SUNSET: 
0
Photographer:
massimo.difusco
Location of Photo:
Ferrara (Italy)
Date/Time of photo:
23/10/2023 00:00
Equipment:
Konus 200/1000 @950mm (f/4.8), Player One Poseidon-C camera, Sky-Watcher Eq6r Pro mount, SvBony CLS filter
Description:
NGC 1501 (also known as the Oyster Nebula) is about 4000 light years away from us in Camelopardalis constellation, it has the shape of a low eccentricity ellipsoid from which four main lobes protrude and at its center there is a WC4 spectral class star similar to that of a Wolf-Rayet star rich in carbon. It is a pulsating star, meaning its brightness varies regularly and periodically, and in this case the process is incredibly fast, with the brightness changing significantly in just half an hour. An analysis of Gaia data suggests that the central star is a binary system and visible-light observations reveal emissions of gases including hydrogen and nitrogen. The total mass of the nebula is estimated to be around 0.22 solar masses, most of which is ionized gas and a small fraction is carbon-rich dust.
