Sh2-263 is an emission nebula in the northern part of constellation Orion. It is powered by the bright star HD 34989 in the center of the nebula.

It is a very young (8 million years old) massiv (12 times solar mass) hot star with a very short life expectancy. The powerful ultraviolet radiation of the star ionizes the surrounding gas clouds which glow in nice red colors of hydrogen, hence its name Raspberry Nebula. Quite some dust is illuminated around the star, creating the nice bluish reflection nebula vdB 38.

The system is about 1700 light years from earth and belongs to the outer edges of the huge Orion Molecular Cloud Complex.

Celestron RASA 11 v2
Celestron CGX-L mount
RisingCam ATR3CMOS26000KPA
UV/IR Cut filter
Bortle 4-5
No moon
142x10s
396x30s
Integration time 3h41m20s

PixInsight