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Harel Boren | all galleries >> Galleries >> The Full Image Gallery > Ou4 (and SH2 129): A Giant Squid Nebula and a Flying Bat
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June27-8,30 July 1,24-5 Harel Boren

Ou4 (and SH2 129): A Giant Squid Nebula and a Flying Bat

Negev Desert, Israel, 2014

Total Exposure Time: 14:15 hours L(Bin1-Ha,Bin2-OIII); R(bin2),G(bin2:OIII,bin2:G),B(bin2:OIII,bin2:B) UNGUIDED
Ha=240(16x15min); OIII=320(16x20min); R=80(8x10min); G=80(8x10min); B=135(9x15min) This image is 1484x1101 pixels

Officina Stellare Riccardi-Honders Veloce 200 RH OTA
ASA DDM60 Pro Mount

Officina Stellare - http://www.officinastellare.com/products_scheda.php?idProd=15
On my site - http://www.pbase.com/boren/officina_stellare_riccardihonders_veloce_rh_200
Deeper technical informaiton on the Riccardi-Honders design - http://www.telescope-optics.net/honders_camera.htm
ASA DDM60 Pro - http://www.astrosysteme.at/eng/mount_ddm60.html
On my site - http://www.pbase.com/boren/asa_ddm60_pro I
SBIG ST8300M, RGB Astrodon Gen II filters / Astrodon 5nm Ha, OIII

Processed with PixInSight using IP4AP methodologies (www.ip4ap.com)

This image has been processed to reveal the light teal haze at the bottom side of the squid.
I have taken special care to maintain the accurate teal color of OIII - an even combination of blue and green.

A mysterious, squid-like apparition, this nebula is very faint, but also very large in planet Earth's sky. In the image, composed with narrowband data from the Israeli Negev desert, it spans some 2.5 full moons toward the constellation Cepheus. Recently discovered by French astro-imager Nicolas Outters, the remarkable nebula's bipolar shape and emission are consistent with it being a planetary nebula, the gaseous shroud of a dying sun-like star, but its actual distance and origin are unknown. A new investigation suggests Ou4 really lies within the emission region SH2-129 some 2,300 light-years away. Consistent with that scenario, the cosmic squid would represent a spectacular outflow of material driven by a triple system of hot, massive stars, cataloged as HR8119, seen near the center of the nebula. If so, this truly giant squid nebula would physically be nearly 50 light-years across. (ref: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140718.html)


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