Cat's Eye Nebula (NGC 6543)

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Photographer:

Jon Greif

Location of Photo:

Mayhill, NM, USA (remotely from La Jolla, CA, USA, via iTelescope.net

Date/Time of photo:

June 22, 2018, at 2:00 am MDT

Equipment:

Takahashi 150 mm Reflector, SBIG monochrome camera with Clear, Red, Green and Blue Filters.

Description:

The Cat's Eye Nebula, NGC 6543, is a planetary nebula in the northern constellation Draco, discovered by William Herschel on February 15, 1786. The term "planetary nebula" is arguably a misnomer, since this phenomenon is not associated with planets, but, perhaps, was derived from the planet-like round shape of these emission nebulae, as observed by astronomers through early telescopes. A planetary nebula consists of an expanding, glowing shell of ionized gas ejected from a red giant star late in its life. Most planetary nebulae are relatively short-lived phenomenon, lasting a few tens of thousands of years, compared to a typical stellar lifetime spanning several billion years. Our Sun is a red giant star, and could end its life as a planetary nebula, but, hopefully, no time soon. This image was taken remotely (still overcast, "June Gloom" here in La Jolla), via iTelescope.net, in Mayhill, NM, in the early morning hours, yesterday, on a 150 mm Takahashi reflector with SBIG monochrome camera -- 300 sec exposures each with clear, red, green and blue filters, and processed on Deep Sky Stacker, Nebulosity 4 and Aurora HDR software.

Website:

http://skyandtelescope.org/author/jgreif/