NGC 6302 - The Bug Nebula: Cropped Version

[nandopg]

NGC 6302 is a bi-polar planetary nebula located at Scorpion constellation, distant 3800 light years and with a physical size of 2 light years, what give us a FOV of 3 x 1.4 arc minutes. The structure of the nebula is one the most intriguing ever observed as far as planetary nebula is concerned.
Spectral analysis has been shown that the center star is one of the hottest object known in our galaxy, with surface's temperature ranging 200.000 K, what implies that the star has formed from a big star.

The center star is a white dwarf, and just was observed recently, through the HST. This star has an actual mass of 0.64x solar mass. It is sorrounded by a dense disk on the equatorial area coomposed by dust and gas.

This nebula has very peculiar features to be observed like ionized walls, nodes and edges. Some of these features can be observed from the image posted.

Image details:
10 sub-frames of Red of 600sec
12 sub-frames of Ha of 1200 sec
12 sub-frames of blue 900 sec
10 sub- of green of 480 sec.

 

[laudropb]

Very nice image and very informative write up. Thanks for posting.

[nandopg]

Thank you so much for the appreciation.

Best Regards,

Fernando

[mikeyscope]

A very fine image of an object we don't see on the forums too often due to it's -37 DEC ... so thanks for sharing this southern gem of a planetary nebula, a very interesting subject.

Do you have any details of your imaging scope/f-ratio/camera?

Mike

[nandopg]

Thanks for your great and kind comments.

Sure,as for the setup, please find below:

Telescpe: Skywatcher Quattro 10   f/4 10"   Fiber Glass Newtonian Reflector

Camera: StarLight Express SX- 694 Trio (OAG and Filter Wheel built-in)

Guider: StarLightExpress Lodestar 

Focuser: Moonlite 3" high resolution focuser

GEM: AltAzEQ-6 Pro

Best Regardsand thanks again,

Fernando

[wimvb]

Great image, with  excellent detail in the nebula.

 

Thanks for sharing.

[nandopg]

1 hour ago, wimvb said:

Great image, with  excellent detail in the nebula.

 

Thanks for sharing.

Thank you !!

It was my pleasure,

Best Regards,

Fernando

[symesie04]

Very nice dont think i have ever seen the bug before.

[gorann]

Yes, a very nice image of an object I have never seen. Congratulations!

I am quite sure it will not get up over my Swedish horizon. Where on the planet are you located Fernando?  Brazil?

[nandopg]

5 hours ago, symesie04 said:

Very nice dont think i have ever seen the bug before.

Thank you !!

I think the main problem to image this PN is that you should be located in a site where it crosses the local meridian almost on zenit. This is why, due to its very small size, you can not have too much atmospheric turbulence, otherwise all one gets is a bluried view of the object.

I imaged The Bug in a window of +/- 60 deg of elevation, relative to its transit, which in my latitude is around 88 Deg of elevation!!

This nebula is sometimes called Butterfly Nebula, but I think it really looks like a bug that was smashed against a car's windshield.

Best Regards and thanks again,

Fernando

[nandopg]

5 hours ago, gorann said:

Yes, a very nice image of an object I have never seen. Congratulations!

I am quite sure it will not get up over my Swedish horizon. Where on the planet are you located Fernando?  Brazil?

Hi Göran,

Thank you for the kind words !!

Although Brazil looks like a country out side this planet, yes I live in Brazil, in a small town called Santa Rita do Sapucai, located south of Minas Gerais state.  Santa Rita is a nice little town,  with a great rural sky. Here sometimes I have the feeling that I am not in Brazil, given the calm and easiness the things move.  We have 3 universities here, what make Santa Rita a even more peculiar place.  I was born in Rio de Janeiro, and move to here 20 years ago, because Rio was driving me crazy. Yes, that is part of my recent history, thanks for asking.

Turnnng to the astronomy, I don't think you should be able to image this PN in your place, once it is too northern.  There is an event here called Brazilian Metting of Astrophotography, that takes place on June/July.  It is very nice meeting and an outstanding oportunity to image the southern skies.  In portuguese he name of the meeting is EBA.  You can do some googling to check on the Meeting.

Best Regards and Thanks a Lot,

Fernando

[gorann]

3 minutes ago, nandopg said:

Hi Göran,

Thank you for the kind words !!

Although Brazil looks like a country out side this planet, yes I live in Brazil, in a small town called Santa Rita do Sapucai, located south of Minas Gerais state.  Santa Rita is a nice little town,  with a great rural sky. Here sometimes I have the feeling that I am not in Brazil, given the calm and easiness the things move.  We have 3 universities here, what make Santa Rita a even more peculiar place.  I was born in Rio de Janeiro, and move to here 20 years ago, because Rio was driving me crazy. Yes, that is part of my recent history, thanks for asking.

Turnnng to the astronomy, I don't think you should be able to image this PN in your place, once it is too northern.  There is an event here called Brazilian Metting of Astrophotography, that takes place on June/July.  It is very nice meeting and an outstanding oportunity to image the southern skies.  In portuguese he name of the meeting is EBA.  You can do some googling to check on the Meeting.

Best Regards and Thanks a Lot,

Fernando

Sounds like you found one of the perfect spots on Earth! I live and work in Oslo (at the university), capital of Norway, so I have note even tried AP there, but I also have a house on the countryside in Sweden, 1.5 hours drive from Oslo, and there the sky is dark and nice, as long a the clouds stay away. I built myself an obsy there and then there is the nature all around!  So that is where I try to be as much as possible since I can do much of my work from home.

Cheers

[nandopg]

12 minutes ago, gorann said:

Sounds like you found one of the perfect spots on Earth! I live and work in Oslo (at the university), capital of Norway, so I have note even tried AP there, but I also have a house on the countryside in Sweden, 1.5 hours drive from Oslo, and there the sky is dark and nice, as long a the clouds stay away. I built myself an obsy there and then there is the nature all around!  So that is where I try to be as much as possible since I can do much of my work from home.

Cheers

Wow Göran, that sounds great. An obsy at a little city, it is so nice to hear about it.  

I hope that more and more you can do your job from home, saving all the hassle of being immersed in the crowd.

Very nice to chat with you.

Best Regards,

Fernando