August 29, 2011

IC349, Merope (August 26, 2011)

The little clump of gas just to the right of the bright star Merope (and below the diffraction spike) is being pushed away and scattered by the star's intense ultraviolet radiation.  Merope is one of the Pleiades (or Subaru, or Seven Sisters, or the stars in M45 in Messier's list).  The clump of gas that is IC349 is lit up because it reflects the light of Merope.  The broader nebulosity around the star is also a reflection of Merope's light.  My favorite image of IC349 is Roland Christian's, here.

Telescope: Orion 10" f/4.7 Newtonian and Baader RCC1
Camera and Exposure: SXVF-H9C, 3x10'
Filter: IDAS-LPS2
Guiding: SX Lodestar and SX OAG
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX

2 comments:

RoryG said...

Excellent! I've got to try that, too!

Polaris B said...

You'll show me up, Rory! Really, that nebula needs at least 2000mm, but it is cool to catch it at all.