NGC 1514 - The Crystal Ball Nebula
Originally published in Astronomy Now Magazine February 2019
Featured in The Journal of The British Astronomical Association, December 2020
Revised February 2023
Originally published in Astronomy Now Magazine February 2019
Featured in The Journal of The British Astronomical Association, December 2020
Revised February 2023
NGC 1514 is a planetary nebula in the constellation Taurus. It is also known as the Chrystal Ball Nebula. It is 1520 light years from Earth. The nebula originated from a binary star system with the designation HD 281679 from the Henry Draper Catalogue. The bright, visible component is a giant star, while the nebula-generating companion is now a hot, sub-luminous O-type star. The two have one of the longest known orbits for any planetary nebula, with a period of about 9 years.
TARGET
Nomenclature: NGC 1514, Crystall Ball Nebula
Right Ascension: 04:09:16.984
Declination: +30:46:33.47
Size: 3 arc min including outer plumes
Discovery: William Herschel on November 13, 1790
EQUIPMENT USED
Twin APM TMB LZOS 152 refractors
10Micron GM2000 HPS mount
Twin QSI6120 CCD cameras
Astrodon filters
IMAGE CAPTURE
5nm Ha: 21x1800 bin 1x1
3nm OIII: 117x600 bin 1x1
Red: 20x300 bin 1x1
Green: 20x300 bin 1x1
Blue: 20x300 bin 1x1
Total integration: 35 hours
Pixel scale: 0.265 arcsec/pixel
Field radius: 0.227 degrees
Capture dates: 1-7 February 2023
Capture location: Fregenal de la Sierra, Spain
5nm Ha: 21x1800 bin 1x1
3nm OIII: 117x600 bin 1x1
Red: 20x300 bin 1x1
Green: 20x300 bin 1x1
Blue: 20x300 bin 1x1
Total integration: 35 hours
Pixel scale: 0.265 arcsec/pixel
Field radius: 0.227 degrees
Capture dates: 1-7 February 2023
Capture location: Fregenal de la Sierra, Spain
IMAGE PROCESSING
Pre-processing: CCDStack2
Post-processing: Photoshop CS2
Pre-processing: CCDStack2
Post-processing: Photoshop CS2