NGC 1514 – Planetary Nebula in Taurus

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: 31x240sec, saved as FITS

Darks: 32x240s, saved as FITS

Flats: 32x1sec, Tee shirt flats taken at dawn

Average Light Pollution: Bortle 8, poor transparency

Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 18.2 mag/arc-sec^2

Stacking: Mean with a 2-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: Nebulosity, Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop

This is NGC 1514, a planetary nebula in Taurus. Planetary nebula form from a star very late in its life when it becomes unstable and sheds its outer surface, forming an expanding bubble of gas. In this case the shell is very uneven and detailed images show that it includes several sweeping loops. It has been conjectured that the central star in this case is a double and that the expanding shell of gas from one star has been contorted by its close companion. Neat stuff.

NGC 1514 is currently well placed in the evening rising in the northeast as the sky darkens.