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The Homunculus Nebula IS visible!
Hi all,
I had another look at Eta Carina Nebula, this time armed with the info in the Eta Carina Tour in the link supplied by Rob.
Wow! What a difference a little more educated eye can see. I was finally able to identify the star Eta Carina, and there it was- the Homunculus Nebula! In my first post below I mentioned noticing an elongation to a star that I now know to be Eta Carina. Revisiting it, at 133X the hour-glass shape was unmistakeable. And it is orange in colour like in the Hubble photographs.
In my 17.5", at 133X, it shows a mottled, fiberous texture. Its outer boarder is the brightest, outlined by its bright orange colour. The giant star Eta Carina doesn't totally overwhelm the visibility of the tiny nebula. It does, however, wash out the central pinch of the 'hour-glass' shape.
A nebula filter cuts out the spectrum of the Homunculus. It must be glowing in a spectural range not typical of nebulae. I found it best viewed neat through the eyepiece.
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