3,740 Minutes: 1,025 minutes Ha-OIII 7nm, 1,690 S2 (1X1)
Askar 130PHQ 130mm Astrograph (f/7.7)
ZWO ASI2600MC-Air (26 Megapixel astronomical color camera)
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Dust Gets In Your Eye
Wolf-Rayet 134
The blue-green eye-like object in this image was produced by a massive, short-lived and rare Wolf-Rayet star seen near its center. Located in the constellation Cygnus, it's about 6,000 light-years from Earth. This circular nebula is surrounded by vast interstellar clouds of dust and gas. The nebula was formed when the progenitor star shed its outer hydrogen layers and began to fuse heavier elements at its core.
The bubble of expanding interstellar dust surrounding this star consists of microscopic solid particles of carbon and silicates, along with organic components, found in the space between stars. The individual motes of dust are smaller than particles of cigarette smoke and originates from the material ejected by the star. Interstellar dust and gas contributes to the formation of new stars and planets by providing seeds for matter to accumulate. Dust also plays a role in shaping galaxies by blocking and re-emitting starlight, influencing their structure and evolution
The progenitor star is designated as WR 134. It is 400,000 times more luminous than the Sun and exhibits ferocious stellar winds that blew off its outer layers at extreme speeds of over 1,800 km/s. This outflow created the surrounding nebula.
WR 134 was one of the first three Wolf-Rayet stars ever discovered. It was observed in 1867 by French astronomers Charles Wolf and Georges Rayet. Another example is the Crescent Nebula (click here)
This image was produced under Bortle 5- 6 skies and is the first light image of my Askar 130 PHQ telescope.
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Click here for a larger image!
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