NGC2261 Hubble's Variable Nebula

[cometcatcher]

Another first time capture for me, though I first saw photos of it in astronomy books some 45 years ago! It's exciting not knowing what to expect or what level of detail I can get from my small setup. The stars kinda suck a bit. Otherwise I'm pleasantly surprised with my first attempt.

GSO 10" F4 Newtonian, full spectrum Canon 1100D, Baader Semi-Apo filter, 181 x 30 seconds, HEQ5 Pro unguided.

Slightly larger field at Astrobin. ---> https://astrob.in/337488/0/

"NGC 2261 (also known as Hubble's Variable Nebula or Caldwell 46) is a variable nebula located in the constellation Monoceros. The nebula is illuminated by the star R Monocerotis (R Mon), which is not directly visible itself.

One explanation proposed for the variability is that dense clouds of dust near R Mon periodically block the illumination from the star."

[Mickoid]

Great capture Kevin and with a DSLR, better still. Your set up, like mine, has now become the modern day old school if you know what I mean. Despite that, I would expect your capture is 10X better than the one you looked at 45 years ago. Most probably taken through a 2 metre telescope on Kodak Hypersenstised 2415 pan film or whatever they used to call it back then.
It's funny looking at some of those old astronomy books now which printed the best photos they could manage at the time and see how much the quality has changed. If you got a result like they were back then now, it would be straight to the Trash folder!

[cometcatcher]

Thanks Michael. Yes I think the pic I saw was through the Palomar 200 inch, which was it's first light.

I'm reluctant to go dedicated astro cam. It would have to be mono as I don't see much advantage to the colour ones. And I'm having way too much fun with my old Canon. I also hate imaging with computers, which is weird since I come from a video astronomy background where computers were my only way of saving images! I think I'm getting old....

[Placidus]

A lovely image.

[billdan]

Good catch Kevin, one I've haven't seen before. Looks like a side on view of a birds head, like a wren or a robin.

[cometcatcher]

Thanks M&T!



Thanks Bill! It's a northern sky object but still quite high. Not many photos of it on here strangely.

[RickS]

Very cool, Kevin. That's an interesting target and you got a lot of detail. It looks very much like Gyulbudaghian's Nebula.

[strongmanmike]

Great little target that on Kevin, nice job...I think this might have been the first (or one of the first) objects imaged by the Hale 200" when it was commissioned...?

Mike

[cometcatcher]

Thanks Rick. I'm not familiar with the new you mentioned. I'll have to look it up.



Thanks Mike! Yes I believe it was Palomar first. From wiki.

NGC 2261 was imaged as Palomar Observatory's Hale Telescope's first light by Edwin Hubble on January 26, 1949,[2] some 20 years after the Palomar Observatory project began in 1928. Hubble had studied the nebula previously at Yerkes and Mt. Wilson.