Cosmic Pursuits

Basic astronomy and night sky information

planetary nebula

The Blue-Green Beauty of Planetary Nebulae

by Joe Bergeron Filed Under: Deep Sky

A long-exposure image of the Helix Nebula (NGC 7293) shows far more color than can be observed visually, even through a large telescope. Image credit: Terry Hancock.

New and would-be amateur astronomers are often mystified and disappointed by the lack of color in things they see through their telescopes. And why shouldn’t they be? Popular astronomy shows, magazines, and web sites encourage people to believe that celestial objects are rich with blistering, saturated color, much like the image above. Why doesn’t that new $400 8-inch Dobsonian show bright pink nebulae, and galaxies of blue and gold? [Read more…] about The Blue-Green Beauty of Planetary Nebulae

Share This:
Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

The Blinking Planetary Nebula

by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Deep Sky

A Hubble Space Telescope image of the Blinking Planetary Nebula NGC 68226 (with additional processing by Judy Schmidt)
A Hubble Space Telescope image of the Blinking Planetary Nebula NGC 6826 (with additional processing by Judy Schmidt)

While the Milky Way along the backbone of the constellation Cygnus, the Swan, offers many fine targets for stargazers, the wings of the constellation are also well worth exploring, especially in the months of July through October when the constellation lies near the meridian. In this short tour, let’s tiptoe through the western wing of the Swan and inspect the remarkable Blinking Planetary, NGC 6826, and a few more intriguing deep-sky objects [Read more…] about The Blinking Planetary Nebula

Share This:
Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

The Helix Nebula

by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Deep Sky

NGC 7293, the Helix Nebula, is a planetary nebula in the constellation Aquarius. Image credit: Warren Keller at Billionsand Billions.com. Additional credit: Piermario Gualdoni and Alessandro Cipolat Bares.
NGC 7293, the Helix Nebula, is a planetary nebula in the constellation Aquarius. Image credit: Warren Keller at Billionsand Billions.com. Additional credit: Piermario Gualdoni and Alessandro Cipolat Bares.

The showpiece of the constellation Aquarius is the grand and elusive Helix Nebula, NGC 7293. One of the closest and apparently largest of all planetary nebulae, the Helix is one of the few sights that’s easier to see in a small telescope than in a large one. In images, like the excellent collaboration above led by Warren Keller at BillionsandBillions.com, the nebula looks like an expansive eye in deep sky. Some refer to the Helix as the “Eye of God” [Read more…] about The Helix Nebula

Share This:
Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

The Owl Nebula

by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Deep Sky

M97, the Owl Nebula (credit: Adam Block/NOAO)
M97, the Owl Nebula (credit: Adam Block/NOAO)

Northern stargazers in spring look out of the plane of the Milky Way in the night sky before midnight, so there are few bright stars and star clusters visible, and even fewer bright nebula. But there is a little gem under the bowl of the Big Dipper, the famous Owl Nebula, also known as M97. A young planetary nebula, M97 is a speeding cloud of glowing gas ejected by a small dying star. In a small telescope under dark sky, the nebula resembles the eyes of wise old barn owl gazing out of the interstellar darkness [Read more…] about The Owl Nebula

Share This:
Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail