Pickering's Triangle

[Graeme]

This is Pickering's Triangle from the Veil Supernova remanent in Cygnus. I've named the files NGC6979, this is close by but is incorrect! This part of the remanent never made it into any of the main catalogues. Captured over three nights 09, 11 and 13 September, each night from astronomical dusk until the humidity topped 95%.

67 frames (L x 29, R x 12, G x 13, B x 13) at 5 minutes each. 5.5 hours integration, my longest ever! Captured with NINA/PHD2. Processed in Pixinsight.

NGC6979_01_EL.jpg

[ChrisGreaves]

This is Pickering's Triangle ...

I had to look this one up in Wikipedia where i read "The shock waves are so thin, less than one part in 50,000 of the radius, that the shell is visible only when viewed exactly edge-on, giving the shell the appearance of a filament." and thought "Well OK. I suppose that is thin".

Then "The thickness of each filament is 1⁄50,000th of the radius, or about 4 billion miles, roughly the distance from Earth to Pluto."

I know a little bit about Pluto and Earth, having once built a scale model of the Solar System in the 60-foot long gymnasium at Bloordale United Church in Etobicoke, but there seems to be something wrong with using a Solar system measurement to describe extra-galactic distances.

We humans have a Earth-scale "It is five days march to that mountain" which we can grasp.
But we have not evolved to comprehend our own solar system distances and sizes.
And we have not evolved to comprehend our own galactic system distances and sizes.
So we certainly cannot have not evolved to comprehend inter-galactic distances and sizes.

I can make use of the The astronomical unit when thinking about our solar system, but it seems wrong to use our solar system to describe something 2400 light-years away.

Cheers, Chris

[ChrisGreaves]

This is Pickering's Triangle ...

Impressive. I noted too that your image is just a small part of the nebula, up at the 12 o'clock position of the image in Wikipedia.
Five hours processing time? How hot does you computer get?
I suspect it would take ten times that to capture all the significant parts of the nebula.
Cheers, Chris

[Graeme]

Pluto is not a good measurement candidate since its orbit is so elliptical. About the size of the radius of the Solar System would have sufficed!

"12 o'clock position" yes, north is to the left in my image. The Eastern and Western Veils form the sides. I posted my attempt at the Western Veil last year. The Eastern Veil always looks like the face of the Alien in the film of the same name to me!

[HansV]

Wow! One of your best yet!

[Graeme]

Thanks Hans. I was quite pleased with it.

The new camera being much more sensitive and the permanent setup allowing multi night sessions appears to be paying off!

Graeme

[stuck]

That is a good one you can tell you have the time that being retired brings.

Ken

[Graeme]

Thanks Ken

I can stay up late every night!

It's like every day is a Saturday!

I should have done it years ago!

[PJ_in_FL]

Beautiful image! Thank you for all the time you put into capturing the beauty of the cosmos, and sharing it with us!

[stuck]

...I should have done it years ago!

Like every retiree everywhere says!

Ken

[Graeme]

Beautiful image! Thank you for all the time you put into capturing the beauty of the cosmos, and sharing it with us!

Thanks PJ. The pleasure is all mine!