Planetary Nebulae

I love the challenge of imaging planetary nebulae. Unfortunately, only astro-imagers can probably relate to this, but I get so much joy out of seeing how much detail an instrument like mine can actually get from these deep sky objects. Planetaries are particularly fun because they're (typically) so bright, relying primarily on good focus and tracking for image quality. I was particularly curious about the lower bound on apparent size of the planetaries I could image with my scope...I thought IC4593 at an apparent size of only 12"x10" was pretty good until I recently imaged IC5217 at only 6"x8" using my new MyT mount. Not that a mount makes *that* much difference for bright planetaries like this one. However, good tracking does enable consistent reproduction of real details near the limits of atmospheric seeing allowing some pretty amazing ground-based images.

Most of the images shown here were taken unguided, with a Meade 10" f/10 LX200R using a Canon T3i, usually with a a OPTEC Lepus 0.62X focal reducer. However, more recently I've started imaging with my 12inch Meade Classic using my new cooled ASI2600 color camera and MyT mount but with a Meade series 4000 f/6.3 focal reducer.

Abell79 , M27 (Updated Sep. 15, 2024)

Showcasing: Abell79

Designation: Abell79 Alternate Name: PK102 9 02 3 Constellation: Lacerta Imaging Date: September 15, 2024 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 391 frames@180sec ~ 19.5hrs Gain Setting: 100 Imaging Device: ZWO ASI2600 Optics: Classic LX200 12" SCT Focal Reducer: Meade Series 4000 f/6.3 Filter: Optolong L-eNhance Apparent Size: 60" x 50" Comment: This planetary has some very interesting structure to it, with arm wisps that arc in opposite directions and a scraggly inner boundary, significantly brighter on one end. It was also challenging to get the HAlpha gaseous regions to show up - though unrelated to the nebula, they add a nice backdrop. The nebula is about 5500 light years away, with a relatively cool white dwarf at its core. However, the ionizing radiation necessary to light up the nebula is likely coming from some invisible hot companion, also probably the reason for the peculiar asymmetry of the nebula. It probably had a very interesting history!

M97	NGC3242	NGC6778
Designation: M97 Alternate Name: Owl Nebula Constellation: Ursa Major Imaging Date: March 17, 2014 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 260 frames@25sec ~ 108.3min Gain Setting: ISO 3200 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 3.4' x 3.3' Comment: This is my fourth attempt at this perplexing planetary. Although it's listed at magnitude 9.9, I think its large diameter spreads that brightness out, making this a difficult planetary to image. I had to combine 3 nights worth of images to reduce the noise sufficiently to get what I think is finally a decent image. I also used unsharp masking and an inverted mask to blur the background, which worked out quite well! For comparison, my best previous attempt (single night, exactly a year earlier!) is here	Designation: NGC3242 Alternate Name: Ghost of Jupiter Constellation: Hydra Imaging Date: May 1, 2013 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 38 frames@20sec ~ 12.7min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 40" x 44" Comment: Looks almost exactly the same as NGC6826, the Blinking Planetary!	Designation: NGC6778 Alternate Name: Tiny Dumbbell Nebula Constellation: Aquila Imaging Date: October 10, 2015 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 37 frames@20sec ~ 12.3min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 25" x 18" Comment: This is a miniature version of M76 - a tiny planetary nebula about 10,000 light years away. I couldn't get very many sharp frames for this bow-tie shaped nebula, but I was able to extract some structure along its perimeter and nice pink color in its two lobes. However, there was no sign of its central binary star.

