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The Rosette Nebula
in Elemental Colors |
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About This Photograph
Here is a unique view of an otherwise oft-photographed object. Special filters were used to isolate light emitted by individual atoms within the vast cloud of gas and dust. These were then color-coded so that the distribution of the different elements could be more easily discerned, a result that is as scientifically valuable as it is pleasing to the eye. Red indicates the light given off by sulphur atoms when stimulated by the intense ultraviolet light streaming from the young, hot stars at the center of the nebula. Similarly, green represents the light from excited hydrogen atoms, and blue the light of oxygen.
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Technical Details |
| Optics: | TeleVue NP-101. | | Camera: | STL-11000M. | | Mount: | Astro-Physics AP1200GTO. | | Filters: | Custom Scientific 5nm S-II, H-alpha, O-III. | | Dates/Times: | 6 February, 9,17 March 2004. | | Location: | my backyard observatory in Austin, Texas. | | Exposure Details: | S-II: 2 hours.H-alpha: 4.33 hours.O-III: 3.5 hours. | | Processing: | To generate the color, the three emission-line images were first histogram-normalized, so that they each covered the same total range of brightness. These were then combined into an RGB image, and finally the H-alpha data was used for the luminance (brigh | |
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Publication Data for this Photograph
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