Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Monoceros (Mon)  ·  Contains:  HD44179
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HD 44179 - The Red Rectangle Nebula, Steve de Lisle
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HD 44179 - The Red Rectangle Nebula

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HD 44179 - The Red Rectangle Nebula, Steve de Lisle
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HD 44179 - The Red Rectangle Nebula

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Description

While not the best image i have ever taken, this remarkable object is HD 44179 - the red rectangle nebula in Monoceros. In actuality, it is a close binary at a stage just prior to it becoming a planetary nebula. For this reason, it is called a proto-planetary nebula. The X shape is not a diffraction spike but real, with Hubble images revealing material spaced between the spikes like the rungs of a ladder. It is quite unique and well worth looking at with a long focal length telescope. In my case, i used a Celestron C9.25edge at F10. This is a RGB image comprising a total of 750 images with an exposure time of 4 seconds each.

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HD 44179 - The Red Rectangle Nebula, Steve de Lisle

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Planetary Nebulae