Messier 46
Constellation: Puppis
Messier 46 is an open cluster in the constellation of Puppis. It is located about 5’000 Ly from Earth. The planetary nebula NGC 2438 appears to be part of Messier 46, but it is most likely unrelated since it does not share the cluster’s radial velocity. Link to interactive sky chart.
Dates:
This is derived from the outstanding data taken by Martin Pugh during April 2024 (Martin’s website: Remote Astrophotography with Martin Pugh (martinpughastrophotography.space).
His telescope is located in Chile (Observatory: El Sauce).
Telescope & Mount:
Planewave CDK24 (F6.5) on a Planewave L600 mount.
Imaging:
Camera: Moravian C1-61000 (bin 2×2)
Data:
Astrodon R: 26x180s
Astrodon G: 33x180s
Astrodon B: 39x180s
Total integration time: 4h 54′
Dates:
This is derived from the outstanding data taken by Martin Pugh during April 2025 (Martin’s website: Remote Astrophotography with Martin Pugh (martinpughastrophotography.space).
His telescope is located in Chile (Observatory: El Sauce).
Colour palette is HOO.
Telescope & Mount:
Planewave CDK24 with 0.66x reducer (F4.37) on a Planewave L600 mount.
Imaging:
Camera: Moravian C1-61000 (bin 2×2)
Data:
Nebula:
Astrodon Ha: 78x300s
Astrodon O3: 14x300s
Stars:
Astrodon R: 19x300s
Astrodon G: 24x300s
Astrodon B: 19x300s
Total integration time: 12h 50′
The image on the left show the planetary nebula NGC 2438 in more details, as well as the Calabash nebula (a.k.a theRotten Egg nebulaorOH 231.84 +4.22), the dim deep red object to the east of NGC 2438. It is a protoplanetary nebula (PPN) that is 1.4 Ly long and located about 5’000 Ly (47 Em) away. The nebula is most likely a member of the open cluster Messier 46 as it has the same distance, radial velocity, and proper motion.