Medusa Nebula (Sh2-274)
I have collected this narrowband data in Dec 2021 - Mar 2023 in the field (MD/VA).
The Medusa Nebula is a large planetary nebula about a third of the full moon diameter. The visual brightness is 10.3 and the surface brightness is 15.3 mag. Like other planetary nebulae, the Medusa was formed by an intermediate to low-mass red giant star that shed its outer layers in the late stage of its evolutionary cycle. The remnant stellar core is causing the expanding shell of ionized gas to brightly fluoresce.
The Space Propeller
Not much is known about the Propeller Nebula located in the constellation of Cygnus the Swan. The nebula’s defining visual feature is its unique trident- or propeller-like structure, consisting of long, narrow filaments of glowing gas that fan out from a central region. These filaments glow primarily in the H-alpha emission line, a characteristic of hydrogen-rich interstellar clouds that are energized by nearby stars.
Full size image at astrobin
