View allAll Photos Tagged deepskyobject
Sony A7R3 + Nikon AIS 300mm/2.8
#deepsky #nebula #astro #astrophoto #astrophotography #orion #deepskyobject #universe #cosmos #star #milkyway #darksky
The "Cave Nebula", in the centre of this image, is a popular name for Sh2-155, an emission nebula in the constellation Cepheus. It appears cave-like due to a dark, hollowed-out area surrounded by a bright, ionized gas rim, which is an active star-forming region (H II region). Located approximately 2,400 to 3,000 light-years away, it is part of a larger star-forming complex called Cepheus B.
The blue area of nebulosity to the upper left of the cave is the reflection nebula vdb155.
Andromeda Galaxy (M31), 09/27/2020
Took advantage of the unexpectedly clear skies and went to Belfair Start Park for a few nights. Last month I took a picture of M31 with my small system (T5i, 200mm lens and a star tracker) and I thought I’d compare it to my full-size setup. Yep, you guessed it, it’s a much better photo.
Equipment:
RASA 8
CGEM-dx mount
ZWO ASI294MC-Pro
ZWO Asiair Pro
Optolong L-Pro filter
Details:
Location – Belfair Start Park, WA
Bortle Class 4
30 120-second Lights
60 Darks
60 Bias
60 Flats
Astro Pixel Processor
Lightroom
Photoshop
#astrophotography #astronomy #comos #nightphotography #space #telescope #deepsky #asi294mcpro #amateurastronomy #backyardastronomy #asiair #asiairpro #celestronrasa #celestron #astropixelprocessor #optolong #telescope #astronomyphotography #deepskyobject #zwo #longexposurephotography #m31 #andromedagalaxy
COMMON NAME:
NAME: MyCn 18
PN G#:
CLASS: PN
TYPE:
MAGNITUDE:
CENTRAL STAR MAG.:
CONSTELLATION:
POSITION (2000.0):
URANOMETRIA 2000.0 MAP:
SIZE:
DISTANCE (parsecs):
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DATE: Apr. 11-12, 2015
PLACE: Sossusvlei Desert Lodge, Namibia, Africa
INSTRUMENT: 12 Inch (30 cm) Meade LX200 SCT
FOCAL RATIO: f/6.3
ACCESSORIES: Meade 0.63x reducer
MOUNT: Meade Altazimut
CAMERA: Canon 60Da
EXPOSURE: 34m 45s
SUBS: 15 sec.
ISO: 6400
William Optics Zenithstar61
Ioptron sky guider pro
Canon T3i asrtro modded
70x25"
Darks x20
Offsets x20
Flats x20
Iso400
Sky bortel 9
Montreal, Qc, CA
Siril / photoshop
The Wizar Nebula, NGC 7380 is a young open cluster of stars in the northern circumpolar constellation of Cepheus, discovered by Caroline Herschel in 1787. The surrounding emission nebulosity is known colloquially as the Wizard Nebula, which spans an angle of 25′. German-born astronomer William Herschel included his sister's discovery in his catalog, and labelled it H VIII.77. The nebula is known as S 142 in the 1959 Sharpless catalog (Sh2-142). It is extremely difficult to observe visually, usually requiring very dark skies and an O-III filter. The NGC 7380 complex is located at a distance of approximately 8.5 kilolight-years from the Sun, in the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way.
Taken 6-9-2021, Capture : 1hrs 14 mins - 540sec L L Exstreme - 540sec L OIII - 13D - 50F - 50FD - 100 Bias - stacked in DSS - post in LR & PS.
Equipement : WO Z61 II - Zwo ASI294MC Pro - SWNEQ6-R-Pro - WO slide 200mm guide scope - Zwo Asi 1200 mini guide cam - Zwo filter wheel & focuser.
APT & Stellarium, PH2.
