2018 May 12 ~ The Eta Carinae Nebula
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Photographed 11 km east-southeast of Coober Pedy, South Australia, long. 134.85° E., lat. 27.08° S., between 00.42 and 01.24 CAST (Central Australian Standard Time)
* Altitude of centre of nebula at time of exposures: 42°, declining to 37°
* Temperature 10° C.
* Total exposure time: 19 minutes
* 540 mm focal length telescope
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Description:
One of the most intriguing hydrogen gas clouds in the entire sky is this giant object in the far southern constellation Carina (the Keel). This nebula and the associated star clusters are located only 13 degrees from the centre of the Southern Cross, which is the well-known star pattern in the constellation Crux (the Cross).
The hydrogen gas in this nebula is excited into an ionized state by the nearby star Eta Carinae, which lies at a distance of 7,500 light years from our solar system. Eta Carinae is one of the most massive, luminous stars known, with a brightness more than 5 million times that of our own Sun.
Eta is a cataclysmic variable star, which has brightened and faded remarkably over the last two centuries. In 1843 Eta briefly became the second brightest star of the sky, before fading well below naked eye visibility after 1856. In recent decades Eta has brightened noticeably, so that now it can be seen easily from a moderately dark sky location, at magnitude 4.2. For more information about this star, click here:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eta_Carinae
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Click here to see a wider angle view of this region of the sky, showing the nebula and the Southern Cross, made a week later, also from the Australian Outback:
www.flickr.com/photos/97587627@N06/29362128768
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For a version of this photo WITH LABELS, click on your screen to the RIGHT of the photo, or click here:
www.flickr.com/photos/97587627@N06/43375738622
__________________________________________
This is the telescope and mount that I used for my astrophotography on this trip:
www.flickr.com/photos/97587627@N06/28602350028
__________________________________________
Technical information:
Nikon D810a camera body on Tele Vue 101is 101 mm (4") apochromatic refracting telescope, mounted on Sky-Watcher HEQ5 equatorial mount
Nineteen stacked subframes - each frame:
ISO 2500; 1 minute exposure at f/5.4, 540 mm focal length, unguided (with LENR - long exposure noise reduction)
Subframes stacked in RegiStar;
Processed in Photoshop CS6 (brightness / contrast, levels, curves, shadows / highlights)
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2018 May 12 ~ The Eta Carinae Nebula
****************************************************************************
Photographed 11 km east-southeast of Coober Pedy, South Australia, long. 134.85° E., lat. 27.08° S., between 00.42 and 01.24 CAST (Central Australian Standard Time)
* Altitude of centre of nebula at time of exposures: 42°, declining to 37°
* Temperature 10° C.
* Total exposure time: 19 minutes
* 540 mm focal length telescope
___________________________________________
Description:
One of the most intriguing hydrogen gas clouds in the entire sky is this giant object in the far southern constellation Carina (the Keel). This nebula and the associated star clusters are located only 13 degrees from the centre of the Southern Cross, which is the well-known star pattern in the constellation Crux (the Cross).
The hydrogen gas in this nebula is excited into an ionized state by the nearby star Eta Carinae, which lies at a distance of 7,500 light years from our solar system. Eta Carinae is one of the most massive, luminous stars known, with a brightness more than 5 million times that of our own Sun.
Eta is a cataclysmic variable star, which has brightened and faded remarkably over the last two centuries. In 1843 Eta briefly became the second brightest star of the sky, before fading well below naked eye visibility after 1856. In recent decades Eta has brightened noticeably, so that now it can be seen easily from a moderately dark sky location, at magnitude 4.2. For more information about this star, click here:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eta_Carinae
__________________________________________
Click here to see a wider angle view of this region of the sky, showing the nebula and the Southern Cross, made a week later, also from the Australian Outback:
www.flickr.com/photos/97587627@N06/29362128768
__________________________________________
For a version of this photo WITH LABELS, click on your screen to the RIGHT of the photo, or click here:
www.flickr.com/photos/97587627@N06/43375738622
__________________________________________
This is the telescope and mount that I used for my astrophotography on this trip:
www.flickr.com/photos/97587627@N06/28602350028
__________________________________________
Technical information:
Nikon D810a camera body on Tele Vue 101is 101 mm (4") apochromatic refracting telescope, mounted on Sky-Watcher HEQ5 equatorial mount
Nineteen stacked subframes - each frame:
ISO 2500; 1 minute exposure at f/5.4, 540 mm focal length, unguided (with LENR - long exposure noise reduction)
Subframes stacked in RegiStar;
Processed in Photoshop CS6 (brightness / contrast, levels, curves, shadows / highlights)
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