LDN1399/1400 - snapshot of rarely imaged dark nebulae

[gorann]

Very early on Xmas day morning it cleared here and the moon had fallen below the horizon, so I aimed the RASA 8 with ASI2600MC at this rarely imaged dark nebulosity in Camelopardalis. Googling it gave no images but @wimvb dug out two images on Astrobin. I started at 02.42 but unfortunately I found next morning that my AstroImager had stopped downloading subs and frozen at 04.25. So I only got 16 x 5min subs, so 80 minutes. No filter used. Being an f/2 scope, the RASA still collected enough data to make a relatively presentable image although I really need more data whenever it clears again.

Using Aladin Sky Atlas I think I have figured out that LDN1399 is the dark nebula centrally and a bit to the left in the image and LDN1400 is the smaller one just to the right of LDN1399. I have not found any designation for that big dark lump below LDN1400.

Stacked in Pi and processed in PS. If anyone knows why AstroImager suddenly stops working on my new Mac Powerbook please tell me. It has now happened a few times.

 

Edited December 27, 2020 by gorann

[andrew s]

Your setup is obscenely good 😏

Regards Andrew 

[Allinthehead]

Nice one Gorann, I'm surprised that this target is so rarely imaged. Did it myself a few years ago, might try again next year.

[gorann]

16 minutes ago, andrew s said:

Your setup is obscenely good 😏

Regards Andrew 

Thanks Andrew - that was a good description! I may use it for the heading of my next post. "NGC XXX imaged with an obscenely good setup"

[gorann]

7 minutes ago, Allinthehead said:

Nice one Gorann, I'm surprised that this target is so rarely imaged. Did it myself a few years ago, might try again next year.

Thanks Richard!

Yes, I think I found it surfing on Aladin Sky Atlas. I just wish I had got a few hours on it. I can accept my own stupid misstakes but I hate sabbotage from computers and software.

[wimvb]

Great result for only 80 minutes. But as you already said yourself; it could do with more data.

9 hours ago, gorann said:

I have not found any designation for that big dark lump below LDN1400.

LDN1407

Edited December 26, 2020 by wimvb

[wimvb]

You probably caught quite a few more Lynds objects. 

First four columns: LDN number, Barnard's number, RA, DEC.

[gorann]

10 hours ago, wimvb said:

You probably caught quite a few more Lynds objects. 

First four columns: LDN number, Barnard's number, RA, DEC.

Thanks Wim! Where did you get that list?

I will try to make an annotated image from it.

[wimvb]

1 hour ago, gorann said:

Thanks Wim! Where did you get that list?

I just googled "Lynds Dark Nebula catalog". This came up as the third hit.

http://www.ukcloudmagnets.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Lynds-Dark-Nebulae-Catalogue.pdf

[gorann]

Tried to make an annotation using the list from @wimvb and Aladin Sky Atlas (DSS2) but several of the coordinates in the list do not correspond to a dark patch and there are dark patches (in my image and DSS2, which are very similar) that do not have coordinates in the list. Quite confusing. I also found the Atlas by Dobashi et al 2005 (attached) and the image there (below) does not match my image and DSS2 very well. Maybe the LDN designations are just based on old bad images (like DSS1). Most remarkable is that structure just below LDN1404 which appears to have been missed in Lynds catalog and is not apparent in the Dobashi (DSS1) image.

I now also noticed that I forgot to flip my image (RASA produces mirro images) so that is now done.

Dobashi Atlas Dark Clouds 2005.pdf

Edited December 27, 2020 by gorann

[gorann]

26 minutes ago, wimvb said:

I just googled "Lynds Dark Nebula catalog". This came up as the third hit.

http://www.ukcloudmagnets.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Lynds-Dark-Nebulae-Catalogue.pdf

Aha - I forgot I had that one, but it would be nice if it was an atlas rather than a catalogue.