150 years after... observe a planetary nebula spectrum !

[Olivier Thizy]

Hello all,


Following an idea/information from Filipe Dias, I remind you that 150 years ago (well, actually 150 years less one day!), Sir William Huggins was the first to observe a spectrum of a planetary nebula and to split apart the light coming from those stellar death shrouds:
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronom ... -08142014/

From that article, here are the notes from this UK observer:
On the evening of the 29th of August, 1864, I directed the telescope for the first time to a planetary nebula in Draco [NGC 6543, popularly known today as the Cat’s Eye]. The reader may now be able to picture to himself to some extent the feeling of excited suspense, mingled with a degree of awe, with which, after a few moments of hesitation, I put my eye to the spectroscope. Was I not about to look into a secret place of creation? I looked into the spectroscope. No spectrum such as I expected! A single bright line only! At first, I suspected some displacement of the prism, and that I was looking at a reflection of the illuminated slit from one of its faces. This thought was scarcely more than momentary; then the true interpretation flashed upon me. The light of the nebula was monochromatic, and so, unlike any other light I had as yet subjected to prismatic examination, could not be extended out to form a complete spectrum. . . . The riddle of the nebulae was solved. The answer, which had come to us in the light itself, read: Not an aggregation of stars, but a luminous gas.
[W. Huggins, “The New Astronomy: A Personal Retrospect,” Nineteenth Century, 41 (1897), pp. 916-17.]


Now, with all spectrographs out there, I invite you to do the same observation and capture the moment with your CCD camera or SLRs!

Publish on this forum (contact me in private if you have difficulties to register on this forum) your best planetary nebula spectra - if possible recorded on august 29th and if possible of NGC6543 nebula - to celebrate this 150th years anniversary.


Here are some references for planetary nebulae spectroscopy you may find useful:
* Low resolution spectroscopy guide from François Teyssier
http://www.astronomie-amateur.fr/index.html

* Francois presentation on planetary nebulae:
http://www.astronomie-amateur.fr/Docume ... tionPN.pdf

* Exemple of a full analysis of a planetary spectrum:
http://www.astronomie-amateur.fr/feuill ... C2392.html

* Scan of a nebula (how to make "colored" 2D images of nebulae from spectral scans):
http://www.astrosurf.com/buil/scan/demo.htm


Cordialement,
Olivier Thizy
Vous ne verrez plus des étoiles comme avant !
http://www.shelyak.com/en/

[Francois Teyssier]

What a great idea Filipe and Olivier !

Here's the link to Huggins' report : http://www.jstor.org/stable/108876?origin=JSTOR-pdf
in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London

Huggins.PNG (72.96 KiB) Viewed 14457 times

François Teyssier

[Robin Leadbeater]

I have definitely got to mount a Magnesium arc calibration source on the scope. Much more impressive than the Filly lamp.

[Jacques Montier]

Hello all,

There were some stars between the clouds in the Brittany sky last night.
So it was the moment to honor Sir William Huggins !

NGC 6543

ngc6543.png (9.54 KiB) Viewed 14408 times

ngc6543_2.png (15.34 KiB) Viewed 14408 times

PS : I think Sir William would have been glad to work with an Alpy600

Cheers,

[Robin Leadbeater]

Well done ! I was completely clouded out last night.

I did not expect emission lines in the central star too. Interesting

Robin

[Paolo Berardi]

A spectrum from Italy! Waiting Umberto sign up to ARAS forum, I show his spectrum of NGC6543 taken on 29.901 august 2014 using a homemade low-res spectroscope (R~500):



Very nice initiative, thanks Filipe and Olivier!

Paolo

[Robin Leadbeater]

A day late but here are the H alpha/N[II] lines at high resolution with the LHIRES III
Some interesting structure due to various regions moving at different velocities

Cheers
Robin

[Olivier Thizy]

Here is my quick raw spectrum (sum of 30 60s exposures, dark/offset removed) taken tonight:

NGC6543

Capture_cats-neb_ngc6543_LISA2.JPG (49.44 KiB) Viewed 14175 times

C11 (1600mm focal length), Losmandy Titan mount, LISA spectograph with Atik 460EX in binning 2x2, large 35µm slit.


A really nice planetary nebula with several structures visible in the spectrum!


Cordialement,
Olivier Thizy
Vous ne verrez plus des étoiles comme avant !
http://www.shelyak.com/en/

[William Scutcher]

Hello

A bit delayed here are some snapshot spectra of NGC 6543 and M57 to celebrate the important anniversary. They were taken early on the morning of 31st August.

The pictures were taken with a Star Analyser 100 attached to a modified (filter removed) Canon 650D attached to a 200 mm Newtonian reflector.

Update. Now with pictures actually attached. (Thanks, Jacques Montier!)
All the best

Bill Scutcher

[Jacques Montier]

Hello William,

Didn't you forget the attached spectrum ?

Cheers,