IC4593	M97	NGC6369
Designation: IC4593 Alternate Name: White Eyed Pea Nebula Constellation: Hercules Imaging Date: July 16, 2017 Imaging Location: RhinecliffNY Exposure Time: 49 frames@20sec ~ 16.3min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 12" x 10" Comment: My image came out quite well for such a small planetary clearly showing an elongation in the NW-SE direction, with a bright white 11.3 mag central star and a light green nebulous halo. This is a relatively old planetary nebula about 0.7 light years in diameter and located about 6800 light years from Earth.	Designation: M97 Alternate Name: Owl Nebula Constellation: Ursa Major Imaging Date: February 21, 2021 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 96 frames@180sec ~ 4.8hrs Gain Setting: 100 Imaging Device: ZWO ASI2600 Optics: Classic LX200 12" SCT Focal Reducer: Meade Series 4000 f/6.3 Filter: Optolong L-eNhance Apparent Size: 3.4' x 3.3' Comment: I didn't realize the Owl Nebula could look so beautiful in narrow band. I'd been trying for years to get a decent picture of M97, but it always seemed so amorphous and lackluster in my limited attempts. Granted, my previous attempts were all limited in exposure time using my 10 inch and without a filter, but I had still held out more hope for it. Well, my effort finally paid off with this image, a 5 hour exposure with my 12 inch using my ASI2600mc and Optolong L-eNhance filter. It was done under a quarter moon in a Bortle 5+ sky but I'm thinking now it's definitely worth trying in a darker sky. I was even able to get a hint of M97's outer nebulosity - subtle - but definitely providing just enough signal to pull out its asymmetric shape. You'll have to turn up the brightness on your monitor to catch a glimpse of it though - it was extremely hard to do the enhancement to enable it to show up in the final image. What a beautiful planetary! I also like the colors the L-eNhance seems to pull out of my ASI2600mc. I don't get the blue I'd prefer from the OIII, but the green seems to come out more readily in place of it along with the occasional yellow, which is really great. My color calibration might be off a little, but I like it, so who's to tell me it's "wrong"?	Designation: NGC6369 Alternate Name: Little Ghost Nebula Constellation: Ophiuchus Imaging Date: June 26, 2015 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 78 frames@20sec ~ 26.0min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 28" x 28" Comment: This is a beautiful little "ring" nebula very similar to the Ring Nebula in Lyra, but smaller. It has a 16th magnitude central white dwarf that appears slightly off-center. Nice detail in this image - if you look carefully, you can even see a hint of its extended filimentary halo and a brightening on its northwest rim, just like in the Hubble image!

NGC6826	IC418	NGC6572
Designation: NGC6826 Alternate Name: Blinking Planetary Constellation: Cygnus Imaging Date: August 16, 2013 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 80 frames@20sec ~ 26.7min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: none Filter: none Apparent Size: 28" x 24" Comment: Looks almost identical to NGC3242, the Ghost of Jupiter!	Designation: IC418 Alternate Name: Spirograph Nebula Constellation: Lepus Imaging Date: February 20, 2017 Imaging Location: MadisonCT Exposure Time: 55 frames@15sec ~ 13.8min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 12" x 12" Comment: This bright planetary is approximately 0.3 light years in diameter and located about 2000 light years away. I reduced my exposures to only 15 seconds to reduce tracking errors. Even so, there were some issues that caused some star elongation perpendicular to the planetary's actual primary elliptical axis, possibly why it looks more circular than it should be. It's rich pink color is clearly evident, however.	Designation: NGC6572 Alternate Name: Krypton Nebula Constellation: Ophiuchus Imaging Date: August 5, 2014 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 78 frames@20sec ~ 26.0min Gain Setting: ISO 800 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 15" x 12" Comment: This tiney bluish green oval nebula is only several thousands years old, explaining its concentrated bright center. The nebula is about 3500 light years distance, and has an intricate structure only visible in larger scopes. I still think I could improve on this one though - I tried using a lower ISO, but the saturation in its center indicates it's still not low enough. We'll see...maybe next time!

NGC6058	IC3568	Abell39
Designation: NGC6058 Alternate Name: PK 64 48 1 Constellation: Hercules Imaging Date: August 15, 2015 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 70 frames@20sec ~ 23.3min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 25" x 20" Comment: This 13.3 mag planetary is a beautiful little sapphire situated within a tiny bright triangle of stars in Hercules. Although not visible in this enhanced image, its extended envelope actually becomes just barely detectable in my 25 minute, consecutive night exposure. This planetary has a 13.6 mag central star and is located about 3500 light years from Earth. I had good focus and manually selected only the best tracked frames, so you can zoom in on the nebula to get a better view!	Designation: IC3568 Alternate Name: Lemon Slice Nebula Constellation: Camelopardalis Imaging Date: March 12, 2015 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 83 frames@20sec ~ 27.7min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 18" x 18" Comment: I could not, for the life of me, see or pull out any red/orange in this tiny nebula. Almost perfectly circular - for this reason, it is sometimes referred to as the "theoretician's nebula". I was really happy how this turned out - focus was impeccable, showing all I could possibly expect from this little nebula!	Designation: Abell39 Alternate Name: ARO 180 Constellation: Hercules Imaging Date: August 2, 2021 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 89 frames@180sec ~ 4.4hrs Gain Setting: 200 Imaging Device: ZWO ASI2600 Optics: Classic LX200 12" SCT Focal Reducer: Meade Series 4000 f/6.3 Filter: Optolong L-eNhance Apparent Size: 155" x 155" Comment: After 7! years I was finally able to do this planetary nebula justice. Abell 39 is a beautiful, almost perfectly spherical planetary nebula in the constellation Hercules. It has a magnitude of 13.7 making it invisible in my 10" scope and barely discernable in a contrast enhanced 50 second DSLR exposure - a nice challenge for digital imaging!Here is my first attempt about 7 years ago with about a two hour exposure using my DSLR T3i.I struggled over 5 nights culling and combining hundreds of 20 second exposures to get a highly mediocre representation.The image here is about a 4.5 hour exposure taken with my 12 inch using the ASI2600mc camera and an Optolong L-eNhance filter.I think you really need an OIII filter to pull out the ethereal bluish haze of this nebula. You can see at least two galaxies right through the translucent nebula itself. The nebula is about 7000 light years away and about 6 light years in diameter with a central star that started out similar to our sun, but that is now in the process of forming a hot white dwarf.

