"Gabriela Mistral" nebula and Gem's cluster in Carina (SHO)
Click here or on the image for full size...WARNING: Heavy File!!!!
In this zone of the southern skies there are majestic clouds and beautiful star clusters, some of them in this picture. I can see powerful clouds or waves, a “cavern” in the sky and a subtle web…
At a distance of approximately 8000 light-years, in the southern constellation Carina is the young open cluster NGC3293 (the "Cluster of Gems") formed by about 100 blue stars (top right).
In the center of the image appears the open cluster NGC3324, associated with the emission nebula IC2599/Gum31 known as "Gabriela Mistral", since some people see in it the silhouette of the Chilean poet.
Below, on the left, part of the nebula associated with the star Eta Carinae.
This photography was taken at Buenos Aires City, Argentina (a highly iluminated zone), in several sessions from april to june, 2020, summing up 22 hours of total integration time.
The used equipment setup: Refractor SkyWatcher Esprit ED100, ASI1600MM, Baader Ha and SII filters, Astronomik OIII filter, SkyWatcher NEQ6 mount, homemade electronic focuser and anti-dew systems.
A "real" color image of this zone appears in the mosaic published here.
Technical data
Acquisition site | Buenos Aires City, Argentina |
Acquisition dates | April/June 2020 |
Instrument | SkyWatcher Esprit 100ED APO. |
Mount | SkyWatcher NEQ6, managed by EQmod |
Guide | Off-Axis, with Lodestar camera |
Camera | ASI1600MM |
Camera sensor temperature | -20 °C |
Filters | Baader Ha 3.5 nm Baader SII 4.5 nm Astronomik OIII 6 nm |
Integration time | Total: 22 hs Ha: 6 hs SII: 10 hs OIII: 6 hs |
Calibration | 36 flats, 72 darks. |
Resolution | 1.4 arcsec/pixel 550 mm focal, 3.8 um x 3.8 um pixels |
Native size | 4656 x 3520 pixels |
Cropped size | 4521 x 3425 pixels |
FOV | 1°47’ x 1°21’ |
Image center coordinates | RA: 10 h 39 min Dec: -58° 40' Rotation: 2° |
Process | PixInsight 1.8 |
Acquisition | Maxim DL |