NGC7293 - Helix Nebula

         

   
NASA APOD 4 Oct 2012
About this image.

Discovered by Karl Ludwig Harding before 1824.

The Helix Nebula is one of the closest of all planetary nebulae: Lying at a distance of perhaps 450 light years, it is the only planetary nebula for which a parallax could be obtained by ground-based observations. 

It is also one of the apparently largest planetaries known: Its apparent size covers an area of 16 arc minutes diameter, more than half of that of the full moon; it's halo extends even further to 28 arc minutes or almost the moon's apparent diameter. Alhough the nebula is quite bright, its light is spread over this large area so that it is not an easy object for visual observing; the Herschels have apparently never cataloged or observed it.

The popular name Helix Nebula refers to the nebula's appearance on photographs.

(Text taken from www.seds.org)
 

       Full Res
  (2184 x 1472)
        (827kb)                              

Equipment

Telescope:                 12.5" Ritchey Chretien by RC Optical Systems with RCOS FFC
Mount:                      Paramount ME by Software Bisque
Instrument:               STL11000M CCD Camera by SBIG

Exposure:                  This is an LRGB Image of exposures 60:15:15:15 taken with Don Goldman
                                filters.
Capture Software:       CCDSOFT V5
Processing:                Maxim DL/CCD, CCDSOFT, SigmaBeta, Photoshop CS

Hubble SHO Pallette:  L(Ha)SIIHAOIII - 7:25:7:7 Hours with RGB stars

Widefield Image:

Telescope:                 Takahashi FSQ106N
Mount:                      Paramount ME by Software Bisque
Instrument:               STL11000M CCD Camera by SBIG

Exposure:                  Bi-Colour image consisting of 31 hours Ha, 26.5 hours OIII.

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