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Sunday, March 1, 2020

Two ways to die, Sh2-216 & Sh2-221, Supernova remnant and a planetary nebula


This must be one of the dimmest targets I have shot. The supernova remnant Simeis 147 is large and dim but this nebula pair in Auriga is much dimmer. There are very few images about this target around. Photo is taken with Tokina AT-x 300mm f2.8 camera lens and Apogee Alta U16 astro camera.


Supernova remnant and a planetary nebula in the same field of view
Click for a large photo, it's worth it!

Mapped colors from the emission of ionized elements, R=Sulfur, G=Hydrogen and B=Oxygen.
NOTE, the apparent size of the Full Moon is marked at lower left corner.


INFO

Sh2-216, the closest planetary nebula to earth ever discovered.

Image spans about six degrees horizontally, at left lays the large and very dim planetary nebula Sharpless 216 (aka Simeis 288, Marsalkova 44, LBN 742, GN 04.41.3)
This planetary nebula is the closest known planetary nebula to Earth, about 390 light years, and also one of the oldest known. Due the old age, it's very diffused, dim and large, apparent diameter is about 1,6 degrees. (Full Moon is about 0,5 degrees wide)

Supernova remnant Sh2-221

At right side of the photo lays a dim nad diffused supernova remnant Sh2-221 (SNR G160.4+02.8, HB9) it locates in constellation Auriga, about one degree West from star Capella. (Doesn't show in my image) The distance from the Earth, 2600 light years, is determined recently at 2007. This object was recognized as a supernova remnant back at seventies.


H-alpha image with labels
Click for a large photo



Technical details

Processing workflow

Image acquisition, MaxiDL v5.07.
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Deconvolution with a CCDStack2 Positive Constraint, 33 iterations, added at 50% weight
Color combine in PS CS3
Levels and curves in PS CS3.

Imaging optics
Tokina AT-x f2.8 camera lens

Mount
10-micron 1000

Cameras and filters
Imaging camera Apogee Alta U16 and Apogee seven slot filter wheel
Guider camera, Lodestar x 2 and an old spotting scope of Meade LX200


Astrodon filters,
5nm H-alpha 3nm S-II and 3nm O-III

Total exposure time 26h

H-alpha, 36 x 1200 s, binned 1x1 = 12 h
O-III, 33 x 1200 s, binned 2x2 = 11 h
S-II, 9 x 1200 s. binned 2x2 = 3 h




Orientation in Auriga






Sunday, February 23, 2020

Cederblad 214, the Cosmic Question mark in visual colors

I have published this target in mapped colors at 9.2. 2020, it can be seen here, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/02/new-photo-of-cederblad-214-cosmic.html

This photo was taken with my "new" imaging system. I managed to mate an old Tokina AT-x 300mm f2.8 camera optics with the Apogee Alta U16 astro camera and filter wheel. Some angle grinder was needed to have enough back focus... More info here, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-frankenstein-monster-my-current.html

This photo of Cosmic Question Mark has a great symbolic value for me. The cosmic curiosity is the very reason I'm doing this difficult, and sometimes frustrating, form of nature photographing. 


Cederblad 214 and Sharpless 170,  ? "
Please, click for a full size image

Photo is in natural colors combined from narrowband channels. An ionized hydrogen, H-alpha, is emitting deep red light and it's dominating the color scheme. Bluish hues are from an ionized oxygen, O-III.


A two panel mosaic panorama to SNR CTB1
Please, click for a full size image

This composition in mapped colors can be seen here, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/02/panorama-mosaic-cederblad-214-sharpless.html


INFO


This cosmic question mark, in constellation Cepheus, contains following objects; At top, Cederblad 214(Ced 214) surrounded by NGC 7822, a dot like nebula at the bottom is known as Sharpless 170,(Sh2-170). Image spans over Five degrees vertically. Distance from my observatory, is ~2750 light years and it spans about 40 light years.


Orientation in the sky


Cederblad 214 can  be seen at upper left corner. Image shows its location related to constellation Cepheus.


Technical details

Processing workflow

Image acquisition, MaxiDL v5.07.
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Deconvolution with a CCDStack2 Positive Constraint, 33 iterations, added at 50% weight
Color combine in PS CS3
Levels and curves in PS CS3.

Imaging optics
Tokina AT-x f2.8 camera lens

Mount
10-micron 1000

Cameras and filters
Imaging camera Apogee Alta U16 and Apogee seven slot filter wheel
Guider camera, Lodestar x 2 and an old spotting scope of Meade LX200


Astrodon filters,
5nm H-alpha 3nm S-II and 3nm O-III

Total exposure time

H-alpha, 12 x 1200 s, binned 1x1 = 4 h
O-III, 1x 1200 s, binned 2x2 = 20 min.
S-II, 1 x 1200 s. binned 2x2 = 20 min.





