When to photograph NGC 7129
NGC 7129 is a cluster with nebula in Cepheus, 2′ across at magnitude 11.5.
When to photograph it
From 45° N the best months are September to November, with up to 9.3 hours of astronomical darkness above 30° in October. It reaches 69° at its highest. It never sets from this latitude, so some imaging is possible all year.
From 35° S it never rises.
Framing
At 2′ it is small. Even 4000 mm of focal length leaves it filling less than a third of an APS-C frame, so it suits long focal lengths, small pixels and good seeing.
Filters and the moon
It glows in H-alpha, and often OIII, so a dual-band filter on a color camera or narrowband filters on a mono camera cut light pollution and keep it workable with the moon up. The dark sky calendar shows which nights this month are moon-free where you are.
Plan it for tonight
Dates and times depend on your exact location. The imaging planner shows NGC 7129's altitude through tonight, its transit time and its distance from the moon. For sub length, use the exposure calculator.
Nearby targets
- NGC 7023 Iris Nebula 4.5° away
- IC 1396 Elephant's Trunk Nebula 8.6° away
- C 9 Cave Nebula 8.8° away
- NGC 6946 Fireworks Galaxy 9.7° away
- NGC 7380 Wizard Nebula 10.9° away
- NGC 7635 Bubble Nebula 11.8° away
Gear that suits NGC 7129
NGC 7129 is only 2.1′ across, so it stays small in any amateur telescope. The longest focal length gives it the most pixels. It shines in H-alpha and OIII, so a dual-band filter on a color camera cuts through light pollution and moonlight.
- Celestron C8 OTA 2032 mm f/10: fills 8% of an APS-C frame's short side View at High Point Scientific
- Optolong L-Ultimate 3 nm 3 nm dual-band, Ha, OIII, for color cameras View at High Point Scientific
- Antlia ALP-T 5 nm 5 nm dual-band, Ha, OIII, for color cameras View at High Point Scientific
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