The Lagoon Nebula is estimated to be between 4,000-6,000 light years from the Earth. In the sky of Earth, it spans 90′ by 40′, translates to an actual dimension of 110 by 50 light years. Like many nebulas, it appears pink in time-exposure color photos but is gray to the eye peering through binoculars or a telescope, human vision having poor color sensitivity at low light levels. The nebula contains a number ofBok globules (dark, collapsing clouds of protostellar material), the most prominent of which have been catalogued by E. E. Barnard as B88, B89 and B296. It also includes a funnel-like or tornado-like structure caused by a hot O-type star that emanates ultraviolet light, heating and ionizing gases on the surface of the nebula.

Imaging telescopes or lenses: Takahashi TOA-130
Imaging cameras: SBIG STL-11000
Mounts: Losmandy G11
Guiding telescopes or lenses: Orion ShortTube 80 f/5
Guiding cameras: Orion Star Shoot Planetary Imager & Autoguider
Filters: Astrodon Red, Astrodon G, Astrodon Filter: Blue, Astrodon h-Alpha
Dates: Aug. 14, 2012
Frames:
Astrodon G: 3×600″ -15C bin 1×1
Astrodon h-Alpha: 7×900″ -15C bin 1×1
Astrodon Filter: Blue: 3×600″ -15C bin 1×1
Astrodon Red: 3×600″ -15C bin 1×1

Autor: Maurizio Cabibbo

AstroPhotography of the day by SPONLI

06 February 2014

We select the best works of amateur astrophotographers with details of equipment, shooting processing etc.