HELIX

This is one of my favorite images, but it is only up high enough to image in the summer, when the monsoon rains make imaging next to impossible. I was finally able to get enough data this year so here it is. It is NGC7923, also known as the Helix Nebula. It is also sometimes referred to as "The Eye of God". It is a planetary nebula about 700 light years away in the constellation Aquarius. It is the closest planetary nebula to earth, which accounts for its large size relative to other planetary nebula.

August 9 - October 6, 2013

Location: Rancho Hidalgo, NM
Telescope: TEC-140 (F7)
Camera: SBIG ST-8300M
Mount: AP900 GTO
Luminance: 24x20 minutes (binned 1x1)
Red: 12x15 minutes (binned 2x2)
Green: 12x15 minutes (binned 2x2)
Blue: 12x15 minutes (binned 2x2)