Wolf-Rayert 134, the Tulip nebula and a black hole

[gorann]

There is quite a lot going on in this area of Cygnus that I recently imaged with my dual-RASA8 rig and NBZ (Ha+Oiii) filter.

First, to the left, there is WR 134, a variable Wolf-Rayet star at a distance of about 6000 ly. Its intense wind of radiation pushes out a bubble like structure emitting faint but distinctive Oiii light.

Then there is the strongly Ha emitting Tulip nebula at the bottom right.

However, maybe most interesting is the bluish egg-shaped structure just to the right of the Tulip nebula. I had no idea it was there until I started processing the image. I asked Wim van Berlo @wimvb, who is good with atlases and catalogues, if he could find out what it was. It turned out to be a shock structure created by the the stellar black hole Cygnus X-1 interacting in a binary structure with the blue supergigant variable star designated HD226868 (the bottom one of the two brighter stars just below the blue egg). It is one of the most intense x-ray sources detected. Interestingly Cygnus-X1 was the first object confirmed to be a black hole, having 10 solar masses and spinning around 800 times per second. More here: https://www.nature.com/articles/nature03879

Finally, as a bonus there is also the small blue planetary nebula NeVe 2 (http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-id?Ident=NeVe%202%20). You can find it by zooming in near the right top edge, at 8 o'clock from the bright blue star 25 Cyg.

Acquired with two RASA8 with ASI2600MC and IDAS NBZ filter on a Mesu 200 mount. 120 x 5 min = 10 hours. Processed in PI and PS (starless processing of course - I used a 50-50 mix of StarNet2 and StarXTerminator).

Cheers, Göran

Edited September 12, 2022 by gorann

[Rodd]

This is a masterpiece..  OSC indeed--what is your sky like?  I will be upgrading to teh 2600--you make a good case for the OSC version and those dual filters.

[Kon]

Stunning picture and I enjoyed the write-up as well.

[carastro]

Excellent result Goran.

Carole 

[teoria_del_big_bang]

Incredible, nothing else to say as I am scrolling back up to look again 🙂 

Steve

[pietervdv]

Very cool! So much to see in this image! 

Pieter 

[gorann]

2 hours ago, Rodd said:

This is a masterpiece..  OSC indeed--what is your sky like?  I will be upgrading to teh 2600--you make a good case for the OSC version and those dual filters.

Thank you for the kind words Rodd! SQM that night was around 20.1, with the moon just below the treeline. On the best of nights I get 21.6. But this is NB so not that critical. And it is a dual band filter (IDAS NBZ) so no hassle with changing filters - just keep shooting as long as the sky permits.

[gorann]

47 minutes ago, carastro said:

Excellent result Goran.

Carole 

Thanks a lot Carol! Much appreciated.

[gorann]

16 minutes ago, pietervdv said:

Very cool! So much to see in this image! 

Pieter 

Thanks Pieter! Yes, a very busy part of the sky and very rewarding including surprises.

[Rodd]

45 minutes ago, gorann said:

Thank you for the kind words Rodd! SQM that night was around 20.1, with the moon just below the treeline. On the best of nights I get 21.6. But this is NB so not that critical. And it is a dual band filter (IDAS NBZ) so no hassle with changing filters - just keep shooting as long as the sky permits.

I do not know the numbers.  What Bortle is that?  I am wondering if Osc and the dual band filter would be good in my sky. No more trial and error for me!

[gorann]

I am Bortle 2-3 but being in such a dark site is less important with a dual band NB filter like the NBZ on a OSC. There are others here at SGL with more urban skies that do well with this OSC and dual band combo.

[symmetal]

Excellent Image Göran with a very varied collection of objects. 🤗 I have my NBZ filter but am still waiting for the filter holder, and clear skies. 🥲

Alan

[gorann]

2 hours ago, symmetal said:

Excellent Image Göran with a very varied collection of objects. 🤗 I have my NBZ filter but am still waiting for the filter holder, and clear skies. 🥲

Alan

Thanks and the very best of luck with the filter and sky Alan!