DATE: Apr. 28-29, 2015
PLACE: Sossusvlei Desert Lodge, Namibia, Africa
INSTRUMENT: 12 Inch (30 cm) Meade LX200 SCT
FOCAL RATIO: f/6.3
ACCESSORIES: Meade 0.63x reducer
MOUNT: Meade Altazimut
CAMERA: Canon 60Da
EXPOSURE: 4m 30s
SUBS: 15 sec
ISO: 3200
Very difficult object to image. I wasn't planning on imaging it but rather the Globular Cluster itself. When I returned home from Africa, Rich Jakiel was looking at the image and suggested we get a detailed finder chart of the PN just in case it was there. We secured a finder chart, very detailed, from Hubble images. The article mentions the red star and the blue star above and below the PN. The PN itself is the light blue spot between the two stars.
Cygnus Loop, or Veil Nebula, 60 two-minute exposures taken on August 16, 2020. A three-degree-wide (6 full moons wide) spherical expanding bubble of glowing gas from a star that exploded as a supernova about 21 thousand years ago. About 130 light-years in diameter, at a distance of about 2000 light-years.
Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS October 17 2024
composite image of comet above landscape of hills in Western Pennsylvania
William Optics Zenithstar 73 Apo doublet
ZwoASI2600MC Pro
Optolong L-Pro broadband filter
19-420 second subs
Deepsky stacker
Adobe Photoshop CC 2021
The Western Veil Nebula (or the Witch's Broom Nebula for obvious reasons) on the top right along with Pickering's Triangle.
The image FOV is about 2 degrees wide, making it four times as wide as the full Moon. It would be great if our eyes were sensitive enough to see these terrifyingly large things in the sky.
The reds are mainly hydrogen alpha emission (areas of ionized hydrogen) and the bluish-green is due to Oiii emission corresponding to regions of doubly ionized oxygen.
The Veil Nebulae are part of the larger Cygnus Loop supernova remnant which is an expanding spherical shell material left over from an exploding star.
This was also the session where I finally got plate solving to work so now the rig knows what it is looking at, then compare it to what it should be looking at and then make the necessary adjustments.
Acquisition details
Lights: 10 x 300s = 50 mins at Voorhees State Park (Bortle 5)
Lights: 14 x 300s = 1 hr 10 mins at Summit NJ (Bortle 7-8)
Darks: 12 x 300s
Camera: ASI294MC pro at - 10°C
Filter: Optolong L-eXtreme
Scope: William Optics z103 710mm x 0.8 reducer/flattener (Flat6AIII) = 568mm effective focal range
Mount: iOptron ieq30 pro
Guidescope: 50mm guidescope
Guide camera: ASI120MM mini
Software: NINA for global acquisition control, PHD2 for guiding. ASTAP for stacking, Photoshop for stretching, denoising. Lightroom for final touches and framing.
Star Clusters, can be really nice to look at. Binoculars will show some of the larger, brighter ones quite well.This is through an 8 inch reflector.
Here's M46.
01/14/12
Fullerton, CA
21 second exposures ISO 6400
65 second exposures ISO 3200
Images stacked in DeepSkyStacker, processed in Gimp 2
80mm Skywathcer Refractor LXD75 EQ Mount
Canon Rebel T3 DSLR
The Emerald Bloom of Sh2-36: A Hundred Hours of Starlight Unfolding
In a quiet region of the constellation Serpens, the emission nebula Sh2-36 Nebula reveals itself not as chaos, but as a cosmic bloom. Captured over 100 hours of integration from Desert Bloom Observatory in Arizona, this deep image transforms faint hydrogen gas into a luminous structure resembling a flower unfolding in green radiance.
This celestial “bloom” is an H II region, where intense ultraviolet radiation from newly formed stars ionizes surrounding hydrogen gas. As electrons recombine with protons, they emit light—most prominently in the hydrogen-alpha wavelength—tracing the hidden architecture of stellar birth. The unusual green tones arise from a creative mapping of narrowband data, translating invisible wavelengths into a visual palette that bridges science and imagination.
