NGC 2264 - Fox Fur Nebula
NGC 2264 is a region of HII gas clouds in the constellation Monoceros. The gas cloud includes the Cone Nebula and the Christmas Tree Cluster. Hydrogen gas, stimulated by the light from many hot blue stars, emits red light across the 2-degree field of view of this image. The Fox Fur Nebula, at the center of the image, is named for its resemblance to a fox fur stole. The blue area next to it is a reflection nebula, with gas reflecting the light from bright blue stars.
This image was shot with our 4-telescope array comprising four Officina Stellare RH300 f/3 scopes, two FLI 29052 cameras and two FLI 16803 cameras. While this object was only visible to us for 3-1/2 hours a night, we were able to capture almost 14 hours of data in that time. The final image is displayed in the HOS palette, with Hydrogen Alpha, Oxygen 3 and Sulfur 2 filters mapped to Red, Green and Blue channels respectively. 11 hours of Blue subexposures were added to enhance the reflection nebula, and short Red, Green and Blue exposures were added for true star color. In total, 1,143 individual images totaling 87 hours were collected. The imaging system is controlled with a custom version of Voyager software and was processed in PixInsight and Photoshop.
This image has been published in Frank, Adam (2020). Astronomy at Play in the Cosmos (2nd ed.). Canada. W.W. Norton, Inc.
Shot and processed by the SC Observatory team: Mike Selby, Stefan Schmidt and Andy Chatman.
Object details
Nebula in Monoceros
Right Ascension: 06h 41m 57.8s
Declination: +09° 52' 29
Magnitude: 3.9
Moon Age Average: N/A
Moon Phase Average: N/A
Imaging Setup
Location:
SC Observatory, Central Thailand
Date:
Mar 1, 2018, Mar 2, 2018, Mar 3, 2018, Mar 4, 2018, Mar 5, 2018, Mar 11, 2018, Mar 12, 2018, Mar 14, 2018 and Mar 15, 2018
Telescope:
Officina Stellare Veloce RH 300
Focal Length:
900 mm
F-Ratio:
F/3
Mount:
Officina Stellare Polar Fork
Camera:
FLI PL 29052
Image Scale:
1.26 arcseconds/pixel
Imaging Software:
Voyager
Processing Software:
Adobe Photoshop
PixInsight 1.8
Exposure Detail
| Filter | Filter Brand | Bin | Qty | Exposure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | Astrodon | 1x | 32 | 30 |
| Ha | Astrodon | 1x | 142 | 300 |
| OIII | Astrodon | 1x | 37 | 300 |
| S2 | Astrodon | 1x | 97 | 300 |
Imaging Setup
Location:
SC Observatory, Central Thailand
Date:
Mar 1, 2018, Mar 2, 2018, Mar 3, 2018, Mar 4, 2018, Mar 5, 2018, Mar 11, 2018, Mar 12, 2018, Mar 14, 2018 and Mar 15, 2018
Telescope:
Officina Stellare Veloce RH 300
Focal Length:
900 mm
F-Ratio:
F/3
Mount:
Officina Stellare Polar Fork
Camera:
FLI PL 16803
Image Scale:
2.06 arcseconds/pixel
Imaging Software:
Voyager
Processing Software:
Adobe Photoshop
PixInsight 1.8
Exposure Detail
| Filter | Filter Brand | Bin | Qty | Exposure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | Baader | 1x | 31 | 30 |
| Ha | Baader | 1x | 142 | 300 |
| OIII | Baader | 1x | 134 | 300 |
Imaging Setup
Location:
SC Observatory, Central Thailand
Date:
Mar 1, 2018, Mar 2, 2018, Mar 3, 2018, Mar 4, 2018, Mar 5, 2018, Mar 11, 2018, Mar 12, 2018, Mar 13, 2018 and Mar 14, 2018
Telescope:
Officina Stellare Veloce RH 300
Focal Length:
900 mm
F-Ratio:
F/3
Mount:
Officina Stellare Polar Fork
Camera:
FLI PL 16803
Image Scale:
2.06 arcseconds/pixel
Imaging Software:
Voyager
Processing Software:
Adobe Photoshop
PixInsight 1.8
Exposure Detail
| Filter | Filter Brand | Bin | Qty | Exposure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B | FLI Chroma | 1x | 61 | 300 |
| B | FLI Chroma | 1x | 38 | 30 |
| Ha | FLI Chroma | 1x | 105 | 300 |
| OIII | FLI Chroma | 1x | 39 | 300 |
| S2 | FLI Chroma | 1x | 59 | 300 |
Imaging Setup
Location:
SC Observatory, Central Thailand
Date:
Mar 1, 2018, Mar 2, 2018, Mar 3, 2018, Mar 4, 2018, Mar 5, 2018, Mar 11, 2018, Mar 12, 2018, Mar 13, 2018 and Mar 14, 2018
Telescope:
Officina Stellare Veloce RH 300
Focal Length:
900 mm
F-Ratio:
F/3
Mount:
Officina Stellare Polar Fork
Camera:
FLI ML 29052
Image Scale:
1.26 arcseconds/pixel
Imaging Software:
Voyager
Processing Software:
Adobe Photoshop
PixInsight 1.8
Exposure Detail
| Filter | Filter Brand | Bin | Qty | Exposure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B | Astrodon | 1x | 71 | 300 |
| Ha | Astrodon | 1x | 110 | 300 |
| S2 | Astrodon | 1x | 38 | 300 |
