IC 443, the Jellyfish Nebula |
 |
| Sometime between 3,000 and 30,000 years ago
(the time frame has not been narrowed down yet), a supernova
went off in the constellation Gemini. Today, telescopes aimed at
that region can still see the remains of that blast scattering
about. This glowing cloud of gas and dust has been cataloged as
IC 443. IC 443, or the Jellyfish Nebula, is the brighter cloud to the lower right of this image, resembling its namesake quite nicely. The dimmer, larger nebulosity above and to its left is the unrelated emission nebula Sharpless 249. Both objects are pretty dim, and I have not tried viewing either of them visually. |
| Constellation: Gemini |
| When Visible: December - May |
| Distance: 5,000 light-years |
| Date: February 2007 |
| Location: West Chester, Ohio |
| Exposure Details: H-alpha: 5 x 30 Minutes Binned 1x1 |
| Equipment Used: Takahashi FSQ-106N on a Takahashi EM200 Temma-PC mount. SBIG STL-6303 camera with 5-position filter wheel and Astrodon narrowband filters. Externally guided with an SBIG Remote Guide Head on a Borg 76ED refractor. |
| Acquisition Software : MaximDL, TheSky6, CCDAutopilot |
| Processing Software: MaximDL, Photoshop CS, IrFanView |