NGC 3132, Planetary Nebula

NGC 3132 is a striking example of a planetary nebula. This expanding cloud of gas, surrounding a dying star, is known to amateur astronomers in the southern hemisphere as the "Eight-Burst" or the "Southern Ring" Nebula. (NASA+)

Image processed by Andrew Macica, original data from Telescope Live.

Imaging Details:

Observatory: El Sauce Observatory

Location: Rio Hurtado Valley, Coquimbo Region, Chile

Telescope: ASA 1000, a 1-m telescope

with a Ritchey Chretien design

Aperture: 1000 mm (39 inches), f/6.8

Focal Length: 6800 mm

Camera: FLI ProLine PL16803 CCD

Filters: LRGB, H-alpha

Total Exposure: 1 hour 20 min.

Image Processing: PixInsight 1.8.9-3 Ripley (x64);

BlurXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator (RC Astro);

Adobe Photoshop 12.5.1;

Adobe Lightroom Classic 14.1.1

Instruction on PixInsight from Adam Block Studios.