NGC6804	Abell16	NGC7026
Designation: NGC6804 Alternate Name: PK 45 4 1 Constellation: Aquila Imaging Date: August 14, 2015 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 78 frames@20sec ~ 26.0min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 66" x 48" Comment: Nice focus on this curious planetary nebula. It actually has about 4 distinguishable "shells" of gas of which only two are plainly visible here. The nebula is about 12th magnitude with a clearly visible 14th magnitude central white dwarf star. It's thought to be about 6100 light years from Earth.	Designation: Abell16 Alternate Name: PK153 22 1 Constellation: Lynx Imaging Date: January 15, 2022 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 170 frames@180sec ~ 8.5hrs Gain Setting: 200 Imaging Device: ZWO ASI2600 Optics: Classic LX200 12" SCT Focal Reducer: Meade Series 4000 f/6.3 Filter: Optolong L-eNhance Apparent Size: 2.4' x 2.4' Comment: This planetary is over 4000 light years away and infrequently imaged because it is so faint. It is distinctive because of its almost perfectly circular shape and its tiny 18.7 mag blue central star. I had to image this for over 8h to get a decent signal (with a gibbous moon to boot) - most images on the web are done for much longer, but the ASI2600mc does a spectacular job. The OIII and Ha seem to be pretty balanced through my L-eNhance filter, although some sources suggest the OIII is slightly greater.	Designation: NGC7026 Alternate Name: Cheeseburger Nebula Constellation: Cygnus Imaging Date: October 8, 2016 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 65 frames@20sec ~ 21.7min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 15" x 40" Comment: Intricate 11th mag bipolar planetary nebula about 6000 light years away. I was able to acquire a very nice, sharp image of the lobed structure of this nebula. Click on this link to see a blended movie clip of the Hubble image version of this nebula superimposed on my image. My tracking wasn't perfect, but the details of my image match up nicely with the Hubble image!

NGC40	NGC6772	NGC6905
Designation: NGC40 Alternate Name: Bow Tie Nebula Constellation: Cepheus Imaging Date: November 19, 2021 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 146 frames@180sec ~ 7.3hrs Gain Setting: 200 Imaging Device: ZWO ASI2600 Optics: Classic LX200 12" SCT Focal Reducer: Meade Series 4000 f/6.3 Filter: Optolong L-eNhance Apparent Size: 61" x 38" Comment: NGC40 is a bright planetary located about 3500 light years away. It has a double structure consisting of a diffuse inner halo attached to a central shell and a more irregular filamentary structure, which shows up nicely in this longer exposure. Here is my previous version about 1/6 the exposure time with my 10 inch (no filter).	Designation: NGC6772 Alternate Name: PK 33 6 1 Constellation: Aquila Imaging Date: August 7, 2015 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 78 frames@20sec ~ 26.0min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 78" x 55" Comment: This was a difficult planetary to image due to its low surface brightness (mag 14). It could definitely use more exposure time. It's dim 18.4 magnitude central blue star is just barely visible, as is its bright pink oval rim and bluish central nebula.	Designation: NGC6905 Alternate Name: Blue Flash Nebula Constellation: Delphinus Imaging Date: September 5, 2015 Imaging Location: WoodstockNY Exposure Time: 79 frames@20sec ~ 26.3min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 72" x 44" Comment: Ok...I made this photo more than a year ago, thinking I could improve on it with more images. However, I took a second look, and realized my first attempt wasn't that bad! This tiny blue gem actually has conical extensions on both sides that are just barely visible in my original image. Here, I've enhanced the center area to expose some of the more intricate inner structure. The 14th mag central star is also easily visible. The nebula is somewhere between 5 and 9 thousand light years away.

