Cat’s Eye Nebula

Scary Eyes

 in Blog  tagged Cat's Eye Nebula / Dumbbell Nebula / Helix Nebula / M27 / NGC6543 / NGC7293 / planetary nebula / Ring Nebula

The Helix Nebula (NGC7293) is a great example of what is called a “planetary nebula” (PN), and is one of the closest PNs to Earth at about 700 light-years.  “Planetary Nebula” is a misnomer that derives from their typically round appearance, which might be mistaken for a planet when viewed through primitive telescopes.  They are actually emission nebulae resulting from a star shedding its outer layers as it approaches its end of life.  Most PNs have a similar appearance, but this image is the best example from my small selection, partly because of its large angular size, and partly because it […]

Celestial Critters

 in Blog  tagged Cat's Eye Nebula / NGC4631 / NGC6543 / Whale Galaxy

In addition to the wide-angle shot of the Milky Way (previous post), I thought I had captured 3 targets at the Maupin star party last weekend.  I can usually tell from an individual raw image whether I’ve got what I want, but when the object is exceptionally dim you sometimes have to just trust that it will show up when you stack multiple exposures.  Unfortunately, stacking doesn’t help if you don’t have the telescope pointed in the right direction!  I had planned to photograph the “Angel Nebula”, but when I googled that to get the coordinates I instead got the […]