Russell Croman Astrophotography  

 

 

The Medulla Nebula


About This Photograph

Over 130 hours of exposure time through two different telescopes, using special filters that isolate light from sulfur (yellow), hydrogen (red), and oxygen (blue), were required to produce this photograph of the extremely faint Medulla Nebula. Also known as Abell 85 and CTB-1, it is a supernova remnant, the remains of a star that exploded after consuming most of its hydrogen fuel around 10,000 years ago. The fast-moving shell of gas is now expanding into a region of diffuse, patchy gas and dust that contains even fainter filaments, likely the remains of even older supernovas.

 

Technical Details

Optics:Takahashi FSQ-106 EDX4, PlaneWave 14" CDK
Camera:QHY600M, STX-16803
Mount:Paramount MX+, Paramount ME-II
Filters:Chroma 3nm [SII], H⍺, [OIII]
Dates/Times:23 October - 6 December 2020
Location:RC-Astro North Observatory at New Mexico Skies
Exposure Details:[S II]:Hα:[O III] = 46:40:45 hours (131 hours total)
Acquisition:MaxIm DL 6, ACP Expert
Processing:PixInsight, Photoshop

 

Publication Data for this Photograph

Date Publication Type
2021-01-18 NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Web Site