Image Centered on Ra. 22 : 29.6 (h:m) Dec. -20 : 48 (deg:m) Distance 0.45 (kly)
The Helix Nebula, NGC 7293Planetary Nebula, Bennett 129 in Aquarius
Information ( From the seds online website )
Discovered by Karl Ludwig Harding before 1824.
The Helix Nebula is one of the closest of all planetary nebulae: Lying at a distance of perhaps 450 light years, it is the only planetary nebula for which a parallax could be obtained by ground-based observations. Nevertheless, its distance is quite uncertain: The first determination by A. Van Maanen yielded about 85 light-years, Becvar (1961) has 590, L. Kohoutek (1962) 280, I.S. Shlovskii (1956) and P.A. Ianna & H.A. McAlister (1974) 160, the Sky Catalogue 2000.0 gives about 300 ly, and C.R. O'Dell (1963) obtains 450 light-years.
It is also one of the apparently largest planetaries known: Its apparent size covers an area of 16 arc minutes diameter, more than half of that of the full moon; it halo extends even further to 28 arc minutes or almost the moon's apparent diameter (These dimensions were taken from Stephen J. Hynes who quotes AAT and ESO photos). Although the nebula is quite bright, its light is spread over this large area so that it is not an easy object for visual observing; the Herschels have apparently never cataloged or observed it.
The popular name Helix Nebula refers to the nebula's appearance on photographs.
Optics and exposure info
Mount, Losmandy G11 with Gemini control electronics
Imager, Starlite-Xpress SXV-h9 using Astronomiks RGB and Schuler Ha optical filters.
Exposure data, Luminance 90 minutes Ha using 2 minute sub exposures RGB 20 minutes each channel binned 2x2 , Astronomiks RGB filters
Images acquired with Astroart and aligned then combined in Maxim Dl. Final RGB composite processed with Photoshop Cs
Images acquired from my backyard - " Dirt Clod Observatory" in Antelope California