Filaments stretch like petals, shaped by stellar winds and radiation pressure, while darker lanes of interstellar dust weave through the nebula, sculpting contrast and depth. These structures are not static; they evolve over millions of years, collapsing under gravity to form new stars, while energetic radiation simultaneously disperses the very clouds that created them.
What appears here as a delicate flower is, in reality, a dynamic and powerful environment—where matter cycles between creation and destruction. Each photon captured in this image traveled across space to reach the detector, contributing to a signal refined through patience, precision, and time.
From the desert skies of Arizona, this portrait of Sh2-36 is both a scientific record and an artistic interpretation—a reminder that the universe, even in its most complex processes, can resemble something beautifully familiar: a bloom in the dark.
Località: Verona, Italia
Data: 29.11.2022
SCHEDA TECNICA
Newton Skywatcher 150/750 PDS Explorer
EQ - Celestron AVX Advanced VX
Asi 1600 mono PRO (raffreddata a -10°)
Filtro: H-alfa
Esposizione: 60''
Gain: 200
Integrazione: 69 pose (.fits) × 60 '' + Dark + Flat
Elaborazione: DSS + Photoshop
Cygnus is a northern constellation lying on the plane of the Milky Way, deriving its name from the Latinized Greek word for swan. Cygnus is one of the most recognizable constellations of the northern summer and autumn, and it features a prominent asterism known as the Northern Cross
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Date:28/09/2019
Location:Alrazeen desert 🐪,Abu Dhabi , UAE
Light pollution Bortle class 4
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Equipment
Camera: Canon 70D (unmodified)
Lens/telescope : Canon EF 50mm f/1.8
Filter: No filter
Mount : SkyWatcher Star Adventurer
Software: Deep sky stacker , Adobe Photoshop
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Light frame (21x180sec) @ f/3.5 ISO-800
Dark frame (4x180sec)
Bias frame (44x1/8000)
Flat frame 0
Total Exposure Time 1h 2min
William Optics Zenithstar61
Flat61
Ioptron Sky Guider Pro
Optolong L extreme 2"
Canon T3i asrtro modded
72x180"
Darks x10
Offsets x10
Flats x20
iso800
Sky bortel 9
Montreal, Qc, CA
Siril / photoshop
🔭💫 California Nebula... in color!
Three-panel mosaic
SCHEDA TECNICA
Newton Skywatcher 150/750 PDS Explorer
EQ - Celestron AVX Advanced VX
Asi 1600 mono PRO (raffreddata a -10°)
Filtro: H-alfa
Esposizione: 60''
Gain: 200
Elaborazione: DSS + Photoshop
Date: 23-02-2020
Location: Pertang Farm, Negri Sembilan, Malaysia
Optical Configuration: GSO RC8 + Atik EFW + Camera
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM, ASI224MC (Guiding)
Filter: Baader Ha 7nm, OIII 8.5nm, SII 8nm
Other Equipment: iOptron iEQ45 Pro
Integration: Ha 480s × 6, OIII 540s × 6, SII 600s × 6
Calibration: dark × 10, bias ×10, flat × 10 in Ha, OIII, SII
Torn by Gravity: The Distorted Heart of Markarian’s Chain
In the crowded realm of the Virgo Cluster, nearly 55 million light-years from Earth, lies a galaxy that refuses symmetry. NGC 4438, once likely a graceful spiral, now appears stretched, warped, and disturbed — its arms twisted into irregular arcs as though caught mid-struggle.
This distortion is not random. It is the consequence of gravitational interaction — a close encounter with neighboring galaxy NGC 4435 and the immense gravitational field of the Virgo Cluster itself. Over millions of years, tidal forces have pulled at its stars, gas, and dust, reshaping its structure and igniting subtle waves of star formation within the chaos.
Captured here from Desert Bloom Observatory in Arizona under dark desert skies, this image isolates the dramatic anatomy of NGC 4438 within Markarian’s Chain — a curving procession of galaxies bound together by gravity. Markarian’s Chain is part of the greater Virgo Cluster, the nearest large galaxy cluster to the Milky Way, containing thousands of galaxies engaged in slow cosmic dance.
