NGC6946, also known as the Fireworks Galaxy, is a Type SAB(rs)cb intermediate spiral galaxy 25.2 million light-years from Earth in constellation Cepheus and Cygnus. NGC6946 has also been classified as a double-barred spiral galaxy, with the inner, smaller bar presumably responsible for funneling gas into its center. This galaxy is similar to the distance of M101 in the constellation URSA Major. Both were once considered to be part of the Local Group, but are now known to be among the dozen bright spiral galaxies near the Milky Way but beyond the confines of the Local Group. NGC6946 lies within the Virgo Super-cluster. NGC6946 apparent magnitude is 9.6 and was discovered by William Herschel in 1798.

Due to its prodigious star formation it has been classified as an active starburst galaxy. NGC6946 is a Seyfert 2 galaxy with a bright core and an active rate of star formation, and has a supernovae rate about five times higher per century than our own galaxy. It is heavily obscured by interstellar matter due to its location close to the galactic plane of the Milky Way.

The list below exhibits the number of subframes used with the exposure time for each filter. All the subframes were calibrated with Flats, Darks and Biases by PixInsight. Afterwards the subframes were combined and processed to the final image.

^* 2×2 binned

Total time for collecting data for this image is 30 hours.