IC2177: This nebula is a complex region of gas, named for the bird it resembles (the "head" carries its own catalog designation, NGC2327). The nebula includes both emission (red) and reflection (blue) regions, and is thought to be a supernova remnant. It is approximately 75 light years across, and 1800 light years from Earth.

Technical Information:

(R+B)RGB: 360:240:240 (Luminance layer consists of a blend of the red data, the blue data, and the desaturated RGB layer; red, green and blue channels consist of a combination of 15 minute images, unbinned).

Equipment: Astrophysics Starfire 130 with Astrophysics field flattener, at about f/6.8; SBIG STL-11000M with internal filter wheel (Astrodon filter set), on a Bisque Paramount ME German Equatorial Mount.

Image Acquisition/Camera Control: Acquired automatically with ACP, running Maxim DL and TheSky v6.

Processing: All images calibrated (darks and dawn flats), aligned and combined in CCDStack. Luminance layer deconvolved in CCDStack. Color combine in Photoshop. Finish work (curves and levels; saturation; contrast; smart sharpen) in Photoshop.

Location: Data acquired remotely from the Tejas Observatory, located on the grounds of New Mexico Skies, near Mayhill, NM (elevation 7300 feet).

Date: Images taken during the nights of February 6 - 9, 2008.

Pixel scale: 2.1 arcseconds per pixel.

CCD Chip temperature: -25C

Seeing: Good.

Transparency: Very good

Moon Phase: No moon during imaging

Copyright 2008 Mark de Regt

Hit Counter