KinchAstro
  • Home Page
  • Progress through the years
    • 2023 Images >
      • Messier 101 (2023)
      • SH2-278
      • Soul Nebula (2023)
      • NGC 1491 (Fossil Footprint) 2023
      • IC 443 (Jellyfish Nebula) 2023
    • 2022 Images >
      • Andromeda Galaxy (2022)
      • SH2-173
      • Bat Nebula in Eastern Veil
      • SH2-124
      • NGC 7380 Wizard (2022)
      • SH2-132 (2022)
      • Cygnus Butterfly
      • SH2-140 & SH2-145
      • SNR G082.2+05.3
      • Just one area of Gas & Dust in Cygnus
      • Propeller Nebula (2022)
      • Around NGC 6914
      • SH2-115 & Abell 71 Wide Field
      • IC 4685
      • M20 - Trifid Nebula
      • SH2-101 (2022)
      • WR 134 in Cygnus
      • M 17 (2022)
      • M5 Star Cluster
      • Cederblad 51
      • Cone Nebula to NGC 2259
      • NGC 2353 (Stars & Stuff)
      • SH2-232 (2022)
      • IC 410 (Tadpoles) - 2022
    • 2021 Images >
      • SH2-224 (2021)
      • NGC 2174 (2021)
      • SH2-284 (2021)
      • Cocoon Nebula
      • SH2-261
      • Heart Nebula 2021
      • LBN 437 (SH2-126)
      • IC 1848 - Soul Nebula
      • SNR G082.2+05.3
      • SH2-135
      • LDN 909 & DWB 111
      • IC 5068
      • SH2-119
      • North of Sadr (Cygnus)
      • The Blue Horse Head Nebula
      • Messier 3 (2021)
      • Pink Moon Apr.2021
      • NGC 1499 (California Nebula)
      • MW2 (Dust Angel)
      • IC 2177 (Seagull) 2021
      • Abell 31 (2021)
      • SH2-308 Dolphin Nebula
      • M78
      • Jones Emberson 1 (2021)
      • HFG1 & Abell 6
      • SH2-282
    • 2020 Images >
      • Abell 21 (2020) Madusa Nebula
      • SH2-200
      • M33 (2020)
      • SH2-112
      • SH2-132 (2020)
      • IC 1805 - Heart Nebula
      • SH2-155 - Cave Nebula
      • SH2-114 - The Flying Dragon
      • SH2-115
      • Abell 85 (CTB-1)
      • LDN1235 - Shark Nebula
      • IC 1396 with Elephant Trunk Nebula
      • IC 1311
      • Crescent toward Sadr
      • SH2-54 & NGC 6604
      • IC 1318 Sadr Region
      • IC4592 - Blue Horsehead
      • Rho Ophiuchi
      • NGC 2259
      • Horsehead & Flame
      • IC 2177
      • SH2-232
      • SH2-284
      • SH2-280 or LBN 973
      • Rosette Nebula
    • 2019 Images >
      • Veil Nebula
      • NGC 7822 (2019)
      • Lobster Claw & Bubble
      • Tulip Nebula & NGC 6871
      • Earth's Moon
      • Propeller Nebula
      • NGC 7129 & NGC 7142
      • NGC 7023 - Iris Nebula
      • M108 & M97
      • M13 Globular Cluster
      • HCG 44
      • M81 & M82
      • M5 Star Cluster
      • M3 Star Cluster
      • NGC 4565
      • M 101 Galaxy (2019)
      • Abell 33
      • M1 Crab Nebula
      • IC 410 Tadpoles
      • Jellyfish Nebula
    • 2018 Images >
      • Simeis 147
      • North America & Pelican
      • NGC 7635 Bubble Nebula
      • NGC 7822 (2018)
      • NGC 281 Pacman Nebula
      • Soap Bubble & Crescent Nebula
      • NGC 2327 Seagull Nebula HaSHO
      • NGC 2327 Seagull Nebula Ha
      • NGC 2359 Thor's Helmet
      • Jones Emberson 1
