NGC 1909 / IC 2118 (2-Panel Mosaic) Lizard-Head Nebula (Alex Woronow)

Celestial hemisphere: Southern · Constellation: Eridanus (Eri) · Contains: IC 2118 · NGC 1797 · NGC 1799 · NGC 1909 · PK205-26.1 · Witch Head nebula · the Witch Head Nebula

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NGC 1909 / IC 2118 (2-Panel Mosaic) Lizard-Head Nebula

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NGC 1909 / IC 2118 (2-Panel Mosaic) Lizard-Head Nebula

NGC 1909 / IC 2118 (2-Panel Mosaic) Lizard-Head Nebula

OTA:……………….TAO 150 (f/7.3)

Camera:………….FLI - ML16200 (1.13 arcsec/pixel)

Observatory:….Deep Sky West, Chile

EXPOSURES:

EXPOSURES:

…R……14 & 13 x 600 sec.

…B…...15 & 13 x 600

…G……12 & 09 x 600

…L…….15 & 14 x 600

Total exposure 18 hours

Image Width: 1.4 degs

Processed by Alex Woronow (2020) using PixInsight, Topaz, LuminarAI, ACDSee. SWT

Poor lizard, it looks like its hindquarters are a bit squashed (left), but the head (right) looks alert and happy, albeit with somewhat crocodilian eyes.

The blue-cast of NGC 1909 (aka IC 2118) arises from reflected starlight, just like our blue skies—remember those?). The star providing the illumination probably is the supergiant, Rigel, in the constellation of Orion. (Rigel lies out of the image toward the bottom.) This nebula lies close to the enormous Orion-Eridanus bubble, a giant shell of molecular hydrogen. The windblown shape of NGC 1909 suggests interactions with the hot giant stars of the Orion OB1 Stellar Association. In fact, the “head” of the lizard looks toward the OB1 association (toward the lower right). Everything appears to be blowing away from that direction, too.

By the way, this object is very faint (around 13mag), and differences in exposure processing can change a lizard into a human skull, or even a witch’s head, or a …, you be the abstract artist!

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The “AstroBin Image of the Day and Top Picks”, or IOTD/TP, is a long-running system to promote beautiful, interesting, peculiar, or otherwise amazing astrophotographs, with a focus on technical excellence. Learn more.

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Views by Submitters (available since September 19th, 2023) Every image is assigned to 50% of available Submitters. In the event that at least 80% of them don't view the image before its time in the IOTD/TP process expires, it's assigned to the other 50% of Submitters and the process begins anew.
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Status	Advanced success
Started	...
Astrometry.net job	4442010
PixInsight job	TLSY517QF6UK4PL6507VD5Z9HSZ1P020
PixInsight queue size	n/a
PixInsight stage	n/a

RA (center)	05h05m32s.21
RA (top/left)	05h02m21s.20
RA (top/right)	05h03m09s.15
RA (bottom/right)	05h08m43s.13
RA (bottom/left)	05h07m55s.61

Dec (center)	-07°02′08″.2
Dec (top/left)	-08°02′04″.4
Dec (top/right)	-05°54′18″.10
Dec (bottom/right)	-06°01′58″.6
Dec (bottom/left)	-08°09′42″.7

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NGC 1909 / IC 2118 (2-Panel Mosaic) Lizard-Head Nebula

NGC 1909 / IC 2118 (2-Panel Mosaic) Lizard-Head Nebula

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NGC 1909 / IC 2118 (2-Panel Mosaic) Lizard-Head Nebula

NGC 1909 / IC 2118 (2-Panel Mosaic) Lizard-Head Nebula

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