November 21, 2024

Archives for February 22, 2023

NGC 2392 – The Eskimo Nebula in Gemini

NGC 2392 – The Eskimo Nebula in Gemini

Telescope: Astro-Tech 8” f/8 Ritchey-Chretien, Orion Atlas EQ-G

Camera: QHY 367c Pro, -20C, Baader Mk III MPCC, GSO IR Blocking Filter

Guide scope: Astro-Tech 60mm, ZWO ASI120MM mini, PHD2

Exposure: 19x300sec, gain 2800, offset 50, saved as FITS, dithered every 2 images

Darks: 32, -20C, gain 2800, offset 50, saved as FITS

Flats: 64×0.3sec, Tee shirt flats taken at dusk

Average Light Pollution: Red zone, Bortle 8, fair transparency

Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 18.5

Stacking: Average, 1 sigma clip

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: SharpCap Pro, Deep Sky Stacker, Nebulosity, Photoshop

NGC 2392, Eskimo Nebula, is a wonderful little planetary nebula Gemini. Visually this nebula looks much like its nickname, even in a small telescope. Planetary nebula are formed when a star sheds its outer shell as it nears the end of its life. The core collapses into a fiercely bright white dwarf whose intense radiation sets the expanding shell of gas aglow, often with a beautiful blue/green color. The layered structure of NGC 2392 shows that it has experienced several shedding events.

The Eskimo Nebula is currently well placed high in the east during the early evening. (Photo credit: John Graham, 2/13/2023)