Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Gemini (Gem)
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Medusa Nebula, Sh2-274, Abell 21, Doug Summers
Medusa Nebula, Sh2-274, Abell 21
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Medusa Nebula, Sh2-274, Abell 21

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Medusa Nebula, Sh2-274, Abell 21, Doug Summers
Medusa Nebula, Sh2-274, Abell 21
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Medusa Nebula, Sh2-274, Abell 21

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Description

With a size of roughly 13 arcmins x 10 arcmins, the Medusa nebula is a larger planetary nebula (once thought to be an SNR) that shows plenty of detail.    The nebula has a pretty low surface brightness, likely explaining why it wasn't discovered until 1955.    It is 1500 light-years away in Gemini.    At that distance and apparent size, it is estimated to be 4 light years in extent.   The central star is thought to be the bluest of the visual triple just offset from the center of the nebula symmetry.  In this one-shot color image, several waves of ejected material can be seen.   There's also some very diffuse red in the broader field which is likely also ejected material from earlier periods of instability.

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  • Medusa Nebula, Sh2-274, Abell 21, Doug Summers
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    Medusa Nebula, Sh2-274, Abell 21, Doug Summers
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Description: SPCC, BXT, and GHS reprocessing. Better in some ways, worse in others. Still exploring....

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Medusa Nebula, Sh2-274, Abell 21, Doug Summers

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Planetary Nebulae