Observation by Peter Goodhew FRAS: EGB 4 (Ellis-Grayson-Bond 4)

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Peter Goodhew FRAS

Observer

Peter Goodhew FRAS

Observed

2019 Dec 30 - 16:32

Uploaded

2019 Dec 31 - 16:34

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Constellation

Camelopardalis

Field centre

RA: 06^h29^m
Dec: +71°04'
Position angle: -6°45'

Field size

0°36' × 0°24'

Equipment

APM TMB 152 LZOS Refractors
10Micron GM2000 HPS mount
QSI6120wsg8 cameras

Exposure

Astrodon Blue: 15x300" Astrodon Green: 15x300" Astrodon Lum: 20x600" Astrodon Red: 15x300" Astrodon OIII: 25x1800s bin 2x2 As

Location

Fregenal de la Sierra, Spain

Target name

EGB4

Title

EGB 4 (Ellis-Grayson-Bond 4)

About this image

EGB 4 (a nebula discovered by Ellis, Grayson, & Bond in 1984) is NOT a comet, despite it's comet-like appearance. It is an emission nebula surrounding a catacylismic binary star system called BZ Cam in the constellation of Camelopardis.

It has an unusual bow-shock structure as BZ Cam (with it's associated wind) moves through the interstellar medium, similar to the bow wave in front of a ship that is moving through water.

BZ Cam is believed to be a white dwarf star that is accreting mass from an accompanying main-sequence star of 0.3-0.4 solar masses.
It is around 2,500 light years away, and has a space velocity of 125 km/second.

I can only find one previous image of EGB 4 online, a NASA APOD from 2000, so I believe this could be the first amateur image and thef irst colour image.

Yes it's incredibly faint!

References:

apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap001128.html

THE ASTRONOMICAL JOURNAL, 115:286-295, 1998 January © 1998. The American Astronomical Society.

aanda.org/articles/aa/full/2001/36/aa1385/aa1385.right.html

Files associated with this observation

EGB4v2.jpg (122.1 kB)

Like this image

Jeremy Shears, Ray Emery, Graham Winstanley, David Swan, Nick Hewitt, Jimmy Fraser, Peter Carson, Andy Wilson, Ella Bryant, Andrew Dumbleton, Mark Harman, Mattia Piccoli

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