The center of the Eagle Nebula (M16) + Tommaso Massimo Stella + Optolong SHO-3nm

The center of the Eagle Nebula (M16)

Credit: Tommaso Massimo Stella (Italy)

Filters: Optolong SHO-3nm narrow band filters

 

 

 

At the center of the Eagle Nebula (M16), visible in the constellation of Serpens, stands a giant slug devouring a butterfly. In reality, they are very dense columns of gas and dust formed due to the considerable stellar wind insistent in the H II region, 7000 light years from Earth, which includes the famous "Pillars of Creation".
The colors of the photo reproduce the Hubble palette, studied by NASA for some shots of the Hubble Space Telescope, which requires special narrow-band filters: Hydrogen (H alpha), Oxygen (OIII) and Sulfur (SII). This combination allows to better highlight the presence of the ionized gases S, H and O. As a consequence, however, the stars are magenta, a false color that I chose not to change to faithfully follow the palette.

 

 

►Technical details
Date: 2024 from 30-07 to 07-08
Site & Sky: Stigliano (MT), SQM 21.2
Lights: 130x180s Ha + 127x180s OIII + 125x180s SII
Setup: Omegon CC Pro 203/1847mm + QHY 294M + Skywatcher AZEQ6 GT
Filters: Optolong Astronomy Filter SHO 3nm