    • 2017 Images >
      • M31 Andromeda Galaxy
      • NGC 7293 Helix Nebula
      • NGC 2174 Monkey Head Nebula
      • M16 Eagle Nebula
      • NGC 6820 & NGC 6823
      • Abell 21 (2017) Medusa Nebula
      • Sh2-290
      • NGC 2264 NB Colour
      • NGC 2264
      • IC 2118 Witch Head Nebula
      • M42 Orion Nebula
    • 2016 Images >
      • Cederblad 214
      • NGC 1491
      • IC 1795 The Fishhead Nebula
      • Bubble Nebula (2016)
      • NGC 7380 Wizard Nebula
      • Pickering's Triangle
      • Caldwell 33
      • Eastern Veil Nebula (Caldwell 33) - Ha
      • SH2-132
      • SH2-155 The Cave Nebula
      • Cave Nebula (Ha)
      • NGC7000 & IC5070
      • Cygnus Wall
      • M13
      • Pelican Nebula
      • M 101 Galaxy (2016)
      • M3 - Star Cluster
      • IC 2177 - Seagull Nebula
      • A few Planetary Nebulae
      • Waxing Moon
      • Rosette Nebula - HSHO
      • Rosette Nebula - Ha
      • Earth's Moon
      • Horse Head & Flame Nebulae
      • NGC 2359
    • 2015 Images >
      • Tadpoles - Crop
      • IC 405 & IC 410
      • IC410 Tadpole Nebula Full
      • IC410 Tadpole Nebula
      • Soul Nebula
      • Dumbbell Nebula
      • M33 Triangulum Galaxy
      • NGC 281 PacMan Nebula
      • Melotte 15 (Heart of the Heart Nebula)
      • Heart Nebula
      • NGC 7822 (2015)
      • Propeller Nebula
      • Pickering's Triangle
      • Omega Nebula
      • Elephant's Trunk Nebula
      • M108 & M97
      • IC 2177
      • Cone & Christmas Tree
      • Monkey Head Nebula
      • Bubble Nebula & M52 (Open Cluster)
      • The Rosette
      • Jellyfish Nebula
    • 2014 Images >
      • Crab Nebula (2014)
      • The Horsehead & Flame
      • The Rosette Nebula
      • Thor's Helmet
      • Leo Triplet
      • Sombrero Galaxy
      • Pinwheel Galaxy
      • Eagle Nebula
      • Lagoon Nebula
      • Pelican Nebula
      • Veil Nebula
      • Great Orion Nebula
    • 2013 Images
    • ....and before!
  • Putting in the Observatory
    • Observatory
    • Foundation Area
    • Foundation 1
    • Foundation 2
    • Building the Pier
    • Pier Completed
    • All wired up.
    • Ready for a nights work!
    • Observatory arrives
    • Neatly packed on the pallet
    • Construction underway
    • Ready to bolt the base to the concrete
    • Dome ready to go on.
    • Ready for side panel
    • Side panel fitted.
    • A look inside.
    • Solar Panel Power
    • Observatory 2
  • My Astro Imaging Gear
    • List of Hardware & Software
    • Connection Diagram - Electrical
    • Connection Diagrams - Hardware
    • Equatorial Mounts >
      • Takahashi EM 400 Temma 2
      • Takahashi EM200 Temma 2
    • Telescopes >
      • Takahashi FSQ130ED
      • Tak FSQ 106 ED
      • Tak FS 60 CB
      • Meade LX200R
    • Cameras >
      • QSI 6120i
      • QHY 5 II
      • Atik 460 EX
    • Other Equipment >
      • Filter Wheel & Filters
      • Other Gear
  • Information & Links
  • On a more personal note...
