Observation by Mike Foylan: The Medusa Nebula

Uploaded by

Mike Foylan

Observer

Mike Foylan

Observed

2025 Feb 05 - 21:01

Uploaded

2025 Mar 17 - 14:19

Objects

Sharpless 274

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Constellation

Gemini

Field centre

RA: 07^h29^m
Dec: +13°15'
Position angle: +90°17'

Field size

0°24' × 0°21'

Equipment

Celestron C8 @F11.2
SBIG STL-1301
Baader RGB Filters
Clestron CGE EQ Mount

Location

Cherryvalley Observatory I83

Target name

The Medusa Nebula

Title

The Medusa Nebula

About this image

The Medusa Nebula (Abel-21), an old Planetary Nebula in the constellation of Gemini. It is an extended object, about 1/3 width of the Moon. Its approximately four light years across and some 1,500 light years distant. It has a low surface brightness and proved a challenge to image!

The central star of the Medusa planetary nebula is pre-degenerate star (PG 11590 type) and shows up as blue here. The nebulas central star is on its way to becoming a white dwarf. Such pre-degenerate stars can have surface temperatures up to 200,000 Kelvin. The fate of our Sun may be eerily similar in the distant future.

I tried some teasing out of structural features using Siril and GraXpert.

Files associated with this observation

Medusa Nebula.png (4.6 MB)

Like this image

Dominic Ford, Andy Wilson, Simon Paul Davis

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