EGB 4 (Ellis-Grayson-Bond 4) Emission Nebula
I was rather reluctant to take the object on given my bortle sky scale of 8 and how few clear nights we have had this year in Michigan, USA. I decided to give it a shot anyways, however. It really could of used twice the amount of integration time I have into it, though. It was extremely hard to process and pull out the detail. I have learned over the years that doing narrowband imaging evens the playing field with highly light polluted skies like mine EXCEPT when the object is faint like this one.
EGB 4 (Ellis-Grayson-Bond 4) is a binary star system that is not well understood. In most cataclysmic variables, matter from a normal star accumulates on the surface of the companion white dwarf star, eventually causing a nova-like flare as the material becomes hot enough to ignite nuclear fusion. In this case, however, light appears to flicker unpredictably, and an unusually large wind of particles is being expelled. The wind creates a large bow-shock as the system moves through surrounding interstellar gas. It lies about 2500 light-years away toward the constellation of Camelopardalis.
To date, the only amateur astronomer that has been able to capture this well is my friend Peter.
References:
apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap001128.htmlTHE ASTRONOMICAL JOURNAL, 115:286-295, 1998 January © 1998. The American Astronomical Society.
aanda.org/articles/aa/full/2001/36/aa1385/aa1385.right.html
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