NGC 1579 is a diffuse nebula located in the constellation of Perseus. It is known as the Northern Trifid because of its visual similarity to the Trifid Nebula, in the southern hemisphere sky. It is around 8 lightyears across and 2100 lightyears distant.
This dusty nebula is lit by an embedded, extremely young, massive star named LkHa 101, which is several times more massive the Sun and a strong emitter of the characteristic red hydrogen alpha light. This star lies within a small young cluster, together with dozens of other newly-formed stars.
This image is the result of 2.5h of RGB data capture, over 4 evenings in February 2022. A ZWO ASI2600MM Pro monochrome camera was used, through an 8-inch Teleskop-Service Ritchey-Chretien Cassegrain reflector.
Date: 22/02/2022
Location: Horsham, West Sussex
Photographer: Graham Wilcock