What we witness is not destruction, but evolution. Galactic encounters like this are fundamental to cosmic growth. Through collision and tidal strain, galaxies exchange material, trigger starbirth, and gradually transform their morphology. The scars we see are signatures of interaction — gravitational fingerprints written across tens of thousands of light-years.
NGC 4438 reminds us that even on scales beyond imagination, the universe is dynamic. Galaxies are not static islands of stars; they are living systems shaped by encounter, pressure, and time.
In this torn spiral, gravity becomes visible.
TRYING TO TAKE A PHOTOGRAPH OF THE ORION NEBULA AND HORSE HEAD NEBULA WITH MY GALILEO 1400x150 SCOPE WITH A PL25MM OPTIC.
William Optics Zenithstar 73
ZwoASI294MC Pro
Optolong L-Pro broadband filter
30-300 second subs
15 dark frames
COMMON NAME:
NAME:
PN G#:
CLASS:
TYPE:
MAGNITUDE:
CENTRAL STAR MAG.:
CONSTELLATION:
POSITION (2000.0):
URANOMETRIA 2000.0 MAP:
SIZE:
DISTANCE (parsecs):
REFERANCE:
DATE:
TIME:
PLACE: Sossusvlei Desert Lodge, Namibia, Africa
INSTRUMENT: 12 Inch (30 cm) Meade LX200 SCT
FOCAL RATIO: f/6.3
ACCESSORIES: Meade 0.63x reducer
MOUNT: Meade Altazimut
CAMERA: Canon 60Da
EXPOSURE:
SUBS:
ISO:
Heart and Soul Nebulas under a nearly full moon. 73x3 minutes with a modded Nikon D600 through a WO Redcat 51 and Optolong L-Enhance filter
Do you see the alien skull? This is the Rosette Nebula, a region of atomic hydrogen that has been ionized (HII region) by the star cluster in the middle.
The plan was to take about 40 x 200s exposures resulting in over 2 hours of integration. However, a tree came out of nowhere and ruined all the best laid plans of mice and screwed up guiding in most of the photos. At the end only 7 images were usable resulting in just under 25 mins of data.
The structure is about 5000 ly away and 130 ly wide.
Acquisition details
Lights: 7 x 200s = 23.3 mins
Darks: 10
Flats: telescope is too big to point at white monitor image :(
Camera: ASI294MC pro at - 10°C
Filter: Optolong L-Enhance
Scope: William Optics z103 710mm x 0.8 reducer/flattener (Flat6AIII) = 568mm effective focal range
Mount: iOptron ieq30 pro
Guidescope: 50mm guidescope
Guide camera: ASI120MM mini
Software: NINA for global acquisition control, PHD2 for guiding. ASTAP for stacking, Photoshop for stretching, denoising, and final touches.
Sky-Watcher 80ED 600mm (Semi-apochromatic Refractor)
Sky-Watcher 0.85x Reducer/Flattener
Sky-Watcher HEQ5
Canon 350D
7x600s @ ISO800 (70min)
Lacerta MGEN2
Calibrated, registered, stacked in DeepSkyStacker.
Postprocessing in PS5.
Thurston Moore (vocals, guitar, bass, ex-Sonic Youth),
Steve Shelley (drums, ex-Sonic Youth),
Debbie Googe (bass, backing vocals, My Bloody Valentine),
James Sedwards (guitar).
deepskyobject.blogspot.com/2017/07/sideways-2017-helsinki...
M57: A sunlike star ran out of hydrogen fuel about 1600 years ago and became a red giant, shedding it's outer layers to form a sphere of expanding gas as it subsequently contracted into the white dwarf in the center of the ring. The object's name is 'Messier 57', or the 'Ring Nebula'. The white dwarf has the mass of our Sun, but only the diameter of the Earth. The light this dead cinder of a star emits as it cools makes the expanding gas sphere glow. The edges of the sphere appear brighter than the center since we're seeing only a thin layer at the center, but a great depth of glowing gas at the edges, piled on top of each other. This is the fate of our sun, in about 5 billion years. This object is quite small in our sky, being 1/24 the diameter of the full moon. It is perhaps 2570 light years away. This photo is built from 63 one-minute exposures, taken on Aug 6 2020.
