M46, two planetary nebulae (NGC 2438 and Minkowski 1-18) and the Calabash Nebula
M 46 is an open cluster in Puppis.
NGC 2438 is a multi-shell planetary nebula. It is expanding with a velocity of 37 km/s. The structure is surrounded by a fainter, mostly circular halo that is more visible on the western half, and has a diameter of 130 arc seconds.
Minkowski 1-18 is a smaller (35 arc seconds) planetary nebula.
The Calabash Nebula, is a protoplanetary nebula 1.4 light years long and located some 5,000 light years from Earth in the constellation Puppis. The Calabash is almost certainly a member of the open cluster Messier 46, as it has the same distance, radial velocity, and proper motion. The central star is QX Puppis, a binary composed of a very cool Mira variable and an A-type main-sequence star.
NGC 2438 is a multi-shell planetary nebula. It is expanding with a velocity of 37 km/s. The structure is surrounded by a fainter, mostly circular halo that is more visible on the western half, and has a diameter of 130 arc seconds.
Minkowski 1-18 is a smaller (35 arc seconds) planetary nebula.
The Calabash Nebula, is a protoplanetary nebula 1.4 light years long and located some 5,000 light years from Earth in the constellation Puppis. The Calabash is almost certainly a member of the open cluster Messier 46, as it has the same distance, radial velocity, and proper motion. The central star is QX Puppis, a binary composed of a very cool Mira variable and an A-type main-sequence star.
TARGET
Nomenclature: M 46, NGC 2438, Minkowski 1-18, M1-8, PK231+04.1 Calabash Nebula, Rotten Egg Nebula, OH 231.84 +4.22
Image Right Ascension: 07:41:50.36
Image Declination: -14:44:06.97
Size: 130 arc seconds (NGC 2438)
EQUIPMENT USED
Twin APM TMB LZOS 152 refractors
10Micron GM2000 HPS mount
Twin QSI6120wsg cameras
Astrodon filters
IMAGE CAPTURE
Ha 5nm: 107x600" bin 1x1
OIII 3nm: 137x600" bin 1x1
Red: 50x120" bin 1x1
Green: 49x120" bin 1x1
Blue: 50x120" bin 1x1
Total integration: 45 hours 38 minutes
Pixel scale: 0.648 arcsec/pixel
Field radius: 0.612 degrees
Capture dates: 19-23 January 2024
Capture location: Fregenal de la Sierra, Spain
Ha 5nm: 107x600" bin 1x1
OIII 3nm: 137x600" bin 1x1
Red: 50x120" bin 1x1
Green: 49x120" bin 1x1
Blue: 50x120" bin 1x1
Total integration: 45 hours 38 minutes
Pixel scale: 0.648 arcsec/pixel
Field radius: 0.612 degrees
Capture dates: 19-23 January 2024
Capture location: Fregenal de la Sierra, Spain
IMAGE PROCESSING
Pre-processing: CCDStack2
Post-processing: Pixinsight, Photoshop CS2