Abell 21 - Medusa Planetary Nebula (Douglas J Struble)

Celestial hemisphere: Northern · Constellation: Gemini (Gem)

Abell 21 - Medusa Planetary Nebula, Douglas J Struble

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Abell 21 - Medusa Planetary Nebula

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Abell 21 - Medusa Planetary Nebula

Finally finished up a new object. Good old winter blues here in Michigan. What you are seeing in the surrounding area is actually the texture of the gas, not mottling. It could of used more integration time to bring that out more, but I did the best I could bringing that out this time of year.

Although Abell 21, or Sh2-274, has a large apparent diameter of 10 arcminutes, its surface brightness is so low, with features ranging from magnitude 16-25, that it was not discovered until 1955. It is a planetary nebula lying at a distance of 1,500 light-years in the constellation Gemini, which gives it an estimated diameter of 4 light-years. The parent star, now a white dwarf, is thought to be the deep blue star near the center of the crescent. The braided filaments of the shell the star shed during its red giant phase, resemble the serpents that comprise the hair of the mythical character Medusa, giving the nebula its popular name, the Medusa Nebula. The braided shell cradles a sphere of gas glowing a soft blue, largely due to emissions by oxygen III.

Planetary Nebulae
Abell Planetary Nebula

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Astrometry.net job	3251777
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Abell 21 - Medusa Planetary Nebula

Abell 21 - Medusa Planetary Nebula

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Abell 21 - Medusa Planetary Nebula

Abell 21 - Medusa Planetary Nebula

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