Observation by Peter Goodhew FRAS: Enigmatic WeSb 1 and its unusual nucleus

Uploaded by

Peter Goodhew FRAS

Observer

Peter Goodhew FRAS

Observed

2024 Dec 27 - 10:47

Uploaded

2025 Jan 17 - 10:55

Equipment

APM TMB LZOS 152 refractors
Celestron EdgeHD 14" SCT
QHYCCD QHY268 MM Pro cameras
QHYCCD QHY600 Pro M camera
10micron GM2000 HPS mount
ASA DDM85 mount

Exposure

172 hours 42 minutes HaOIIIRGB

Location

Fregenal de la Sierra, Spain

Target name

WeSb 1

Title

Enigmatic WeSb 1 and its unusual nucleus

About this image

WeSb 1 is a very faint likely planetary nebula.
It has an angular diameter of 185 arcsecs.
Research just published shows that the central star of the planetary nebula (CSPN) has prominent deep and aperiodic dips in brightness.
The light curves show brief periods with up to 100% of the light flux dropping.
This resembles transits from a dust/debris disk.
Evidence suggests that the CSPN is a binary star system, or a symbiotic system inside an evolved planetary nebula, both of which are rare objects.
For more details see https://arxiv.org/pdf/2410.03589v1
Image captured on my robotic telescopes in Spain.
More information at https://www.imagingdeepspace.com/stdr-35-with-wesb-1.html

Files associated with this observation

StDr35 with WeSb1 final crop.jpg (60.9 kB)

Like this image

Callum Potter, Andy Wilson, Jeremy Shears, Gary Eason, Dominic Ford, Martin Lewis, Robin Leadbeater, Mark Phillips, Anton Matthews, Manolo_Rodriguez

Comments

Gary Eason, 2025 Jan 17 - 18:15 UTC

Remarkable image. What a fascinating thing.

Peter Goodhew FRAS

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