CTA 1
Image awarded AAPOD2 Image of the Day - 27th Nov. 2024
Image awarded APOD BRASIL - Image of the Day - 05th Dec. 2024
Image awarded APOD BRASIL - Image of the Day - 05th Dec. 2024
CTA1 is a large and very faint supernova remnant in the constellation Cepheus. CTA is short for the California Institute of Technology (Cal-Tech) observatory list A, the first list of radio sources generated at the university in 1960. It is generally referred to as G119.5+10.2 as a whole, but the entire remnant also includes component sections catalogued as G119.5+9.8 and 10.0 The supernova explosion is thought to have occurred approximately 10,000 years ago and is estimated to be about 4600 light years from Earth. The region is a very dim target and is not often imaged.
The bright object on the right of centre of the image is the planetary nebula NGC 40. This is a very striking object exhibiting bipolar symmetry, sometimes called the Bowtie Nebula.
Not imaging from high in the mountains - but rather in an urban back yard beside the sea with many nights of relative humidity well above 80% - I found this target extremely difficult to image. Although I have given it as much time as I can for this year, I really struggled to get anywhere near as good as I was hoping for. Nevertheless - so happy to have added this (rare) one to my website.....even if I did reduce the stars quite a bit, to help bring out the SNR.
Imaging telescope: Takahashi FSQ130ED
Imaging camera: ASI 2600MM
Mount: JTW Trident P75
Guiding telescope: Takahashi FS60CB
Guiding camera: QHY 5 II
Focal Extender / Reducer: 0.73X
Software: Sequence Generator Pro SGP (for capture) PHD 2 (guiding), Astro Pixel Processor, PixInsight.
Filters: Astrodon Ha (3nm), OIII (3nm) and Astrodon R,G,B.
Accessories: Robofocus Focuser controlled by Lunatico Armadillo, ATIK EFW 3, RB Focus Gaius, RB Focus Excalibur.
Dates: 8th Oct. - 11th Nov. 2024
Frames: (Total)
Astrodon Ha 186 x 600"
Astrodon OIII 120 x 600"
Astrodon RGB 3 x 50 x 60"
Total integration = 53½ Hours
Center (RA, Dec): (1.714, 72.617)
Center (RA, hms): 00h 06m 51.240s
Center (Dec, dms): +72° 37' 02.929"
Size: 2.76 x 1.78 deg
Radius: 1.642 deg
Pixel scale: 1.64 arcsec/pixel
"Orientation": Up is 183.2 degrees E of N
The bright object on the right of centre of the image is the planetary nebula NGC 40. This is a very striking object exhibiting bipolar symmetry, sometimes called the Bowtie Nebula.
Not imaging from high in the mountains - but rather in an urban back yard beside the sea with many nights of relative humidity well above 80% - I found this target extremely difficult to image. Although I have given it as much time as I can for this year, I really struggled to get anywhere near as good as I was hoping for. Nevertheless - so happy to have added this (rare) one to my website.....even if I did reduce the stars quite a bit, to help bring out the SNR.
Imaging telescope: Takahashi FSQ130ED
Imaging camera: ASI 2600MM
Mount: JTW Trident P75
Guiding telescope: Takahashi FS60CB
Guiding camera: QHY 5 II
Focal Extender / Reducer: 0.73X
Software: Sequence Generator Pro SGP (for capture) PHD 2 (guiding), Astro Pixel Processor, PixInsight.
Filters: Astrodon Ha (3nm), OIII (3nm) and Astrodon R,G,B.
Accessories: Robofocus Focuser controlled by Lunatico Armadillo, ATIK EFW 3, RB Focus Gaius, RB Focus Excalibur.
Dates: 8th Oct. - 11th Nov. 2024
Frames: (Total)
Astrodon Ha 186 x 600"
Astrodon OIII 120 x 600"
Astrodon RGB 3 x 50 x 60"
Total integration = 53½ Hours
Center (RA, Dec): (1.714, 72.617)
Center (RA, hms): 00h 06m 51.240s
Center (Dec, dms): +72° 37' 02.929"
Size: 2.76 x 1.78 deg
Radius: 1.642 deg
Pixel scale: 1.64 arcsec/pixel
"Orientation": Up is 183.2 degrees E of N
Sky Map & Finding Chart
Ha, OIII & RGB in the image:
Annotated Image.