NGC246	NGC6445	NGC1535
Designation: NGC246 Alternate Name: Skull Nebula Constellation: Cetus Imaging Date: November 11, 2014 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 77 frames@20sec ~ 25.7min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 228" x 228" Comment: This interesting nebula is 1600 light years away and has a 12th magnitude central binary star, one of which is a white dwarf.	Designation: NGC6445 Alternate Name: The Box Nebula Constellation: Sagittarius Imaging Date: August 29, 2014 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 78 frames@20sec ~ 26.0min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 37" x 25" Comment: Nice colorful planetary in Sagittarius about 4500 light years away. Focus here was a little off, nevertheless showing some inner structure. The extended faint ansae are hinted at, but don't extend very far in this image. This happens also to be one of the largest known planetary nebulas, spanning about 4 x 1 light years in actual physical extent. See Abell 39 !	Designation: NGC1535 Alternate Name: Cleopatras Eye Constellation: Eridanus Imaging Date: November 30, 2013 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 78 frames@21sec ~ 27.3min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 46" x 42" Comment: Reminds me of the Eskimo nebula. Nice detail in the inner 21" x 20" part of the nebula, with spot-on focus. This is one of the first times I seriously used darks. Some minor differences, but nothing too substantial. So far, I've noticed good postprocessing seems to be able to compensate quite well. Could be because the outside temperature was pretty low (18F), resulting in little added benefit from using the darks.

NGC6210	M76	Abell4
Designation: NGC6210 Alternate Name: Turtle Nebula Constellation: Hercules Imaging Date: August 17, 2014 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 78 frames@20sec ~ 26.0min Gain Setting: ISO 6400 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 24" x 20" Comment: I accidentally used ISO6400 for this nebula, which was *big* mistake, given the very bright core. Nevertheless, you can definitely see the "turtle" legs extending from the sides of the bright core. This is a very tiny planetary, similar to NGC7027, the pink pillow planetary in Cygnus. My focus wasn't perfect either, so I'm looking forward to trying this nebula again!	Designation: M76 Alternate Name: Little Dumbell Nebula Constellation: Perseus Imaging Date: November 20, 2013 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 80 frames@20sec ~ 26.7min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 2.7' x 1.8' Comment: Didn't quite come out as well as I had hoped. I'll have to try to get more frames and do better on the post-processing - perhaps darks will make a difference.	Designation: Abell4 Alternate Name: PK144 15 1 Constellation: Perseus Imaging Date: November 27, 2021 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 34 frames@180sec ~ 102.0min Gain Setting: 200 Imaging Device: ZWO ASI2600 Optics: Classic LX200 12" SCT Focal Reducer: Meade Series 4000 f/6.3 Filter: none Apparent Size: 22" x 22" Comment: This was a fun little planetary, in a literal sea of galaxies. This image is in RGB (no filter) to highlight its tiny central star and its companion star on its periphery, both of which are completely invisible in my L-eNhance image shown here ! Either both stars emit in OIII (and hence have no contrast against the nebula, or they're invisible in Halpha *and* OIII - either explanation is strange!).

M27	NGC7662	NGC2610
Designation: M27 Alternate Name: Dumbbell Nebula Constellation: Vulpecula Imaging Date: July 20, 2022 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 100 frames@180sec ~ 5.0hrs Gain Setting: 100 Imaging Device: ZWO ASI2600 Optics: Classic LX200 12" SCT Focal Reducer: Meade Series 4000 f/6.3 Filter: Optolong L-eNhance Apparent Size: 8.0' x 5.6' Comment: I'm finally starting to see the allure of narrow band imaging! Here's a beautiful rendition of M27, the Dumbbell Nebula in Vulpecula. The Halpha and OIII signals from within the nebula really bring out some outstanding detail, shown here in a 5hr exposure. I stacked 100 3min unguided exposures with my 12inch, MyT mount and ASI2600mc cooled camera using my L-eNhance filter. I love this filter...it seems to bring out colors spanning the spectrum, allowing some very creative post processing to expose exquisite detail of the nebula's intricate structure. I'll have to try to improve upon my visible light version soon, but with results like this, it's a tough act to follow!	Designation: NGC7662 Alternate Name: Blue Snowball Nebula Constellation: Andromeda Imaging Date: September 6, 2013 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 54 frames@20sec ~ 18.0min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 32" x 28" Comment: About 2200 light years away, this planetary has a beautiful triple shell structure. Knots in the outer and inner rings are clearly visible in this remarkably sharp image.	Designation: NGC2610 Alternate Name: PK239 13 1 Constellation: Hydra Imaging Date: February 18, 2018 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 79 frames@20sec ~ 26.3min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 50" x 47" Comment: Not much information about this planetary...it is 12.7 mag and has a very easily photographed 15.5 mag bluish central star. It is very similar in appearance to Minkowski 1-64 (PK64+15.1) in Lyra, but about 3 times as big. I managed to image some interesting structure in the inner region of the nebula.

