Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Monoceros (Mon)  ·  Contains:  NGC 2170  ·  NGC 2182  ·  NGC 2183
Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
NGC 2170 - NGC 2182 - NGC 2183   – Remarkable faint nebula complex, Terry Robison
NGC 2170 - NGC 2182 - NGC 2183   – Remarkable faint nebula complex
Powered byPixInsight

NGC 2170 - NGC 2182 - NGC 2183 – Remarkable faint nebula complex

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
NGC 2170 - NGC 2182 - NGC 2183   – Remarkable faint nebula complex, Terry Robison
NGC 2170 - NGC 2182 - NGC 2183   – Remarkable faint nebula complex
Powered byPixInsight

NGC 2170 - NGC 2182 - NGC 2183 – Remarkable faint nebula complex

Equipment

Loading...

Acquisition details

Loading...

Description

This is a pretty colourful and wild-looking part of sky. I believe that the area is best described as a very faint nebula complex located in Monoceros, about 2700 light-years away. The field is filled with dusty streamers throughout, and black ribbons of dark nebula radiating outwards. It also contains areas of glowing red emission and several beautiful blue reflection nebulae.

NGC 2170 is the bluish nebula on the extreme left side. Just to the right and slightly down, an area that resembles glowing embers surrounded by three nebulae with reds and blues. Near the centre of the image, there is another blue reflection nebula, NGC 2182. At the lower right-hand side, NGC 2183 is just entering the frame. Unfortunately, my instrument’s narrow field of view does not allow this nebula to be presented in its entirety. I just couldn’t bring myself to crop it out as it’s such an incredible looking nebula, and I believe that it adds a bit of mystery to just what lies outside the frame. I must come back to this area and image that intriguing object.

The areas that I find most attractive and striking are the blue reflection nebula. Their properties, precisely the particle size that makes up the dust preferentially, reflect blue light from the nearby hot stars. This combination produces that beautiful blue glow seen in many astrophotography.



There are glowing red areas throughout the frame. They are emission nebula. The ultraviolet light from nearby stars interacts and excites the nearby hydrogen gas, causing these areas to emit light. Other types of gas also emit light of their own in colours determined by the composition of the gas. Perhaps the most striking features are the dark or absorption nebula. The absorption nebula is seen in silhouette, blocking the light from behind. From our vantage point, we see black. Near-Infrared imaging reveals telltale signs of ongoing star formation and massive young stars that are hidden by dust, and not seen in traditional RGB optical images like this.

Instruments:

10 Inch RCOS fl 9.1

Astro Physics AP-900 Mount

SBIG STL 11000m

FLI Filter Wheel

Astrodon Lum, Red, Green, Blue Filters

Exposure Details:

Lum 40 X 900

Red 18 X 450 Binned 2

Green 18 X 450 Binned 2

Blue 18 X 450 Binned 2

Ha 20 X 1800

Total Time 26.75 hours

Location

Australia, Central Victoria

Comments

Sky plot

Sky plot

Histogram

NGC 2170 - NGC 2182 - NGC 2183   – Remarkable faint nebula complex, Terry Robison