NGC7293

One of the premier planetaries in the sky is NGC7293, the Helix Nebula. It is large, by planetary standards, at 17.6' diameter. Longer exposures highlight some additional nebulosity, in the shape of 2 oppositely positioned lobes, which are just showing up on this 250 minutes exposure. This shot was taken in mag 3 skies from my backyard near Orlando, FL.

Image info:

10" Homebuilt Newtonian

Starlight Express SXVF-H36 monochrome camera

25x10 minutes (250 total)

f/4.6 with Paracorr

Imaged with Maxim and tweaked in PS

Guided with SX OAG and SX guide head

11.16.09

My backyard