Sharpless 308, a real hidden treasure

[marco]

Hi to all, here I am with another image taken last months with the TEC 140. This time it is a very seldom imaged object in Canis Major, Sharpless 308.

Despite this nebula is a giant bubble larger than the full Moon and very conveniently located for southern observers (it passes almost at the zenith), I found very little images around the net, one of those the fantastic image taken by Don Goldman that gave him an APOD some time ago. I believe this is the first post of this object in this group if I am not wrong..

Here is the link:

http://www.glitteringlights.com/Images/deepsky/13667287_YtYhj#1387168630_JWP4WRj-X3-LB

Again this is a combination of narrow band filters and RGB colors (I don't like mapped color images) and here the contribution of the OIII filter is essential. Unfortunately I was not able to collect as many subframes as I wanted, in particular for the OIII, this because of the set up problems I have already mentioned before. Therefore this image is much noisier that I wanted.

Total exposure was a little over 15 hours.

I suggest the view of the zoomify version to full resolution at full screen. If you use firefox 5 you will also enjoy the color management (the color profile is embedded in the images.

Hope you will like this image. I really hope that somebody of you with larger telescopes will give this nebula justice next winter :)

Clear Skies
Marco

[iceman]

Wow, what an incredible image. Thankyou Marco!

[Alchemy]

So nicely done.... Excellent

[Lester]

Wow, I am stuck for words, to capture and resolve intricate detail in such a faint object, Marco that is as good as it gets IMO.

Thanks for the view. One I will remember.

[gregbradley]

Another fabulous Marco.

Thanks for pointing out this virtually unknown object so beautifully.

Greg.

[multiweb]

How cool! Looks like a giant bubble. Gorgeous colors and details. :thumbsup:

[strongmanmike]

Lovely image Marco, incredibly delicate presentation of something I haven't seen before.

This might be worth a crack with the AG12 :question:

Mike

[renormalised]

Excellent shot, Marco. The detail and colours are perfect:)

[Hagar]

Love it Marco. It's so delicate and must be a real task to find without perfect pointing. The sublety of the Ha in the background is superb.

Beautiful image.

[marco]

Thanks Doug, actually this object is pretty easy to be found thanks to the bright yellow star at its base (Omicron CMA), another reason that doesn't justify the little images around..



Thanks Carl



Thanks Mike, with your new fast Newtonian you should get an excellent s/n on this object with a fraction of my exposure time. Consider also that the size of this bubble is close to one degree, a perfect fit for your FOV..



Thanks Marc



Thanks Greg, I hope you will ive it a try with your CDK17 reduced, you should be able to get a superb view of this faint bubble..



Thanks Lester



Thanks Clive



Thanks to you Mike!

Clear Skies
Marco

[steve000]

Mate, I have looked at your images on the glittering nights website.. they are absolutely amazing the colour depth and detailed captures is unreal.

Apart from decent optical equipment, is the camera you use particularly different to other cameras? i notice it is very sensitive to reds and blues

obviously its miles ahead of DSLR's etc but is it a specific camera designed solely for astro etc, and is the kind of camera you need to mortgage you house to get or can they be bought for a few grand?

ive checked out their website, there is little information on it.

[CoolhandJo]

Wonderful image Marco. So fine a detail. Excellent presentation.

[marco]

Thanks Paul



Thanks Steve for the nice comments. There are several factors that contribute to the final result, namely the equipment used, the sky quality, the integration time and the way to process.

Indeed the camera I use is dedicated for astrophotography and it is on the high range in terms of cost. To have an idea check the website of one of their distributors:
http://www.optcorp.com/ProductList.aspx?uid=319-320-322-1028
Price range is in line with other equivalent products in the market using this large format CCDs..

Clear Skies
Marco

[gregbradley]

Just thought I'd post to say how pleased I am you post at this group.

You've lifted the bar, brought a new look to many images and operate at a very high standard. Now you are showing us new objects to image! Cool!

Greg.

[atalas]

Splendid work and a new to me object! wow.

[bokglob]

WOW again Marco:eyepop: Lifting the bar alright, to at least a near Earth orbit:rolleyes::thanx:

[beren]

:thumbsup: Stunning image congrats

[John Hothersall]

That is an amazing view of this new faint object.

John.

[Ross G]

An amazing and unique object Marco.

Incredible sharpness, detail and colours.

Your photo is of the highest standard.

Thank you Ross.

[jase]

Awesome Marco. The OIII shell is impressive and you've managed the technical aspects of the image very well. Kudos!

[Octane]

Another remarkable image.

The definition, clarity and background hydrogen alpha patches are brilliant.

Can't wait for your next masterpiece.

H

[Ric]

A wonderful image Marco. That is definitely an object I haven't seen before.

I love the way it's just hanging there in space with an almost 3D feel to it.

[richardo]

This is so stunning Marco, and an object I haven't seen before.
Beautifully executed in all respects!

To boot, it's the result from a Wolf Rayet star, the demise of these rare wonder stars certainly produce some exotic looking ejecta shells as this one shows so beautifully
and dramatically shows.

Thank you for sharing this with us!

Rich

[casstony]

I was thinking the same - feels like I'm travelling towards it.

[marco]

Thanks louie



Thanks to you Darrel



Thanks Beren



Thanks John!



Thank you Greg, I really appreciate it, in this forum I found a lot of very skilled amateurs and saw fantastic images, it is a pleasure for me to be here!



Thanks Ross, happy you like it!



Thanks Jase



Thanks H :)



Thanks Ric, this is the same effect it gave me, this bubble is a spectacular object IMHO



Thanks Rich for your compliments and for the explanation



Indeed, it is amazing this is an almost unknown target, isn't it? :)


Clear Skies
Marco

[Peter Ward]

Suberb, what's not to like? I suspect many will now try to emulate this exceptional image ( self included ) but may find it a very hard act to follow :)

Visual candy for sure!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[Moon]

I'm stuck for words too. A really amazing image.

[Paul Haese]

Very nice image Marco. Love the way the bubble looks like it is being pulled to the top right corner. Great rendering of this target.

[marco]

Thanks Paul, actually it looks like a balloon that is broken on one side :lol:



Thanks James



Thanks Peter, if somebody else is going to try this object because got inspired by my image than I will have even more satisfaction :)

Clear Skies
Marco