Sh2-240 (TAU) - Nose deep in leftover Spaghetti …
What’s in the picture(s) -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simeis_147Quote: “Simeis 147, also known as the Spaghetti Nebula, SNR G180.0-01.7 or
Sharpless 2-240, is a
supernova remnant (SNR) in the
Milky Way, straddling the border between the constellations
Aurigaand
Taurus. It is difficult to observe due to its extremely low brightness.
The nebulous area is fairly large with an almost spherical shell and filamentary structure. The remnant has an
apparent diameter of approximately 3
degrees, an estimated distance of approximately 3000 (±350)
light-years, and an age of approximately 40,000
years.
It is believed that after its stellar explosion a rapidly spinning
neutron star known as
pulsarPSR J0538+2817 was left behind in the nebula core, emitting a strong
radio signal.”
What was the experience
I had already tried since last year to get some data on this object, but each time, a close by full moon, had burned out my subs. Eventually I captured some ‘in-between’ data on 3 separate nights, over 3 months, about 5 1/2 hours integration time. Not nearly enough to bring out the faint detail on this very soft object, only just enough to make its structure visible.
The field of view isn’t wide enough to capture this enormous object. Given the short time I spent on this object, I didn’t manage to expand this into a mosaic. So, it’s nose-deep into the Spaghetti 🍝 on this one …
How it was done
Scope: TS94 APO (FL 414mm)
Mount: EQ6-R Pro
Camera: ASI2600MC Pro
Photons:
20220109 L-Enhance 300s 33x
20220204-0303 L-Enhance 180s 62x
Processing: PixInsight (Mac)
What have I learned from this
The integration time is a bit short for this faint object. Also, given the size of this DSO, I was hoping this would give me some details on spaghetti strands, but it looks more like leftover sauce smudges. What did I learn ? …. I need a bigger plate for spaghetti 🍝 I know what to plan for next year 😉
Clear Skies everybody! 🤩✨🔭
Follow me @astrowaut
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