California Nebula (NGC 1499)
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Location: Montclair, California, USA (Bortle 8)
Date: November 30, 2021
Moon: Waning Crescent (13%)
Camera: ZWO ASI6200MC Pro
Telescope: William Optics ZenithStar 61II APO f/5.9
Flattener/Reducer: William Optics FLAT61A Field Flattener
Adapter: None
Filter: Optolong L-eXtreme 2"
Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
Guide Camera: ZWO ASI120MM Mini
Guide Scope: William Optics UniGuide 32 f/3.75
Camera Settings: Gain 100 | f/5.9 | 5 min
Acquisition: 60 x 5 min Lights | 50 Darks | 100 Bias
Integration Time: 5 hrs
Software: SharpCap Pro, ZWO ASIAIR PRO
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Copyright © 2021 Steven K. Wu Photography. All Rights Reserved.
The Heart Nebula. 20x6 minute exposures with a modded D600 through a dual-narrowband filter and an 80mm refractor
COMMON NAME:
NAME:
PN G#:
CLASS:
TYPE:
MAGNITUDE:
CENTRAL STAR MAG.:
CONSTELLATION:
POSITION (2000.0):
URANOMETRIA 2000.0 MAP:
SIZE:
DISTANCE (parsecs):
REFERANCE:
DATE:
TIME:
PLACE: Sossusvlei Desert Lodge, Namibia, Africa
INSTRUMENT: 12 Inch (30 cm) Meade LX200 SCT
FOCAL RATIO: f/6.3
ACCESSORIES: Meade 0.63x reducer
MOUNT: Meade Altazimut
CAMERA: Canon 60Da
EXPOSURE:
SUBS:
ISO:
I cheated!
So I went back to my data again in PI. Tried reading through the PI tutorials on using ACDNR and I was able to understand a lot more about how to use the tool. Got something so so out of it. I really wasn't too happy about the results. When I put some before and after images together, I was turned off by the views.
So on a whim, I exported a 16 bit tiff from before the ACDNR exercise and ran that through Noiseware. Given what I've learned in PI, I was able to tweak that software a lot faster. The results that I got in less than 10 minutes of working were cleaner and much less grungy than what I'd been getting after several hours in PI. I know that I'd be able to duplicate the same results, I just don't know the settings.
Anyhow, I was able to reattach the FIT headers and Annotate the image.
So, it's done now.
Orion Nebula (M42/NGC 1976) and Running Man Nebula (Sh2-279)
Sony α7R III | William Optics ZenithStar 61II APO f/5.9 | iOptron SkyGuider Pro
Integration Time: 1 hr 40 min
ISO 1600 | f/5.9 | 2 min 30 sec
Lights: 40 x 2 min 30 sec
Darks: 10 x 2 min 30 sec
Flats: 20 x 1/1000 sec
Bias: 100 x 1/8000 sec
Orion, Running Man, Flame, and Horsehead nebulae under Bortle 4 skies
Details:
-Stock Canon Rebel T7 on Star Adventurer
-135mm Rokinon lens @f/2, ISO 800 and 45 minute-long exposures stacked in Deep Sky Stacker along with calibration frames (50 bias, 20 dark, and 30 flat frames)
-Total integration time of 45 minutes
-Final stacked image histogram stretched, light-pollution gradient subtracted and color-corrected in Photoshop and Lightroom
I cheated!
So I went back to my data again in PI. Tried reading through the PI tutorials on using ACDNR and I was able to understand a lot more about how to use the tool. Got something so so out of it. I really wasn't too happy about the results. When I put some before and after images together, I was turned off by the views.