NGC6894	NGC7139	J900
Designation: NGC6894 Alternate Name: Diamond Ring Nebula Constellation: Cygnus Imaging Date: October 12, 2015 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 99 frames@20sec ~ 33.0min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 45" x 45" Comment: This is a beautiful annular planetary with a close (apparent?) binary visible through one part of the ring, making it look like a diamond ring in the heavens! The nebula is about 5000 light years away but only about 1 light year in diameter.	Designation: NGC7139 Alternate Name: Planetary Nebula Constellation: Cepheus Imaging Date: September 15, 2020 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 122 frames@120sec ~ 4.1hrs Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: Classic LX200 12" SCT Focal Reducer: Meade Series 4000 f/6.3 Filter: none Apparent Size: 77" x 77" Comment: Difficult planetary to image due to its low surface brightness. At mag 13.3, this planetary is thought to be about 4300 light years away. I was able to revisit this planetary (now) with my 12 inch scope and about 8 times the exposure time! Here's an older image of the same planetary only about 25 minutes with my 10inch scope.	Designation: J900 Alternate Name: PK 194 2 1 Constellation: Gemini Imaging Date: January 30, 2017 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 74 frames@20sec ~ 24.7min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 12" x 10" Comment: This is another very small planetary which came out reasonably well. You can see some tracking issues as evident by the color misalignment of the star in the zoomed image. Nevertheless, there is still some good edge definition in this small high-excitation nebula. Located about 20000 light years away, this nebula was first noticed by Robert Jonckheere of the Royal Observatory in 1912. It has been observed to have two lobes, both just barely visible in my image. Check out this composite image showing HST and infrared versions of this very tiny planetary.

NGC6818	NGC6781	M57
Designation: NGC6818 Alternate Name: Green Mars Nebula Constellation: Sagittarius Imaging Date: August 15, 2013 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 80 frames@20sec ~ 26.7min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: none Filter: none Apparent Size: 27" x 24" Comment: This one needs work I think. There's subtle detail in this nebula that might be pulled out with better focus and a longer exposure. Tough one though!	Designation: NGC6781 Alternate Name: Snowglobe Nebula Constellation: Aquila Imaging Date: October 17, 2014 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 80 frames@20sec ~ 26.7min Gain Setting: ISO 3200 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 108" x 108" Comment: A spherical bubble bursting out to one side - beautiful large but faint planetary. Note the dim blue central star (a hot blue-white dwarf).	Designation: M57 Alternate Name: Ring Nebula Constellation: Lyra Imaging Date: August 2, 2021 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 103 frames@180sec ~ 5.2hrs Gain Setting: 200 Imaging Device: ZWO ASI2600 Optics: Classic LX200 12" SCT Focal Reducer: Meade Series 4000 f/6.3 Filter: Optolong L-eNhance Apparent Size: 1.4' x 1.0' Comment: This is my first narrowband attempt at M57. It's a 5 hour exposure, processed using Pixinsight. I tried to process the image showing a somewhat realistic differential level of brightness between the inner nebula and its outer envelopes. The entire nebula is actually football shaped with layers of different gases surrounding a hot white dwarf, all embedded within a double shell of hydrogen gas, seen here in the halo surrounding the bright ring.

