November 16, 2024

NGC 2392 – The Eskimo Nebula in Gemini

NGC 2392 – The Eskimo Nebula in Gemini

Telescope: Meade 12” LX850 ACF @ f/8, Orion Atlas EQ-G

Camera: ZWO ASI071 MC Pro, -10C, Gain 200

Filter: Orion Imaging Skyglow Filter

Guide scope: Astro-Tech 60mm, ASI290MM Mini, PHD2

Exposure: 74x60sec, saved as FITS

Darks: 32x60s, saved as FITS

Flats: 32x1sec, Tee shirt flats taken at dawn

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

Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 18.6 mag/arc-sec^2

Stacking: Mean with a 2-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: Nebulosity, Deep Sky Stacker, 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 nebulas 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 gas aglow, often with a beautiful blue/green color. The structure of this nebula shows that it experienced several shedding events.