We’ve “narrowed” our focus for this month’s Astroimage Editing Contest target, presenting readers with almost 26 hours of glorious narrowband data of NGC 7635, or the Bubble Nebula.
The team captured this beautiful object with 25.5 hours of narrowband data and 45 minutes of RGB star data collected from September to November of this year.
The Bubble Nebula is an emission nebula located about 7,100 light-years away from our Solar System. The nebula encases the star BD+602522, which burns a million times brighter than our Sun and produces powerful stellar winds that move at more than six million kilometres per hour. Its powerful outflows formed the nebula.
Scientists estimate the nebula to have formed over four millions years. Based on the rate the star is expending energy, they estimate that in 10 to 20 million years it will explode as a supernova.
The Bubble Nebula, also known as Caldwell 11, is found in the constellation Cassiopeia.
The RASC Robotic Telescope
Located near Auberry, California, The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada’s Robotic Telescope is a 16-inch, f/8.9 RCOS with a SBIG STX-16803 camera on a Paramount ME mount. It has seven filters: LRGB, Hydrogen-alpha, Oxygen III and Sulphur II. A Canon 6D — used to capture larger targets — is piggy-backed on the scope, sporting a 200mm f/2.8 lens.
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of our Photo of the Week contest, SkyNews is buying time on the telescope, using it to gather amazing data and sharing it with our readers for free.
Each month, we are releasing data packages for one deep-sky object. Process the data, send it back to us and you’ll be entered into our astrophoto editing contest for the month. Our judges will choose the image that wins a SkyNews prize pack, including access to RASC Robotic Telescope data for the year.
The rules
To be eligible, submissions must be received by December 31, 2021. One entry per person. A team of judges will choose the best submission and SkyNews will publish the winning image.
To enter, you can fill out the entry form on the SkyNews website, or you can send your image by e-mail to photo+edit@skynews.ca. Be sure to include your name, contact information and the processing details.
There are no entry fees. This contest is open to residents of Canada only.
The data
The data was released on December 1, 2021. You have until December 31, 2021 to download it, edit it and enter the edited image in our contest.
The prize
Each month, SkyNews will be giving the winner a prize package that includes: access to RASC Robotic Telescope data for the year, as well as some essential stargazing tools — a one-year gift subscription to SkyNews (to use or to give to a friend), a SkyNews folding chair, a SkyNews backpack and a SkyNews red light keychain.
The value of the prize pack is about $200.