Picture
Abell 31
Below: another rendition of the data, done in March 2022:
Picture
                 Previous                                          Click on either image to enlarge.                                                   Next
Abell 31 (or PK219+31.1) is an ancient planetary nebula in the constellation of Cancer. It is estimated to be about 2,000 light years away. Although it is one of the largest planetary nebulae in the sky, it is not very bright and not so easy to image. Its shape is caused by interaction with the interstellar medium, as it is moving through space at high speed. The PN was discovered in 1955 by George Abell on the POSS plates.
Some might find it interesting to note that the spiral galaxy IC523 (upper left in the annotated image below) is 
an estimated 386 million light years from the Milky Way.
For those with the time & interest, I have added an explanetary note below, on what a Planatary Nebula is. (Copied from Wikipedia).


Imaging telescope: Takahashi FSQ130ED
Imaging cameras: QSI 6120i
Mounts: Takahashi EM 400 Temma 2
Guiding cameras: QHY CCD QHY 5 II
Focal Extender / Reducer:  Tak QE 0.73x used in Feb.
Software: PHD 2,  Astro Pixel Processer, PixInsight ,  Sequence Generator Pro SGP
Filters: Astrodon Ha (5nm), OIII (5nm) & Astrodon RGB
Accessories: ATIK EFW2

Original Resolution: 2150 x 1468
Dates: Jan. 13 - Jan. 26, 2021 @ 0.98 ArcSec/Pix
Dates: Feb. 12 - Feb. 16, 2021 @ 1.36 ArcSec/Pix
Frames:
Astrodon Ha: 24x900" + 13x1200"
Astrodon OIII: 24x900" + 18x1200
Astrodon RGB: 45x120"" 
Integration: 23 Hours 30 Mins.

Center (RA, Dec):(133.560, 8.884)
Center (RA, hms):08h 54m 14.328s
Center (Dec, dms):+08° 53' 02.202"
Size:48.3 x 33 arcmin
Radius:0.487 deg
Pixel scale:1.35 arcsec/pixel
Orientation:Up is 97.9 degrees E of N



Sky Map

A note on Planetary Nebulae:
A planetary nebula, abbreviated as PN or plural PNe, is a type of emission nebula consisting of an expanding, glowing shell of ionized gas ejected from red giant stars late in their lives.
The term "planetary nebula" is a misnomer because they are unrelated to planets or exoplanets. The term originates from the planet-like round shape of these nebulae observed by astronomers through early telescopes. The first usage may have occurred during the 1780s with the English astronomer William Herschel who described these nebulae as resembling planets; however, as early as January 1779, the French astronomer Antoine Darquier de Pellepoix described in his observations of the Ring Nebula, "very dim but perfectly outlined; it is as large as Jupiter and resembles a fading planet". Though the modern interpretation is different, the old term is still used.
All planetary nebulae form at the end of the life of a star of intermediate mass, about 1-8 solar masses. It is expected that the Sun will form a planetary nebula at the end of its life cycle. They are a relatively short-lived phenomenon, lasting perhaps a few tens of thousands of years, compared to considerably longer phases of stellar evolution. Once all of the red giant's atmosphere has been dissipated, energetic ultraviolet radiation from the exposed hot luminous core, called a planetary nebula nucleus (PNN), ionizes the ejected material. Absorbed ultraviolet light then energizes the shell of nebulous gas around the central star, causing it to appear as a brightly coloured planetary nebula.
Planetary nebulae probably play a crucial role in the chemical evolution of the Milky Way by expelling elements into the interstellar medium from stars where those elements were created. Planetary nebulae are observed in more distant galaxies, yielding useful information about their chemical abundances.
Starting from the 1990s, Hubble Space Telescope images revealed that many planetary nebulae have extremely complex and varied morphologies. About one-fifth are roughly spherical, but the majority are not spherically symmetric. The mechanisms that produce such a wide variety of shapes and features are not yet well understood, but binary central stars, stellar winds and magnetic fields may play a role.