NGC2371	NGC6852	Abell2
Designation: NGC2371 Alternate Name: Double Bubble Nebula Constellation: Gemini Imaging Date: February 4, 2021 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 57 frames@180sec ~ 2.8hrs Gain Setting: 100 Imaging Device: ZWO ASI2600 Optics: Classic LX200 12" SCT Focal Reducer: Meade Series 4000 f/6.3 Filter: Optolong L-eNhance Apparent Size: 44" x 44" Comment: This is one of a handful of known planetary nebulae to have a central Wolf-Rayet star, an extremely hot, Sun-like star that has had its hydrogen atmosphere completely shed to reveal only a bare carbon-oxygen core. The central star's surface temperature is a blistering 240,000 degrees Fahrenheit and it lies at distance of about 4,300 light-years in the constellation Gemini. Apparently, this type of star in a planetary nebula is quite rare, which suggests that we don't really yet understand how such stars evolve. I struggled with what to do about the color for this nebula. In broadband, this 13th magnitude nebula comes out bluish, so I was tempted to shift the hue a little to get a blue tinge for the outer parts of the nebula. However the Ha and the OIII emphasis of the L-ENhance filter seems to want an reddish/orange and green tinge to it, so I left it at that, merely enhancing it somewhat. I was surprised at the nice detail I was able to pull out of it, especially comparing it to others' attempts out there with much larger scopes and longer exposures. No comparison to my previous 23min exposure with my T3i on my 10inch.	Designation: NGC6852 Alternate Name: Life Belt Nebula Constellation: Aquila Imaging Date: October 12, 2015 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 139 frames@20sec ~ 46.3min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 25" x 25" Comment: Again, I was able to get a really nice focused image! This small annular planetary has at least three bright knots in its ring structure, clearly shown in the image, with a hot white dwarf at its center. The nebula is about 8800 light years away and quite young and dense, only 1.2 light years in diameter.	Designation: Abell2 Alternate Name: PK122 4 1 Constellation: Cassiopeia Imaging Date: November 27, 2021 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 43 frames@180sec ~ 2.2hrs Gain Setting: 200 Imaging Device: ZWO ASI2600 Optics: Classic LX200 12" SCT Focal Reducer: Meade Series 4000 f/6.3 Filter: none Apparent Size: 36" x 36" Comment: I don't know why it took me so long to process this, but I finally got around to it! It's a nice little planetary in a very colorful star field. The 19.8 magnitude central star is clearly visible in this two hour exposure, with some structure in its blusish shell.

M1	NGC7027	NGC7354
Designation: M1 Alternate Name: Crab Nebula Constellation: Taurus Imaging Date: November 14, 2020 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 47 frames@180sec ~ 2.3hrs Gain Setting: 0 Imaging Device: ZWO ASI2600 Optics: Classic LX200 12" SCT Focal Reducer: Meade Series 4000 f/6.3 Filter: none Apparent Size: 6.0' x 4.0' Comment: The delicate colors in this beautiful supernova remnant make this a challenging target, though I'm not sure a significantly longer exposure would extract much more detail. This 2 hour exposure does expand the borders of this nebula over my previous best attempt, and subtle blue/green wisps are visible on the edges. I think it's my processing skills that have made the biggest difference, especially since going to Pixinsight.	Designation: NGC7027 Alternate Name: Pink Pillow Nebula Constellation: Cygnus Imaging Date: August 16, 2013 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 80 frames@20sec ~ 26.7min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: none Filter: none Apparent Size: 15" x 9" Comment: This is one of the smallest planetaries I've imaged to date. I love the challenge - you need high resolution, excellent focus and good tracking - not always an easy combination.	Designation: NGC7354 Alternate Name: Planetary Nebula Constellation: Cepheus Imaging Date: October 9, 2014 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 48 frames@20sec ~ 16.0min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 36" x 34" Comment: This is another very small planetary nebula, consisting of an inner elliptical shell, approximately 19" x 28" in size, embedded in a larger sphere of matter approximately 34" in diameter. My focus and tracking were excellent, revealing both inner and outer shells, as well as the 16th mag 100,000K hot central star. Hubble has also revealed knots of radiating gas that lie in a line perpendicular to the inner oval's minor axis and a faint jet in the upper left corner that lies along it.The nebula is located about 4200 light years away, and its lack of a proper name tells you something about its popularity - so, here's my contribution to making it somewhat more notorius.

