Messier 52, NGC 7635

Over the years, I have imaged the open cluster Messier 52 (M52) and the nearby Bubble Nebula (NGC 7635) on three occasions, each time under different conditions and using varying focal lengths. My first dataset, captured in 2007 with a 500 mm focal length telescope from the Emberger Alm in Austria, marked an early step in my exploration of wide-field deep-sky imaging. The site’s high-altitude location and dark skies allowed for clear resolution of the cluster’s dense stellar population and the delicate emission features of the surrounding nebula.

In 2016, I revisited the field from my backyard, this time using a 200 mm telephoto lens, producing a much wider field of view. Despite the more challenging sky conditions, this configuration successfully captured M52 and NGC 7635 within a broader context of the surrounding H II region, revealing the rich star fields of Cassiopeia and emphasizing the nebula’s position within the larger interstellar complex.

The most recent dataset, acquired in 2019 from Deep Sky West (DSW), provided professional-grade, high-resolution data with excellent calibration and depth. These observations revealed the intricate bubble structure formed by stellar winds from the massive central star and detailed the color gradients across the nebula’s ionized gas.

Together, these three imaging sessions illustrate both technological progress and the value of varying focal lengths and imaging locations in capturing complementary perspectives of the same celestial objects.

The 2019 DSW images were calibrated, registered and finally processed in Pixinsight.