Cassiopeia Widefield
A widefield look at the northern Milky Way around Cassiopeia. This region is packed with open clusters, star clouds and faint hydrogen nebulae, and it’s one of the most rewarding areas of the sky for short, unguided exposures.
Capture details
- Date: 2025-11-xx
- Integration: 50–100 × 4 s (unguided)
- Focal length: 24 mm (APS-C)
- Aperture: f/4
- Camera: Canon 550D
- Mount: Fixed photo tripod (no tracking)
- Location: Goldach / Velden
Processing notes
The stack is calibrated with darks and flats, then lightly stretched to bring out the Milky Way star clouds without blowing out the brightest stars. A gentle background gradient removal helps to reduce light pollution and vignetting while preserving the natural colour of the star field. Final tweaks include a small boost in saturation and a touch of noise reduction.
Cassiopeia and the Milky Way
Cassiopeia is the bright “W”-shaped constellation riding high in the northern sky. It sits right in the band of the Milky Way, so even short exposures reveal a rich carpet of stars. Within this field you can find several open clusters and nebulae, including the Double Cluster region between Cassiopeia and Perseus, and the area of the Heart and Soul nebulae further along the Milky Way.
For many beginners, Cassiopeia is one of the first regions where the Milky Way really “comes alive” in a photo: the naked eye only hints at the clouds of stars, but the camera stack turns them into visible structure. Widefield imaging here is a great way to learn framing, focusing and stacking without the complexity of long guided exposures.
- Constellation: Cassiopeia
- Region: Northern Milky Way, near Perseus and Cepheus
- Interesting targets: Double Cluster, NGC 281 (Pacman), IC 1805/1848 (Heart & Soul)
- Why we like it: Rich star field, visible from light-polluted locations, perfect for short, unguided widefield sessions.