M1	M57	NGC7635
Designation: M1 Alternate Name: Crab Nebula Constellation: Taurus Imaging Date: January 23, 2021 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 43 frames@180sec ~ 2.2hrs Gain Setting: 100 Imaging Device: ZWO ASI2600 Optics: Classic LX200 12" SCT Focal Reducer: Meade Series 4000 f/6.3 Filter: Optolong L-eNhance Apparent Size: 6.0' x 4.0' Comment: My first serious narrowband image! Beautiful colors show up here, with red emphasizing Ha and yellow/green emphasizing Hbeta and OIII emitting areas of this spectacular supernova remnant. I took this with a gibbous moon, only about 1 degree away from the nebula! This is almost exactly the same exposure time as my unfiltered version in a moonless sky here.	Designation: M57 Alternate Name: Ring Nebula Constellation: Lyra Imaging Date: September 15, 2012 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 34 frames@25sec ~ 14.2min Gain Setting: ISO 3200 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 1.4' x 1.0' Comment: Not to brag, but it's amazing how far technology has come...for me to be able to take an image like this, that can rival what the 200 inch Hale telescope used to do! See a 1959 image of M57 here. Bigger image and more details here:	Designation: NGC7635 Alternate Name: Bubble Nebula Constellation: Cassiopeia Imaging Date: August 22, 2016 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 120 frames@20sec ~ 40.0min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 15" x 8" Comment: The Bubble Nebula is actually the smallest of three bubbles created by the stellar wind surrounding the massive hot, 8.7 magnitude young central star BD+602522. The nebula is near a giant molecular cloud which contains the expansion of the bubble nebula while itself being excited by the hot central star, causing it to glow. It is somewhere between 7000 and 11000 light years from earth and the bubble is about 3-5 light years in diameter.

NGC1514	IC289	NGC4361
Designation: NGC1514 Alternate Name: Crystal Ball Nebula Constellation: Taurus Imaging Date: January 10, 2015 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 65 frames@20sec ~ 21.7min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 132" x 132" Comment: Only 800 light years away, this planetary nebula's dynamic structure is powered by a tight, very short period binary star. Beautiful nebula that definitely needs more light exposure!	Designation: IC289 Alternate Name: Flip Flop Nebula Constellation: Cassiopeia Imaging Date: October 12, 2015 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 77 frames@20sec ~ 25.7min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 55" x 30" Comment: The excellent focus for this bluish planetary reveals some brightness irregularities and several faint notches in the oval ring. You can also see hints of at least one bulge on the side of the notches, as well as a distinct central star. It's one of the few planetaries in Cassiopeia, located about 4200 light years away. Visually, this planetary has also been observed to seem to flip orientation when switching from averted to direct vision, hence its name.	Designation: NGC4361 Alternate Name: PK 294 43 1 Constellation: Corvus Imaging Date: June 4, 2015 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 69 frames@20sec ~ 23.0min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 108" x 60" Comment: This planetary is about 4000 light years away. It is unusual in that it actually has four lobes, only two of which are visible here, forming "propeller-like" extended arms that give it the appearance of a galaxy. The four lobes are thought to be due to two sets of bipolar jets emitted by two dying stars.

NGC6751	NGC7008	NGC6842
Designation: NGC6751 Alternate Name: The Glowing Eye Nebula Constellation: Aquila Imaging Date: September 15, 2015 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 115 frames@20sec ~ 38.3min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 24" x 22" Comment: Finally returned to this challenging little planetary, with improved focus! The tracking was a little off, but DSS does a pretty good job at averaging out the anomalies. This is a combination of two nights, separated by a little more than a year. Only the hot blue inner region of the nebula is visible here. It is known to be around 0.8 light years in diameter and 6500 light years distant, lying in the galactic plane. Here's a link to my previous version.	Designation: NGC7008 Alternate Name: Fetus Nebula Constellation: Cygnus Imaging Date: August 18, 2020 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 69 frames@180sec ~ 3.5hrs Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: Classic LX200 12" SCT Focal Reducer: none Filter: none Apparent Size: 84" x 66" Comment: The beautiful purple hue of this planetary along with the gold-blue double star in front of it makes this quite a stand out. The planetary is about 2800 light years away and about 1.3 light years in diameter. My image is not as nice as the APOD image but not bad I'd say!	Designation: NGC6842 Alternate Name: PK65 0 1 Constellation: Vulpecula Imaging Date: October 7, 2016 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 70 frames@20sec ~ 23.3min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 53" x 48" Comment: This 13th mag planetary is a ghostly bluish sphere with a central 15th mag star. It's framed within a beautiful colorful star field and is listed at a distance of about 9000 light years.

