Eskimo Nebula (NGC 2392)

NGC 2392 is a small bipolar double-shell planetary nebula located near the δ (delta) star of Gemini. This nebula was first spotted in 1787 and is about 10,000 years old. At magnitude 9.1, this planetary nebula is small (0.90’) and has a double-shell surrounding the central star (O-type).

To create this image, I first used a data pack from a Planewave CDK24 + FLI PL9000. During the processing, I was not satisfied with the details visible in the heart of the nebula. In order to get more, I planned 2 h of Ha filter exposure with the 1 m telescope available from Obstech (ASA RC-1000AZ) to use it as a Luminance layer.

I purposely “overprocessed” this luminance layer to see what was possible to do with such a large telescope in only two hours. This highlighted the filaments in the lobe surrounding the star as well as the “cometary globules” on the outer shell.

By far one of the most difficult processing I have done!