Archive 2020 · An Iconic Astrophotography target - The Helix Nebula

another_mikey
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · An Iconic Astrophotography target - The Helix Nebula

Just like terrestrial scenic shooting, astrophotography has its own set of iconic views, and just like scenic photography locations, these astro targets are iconic for a reason.

The Helix Nebula is the closest planetary nebula to Earth, and also then ends up having the largest apparent size in the sky as well. Unfortunately named planetary nebulas before their true nature was known, these nebulas have nothing to do with planets, instead being a natural evolutionary state of many stars as they approach the end of thir stellar lifetimes and begin blowing off material into space.

This image is my take on this famous nebula, shot at 580mm using a dedicated cooled astro monochrome camera and narrowband filters. It is a little more than 9.5 hours of data shot from reasonably dark skies in southern AZ. Comments and critiques most welcome.

Exact collection details as follows:

Equipment:
ZWO ASI1600MM-C Camera @ -20C and
Gain:200 Offset:50
Software Bisque MyT Mount
Stellarvue SVQ100 Astrograph Refractor, 580mm @ f/5.8
Innovations Foresight ONAG

Software:
Pixinsight Commercial Version 1.8
Lightroom CC
Photoshop CC
Innovations Foresight SkyGuard

Light Frames:
Ha: 41 x 300 secs ( 3 hrs 25 mins)
OIII: 37 x 300 secs (3 hrs 5 mins)
SII: 34 x 300 secs (2 hrs 50 mins)
Red: 11 x 30 secs (5 mins 30 secs)
Green: 12 x 30 secs (6 mins)
Blue: 12 x 30 secs (6 mins)

9 hrs 37 mins 30 secs total

Dark Frames:
10 x 60 secs, RGB (30 mins)
10 x 360 secs, Ha,OIII,SII (3 hrs)

Bias Frames
100

Flat Frames
20 each filter

Best Regards,

ML

Helix Nebula (NGC7293) In Narrowband

Nov 25, 2020 at 08:46 PM

junglialoh
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · An Iconic Astrophotography target - The Helix Nebula

Feel likely, anti- Sauron (burning eye) -Lord of the Rings in the dark world without tower.
This eye is antithesis of Sauron floating in the lost world
Well done successfully in clarity

Edited on Nov 25, 2020 at 09:23 PM · View previous versions

Nov 25, 2020 at 09:17 PM

AZHeaven
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · An Iconic Astrophotography target - The Helix Nebula

Excellent shot! And you even resolved the central star! If memory serves it's not really part of the nebula? I can't remember.

Nov 25, 2020 at 09:20 PM

InnomnateViem
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · An Iconic Astrophotography target - The Helix Nebula

Ouch!!!!!

What a stunningly beautiful image, Mikey, outstanding. You are going to convince me of narrow band imaging with the absolutely fantastic images you present.

Your description of the nebula is spot on as well. You are truly an inspiration to begging astrophotographers. Well this one for sure. Not much I can give in critique. The image speaks for itself.

As the saying goes a picture is worth a words. And a thousand praises.

Nov 25, 2020 at 09:41 PM

dclark
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · An Iconic Astrophotography target - The Helix Nebula

An amazing project and image!
I took a look at your web site. You have a bunch of great images there.

Dave

Nov 26, 2020 at 01:51 AM

another_mikey
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · An Iconic Astrophotography target - The Helix Nebula

Thanks everyone for the very nice comments!

This object has been on my wish list for quite some time, but its low position in the sky from most of the northern hemisphere has made it difficult to get a good time to try for it. I was initially not sure I would be getting the detail I wanted out of this target shooting it at 580mm with my refractor, but I was very happy how it came out.

Best Regards,

ML

Nov 26, 2020 at 02:52 AM

another_mikey
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · An Iconic Astrophotography target - The Helix Nebula

dclark - thanks for the wonderful comments on my work on my website, that is very nice to hear.

InnomnateViem - appreciate your feedback once again, you are too kind.

AZHeaven - thanks so much for the response. I am not absolutely sure, but I thought the central blue star is the magnitude ~13 star responsible for the nebula, but I might be wrong about that.

junglialoh - Thanks for your comments, I forgot to mention the Eye of Sauron reference, easy to see why that gets used to describe the amazing nebula.

ML

Nov 26, 2020 at 02:58 AM

junglialoh
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · An Iconic Astrophotography target - The Helix Nebula

I think the centered star is definitely neutron star, and it is milestone work to capture the neutron star clearly if it is not background star. I think the neuron star blow away most gases and dust to surrounded area when I look at the radiated flow of gases at central region carefully.

Nov 26, 2020 at 07:38 AM

another_mikey
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · An Iconic Astrophotography target - The Helix Nebula

Yes, I agree, I think that is the remnant star that created the nebula.

ML

Nov 26, 2020 at 01:33 PM


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