| OBJECT |
M47 (blue cluster just above/right of center) and NGC 2423 (smaller stars grouped below M47) (image above is reduced-size | other sizes: medium , original) Distance: 1,600 light years to M47 |
|
| Telescope | Takahashi FS-60C @ f/6.2 | |
| Mount | Takahashi EM200 Temma II | |
| Camera | QSI 540wsg @ -15C | |
| Filters | Astrodon Tru-Balance I-Series LRGB Gen 2 | |
| Guider | SX Lodestar | |
| Settings | 2x5min ea RGB (all bin1x1); AstroArt5, CS4 (cropped, 10xdarks/flats/fdarks/bias) | |
| Date/Location Notes |
15 December 2013 - Las Cruces, NM Shot to south (into light pollution), so I used Ha to see if I could find any dusty areas. I didn't find much, and my end result is just the RGB data. I did, however, find an odd object when using Ha and which I have in a stretched result, HERE - I have since reported it to several groups in case it is something not cataloged - you never know :) Update 18 Jun 14 - Discovery: This 'odd object' has been confirmed by professional astronomers to be a previously undocumented emission nebula! Quote from Australian astronomer and professor: "HII region...Quite large, but also quite faint"-Prof. Quentin A. Parker. My first discovery!! It will likely not be 'officially' recognized, however, as that would require a journal article to be published describing it, and astronomers are generally more interested in planetary nebulae than emission nebulae. But, will wait and see. My thanks go out to Ken Crawford, Sakib Rasool, and Robert Gendler for their time and advice - and special thanks to Sakib for contacting professional astronomers. Update (7 Mar 15) - More data: I have finished processing a result from 26 Nov 2014 - I used my TOA-130F for a closer look. The result is processed to better show the object, and now it is pretty clear. For the data, I used: TOA-130F @ f/7.7; QSI540wsg @ -15C; 4x15min Ha; 1x10min Lum; 10xdarks/flats/fdarks/bias RESULT is  Update (20 May 15) - Independent verification: I have been notified by Sakib Rasool on 20 May 2015 of independent verification of the nebula!! Here is an excerpt from Sakib's email to me: "An amateur called Kfir Simon recently took an astroimaging trip to Namibia and I provided a list of imaging targets for him. I also included a special request to take some Ha data for your nebula discovery in Puppis. He has independently verified the existence of this nebula." Thank you so much Sakib and Kfir! 15 November 2017 - Published
(journal): http://article.sapub.org/10.5923.j.astronomy.20170601.01.html |
