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NGC 1491, usually known as Sh2-206 or the Fossil Footprint Nebula, is an emission nebula located at about 10,700 light years in the constellation Perseus. The nebula is ionized by BD +50 886, an 11.2 magnitude star located just left of the center of this image and about in the center of the carved “cave” in the gas cloud around it. Just around this star, there is a faint, small oval bubble that, physically but not in size, is very similar to the Bubble Nebula (NGC 7635). This image has been taken with narrowband filters and color-mapped to a slightly modified Hubble Color Palette.
Additional Information
Object
Name(s): NGC 1491. Sh2-206. Fossil Footprint Nebula
Type: Emission Nebula
RA: 04h 03m 16s
Dec: +51º 18’ 54”
Constellation: Perseus
Size (arcmin): 9×6 arcmin
Magnitude: ND
Distance: 10,700 ly
Image
Date: 2022-11-12 to 2023-01-25
Location: Curiosity2 Observatory, New Mexico Skies, Mayhill, NM, USA
Size (arcmin): 20×23 arcmin
Telescope: 24” (61 cm) f/6.5 Reflector
Camera: FLI PL16803 (4096x4096pix)
Guiding: Astrodon MonsterMOAG off-axis guider
Total exposure: 31 hours (Ha: 13h 20m; OIII: 8h; SII: 6h 40m; RGB: 3h)
Processing: CCDStack, PixInsight (one step) and Photoshop CC 2023