07052025-Project_Dolphin

🐬 Dolphin Nebula (Sharpless 2-308)

 

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Drifting through the cosmic sea, a luminous dolphin dances among the stars, inviting wonder.

The Dolphin Nebula, also known as Sharpless 2-308, is an immense bubble of glowing gas and dust located in the constellation Canis Major. This ethereal structure was sculpted by powerful stellar winds from a massive Wolf–Rayet star, forming a glowing shell of ionized hydrogen — an H II region.

 

Spanning about 60 light-years, the nebula glows softly in the light emitted by oxygen and hydrogen atoms, offering a view both haunting and beautiful.

 

🔭 Quick Facts

 

• Apparent magnitude: ~7.0

• Distance from Earth: ~4,530 light-years

• Coordinates (J2000): RA 06h54m13s, Dec –23°55′42″

• Constellation: Canis Major

• Angular size: ~35′ × 35′ (similar to the full Moon)

 

💫 Cosmic Highlights

 

• At the heart of the nebula lies EZ Canis Majoris (WR 6), a hot, massive Wolf–Rayet star.

• Its intense winds have blown a vast bubble into the surrounding space over the past 70,000 years.

• The nebula’s ghostly blue hue is due to emission from doubly ionized oxygen (O III), giving it a haunting appearance.

 

The Dolphin Nebula is a cosmic reminder that even in stellar endings, beauty emerges. Through turbulence and transformation, the universe creates extraordinary forms that inspire awe and curiosity. Keep looking up — the cosmos always has more to show us.

 

Lights: 48x300" and 48x600"

Telescope: Takahashi FSQ-106ED

Camera: Camera QHY 600M

Filters: Halpha, OIII, SII Astrodon

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