Thor’s Helmet Nebula + Giacomo Pro + L-Para (L-Parallels)

Thor’s Helmet Nebula

Credit: Giacomo Pro

Filters: Optolong L-Para (L-Parallels) filter

 

 

 

Thor’s Helmet Nebula
Also known as NGC 2359 and Gum 4, this is an emission nebula located in the constellation Canis Major, approximately 12,000 light-years from Earth.
The nebula resembles the classic depiction of a Viking helmet with two side wings, typically associated with Thor, the Norse god of thunder, lightning and storms. In reality, genuine Norse helmets did not have these side appendages, but were primarily fitted with masks and nasal guards to protect the face. However, in the collective imagination—shaped in part by Marvel comic book designs—the helmet of the God of Thunder is characterised precisely by the presence of these two sweeping wings.
At the centre of the nebula lies a very hot Wolf-Rayet star, which illuminates it, exciting the hydrogen and ionising it; this star is catalogued as WR 7, or HD 56925, and has a magnitude of 10.40; it is believed to be primarily responsible for the formation of the nebula, which is composed of gas expelled by the star itself.
Other hypotheses to explain the arc-shaped jets observed in the cloud include the suggestion that the central star was a red supergiant some 7 million years ago, whose proper motion towards the east caused a shock wave upon the collision between the strong stellar wind and the surrounding interstellar medium—which was very dense due to the presence of a molecular cloud—resulting in the visible structure.

 

 

 

 

 

Exposure: 170 x 300” 
Filter: Optolong Filter Images L-Para
Camera: ASI 294 MC Pro
Telescope: Sky-Watcher 200/1000 PDS
Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ 6-R Pro
Acquisition: Asiair Plus
Software: DSS – Pixinsight – Photoshop
Shots: 22-23-25/02/2026
Location: Torricella (TA) ITALY
Average moon phase: 35%
Author: PRO’ GIACOMO.