This extremely dim and unique object rides high in the evening skies during winter, making it a tempting target for the camera. There are virtually no guide stars in the area as well, and it is in a very star poor region making star hopping very challenging. The object was centered by use of digital setting circles, and it a 10 second exposure to barely reveal its presence in the field. This 14th magnitude phantom is a huge 7 arc minutes across, dwarfing the more famous ring nebula. The central star is of magnitude 16.8, and is extremely bluish. Close examination will reveal a small bluish nebulous object inside the hole of the nebula, possibly a distant galaxy.

Instrument:  12.5" f/5 Home made Newtonian
Platform:  Astrophysics 1200 QMD
CCD Camera:  SBIG ST7E w/Enhanced Cooling
Exposure:  RRGB = 60:20:20:36 (RGB Binned 2x2)
Filters:  RGB Tricolor
Location:  Payson, Arizona
Elevation:  5150 ft.
Sky:  Seeing FMHW = 2.5 arcsec, Transparency 8/10
Outside Temperature:  0 C
CCD Temperature:  -35 C
Processing:  Maxim DL, Photoshop, AIP4WIN, PW Pro.