Annotated Image
Picture

All Images
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  • Home Page
  • Progress through the years
    • 2023 Images >
      • Messier 101 (2023)
      • SH2-278
      • Soul Nebula (2023)
      • NGC 1491 (Fossil Footprint) 2023
      • IC 443 (Jellyfish Nebula) 2023
    • 2022 Images >
      • Andromeda Galaxy (2022)
      • SH2-173
      • Bat Nebula in Eastern Veil
      • SH2-124
      • NGC 7380 Wizard (2022)
      • SH2-132 (2022)
      • Cygnus Butterfly
      • SH2-140 & SH2-145
      • SNR G082.2+05.3
      • Just one area of Gas & Dust in Cygnus
      • Propeller Nebula (2022)
      • Around NGC 6914
      • SH2-115 & Abell 71 Wide Field
      • IC 4685
      • M20 - Trifid Nebula
      • SH2-101 (2022)
      • WR 134 in Cygnus
      • M 17 (2022)
      • M5 Star Cluster
      • Cederblad 51
      • Cone Nebula to NGC 2259
      • NGC 2353 (Stars & Stuff)
      • SH2-232 (2022)
      • IC 410 (Tadpoles) - 2022
    • 2021 Images >
      • SH2-224 (2021)
      • NGC 2174 (2021)
      • SH2-284 (2021)
      • Cocoon Nebula
      • SH2-261
      • Heart Nebula 2021
      • LBN 437 (SH2-126)
      • IC 1848 - Soul Nebula
      • SNR G082.2+05.3
      • SH2-135
      • LDN 909 & DWB 111
      • IC 5068
      • SH2-119
      • North of Sadr (Cygnus)
      • The Blue Horse Head Nebula
      • Messier 3 (2021)
      • Pink Moon Apr.2021
      • NGC 1499 (California Nebula)
      • MW2 (Dust Angel)
      • IC 2177 (Seagull) 2021
      • Abell 31 (2021)
      • SH2-308 Dolphin Nebula
      • M78
      • Jones Emberson 1 (2021)
      • HFG1 & Abell 6
      • SH2-282
    • 2020 Images >
      • Abell 21 (2020) Madusa Nebula
      • SH2-200
      • M33 (2020)
      • SH2-112
      • SH2-132 (2020)
      • IC 1805 - Heart Nebula
      • SH2-155 - Cave Nebula
      • SH2-114 - The Flying Dragon
      • SH2-115
      • Abell 85 (CTB-1)
      • LDN1235 - Shark Nebula
      • IC 1396 with Elephant Trunk Nebula
      • IC 1311
      • Crescent toward Sadr
      • SH2-54 & NGC 6604
      • IC 1318 Sadr Region
      • IC4592 - Blue Horsehead
      • Rho Ophiuchi
      • NGC 2259
      • Horsehead & Flame
      • IC 2177
      • SH2-232
      • SH2-284
      • SH2-280 or LBN 973
      • Rosette Nebula
    • 2019 Images >
      • Veil Nebula
      • NGC 7822 (2019)
      • Lobster Claw & Bubble
      • Tulip Nebula & NGC 6871
      • Earth's Moon
      • Propeller Nebula
      • NGC 7129 & NGC 7142
      • NGC 7023 - Iris Nebula
      • M108 & M97
      • M13 Globular Cluster
      • HCG 44
      • M81 & M82
      • M5 Star Cluster
      • M3 Star Cluster
      • NGC 4565
      • M 101 Galaxy (2019)
      • Abell 33
      • M1 Crab Nebula
      • IC 410 Tadpoles
      • Jellyfish Nebula
    • 2018 Images >
      • Simeis 147
      • North America & Pelican
      • NGC 7635 Bubble Nebula
      • NGC 7822 (2018)
      • NGC 281 Pacman Nebula
      • Soap Bubble & Crescent Nebula
      • NGC 2327 Seagull Nebula HaSHO
      • NGC 2327 Seagull Nebula Ha
