Object Information                                            Imaging Details

The Helix Nebula is one of the closest planetary nebula at only about 650 l-y. It was discovered by Karl Ludwig Harding around 1824. It is estimated that the outer ring began expanding around 10,000 years ago.

The Helix Nebula is large (a bit larger than the full moon). Although it's magnitude is fairly high (6.5), its surface brightness is quite low making it difficult to observe. Dark skies and a large aperture telescope are required to see the nebula (although a few brighter regions may be seen through a moderate-size scope).

This image was taken in September 2007 from my yard in suburban Las Cruces. This is my first attempt to blend color and Ha images. Light pollution (even with a filter) was a problem for the color shots, but the pollution gradient was handled by using the Ha image as a luminance channel. Ha was also added.

Clicking on the image gives a larger, more detailed image.

Telescope:

Celestron NexStar GPS 11"