Date Taken: mmmm dd, 2020
Camera: ASI 071
Telescope: AstroPhysics EDF 6 inch f/7 refractor
Focal Length: 1100mm


Also known as Hen 2-437, this is a planetary nebula, one of around 3000 such objects known to reside within the Milky Way. Found in the faint northern constellation of Vulpecula (The Fox), Hen 2-437 was first identified in 1946 by Rudolph Minkowski, who later also discovered the equally beautiful M2-9 (aka the Twin Jet Nebula). This was not Catalogued until over two decades later, by astronomer and NASA astronaut Karl Henize. Planetary nebulae such as this form when an aging low-mass star (like our Sun) reaches the final stages of life. The star swells to become a red giant, before casting off its outer layers. The star itself then slowly shrinks to form a white dwarf, while the expelled gas is slowly compressed and pushed outwards by stellar winds. Even this small nebula has a remarkably beautiful appearance as a bipolar nebula Ñ the material ejected by the dying star has streamed out into space to create the two red lobes pictured here.




More information: Digging Deeper