Minkowski 1-41, also known as M 1-41 and PK 6-2.1, is a planetary nebula located in the constellation of Sagittarius at a declination of -24 degrees. This magnitude 17 nebula is 1 arc-minute wide. I could not find any information on this uniquely shaped object, which seems multi-polar and primarily HII-based. A wide view image of this area is shown
here, with this object near the left central edge.
This object is one of the Minkowski PNs. These PNs were discovered by German-American astronomer Dr. Rudolph Minkowski. His work at Mt. Wilson in California, just 15 miles from downtown Los Angeles, used up to 100 inch scopes to more than double the number of planetary nebulae known at the time. Among many other accomplishments, he was responsible for the photographic sky survey known as the POSS, the Palomar Observatory Sky Survey.
The Minkowski PN catalog was extracted from 3 papers he published in the 1940s. Although he didn’t number the objects and formally assemble them as a catalog, we now refer to the objects of the three papers by the designators M 1-xx, M 2-xx, and M 3-xx. A fourth catalog (M4-xx) was lated added from his observations, for a total of 207 PN. Minkowski objects are small, challenging, and difficult to see visually without the use of OIII or HII filters.
Interestingly, his emigration from Germany to the US was not planned. After Hitler took over power in Germany, only persons with aryan ancestors could teach in universities and Minkowski lost his title of professor at the University of Hamberg. He then received an invitation to work at the Mt. Wilson Observatory by the famous Dr. Walter Baade, who himself had left Hamberg. Like so many other famous astronomers, Dr. Minkowski then went on to make history after a challenging and turbulent beginning.
My Astrobin collection of Minkowski PN is
here.
Comments