Telescope: ES DHL Comet Hunter MN6 at f/4.8, Orion Atlas EQ-G
Camera: Baader modified Nikon D610
Filter: 2” Radian Triad Ultra Hb, OIII, Ha, SII filter
Guide scope: Williams Optics 50mm, ASI290MM mini, PHD
Exposure: 23x180sec, ISO 400, saved as RAW
Darks: Internal (Long Exposure Noise Reduction On)
Flats: 32×1/5sec, tee shirt flats taken at dusk
Average Light Pollution: Red zone, poor transparency
Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 18.3 mag/arc-sec^2
Stacking: Mean with a 1-sigma clip.
White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic
Software: Backyard Nikon, Nebulosity, Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop
The Helix is one of the closest planetary nebula with a distance of only 650 light years. It spans a diameter of about 2.5 light years and is relatively young with an age estimated to be about 10,600 years. NGC 7293 is one of those wonderful objects that hides in plain sight. It is so large (about half the size of the full moon) that its light is spread out over a large area, making it very difficult to see and all but invisible from my red-zone backyard.
NGC 7293 is currently in the southwest as the sky darkens.
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