Tarantula Nebula  (NGC 2070)

Click on the image for a higher res version

The Tarantula nebula is in one of the most incredible field of the entire sky. Tens of nebulae are present in this 1°x1.5° field, so that the observation through a large Dobson is unforgettable: the eyepiece fov can be moved around and many small tarantulas come into view. Even more incredible is noting that this nebula is NOT part of our galaxy, but of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC, 160000 l.y. distance), whose stars are visible in the upper-right corner. The main color is purple-red (Hydrogen), but the central regions are green colored (Oxigen). Many big and hot stars are present all around, the can be recognized by their blue color.
 

Technical Data
Optics Takahashi FS152 apo refractor
Focal Lenght 1216 mm (direct focus, no flattener)
Focal Ratio f/8
Exposure Time 4h10min (single exp of 10 min)
CCD Canon EOS 5D with Baader filter
Sensitivity 800 ISO
Location Tivoli Farm (Namibia) at 1350 m height
Date
25+26 August 2011
Mount Fornax 51
Tracking SXV-H5 on a Vixen 80/640 apo refractor
Temperature and humidity T= +5°C, RH=37%
Sky brightness at zenith (with SQM-L) 21.95-22.15 mag/arcsec^2
Notes This image is a collaborative effort of the Namibia 2011 expedition. Processing: Lorenzo Comolli. Images by: Lorenzo Comolli, Luigi Fontana, Giosuè Ghioldi, Emmanuele Sordini.


HTML Editing and Publishing by Lorenzo Comolli. Email me at comolli@libero.it.
Back to Main Page