Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Carina (Car)  ·  Contains:  HD306097  ·  HD306098  ·  HD306099  ·  HD96829  ·  HD96883  ·  HD96946  ·  HD96947  ·  HD96970  ·  HD97152  ·  HD97237  ·  HD97284  ·  HD97319  ·  HD97484  ·  HD97558  ·  HD97581  ·  HD97707  ·  HD97808  ·  HD98210  ·  HD98312  ·  HD98436  ·  HD98484  ·  NGC 3576  ·  NGC 3579  ·  NGC 3581  ·  NGC 3582  ·  NGC 3584  ·  NGC 3586  ·  NGC 3590  ·  NGC 3603
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The Statue of Liberty Nebula (NGC 3576) & nebula NGC 3603, Paul Lloyd
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The Statue of Liberty Nebula (NGC 3576) & nebula NGC 3603

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
The Statue of Liberty Nebula (NGC 3576) & nebula NGC 3603, Paul Lloyd
Powered byPixInsight

The Statue of Liberty Nebula (NGC 3576) & nebula NGC 3603

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Description

Both these nebulae lie in the Carina-Sagittarius Arm of our spiral Milky Way Galaxy. Both are bright
emission nebulae, being energized by hot, young, massive stars embedded within them. But there is a
significant difference between them.

NGC 3576 (on the right, or west) lies some 9,000ly away, and is only 100ly or so from the famous
Great Carina Nebula, NGC 3372. NGC 3603, on the other hand, is at least 2x as distant, at approx.
20,000ly. It is partly obscured by NGC 3576’s nebulosity. NGC 3603 is regarded as the largest emission
nebula (H-II region) in our visible part of the Milky Way.

NGC 3576 gets its common name from the shape of the dark nebulae within it. It was discovered by
John Herschel in 1834. A few days later, he also discovered NGC 3603, but initially thought it was
possibly a globular star cluster. He revised his opinion to a nebula by the time he published his
observations in 1847.

I have used a H+O triband filter in an effort to display the nebula’s features more clearly.


Telescope: Asklar 107PHQ refractor, f=750mm
Camera:     ZWO ASI294MC Pro
Exposure:  40 x 300 sec, Optolong L-eNhance filter, gain=250
                   Bortle 3-4 sky, 90% Moon waning
Field of View: approx. 1º 22’ x 0º 58’
Image processed and prepared in PixInsight and Photoshop Elements

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The Statue of Liberty Nebula (NGC 3576) & nebula NGC 3603, Paul Lloyd