alexbabiuc
Helix Nebula
Or the Eye of God.
This one isn't included in the Messier catalogue, but it is one of the most iconic nebulae. The knots inside the center radially arranged and the blue colour give it the appearance of an iris looking at us.
Bright enough to be seen with binoculars, it appears 25 arcminutes wide or almost as big as our full Moon, though it is almost 3 light-years wide around the white dwarf visible at the center.
The planetary nebula is situated in the constellation Aquarius, rising low above the horizon for the European observers.
It is estimated to be about 11000 years old and it is around 650 light-years away.
I started imaging this summer without great expectations, shooting a target so low is a challenge, but the initial data turned out well so I kept adding to it until I reached almost 25h of Hydrogen alpha and Oxygen [III].
The hydrogen is represented as red and the oxygen as a teal tint.
Helix Nebula
Or the Eye of God.
This one isn't included in the Messier catalogue, but it is one of the most iconic nebulae. The knots inside the center radially arranged and the blue colour give it the appearance of an iris looking at us.
Bright enough to be seen with binoculars, it appears 25 arcminutes wide or almost as big as our full Moon, though it is almost 3 light-years wide around the white dwarf visible at the center.
The planetary nebula is situated in the constellation Aquarius, rising low above the horizon for the European observers.
It is estimated to be about 11000 years old and it is around 650 light-years away.
I started imaging this summer without great expectations, shooting a target so low is a challenge, but the initial data turned out well so I kept adding to it until I reached almost 25h of Hydrogen alpha and Oxygen [III].
The hydrogen is represented as red and the oxygen as a teal tint.