240809 - Sh2-132 "Lion" nebula
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click image to enlarge
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ASTRO:
type=emission nebula mag=4 const=Cepheus dist=10,400 ly size=242 ly IMAGE: location=EB Driveway BrtlCls=4 exposure=CMOS OSC; 58x300s (4.8h), G100 EQUIPMENT: camera=ZWO ASI2600MM-Pro optics=ES103 w 0.8x rdcr, FL (eff.)=571mm, f/5.6 filter=Optolong L-eXtreme duo NB mount=Celestron AVX guiding=Orion 60x240mm, ZWO ASI224MC SOFTWARE: acquisition=Stellarium, APT, PHD2 processing=PixInsight (RCAstro), Photoshop (Lumenzia) (APF-R), LrC |
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This rich hydrogen region containing star clusters, emission nebulae, and dark dust regions is known as the Lion Nebula,. It is catalogued as Sharpless 132 (or Sh2-132). It receives its name for its resemblance to the King of cats here on Earth. The Lion is an object that can only be revealed through astrophotography. While it is quite large (242 ly across), it is too faint to observe visually; either by open-eye viewing, or through the eyepiece of a telescope. It is a deep-sky nebula located in the southern portion of the constellation Cepheus where it borders against Lacerta. The nebula as a whole is believed to be a region of new star formation. It is primarily an emission nebula, and is estimated to be roughly 10,400 light-years away, nestled inside the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy. Two (2) powerful Wolf-Rayet stars have been identified inside the nebula (HD 211564, HD 211853) and are responsible for ionizing the gases in this region and making them visible. HD 211853 is also known as WR 153.
Wolf-Rayet stars are defined as being at least 20 times more massive than the Sun. In the life-cycle of stars, they represent a ‘final burst of activity‘ when they begin to burn their fuel at a prodigious rate, before they begin to die and eventually explode into supernova. Wolf-Rayet 153 is also a variable star. Variables are stars that change in brightness over periods of time ranging from a fraction of a second to years, depending on the type of variable star. Not the largest star in this image, WR 153 is located upper right of the face' of the Lion, in its 'mane'.
There are also two (2) interesting dark nebulae located above the Lion's 'back', between its 'mane' and its 'tail'. These deep-sky objects are contained in a catalogue published in 1962 by American Astro-Physicist Beverly T. Lynds, titled as ‘Lynds Catalog of Dark Nebulae‘. Dr. Lynds received her PhD in Astrophysics from the University of California, Berkley in 1956. She became assistant professor and associate professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona from 1961 to 1971 where she developed her 'Lynds Catalogues' from data found in the National Geographic Society-Palomar Observatory Sky Survey. (She also developed one for 'bright' nebulae too.) From 1971 to 1986, she was an astronomer at Kitt Peak National Observatory. Since 1987 she has been an associate of the Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Since 1991, she also serves as the Sky Math liaison for the Unidata program at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. Objects like the dark nebulae found in the Lion Nebula, and which Dr. Lynds catalogued, are known simply as LDN objects. Specifically, these 2 are labeled as LDN 1154 (left) and LDN 1150 (right).
To enjoy the Lion from one's backyard, a specialized camera for astrophotography must be used that is capable of taking long exposures, and of detecting the highly sought-after light emission wavelengths of Hydrogen-alpha ("Hɑ" - 656.28 nm) and Oxygen III ("OIII" - 500.7 nm). This particular image has been rendered in an HSO (hydrogen-sulfur-oxygen) palette of colors where, Hydrogen is represented by red, Sulfur by yellow-orange, and Oxygen by blue. Such colorizing techniques were developed by NASA during the 1960's as a way to improve contrast between the gaseous elements contained in these objects; and thus, provide more visual information about their structures.
From the Northern Hemisphere (Cepheus is a northern constellation), the best time to point a telescope toward the Lion Nebula is from July thru October when Cepheus rises high overhead.
Wolf-Rayet stars are defined as being at least 20 times more massive than the Sun. In the life-cycle of stars, they represent a ‘final burst of activity‘ when they begin to burn their fuel at a prodigious rate, before they begin to die and eventually explode into supernova. Wolf-Rayet 153 is also a variable star. Variables are stars that change in brightness over periods of time ranging from a fraction of a second to years, depending on the type of variable star. Not the largest star in this image, WR 153 is located upper right of the face' of the Lion, in its 'mane'.
There are also two (2) interesting dark nebulae located above the Lion's 'back', between its 'mane' and its 'tail'. These deep-sky objects are contained in a catalogue published in 1962 by American Astro-Physicist Beverly T. Lynds, titled as ‘Lynds Catalog of Dark Nebulae‘. Dr. Lynds received her PhD in Astrophysics from the University of California, Berkley in 1956. She became assistant professor and associate professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona from 1961 to 1971 where she developed her 'Lynds Catalogues' from data found in the National Geographic Society-Palomar Observatory Sky Survey. (She also developed one for 'bright' nebulae too.) From 1971 to 1986, she was an astronomer at Kitt Peak National Observatory. Since 1987 she has been an associate of the Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Since 1991, she also serves as the Sky Math liaison for the Unidata program at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. Objects like the dark nebulae found in the Lion Nebula, and which Dr. Lynds catalogued, are known simply as LDN objects. Specifically, these 2 are labeled as LDN 1154 (left) and LDN 1150 (right).
To enjoy the Lion from one's backyard, a specialized camera for astrophotography must be used that is capable of taking long exposures, and of detecting the highly sought-after light emission wavelengths of Hydrogen-alpha ("Hɑ" - 656.28 nm) and Oxygen III ("OIII" - 500.7 nm). This particular image has been rendered in an HSO (hydrogen-sulfur-oxygen) palette of colors where, Hydrogen is represented by red, Sulfur by yellow-orange, and Oxygen by blue. Such colorizing techniques were developed by NASA during the 1960's as a way to improve contrast between the gaseous elements contained in these objects; and thus, provide more visual information about their structures.
From the Northern Hemisphere (Cepheus is a northern constellation), the best time to point a telescope toward the Lion Nebula is from July thru October when Cepheus rises high overhead.