The Fossil Footprint Nebula

A red and blue space nebula that roughly looks like a dinosaur footprint
The Fossil Footpring Nebula (NGC1491) in Perseus

This nebula is very, very dim and therefore it's not very popular with astrophotographers as it takes a long time to get a decent image. All in all this image took me over 50h of total exposure time over multiple weeks.

The nebula itself is quite similar to many other nebulas with a center that glows from oxygen and sulphur emissions embedded in a larger area of hydrogen gas. There's also a few dark structures visible, as well as what I think is a bow shock in the center of the nebula (it could also be a small reflection nebula).

A look at the center of the nebula

Total exposure time: 52h 40'
Image resolution: 4,490 × 4,552px (0.96″/px)
Shot from my driveway near Tucson, AZ in late 2023

Telescope: William Optics RedCat 51 (250mm focal length ƒ/4.9)
Camera: ZWO ASI294MM Pro
Filters: ZWO SHO & RGB filters
Mount: ZWO AM5

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