, in progress and those still waiting for their season.













NGC 1931frame in processingGathering light · 63%NGC 1931Nebula · Auriga
IC 63frame in processingGathering light · 55%IC 63Nebula
M 76frame in processingGathering light · 40%M 76Nebula · Perseus
NGC 7635frame in processingGathering light · 15%NGC 7635Nebula
M 78frame in processingGathering light · 9%Reflection nebula M78M 78 · Nebula · Orion
M 97frame in processingGathering light · 2%M 97Nebula · Ursa Major
IC 2177still aheadAheadIC 2177Nebula · Monoceros
NGC 2359still aheadAheadNGC 2359Nebula · Canis Major
M 27still aheadAheadDumbbell NebulaM 27 · Nebula · Vulpecula