Tag Archives: Aquarius

Helix Nebula – NCG 7293

f6e665c87b5f1e94b9b4981036ae3620.1824x0_q100_watermark
The Helix Nebula, also known as The Helix, NGC 7293, is a large planetary nebula (PN) located in the constellation Aquarius. Discovered by Karl Ludwig Harding, probably before 1824, this object is one of the closest to the Earth of all the bright planetary nebulae.[7] The estimated distance is about 215 parsecs or 700 light-years. It is similar in appearance to the Cat’s Eye Nebula and the Ring Nebula, whose size, age, and physical characteristics are similar to the Dumbbell Nebula, varying only in its relative proximity and the appearance from the equatorial viewing angle.

Imaging telescopes or lenses: Stellarvue SV115 Apo Triplet
Camera: QSI583 CCD. Astrogen 31mm filters.
Dates: Aug. 29, 2014
Locations: Heathcote, Victoria, Australia
Frames: 29×1200″
Integration: 9.7 hours
HaRGB:
8x20mins Ha
5×20 red
8x20min green
8 x 20mins (blue)

Author: Nicholas Jones
AstroPhotography of the day by SPONLI 12 Sep 2014

Related posts:

  1. NGC 7293: Eye of God
  2. NGC 7293: Helix nebula
  3. Helix Nebula
  4. NGC 7293: The Helix Nebula

Helix Nebula in Aquarius

cf1f3ae774d06d2f07424b4c1c38cd1f.1824x0_q100_watermark_watermark_opacity-16_watermark_position-4_watermark_text-Copyright Stefan Westphal
The Helix Nebula, also known as The Helix, NGC 7293, is a large planetary nebula (PN) located in the constellation Aquarius. Discovered by Karl Ludwig Harding, probably before 1824, this object is one of the closest to the Earth of all the bright planetary nebulae. The estimated distance is about 215 parsecs or 700 light-years. It is similar in appearance to the Cat’s Eye Nebula and the Ring Nebula, whose size, age, and physical characteristics are similar to the Dumbbell Nebula, varying only in its relative proximity and the appearance from the equatorial viewing angle.

Imaging telescopes or lenses: Orion Optics UK SPX 250
Imaging cameras: Artemis Atik 383L+
Mounts: Vixen New Atlux + Skysensor 2000
Guiding telescopes or lenses: Orion Optics UK SPX 250
Guiding cameras: M-Gen Guiding Kamera
Focal reducers: GPU Komakorrektor
Software: DSS, Fitswork
Filters: Baader Planetarium 36mm Luminance, Baader Planetarium 36mm Red, Baader Planetarium 36mm Green, Baader Planetarium 36mm Blue
Accessories: Lacerta MGEN2, Lacerta OAG
Dates: Aug. 6, 2013, Aug. 7, 2013
Locations: Emberger Alm
Frames:
Baader Planetarium 36mm Blue: 5×360″ -15C bin 1×1
Baader Planetarium 36mm Green: 5×360″ -15C bin 1×1
Baader Planetarium 36mm Luminance: 10×360″ -15C bin 1×1
Baader Planetarium 36mm Red: 6×360″ -15C bin 1×1
Integration: 2.6 hours
Darks: ~4
Flats: ~25

Author: Stefan Westphal
AstroPhotography of the day by SPONLI 29 Aug 2014

Related posts:

  1. The Helix Nebula
  2. Helix Nebula
  3. NGC 1333 in Perseus
  4. Helix Nebula

NGC 7293: Helix nebula

40e71286aec026d351be2bb55fd7f1bc.1824x0_q100_watermark_watermark_opacity-20_watermark_position-6_watermark_text-Copyright Giulio Ercolani
The Helix Nebula, also known as The Helix, NGC 7293, is a large planetary nebula (PN) located in the constellation Aquarius. Discovered by Karl Ludwig Harding, probably before 1824, this object is one of the closest to the Earth of all the bright planetary nebulae. The estimated distance is about 215 parsecs or 700 light-years.
The Helix Nebula is thought to be shaped like a prolate spheroid with strong density concentrations toward the filled disk along the equatorial plane, whose major axis is inclined about 21° to 37° from our vantage point. The size of the inner disk is 8×19 arcmin in diameter (0.52 pc); the outer torus is 12×22 arcmin in diameter (0.77 pc); and the outer-most ring is about 25 arcmin in diameter (1.76 pc). We see the outer-most ring as flattened on one side due to its colliding with the ambient interstellar medium.
Expansion of the whole planetary nebula structure is estimated to have occurred in the last 6,560 years, and 12,100 years for the inner disk. Spectroscopically, the outer ring’s expansion rate is 40 km·s−1, and about 32 km·s−1 for the inner disk.

Imaging telescopes or lenses: PlaneWave Instruments Planewave 20″ CDK
Imaging cameras: FLI PL6303E
Mounts: Planewave Instruments Ascension 200HR
Software: Startools
Filters: Astrodon Blue, Astrodon Green, Astrodon Red, Astrodon Luminance
Dates: July 3, 2014, July 26, 2014
Frames:
Astrodon Blue: 2×300″ bin 2×2
Astrodon Green: 2×300″ bin 2×2
Astrodon Luminance: 17×300″ bin 1×1
Astrodon Red: 2×300″ bin 2×2
Integration: 1.9 hours

Author: Giulio Ercolani
AstroPhotography of the day by SPONLI 5 Aug 2014

Related posts:

  1. NGC 7293: The Helix Nebula
  2. Helix Nebula
  3. Helix Nebula
  4. NGC 7293: Eye of God

Helix Nebula

86a3ac84b6dbd13d6dd0c4254d4c2ca5.1824x0_q100_watermark_watermark_opacity-15_watermark_position-1_watermark_text-Copyright Michael Miller
The Helix Nebula, also known as The Helix, NGC 7293, is a large planetary nebula (PN) located in the constellation Aquarius. Discovered by Karl Ludwig Harding, probably before 1824, this object is one of the closest to the Earth of all the bright planetary nebulae. The estimated distance is about 215 parsecs or 700 light-years. It is similar in appearance to the Cat’s Eye Nebula and the Ring Nebula, whose size, age, and physical characteristics are similar to the Dumbbell Nebula, varying only in its relative proximity and the appearance from the equatorial viewing angle. The Helix Nebula has sometimes been referred to as the “Eye of God” in pop culture, as well as the “Eye of Sauron”.