Saturday, February 22, 2020

Simeis 147 (Sh2-240), a large supernova remnant in visual colors


Simeis 147 is a difficult target due to a low surface brightness and a very large angular diameter.
Yesterday I published a mapped color version of this supernova remnant. This time I have composed the narrowband channels to a visual palette. Ionized hydrogen, H-alpha emits deep red light. Since the hydrogen is the most common element in our universum, red is dominating the view. There are some very dim bluish hues from a light of an ionized oxygen, O-III.
I collected the data for this image between 27.12.2019 and 19.02.2020.


Simeis 147 (Sharpless 240)
Click for a large image it's worth it!

Note, the relative size of a full Moon is marked as a white circle at bottom left, this is a large object!
Red light from an ionized hydrogen is dominating the view.


An experimental starless version
Click for a large image


The starless version Complex filaments are easier to see in this experimental starless image.


INFO

Simeis 147 (sharpless 240), is a very faint and large supernova remnant in constellation Taurus at distance of ~3000 light years. It's constantly expanding at speed of 1000 km/second but due the size of it, we can't see any movement in it. This SN spans over 160 light years and the apparent scale in the sky is about three degrees (Moon has an apparent size of 30" = 0,5 degrees).  Explosion took place approximately 30.000 years ago  and left behind a  pulsar (Neutron star). The pulsar has recently identified.

How long it'll takes to this supernova remnant to expand 1% large when the diameter is 160 light years and it expands at speed of 1000km/second.

Answer is ~480 years.
 (1% of diameter 160/100= 16, as kilometers ~151.372.800.000.00, = Y, km,
1000km/second is ~315.360.000.00, = Z, kilometers/year.
So, X x Z = Y and  X=Z/Y,    X = 480 with given values)

Technical details

Processing workflow
Image acquisition, MaxiDL v5.07.
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Deconvolution with a CCDStack2 Positive Constraint, 33 iterations, added at 50% weight
Color combine in PS CS3
Levels and curves in PS CS3.

Imaging optics

Mount
10-micron 1000

Cameras and filters
Imaging camera Apogee Alta U16 and Apogee seven slot filter wheel
Guider camera, Lodestar x 2 and an old spotting scope of Meade LX200
Astrodon filters,
5nm H-alpha 3nm S-II and 3nm O-III

Total exposure time
H-alpha, 15 x 1200 s, binned 1x1 = 5 h
O-III, 24x 600 s, binned 2x2 = 4 h
S-II, 1 x 12 x 600 s. binned 2x2 = 2 h

Friday, February 21, 2020

Simeis 147 (Sh2-240), a large supernova remnant in Taurus

Simeis 147 is a difficult target due to a low surface brightness and a very large angular diameter.
I collected the data for this image between 27.12.2019 and 19.02.2020.

Simeis 147 (Sharpless 240)
Click for a large image

Note, the relative size of a full Moon is marked as a white circle at bottom left, this is a large object!
Image is in mapped colors, from the emission of ionized elements, R=Sulphur, G=Hydrogen and B=Oxygen. 

INFO


Simeis 147 (sharpless 240), is a very faint and large supernova remnant in constellation Taurus at distance of ~3000 light years. It's constantly expanding at speed of 1000 km/second but due the size of it, we can't see any movement in it. This SN spans over 160 light years and the apparent scale in the sky is about three degrees (Moon has an apparent size of 30" = 0,5 degrees).  Explosion took place approximately 30.000 years ago  and left behind a  pulsar (Neutron star). The pulsar has recently identified.

How long it'll takes to this supernova remnant to expand 1% large when the diameter is 160 light years and it expands at speed of 1000km/second.
Answer is ~480 years.
 (1% of diameter 160/100= 16, as kilometers ~151.372.800.000.00, = Y, km,
1000km/second is ~315.360.000.00, = Z, kilometers/year.
So, X x Z = Y and  X=Z/Y,    X = 480 with given values)


Technical details

Processing workflow
Image acquisition, MaxiDL v5.07.
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Deconvolution with a CCDStack2 Positive Constraint, 33 iterations, added at 50% weight
Color combine in PS CS3
Levels and curves in PS CS3.

Imaging optics

Mount
10-micron 1000

Cameras and filters
Imaging camera Apogee Alta U16 and Apogee seven slot filter wheel
Guider camera, Lodestar x 2 and an old spotting scope of Meade LX200
Astrodon filters,
5nm H-alpha 3nm S-II and 3nm O-III

Total exposure time
H-alpha, 15 x 1200 s, binned 1x1 = 5 h
O-III, 24x 600 s, binned 2x2 = 4 h
S-II, 1 x 12 x 600 s. binned 2x2 = 2 h