Images taken on November 10 and November 11, 2003
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Ha = Red, [OIII] = Green and Blue
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[OIII] only
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To download a PDF presentation regarding the attempt to image this object and to correlate the results with the scientific paper, click here.
This is the largest planetary nebula in the sky, estimated to be more than 2 degrees in diameter. The discovery was first reported on November 4, 2003.
This image was taken from my backyard in Castro Valley, California on November 10 and November 11, 2003. North is up and East is to the left.
The object has extremely low surface brightness which makes it very difficult to image. Most likely that is why it has escaped detection for so long.
This image was taken using an Astro-Physics 105mm Traveler with the Astro-Physics 0.75X telecompressor. A Finger Lakes Instrumentation IMG1024S camera was used with Custom Scientific [OIII] and Ha filters.
Many thanks to Liebrecht Venter, for bringing the discovery of this object to my attention and for encouraging me to attempt to image it. I would have never done it without his suggestion. I also would like to thank Paul Hewett, the discoverer of the object, for his suggestions and encouragement in this quest.
The black dots and black lines on the object are caused by defects in the sensor. I did not want to modify the data so I left the defects unedited.