Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Aquila (Aql)  ·  Contains:  Aquila  ·  HD177082  ·  PK046+03.1  ·  PK047+04.1  ·  Sh2-78
Sh2-78 aka CTSS-3, Peter Goodhew
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Sh2-78 aka CTSS-3, Peter Goodhew
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Description

CTSS-3 (Cappellaro Turatto Salvadori Sabbadin 3) or PN G046.8+03.8 is a large, late stage planetary nebula located in Aquila. Even though it was entered in the Sharpless catalog as Sh2-78 in 1959, it was not until 1990 it was categorized as a PN, when an Italian team used a technique comparing the Palomar Observatory Sky Survey plate used by Sharpless with a new infrared survey plate, also from Palomar. The original publication can be found here.

CTSS-3 is reported to be at a distance of about 2200 light years and to have a diameter of about 12 arcmin. However, in this image it is evident that besides its intense ”boxy” inner structure it also has a weaker, previously unknown outer structure, extending at least 20 arcmin, giving it an elongated, three-dimensional or moving appearance.

Data acquisition and pre-processing by Sven Eklund
Post-processing by Peter Goodhew

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Sh2-78 aka CTSS-3, Peter Goodhew