The galaxy NGC 6946 is around 25 million light years away located on the boundary of the constellations Cepheus and Cygnus. The Fireworks Galaxy is about half the size of the Milky Way.
Upon closer inspection of the image, you will notice a strange bright spot located above and to the right of the galaxy core. At first, it looks like a flaw in the image, but it is actually identified as the Red Ellipse (appears blue in the image). This area could be a super bubble or a supernova remnant. As for now, it is still unknown.
Supernova is why this galaxy is called the Fireworks Galaxy. In the last century, 10 different supernova events have been recorded within this galaxy. The last supernova event occurred in 2017.
Imaging Details
- Processing Workflow: LRGB+HA
- Red: 60*600 seconds
- Green: 60*600 seconds
- Blue: 60*600 seconds
- HA: 60*600 seconds
- Total Imaging Time: 40 hours
- Imaging Dates (12 nights):
- 6/3/2022
- 6/9/2022
- 6/18/2022
- 6/19/2022
- 6/20/2022
- 6/23/2022
- 6/27/2022
- 7/28/2022
- 7/29/2022
- 7/30/2022
- 8/1/2022
- 8/3/2022
Location
NGC 6946 is located on the border of the constellations Cygnus and Cepheus. The galaxy is somewhat obscured as it is located close to the Milky Way’s galactic plane.
Imaging Notes
The Red, Green, Blue, and Hydrogen-Alpha images each received 10 hours of data (60 images at 10 minutes each). The HA signal added some depth to the final image (more red color).