So on a whim, I exported a 16 bit tiff from before the ACDNR exercise and ran that through Noiseware. Given what I've learned in PI, I was able to tweak that software a lot faster. The results that I got in less than 10 minutes of working were cleaner and much less grungy than what I'd been getting after several hours in PI. I know that I'd be able to duplicate the same results, I just don't know the settings.
Anyhow, I was able to reattach the FIT headers and Annotate the image.
So, it's done now.
Dumbbell Nebula (M27), 08/16/2020
This is a planetary nebula which is formed from the ionized gas ejected from a red giant star. It is about 1360 light-years away in the constellation Vulpecula. This is the second time I’ve capture this target.
Equipment:
RASA 8
CGEM-dx mount
ZWO ASI294MC-Pro
ZWO Asiair Pro
Optolong L-eHhance filter
Details:
Location – My back yard in Tacoma WA
Bortle Class 8
Gain 120
130 60-second Lights
60 Darks
60 Bias
60 Flats
Astro Pixel Processor
Lightroom
Photoshop
#astrophotography #astronomy #comos #nightphotography #space #telescope #deepsky #asi294mcpro #amateurastronomy #backyardastronomy #asiair #asiairpro #rasa #celestron #astropixelprocessor #optolong #telescope #astronomyphotography #deepskyobject #zwo #longexposurephotography #M27 #dumbbellnebula
NGC 6997 is a Star Cluster + Nebula in the Cygnus constellation.
14 x 180s
(O hr, 42 min total)
ZWO ASI1600MM Pro
Newton Skywatcher 150/750 PDS Explorer
EQ - Celestron AVX Advanced VX
Filter H-Alpha
DSS + Photoshop
Heart Nebula (IC 1805/Sh2-190), Fishhead Nebula (IC 1795), and Soul Nebula (IC 1848)
2 panel mosaic of the Heart Nebula, Fishhead Nebula, and Soul Nebula in the constellation Cassiopeia.
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Location: Montclair, California, USA (Bortle 8)
Date: January 2, 2022 & January 4-5, 2022
Moon: New Moon - Waxing Crescent (14%)
Camera: ZWO ASI6200MC Pro
Telescope: William Optics ZenithStar 61II APO f/5.9
Flattener/Reducer: William Optics FLAT61A Field Flattener
Filter: Optolong L-eXtreme 2”
Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
Guide Camera: ZWO ASI120MM Mini
Guide Scope: William Optics UniGuide 32 f/3.75
Camera Settings: Gain 100 | f/5.9 | 5 min
Acquisition: 37 x 5 min Lights for Heart & Fishhead Nebula, 53 x 5 min Lights for Soul Nebula | 50 Darks | 100 Bias
Integration Time: 7 hrs 30 min
Software: ZWO ASIAIR PRO, PixInsight, PTGui Pro, Topaz Labs Denoise AI, Adobe Lightroom Classic
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Copyright © 2022 Steven K. Wu Photography. All Rights Reserved.
Pleiades (M45)
Sony α7R III | William Optics ZenithStar 61II APO f/5.9 | iOptron SkyGuider Pro
Integration Time: 2 hr 3 min
ISO 3200 | f/5.9 | 3 min
Lights: 41 x 3 min
Darks: 10 x 3 min
Flats: 20 x 1/1600 sec
Bias: 100 x 1/8000 sec
The Elephant’s Trunk Nebula (IC1396), 05/30/2021
Weirdly last time I took the telescope out camping for the weekend the skies were exceedingly kind to me. The weather was forecast to be cloudy and I almost did not even bring my gear, let alone set it all up once I got on site. But the clouds buggered off so, what the hell, let’s give it a chance. One unfortunate thing however was that this target did not rise from behind the trees until after 12:30am. This totally put the damper on how much partying I got to do with my friends. However, the weather was so good I was able to shoot this object three nights in a row and it ended up being the most time I’ve sunk into a single image so far. I believe that this is the best image I’ve capture yet and it was definitely worth the effort!
