
Sh2-124 in Cepheus - a rarely imaged nebula
Published by Imran Badr on Sept 30, 2025
Sharpless 2-124 (Sh2-124) is a faint emission nebula located in the constellation Cygnus at an estimated distance of ~8,500 light-years. Spanning nearly 20 arcminutes across the sky, it is often referred to as the “Almost Nothing Nebula.” This name not only reflects its extremely low surface brightness, which makes it exceedingly difficult to capture in detail, but also the fact that very little scientific research has been conducted on it compared to other nebulae in Cygnus. The object glows primarily in hydrogen-alpha with faint contributions from doubly ionized oxygen and sulfur, requiring narrowband imaging to reveal its hidden structure. Because of its faintness and its position within a dense star field, deep exposures and highly meticulous processing are necessary to uncover its wispy filaments and dark dust lanes, making Sh2-124 one of the most elusive and rarely imaged objects in the Sharpless catalogue.
Equipment and Acquisition
Dates: Jul-Sept 2025
Telescope: Celestron 9.25EdgeHD with 0.7x reducer
Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6RPro
Camera: ZWO 2600MM Pro
Filters: Antlia 2.5nm Ha, S2, O3 and V-Pro R, G, B
Acquisition:
Ha: 17h10m (102x600s frames)
O3: 34h40m (208x600s frames)
S2: 26h30m (159x600s frames)
R,G,B: 1h30m (30x60s frames on each filter)
Total Integration: 79h50m