Abell 39 is a low
surface brightnessplanetary nebula in the constellation of Hercules. It is the 39th entry in
George Abell's 1966
Abell Catalog of Planetary Nebulae (and 27th in his 1955 catalog) of 86 old planetary nebulae which either Abell or
Albert George Wilson discovered before August 1955 as part of the
National Geographic Society - Palomar Observatory Sky Survey. It is estimated to be about 3,300 light-years from earth and 4,600 light-years above the Galactic plane. It is almost perfectly spherical and also one of the largest known spheres with a radius of about 1.3 light-years. This planetary nebula has a nearly uniform spherical shell. However, the eastern limb of the nebula is 50% more luminous than the western limb.
Information Credits:
WikipediaTelescope: Explorer Scientific 127mm CF APO Refractor f/7.5 (952mm Focal Length)
Explore Scientific X0.7 Reducer f/5.25 (667mm Focal Length)
Mount IOptron CEM40
Camera ZWOASI2600MC-Pro Temp -10C, Binning 1 x 1, Gain 100 Offset 50
57 X 300 Second Exposures W/Optolong L-Ultimate (3nm) Filter
21 X 240 Second Exposures W/Optolong L-Ultimate (3nm) Filter
10 X 180 Second Exposures W/Optolong L-Ultimate (3nm) Filter
20 Dark Frames/30 Flats
Total Integration Time: 6 Hours 40 Minutes
Acquisition with SharpCap
Stacked with Astro Pixel Processor
Guiding PHD2
Processed with Astra Image
Photo taken from Seven Lakes, NC Bortle 4.5
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