The Elephant’s Trunk Nebula is in the constellation Cepheus and is about 2,400 light-years away from your couch. The “trunk” itself is over 20 light-years in size.
Equipment:
RASA 8
iOptron GEM45
ZWO ASI294MC-Pro
ZWO Asiair
Optolong L-Pro filter
Details:
Location – Buck Creek Campground
Bortle Class 3
145 120-second Lights (4.8 hrs.)
30 Darks
30 Dark flats
60 Flats
Astro Pixel Processor
Lightroom
Photoshop
#astrophotography #astronomy #comos #nightphotography #space #telescope #deepsky #asi294mcpro #amateurastronomy #backyardastronomy #asiair #asiairpro #celestronrasa #celestron #ioptron #ioptrongem45 #astropixelprocessor #optolong #telescope #astronomyphotography #deepskyobject
C’è un momento preciso in cui il cosmo smette di essere astronomia…
e diventa qualcosa che assomiglia più a un incidente in corso.
La Nebulosa Crescent è uno di quei momenti.
Non è una nuvola.
Non è un ornamento del cielo.
È il risultato di una stella che sta letteralmente cercando di sopravvivere a sé stessa.
Quella che chiamiamo Nebulosa Crescent, catalogata come NGC 6888, non è nata per “assomigliare” a qualcosa.
La forma a mezzaluna è un effetto collaterale.
Un residuo geometrico di forze in conflitto.
Si trova nella costellazione del Cigno e la sua luce ha viaggiato per circa 5.000 anni prima di arrivare fino a noi.
Al centro di tutto c’è WR 136.
Una stella Wolf-Rayet.
E già questo basta per capire il problema.
Non sono stelle “normali”.
Sono stelle che hanno consumato quasi tutto il loro combustibile e hanno iniziato a comportarsi in modo estremo.
Secondo le osservazioni spettroscopiche raccolte da missioni come Hubble (NASA/ESA) e da telescopi terrestri ad alta risoluzione:
WR 136 perde massa a velocità impressionanti, tramite venti stellari che superano milioni di chilometri orari.
Non sta “soffiando via gas”.
Sta letteralmente smontando i propri strati esterni.
La Nebulosa Crescent non è un’esplosione.
È uno scontro.
Per farti capire la suddivido in fasi:
Prima fase: la stella espelle materiale più lento.
Seconda fase: diventa Wolf-Rayet e inizia a emettere vento stellare molto più veloce.
Terza fase: Quando il secondo flusso raggiunge il primo…non lo attraversa.
Lo schiaccia, lo comprime e lo illumina.
E da questa collisione nasce la struttura che vediamo.
Una bolla instabile che si espande nello spazio interstellare come un’onda d’urto tridimensionale.
Quello che appare come “bello” nelle immagini astronomiche è in realtà un codice fisico.
Le osservazioni spettroscopiche mostrano che:
* il verde-blu è ossigeno ionizzato (O III)
* il rosso intenso è idrogeno eccitato (H-alpha)
Non sono colori estetici.
Sono stati energetici della materia.
È come se la nebulosa stesse parlando…
ma in una lingua che non è fatta per gli occhi umani.
La Nebulosa Crescent non è una struttura stabile.
È una fase, un passaggio.
Le simulazioni evolutive delle stelle Wolf-Rayet indicano che sistemi come WR 136 sono destinati a cambiare radicalmente su scale di tempo relativamente brevi (astronomicamente parlando).
Molte termineranno la loro vita in una supernova.
Un evento così energetico da superare l’intera luminosità della galassia per un breve periodo.
E quando succederà, la Crescent scomparirà, non lentamente, non poeticamente, semplicemente verrà cancellata da un altro evento fisico più potente.
La cosa bella di questa nebulosa è che all’interno di essa stanno nascendo stelle, pianeti e perché no anche nuove forme di vita.
Perché come dice il primo principio della termodinamica, nulla si crea, nulla si distrugge ma tutto si trasforma.