Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Canis Major (CMa)  ·  Contains:  The star ο1CMa
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SH2-308 - Bi-Colour with RGB Enhancements, Terry Robison
SH2-308 - Bi-Colour with RGB Enhancements
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SH2-308 - Bi-Colour with RGB Enhancements

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
SH2-308 - Bi-Colour with RGB Enhancements, Terry Robison
SH2-308 - Bi-Colour with RGB Enhancements
Powered byPixInsight

SH2-308 - Bi-Colour with RGB Enhancements

Equipment

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Acquisition details

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Description

About 70,000 years aro, the Wol-Rayet star EZ Canis Majoris formed this unique nebula as it shed off its outer hydrogen layers. Stellar winds created the bubble-shaped nebula as they swept up the slower moving material from an earlier phase of the star's evolution. The spectrum shows that the star it is devoid of hydrogen at its surface, and EZ Canis Major is expected to explode in a supernova eventually.

The best time for observing or imaging this object is between December and April. It is about 8 degrees south of Sirius (the brightest star in the night sky). It is a large object, a little larger than the full moon. I can just get the full moon in my field of view, and sadly, I can not image this object completely.

When imaged with traditional RGB filters, the object is a little underwhelming. You do have a colourful starfield, and wisps of teal from the nebula. That beautiful teal colouring was the most critical component I wanted to retain. Often, the rare teal colours in astronomical photos are frequently removed and replaced with blue during image processing.

Many hours of OIII and Ha data were collected to reveal this unique structure. My goals were to present SH2-302 as an ethereal crystalline structure with luminescent highlights, delicate wisps and filaments spread throughout. I love how the teal coloured filaments appear to glow within this massive bubble. Flicks of reddish nebula highlight where Hydrogen gas is located. A colourful starfield serves as a beautiful backdrop. This object has been on my bucket list for a very long time. Hopefully, I didn't botch it.

Equipment Details:

•10 Inch RCOS fl 9.1

•Astro Physics AP-900 Mount

•SBIG STL 11000m

•FLI Filter Wheel

•Baader Planetarium H-alpha 7nm Narrowband-Filter

•Baader Planetarium OIII 8.5nm Narrowband-Filter

Exposure Details:

•Blue 18X600 1X1

•Green 14 X 600 1X1

•Red 18 X 600 1X1

•Lum 24 X 900 Binned 1X1

•OIII 45 X 1200 Binned 2X2

•Ha 45 X 1200 Binned 2X2

Total Time: 44.3 Hours

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