Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Auriga (Aur)  ·  Contains:  24 Aur  ·  24 phi Aur  ·  HD35633  ·  IC 417  ·  LBN 804  ·  LDN 1526  ·  Sh2-234  ·  The star φ Aur
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IC417 - The Spider Nebula, Michael & Jon Norman
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IC417 - The Spider Nebula

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
IC417 - The Spider Nebula, Michael & Jon Norman
Powered byPixInsight

IC417 - The Spider Nebula

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Description

IC417, the Spider Nebula, is an emission nebula found within the constellation Auriga.  This arachnid inspired nebula can be found within the same molecular cloud encompassing the commonly imaged IC405 (Flaming Star) and the less commonly imaged NGC 1931 (Fly Nebula).  The central gas region, likely the namesake for the nebula, rests within a diffuse cloud of both emission and reflection.  The central open cluster within IC417 is the energetic source for the emission component of this nebula.   

Processing for this target wasn’t particularly straightforward.  Pulling the incredibly faint background emission component took several iterations of StarXterminator.  The gentle use of BXT helped dial in the star size and recover some details lost to the atmosphere.  Hydrogen alpha was shot but was used as a masking tool rather than being integrated into the image.  The significant red-channel integration time helped to pull out any Ha that would have otherwise been added.

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IC417 - The Spider Nebula, Michael & Jon Norman