SBIG ST-4000XCM
5x900sec
Darks/Flats/Bias Applied
Imager Temp -20C
Celestron 9.25 Reduced 0.63
40% Crop

Sky and Telescope Online Gallery October 21, 2009

Short integration time, clouded out. Transparency fair.

This object seems to give me trouble. I can get a decent image of it, but not a really good image of it. The delicate tendrils that project into the center just don't want to show themselves. I think it has to do with my horizon and local conditions. Still, it's a vast improvement of my original image of this object from 2007.

The Helix Nebula (NGC 7293) spans about 2.5 light years and is about 650 light-years away in the constellation Aquarius. It is one of the closest planetary nebulae to earth and was discovered by Karl Ludwig Harding before 1824. It has a very similar appearance to the Ring Nebula. It is also similar in size, age, and physical characteristics to the Dumbbell Nebula, with the significant difference in appearance being a consequence of the relative proximity and more nearly equatorial viewing angle of the Dumbbell.

October 18, 2009