NGC2359 - Thor’s Helmet Nebula

Sun Mar 26 2023

Thor's Helmet, NGC 2359, is a glowing bubble of gas complete with sweeping 'wings' that give it the look of a winged helmet. It is blown by a Wolf-Rayet star at its center, a rare, extremely hot and massive star nearing the end of its life. I was stunned by how much oxygen showed up here in just a couple of hours of exposure.

About this object

Type

Emission Nebula

Constellation

CMa

Apparent size

10.0′ × 5.0′

Catalogue designations

NGC 2359

Acquisition

• Antlia 3nm Narrowband H-alpha 31 mm: 30 × 2m (1h 0m)
• Antlia 3nm Narrowband Oxygen III 31 mm: 29 × 2m (58m)
• Total integration: 1h 58m

Equipment

• Telescope / Lens: Celestron C8
• Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM Pro
• Mount: Celestron CGEM II
• Filters: Antlia 3nm Narrowband H-alpha 31 mm, Antlia 3nm Narrowband Oxygen III 31 mm
• Guiding scope: SVBony SV106 60mm Guide Scope
• Guiding camera: ZWO ASI224MC
• Accessories: Celestron 0.63X SCT Reducer (94175), ZWO EFW 8 x 1.25″ / 31mm
• Software: Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight

Astrophotography by David Joyce, AstroDavido.