The Helix Nebula

Object: NGC 7293 (Caldwell 63)
Type: Planetary Nebula
Distance: 522 light years
Constellation: Aquarius
Date: 28 September 2006
Equipment: SXV-H9, Vixen 114mm f5.3 ED refractor
Subframes: 16 x 180 second full frame (unguided), 16 darks, 16 flats/flat darks, calibrated and stacked in AIP4Win.

This really was a game of "how low could I go?" The Helix Nebula never gets more than 17 degrees above my cluttered horizon, and even then only between a gap in two close-by houses (hence only 16 subs). Add to that a horrendous light pollution gradient, and it makes for some challenging processing problems.

Nevertheless, it's possible to determine some structure in the final somewhat noisy image, and it showed to me that getting a half-decent low elevation shot was possible even under my limited viewing conditions. Had the weather been kinder this year I would have aimed for the Trifid Nebula (M20) and Lagoon Nebula (M8) which lurk in Sagittarius at 15 and 14 degrees respectively. The H-alpha filter (not used here) will certainly help with M8, I think.