Imaging cameras: Apogee U16M
Mounts: Paramount MX
Software: photoshop, DC-3 Dreams ACP, PixInsight PixInsinght 1.8 RC7, Maxim DL
Filters: Astrodon E-series LRGB
Dates: Sept. 23, 2013
Locations: New Mexico Skies
Frames: 77×900″
Integration: 19.2 hours

Author: Mike Miller
AstroPhotography of the day by SPONLI 25 July 2014

Related posts:

  1. The Helix Nebula
  2. NGC7293, Helix Nebula – Eye of God
  3. Helix Nebula
  4. Helix Nebula

Halley Dust and Milky Way 

EtaAquaridMW_taylor
Image Credit & Copyright: Mike Taylor

 The early morning hours of May 6 were moonless when grains of cosmic dust streaked through dark skies. Swept up as planet Earth plows through dusty debris streams left behind periodic Comet Halley, the annual meteor shower is known as the Eta Aquarids. This inspired exposure captures a meteor streak moving left right through the frame. Its trail points back across the arc of the Milky Way to the shower’s radiant above the local horizon in the constellation Aquarius. Known for speed Eta Aquarid meteors move fast, entering the atmosphere at about 66 kilometers per second. Still waters of the small pond near Albion, Maine, USA reflect the starry scene and the orange glow of nearby artificial lights scattered by a low cloud bank. Of course, northern hemisphere skygazers are expecting a new meteor shower on May 24, the Camelopardalids, caused by dust from periodic comet 209P/LINEAR.
NASA APOD 09-May-14

Related posts:

  1. The Perseids
  2. Lyrids in Southern Skies 
  3. That Night over Half Dome
  4. Orion Nebula in Surrounding Dust

NGC 7293: Eye of God

bd47b21afe1b7ab0d2e2fde47646a9c7.1824x0_q100_watermark_watermark_opacity-10_watermark_position-6_watermark_text-Copyright whwang
NGC 7293 , also known as The Helix, The Helix Nebula, is a large planetary nebula (PN) located in the constellation Aquarius. Discovered byKarl Ludwig Harding, probably before 1824, this object is one of the closest to the Earth of all the bright planetary nebulae. The estimated distance is about 215 parsecs or 700 light-years. It is similar in appearance to the Cat’s Eye Nebula and the Ring Nebula, whose size, age, and physical characteristics are similar to the Dumbbell Nebula, varying only in its relative proximity and the appearance from the equatorial viewing angle. The Helix Nebula has sometimes been referred to as the “Eye of God” in pop culture.

The Helix Nebula is an example of a planetary nebula, or ‘planetary’ formed at the end of a star’s evolution. Gases from the star in the surrounding space appear, from our vantage point, as if we are looking down a helix structure. The remnant central stellar core, known as a planetary nebula nucleus or PNN, is destined to become a white dwarf star. The observed glow of the central star is so energetic that it causes the previously expelled gases to brightly fluoresce.

The Helix Nebula in the constellation of Aquarius lies about 700 light-years away, spanning about 0.8 parsec or 2.5 light-years.

Imaging telescopes or lenses: Takahashi TOA 150
Imaging cameras: Nikon D800 Mod
Mounts: Takahashi EM-400 Temma2
Guiding telescopes or lenses: Vixen FL70S
Guiding cameras: Fishcamp Starfish
Focal reducers: Takahashi TOA 67 Flattener
Software: DeepSkyStacker, Adobe Photoshop CS5
Dates: Aug. 9, 2013
Locations: Mt. Ho-Huan (Taiwan)
Frames: 40×600″ ISO200
Integration: 6.7 hours

Autor: Wei-Hao Wang

28 February 2014

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

Related posts:

  1. NGC 7293: The Helix Nebula
  2. Helix Nebula
  3. Dumbbell Nebula in the constellation Vulpecula
  4. NGC 6188 and NGC 6164 nebulae

NGC 7293: The Helix Nebula

HelixGoldmanLarge

Image Credit & Copyright: Don Goldman

A mere seven hundred light years from Earth, in the constellation Aquarius, a sun-like star is dying. Its last few thousand years have produced the Helix Nebula (NGC 7293), a well studied and nearby example of a Planetary Nebula, typical of this final phase of stellar evolution. A total of 28.5 hours of exposure time have gone in to creating this deep view of the nebula. Combining narrow band image data from emission lines of hydrogen atoms in red and oxygen atoms in blue-green hues, it shows remarkable details of the Helix’s brighter inner region, about 3 light-years across, but also follows fainter outer halo features that give the nebula a span of well over six light-years. The white dot at the Helix’s center is this Planetary Nebula’s hot, central star. A simple looking nebula at first glance, the Helix is now understood to have a surprisingly complex geometry.
APOD NASA 10-Jan-2014

Related posts:

  1. NGC 7293: Helix nebula
  2. Helix Nebula – NCG 7293
  3. The Helix Nebula
  4. NGC 7293: Eye of God