Abell6	NGC6543	NGC1501
Designation: Abell6 Alternate Name: PK136 4 1 Constellation: Cassiopeia Imaging Date: November 3, 2021 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 166 frames@180sec ~ 8.3hrs Gain Setting: 200 Imaging Device: ZWO ASI2600 Optics: Classic LX200 12" SCT Focal Reducer: Meade Series 4000 f/6.3 Filter: Optolong L-eNhance Apparent Size: 3' x 3' Comment: This is a subtle planetary nebula usually imaged as part of a pair with the Heckathorn-Fesen-Gull 1 (HFG1) nebula. For some reason, I couldn't get Pixinsight to do the photocalibration, so the colors are "natural" with respect to the Optolong L-eNhance filter. However, I was surprised to see some beautiful colors show up in my (extreme) enhancement of the periphery of the nebula, ranging the full gamut of the spectrum. That's the nice thing about the L-eNhance filter...both Halpha and OIII detection give you signal in different parts of the spectrum. You can also see a tiny green central star emitting strong in OIII.	Designation: NGC6543 Alternate Name: Cats Eye Nebula Constellation: Draco Imaging Date: March 31, 2013 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 21 frames@20sec ~ 7.0min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 44" x 29" Comment: Nice sharp image of this beautiful small planetary. Click here to see a short blended movie clip of the Hubble image version superimposed on my image. Amazing what you can image with an amateur scope these days! More general info about the planetary here.	Designation: NGC1501 Alternate Name: Blue Oyster Constellation: Camelopardali Imaging Date: August 24, 2013 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 45 frames@20sec ~ 15.0min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 56" x 48" Comment: This is a beautiful little planetary that needs more attention. I had great focus and tracking, but not enough frames to do it justice.

IC5217	NGC2022	M27
Designation: IC5217 Alternate Name: PK 100 05 1 Constellation: Lacerta Imaging Date: November 28, 2019 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 66 frames@60sec ~ 66.0min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 6" x 8" Comment: So this must be the smallest planetary nebula I have imaged so far. It is also the first serious image I made with my 10inch since getting my new MyT Paramount mount. The inset shows a magnified view of the nebula but contrast stretched differently to expose its subtle elliptical/rectangular shape. Given the beautiful circular stars of my one minute exposures, I'm pretty sure the elongated shape is real and not an artefact of any tracking, collimation or processing issues. For comparison, you can read about other imagers' attempts here.	Designation: NGC2022 Alternate Name: Kissing Crescents Nebula Constellation: Orion Imaging Date: March 12, 2015 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 83 frames@20sec ~ 27.7min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 24" x 30" Comment: This tiny planetary reminds me of NGC3242, the Ghost of Jupiter. Its 12th magnitude central star is surrounded by a mottled 20"x15" ring, with two oppositely positioned knots. I was able to pull out an impressive amount of detail out of this small thing!	Designation: M27 Alternate Name: Dumbbell Nebula Constellation: Vulpecula Imaging Date: September 22, 2014 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 48 frames@20sec ~ 16.0min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 8.0' x 5.6' Comment: My second attempt, with better focus and longer exposure. Still plenty of room for improvement! Compare this with my first one from Nantucket here

NGC2392	Minkowski-1-64	NGC7293
Designation: NGC2392 Alternate Name: Eskimo Nebula Constellation: Gemini Imaging Date: March 31, 2013 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 54 frames@20sec ~ 18.0min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 48" x 48" Comment:	Designation: Minkowski-1-64 Alternate Name: PK 64 15 1 Constellation: Lyra Imaging Date: August 3, 2016 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 19 frames@20sec ~ 6.3min Gain Setting: ISO 3200 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 18" x 17" Comment: This tiny planetary is the second ring nebula in Lyra, but only 18" in diameter and quite faint at 13.3 mag. It is very close to being circular with only a slight elongation, and no detectable central star. This image consists of only the best 19 out of 99 frames I had, noticeably sharper (but somewhat noisier) than the image I obtained using 75% of the best quality images according to DSS shown here. This shows you the slight advantage you get from hand picking the best frames vs. relying on DSS completely - detail within the nebula itself is also subtly improved, despite the fewer frames.	Designation: NGC7293 Alternate Name: Helix Nebula Constellation: Aquarius Imaging Date: September 22, 2014 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 148 frames@20sec ~ 49.3min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 25' x 25' Comment: This is one of the closest planetaries to Earth, a mere 700 light years away. Its apparent size is almost the size of the full moon! Its low altitude makes it a difficult object to image, so extensive post-processing was applied to improve the overall visual appeal of this beautiful nebula. See what this nebula looked like before I processed the image here.

NGC7009

Designation: NGC7009 Alternate Name: Saturn Nebula Constellation: Aquarius Imaging Date: October 12, 2012 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 23 frames@20sec ~ 7.7min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 49" x 41" / 82" x 41" Comment: This is a beautiful planetary, with intricate detail and a very distinctive "ring" pattern, both of which came out very nicely.