It finally happened: I photographed the Helix Nebula!
I had been waiting to photograph the Helix Nebula for years… Well, on the night of July 22-23, 2023 it finally happened!
The Helix Nebula (NGC 7293), also known as the “Eye of God” or “The Eye of Sauron,” is a planetary nebula located 650 light-years away in the constellation of Aquarius.
NGC 7293 has a strong emission in Ha and OIII, but due to its low position in the sky it reaches a maximum of 25 degrees high at our latitudes. This makes it a challenging target for astrophotography.
Using my Explore Scientific ED80 CF APO refractor, OSC camera (ZWO ASI533MC PRO), and a narrowband filter (Optolong L-eXtreme), I captured a total of 30 minutes (10×180 seconds) of this elusive nebula. The final processed image is presented below for your enjoyment.
Setup
Location: Carr Astronomical Observatory (CAO), ON
Scope: Explore Scientific ED80 CF
Mount: Celestron AVX
Guiding camera: ZWO ASI224MC, IR-Cut filter, PHD2
Guide Scope: Orion Deluxe Mini 50mm Guide Scope
Total integration time: 30 minutes (10×180 secs.)
Calibration frames: 20 dark, 10 flat, 100 bias