      • NGC 2359 Thor's Helmet
      • Jones Emberson 1
    • 2017 Images >
      • M31 Andromeda Galaxy
      • NGC 7293 Helix Nebula
      • NGC 2174 Monkey Head Nebula
      • M16 Eagle Nebula
      • NGC 6820 & NGC 6823
      • Abell 21 (2017) Medusa Nebula
      • Sh2-290
      • NGC 2264 NB Colour
      • NGC 2264
      • IC 2118 Witch Head Nebula
      • M42 Orion Nebula
    • 2016 Images >
      • Cederblad 214
      • NGC 1491
      • IC 1795 The Fishhead Nebula
      • Bubble Nebula (2016)
      • NGC 7380 Wizard Nebula
      • Pickering's Triangle
      • Caldwell 33
      • Eastern Veil Nebula (Caldwell 33) - Ha
      • SH2-132
      • SH2-155 The Cave Nebula
      • Cave Nebula (Ha)
      • NGC7000 & IC5070
      • Cygnus Wall
      • M13
      • Pelican Nebula
      • M 101 Galaxy (2016)
      • M3 - Star Cluster
      • IC 2177 - Seagull Nebula
      • A few Planetary Nebulae
      • Waxing Moon
      • Rosette Nebula - HSHO
      • Rosette Nebula - Ha
      • Earth's Moon
      • Horse Head & Flame Nebulae
      • NGC 2359
    • 2015 Images >
      • Tadpoles - Crop
      • IC 405 & IC 410
      • IC410 Tadpole Nebula Full
      • IC410 Tadpole Nebula
      • Soul Nebula
      • Dumbbell Nebula
      • M33 Triangulum Galaxy
      • NGC 281 PacMan Nebula
      • Melotte 15 (Heart of the Heart Nebula)
      • Heart Nebula
      • NGC 7822 (2015)
      • Propeller Nebula
      • Pickering's Triangle
      • Omega Nebula
      • Elephant's Trunk Nebula
      • M108 & M97
      • IC 2177
      • Cone & Christmas Tree
      • Monkey Head Nebula
      • Bubble Nebula & M52 (Open Cluster)
      • The Rosette
      • Jellyfish Nebula
    • 2014 Images >
      • Crab Nebula (2014)
      • The Horsehead & Flame
      • The Rosette Nebula
      • Thor's Helmet
      • Leo Triplet
      • Sombrero Galaxy
      • Pinwheel Galaxy
      • Eagle Nebula
      • Lagoon Nebula
      • Pelican Nebula
      • Veil Nebula
      • Great Orion Nebula
    • 2013 Images
    • ....and before!
  • Putting in the Observatory
    • Observatory
    • Foundation Area
    • Foundation 1
    • Foundation 2
    • Building the Pier
    • Pier Completed
    • All wired up.
    • Ready for a nights work!
    • Observatory arrives
    • Neatly packed on the pallet
    • Construction underway
    • Ready to bolt the base to the concrete
    • Dome ready to go on.
    • Ready for side panel
    • Side panel fitted.
    • A look inside.
    • Solar Panel Power
    • Observatory 2
  • My Astro Imaging Gear
    • List of Hardware & Software
    • Connection Diagram - Electrical
    • Connection Diagrams - Hardware
    • Equatorial Mounts >
      • Takahashi EM 400 Temma 2
      • Takahashi EM200 Temma 2
    • Telescopes >
      • Takahashi FSQ130ED
      • Tak FSQ 106 ED
      • Tak FS 60 CB
      • Meade LX200R
    • Cameras >
      • QSI 6120i
      • QHY 5 II
      • Atik 460 EX
    • Other Equipment >
      • Filter Wheel & Filters
      • Other Gear
  • Information & Links
  • On a more personal note...