NGC 6992, The Bridal Veil Nebula

NGC 6992, The Bridal Veil  Nebula,  Constellation: Cygnus

Image Details:

• Scope: William Optics 66mm APO Refractor piggybacked on  Celestron C8 SGT.
• Mount: Celestron AS-GT (goto CG5).
• Camera: Meade DSI Color.
• Configuration: ATIK .5 focal reducer.
• Exposure:  20 images @35 seconds.
• Filter: Meade IR blocking filter.
• Acquisition: Meade Envisage.
• Guiding: None.
• Location: Mobile Astronomical Society Dark Site near Tanner-Williams Alabama.
• Date: 16 September 2006.
• Post Processing: Meade IP.
• Photoshop: Unsharp Masking, Levels, JPG conversion.

Comments: This ghostly haze, the Eastern arc of the Veil Nebula, is probably a mite easier to see and image than Cygnus'  nearby Crescent Nebula, but it is still a considerably dim object. It's a treat from a really dark site with an OIII filtered C8, but even then, the night and sky have to be right. Some people say the Eastern arc is brighter than the Western arc, but I've always felt the opposite.

This huge object, at least three degrees across once you take all its arcs and patches into account, is a supernova remnant that popped off 5 - 10,000 years ago. It's thought to be about 1400 light-years distant.

The teeny tiny refractor didn't have much trouble with this one...or wouldn't have if I'd gotten my act together. I forgot to take dark frames. I could have focused better. I could have guided as 1 minute subframes would probably have been much better. Despite the "couldas" brought on by this being the first image I've been able to take after a lousy summer, I'm pleased as it shows the potential of the increasingly popular "66es" for imaging. Wonder what the ST2000 would do with this little scope? Hmmm...

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