LDN 1089 and Dust Clouds in Cepheus - Astrophotography
- Antoine & Dalia Grelin
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
LDN 1089 is a dark nebula located about 1,200 light-years away in the constellation Cepheus. It is often imaged as part of wider-field views of the region, especially when targeting other surrounding nebulae. LDN 1089 is not a common beginner target, but is a nice challenge for when you're not sure what to image tonight!
Object Designation: LDN 1089
Constellation: Cepheus
Object Type: Dark Nebula
Distance: 1,200 light-years away
Magnitude: N/A
Discovery: Beverly T. Lynds in the 1960's
In the Northern Hemisphere, LDN 1089 becomes well-placed for imaging starting in August and remains high in the sky through November, so Fall is the ideal season to photograph it.
LDN 1089 Astrophotography from a Dark Site
April 2025
I imaged this area of the sky without a clear goal in mind. I wanted to image some random dust clouds in Cepheus, and so simply used the sky atlas in NINA to find a good region to aim for. I settled for LDN 1089 which looked interesting! This was shot with my RASA 8 telescope and ZWO ASI2600MC color camera. No filters were used, and none was needed anyway from the dark skies of New Mexico.
I spent 43 hours on it in total, and you can see the result below! I like the blue color being reflected on the dust on the left side, and the red color from some faint HA filaments on the right. These surround the gray dust clouds visible in the center of the frame.
Click the picture to see it in high resolution!
GEAR USED:
Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC
Telescope: Celestron RASA 8
Mount: 10Micron GM2000 HPS
Accessories: Celestron Focuser / PrimaLuceLab Eagle 5S
Processing: Pixinsight, with R-C Astro plugins. Final touches in Skylum Luminar Neo
ACQUISITION DETAILS:
Total Exposure Time: 43 hours
Exposure Time per frame: 300 seconds
Filters: N/A
Gain: 100
How to Find LDN 1089
It is not possible to spot LDN 1089 with the naked eye, as it is a dark nebula that blocks light rather than emits or reflects it. The only way to see it is through astrophotography, with a fast telescope, camera, and preferably dark skies. LDN 1089 lies in a rich region of the sky filled with other faint dark nebulae and dust clouds, like LDN 1082 and LDN 1111, making it a good wide-field imaging area.
LDN 1089 is located in the constellation Cepheus, not far from the border with Lacerta. A good way to find it is to begin at the bright star Alderamin (Alpha Cephei), then scan southeast. The nebula lies about halfway between Alderamin and Alpha Lacertae, though because it is dark, you'll need to take test shots to make sure you're on the right spot.
LDN 1089 is also not far from NGC 7023, the Iris Nebula.
The best time to observe and photograph LDN 1089 is in fall, when Cepheus is high in the sky.
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Single Shot and Processing of LDN 1089
Below you can see what a single 10-minute shot of LDN 1089 looks like, taken from a Bortle 1 site. As you can see, none of the dust is visible, and the picture is just plain dark sky filled with stars. If you look closely though, you can kind of tell that some dark thick lines are hiding some of the stars, hinting that dark nebulosity is present.
Processing LDN 1089 is not easy, and I had to try three times before getting a result I liked. You need to make sure to separate the dark nebulosity and the background sky, or your entire image will look like gray dust.
As you can see in the starless version below, the background is supposed to have different shades of colors. In my case, light gray to blue on the left side due to the bright blue star shining light on the surrounding dust, and red HA lines on the right side.
A similar target we shot recently that is similar in terms of processing is the Embryo Nebula (NGC1333). If you'd like to give processing a shot, you can get our practice dataset or our full resolution data that includes a 4K walkthrough video below!
LDN 1089 FAQ
In which constellation is LDN 1089 located?
You can find the LDN 1089 Nebula in the constellation Cepheus.
What is LDN1089?
LDN 1089 is a dark molecular cloud of dust.
How far is LDN 1089?
The Nebula is located about 1,200 light-years away from Earth.
How long should my exposure times be when photographing LDN 1089?
We suggest doing 10-minute exposures for this object although, if like us, you are using a very fast telescope (f/2) from a Bortle 1 site, 5-minute exposures will be more than enough. I did 10 minutes because of how dark and faint the nebula and its surrounding dust are!
Should I use a filter to image the LDN 1089 Nebula?
This is a great broadband target so you do not need any specific filter for this. If you'd like to, you can spend some time with the HA filter to reveal the hydrogen alpha present nearby!
LDN 1089 Astrophotography - Final Thoughts
LDN 1089 is a challenging target to capture and process, but it is fun and is a great intermediate target for astrophotographers looking for a challenge. Imaging from a dark site is very useful for this object if you'd like to get the best out of the dark lanes, and long exposure times to ensure your final image is impressive and free of noise.
Clear Skies,
Antoine Grelin
Galactic Hunter
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