CG 20 – Cometary Globule in Musca – OSC v1CG 21 – Cometary Globule in Musca – OSC v1
More close-ups with the longer focal length of the Cassegrain (4500 mm) at the IAS Hakos Observatory, Namibia, portraying cometary globules CG 20 and 21.
NGC 3660, SN 2026cff, and PGC 1000714 – Galaxies and Supernova in Crater – OSC v1
A second attempt at NGC 3660 and friends, previously imaged here, with the longer focal length of the Cassegrain (4500 mm) at the IAS Hakos Observatory, Namibia.
PGC 49877 / Fr 2-8 – Galaxy / Planetary Nebula in Centaurus – OSC v1
Imaged at the IAS Hakos Observatory, Namibia with the 20″ Philipp Keller Cassegrain at full focal length of 4500 mm, f/9, this oddball object is listed both as a galaxy (PGC 49877) and a planetary nebula (Fr 2-8).
Fr 2-8 (Fr 1400-5102, AM 1357-504, LEDA 49877). This small nebula, about 2′ across, was found serendipitously from SHASSA field 057, while measuring a Hα flux from the nearby PN MeWe 2-4, and has been confirmed spectroscopically as a high-excitation PN, with the 2.3m MSSSO telescope. The position is coincident with the SIMBAD ‘galaxy’ AM1357-504 (Arp & Madore 1987). It had been independently noted as a PN by Cˆote et al. (1997), but no details were provided in their paper.
NGC 3660, SN 2026cff, and PGC 1000714 – Galaxies and Supernova in Crater – OSC v1
First result from this year’s trip to Namibia, including two nights at the IAS observatory on the Gamsberg plateau using the mighty 28 inch Newtonian telescope for astrophotography. I came across this field of view when observing the supernova SN 2026cff in NGC 3660 with the IAS remote telescope and noticed the near-by, peculiar Hoag-type galaxy PGC1000714 with its ring structure.
Continuing with the CGs, this one took really loooong, from mid January to mid February. Alas, CG season is also rain season in Namibia. Good for the country, but not so much for astrophotography.
CG 15 and CG 16 – Cometary Globules in Puppis/Carina – LHaRGB v1
Another CG image, completed just after Christmas Day, showing CG 15 (lower right) in Puppis and CG 16 (upper left) in Carina. Two more for the growing catalog of CGs here.