Abell 31

Constellation: Cancer

Abell 31 (a.k.a Sh2-290 and PK 219+31.1) is a planetary nebula in the constellation Cancer. It is about 2’000 Ly away. Abell 31 is very old (about 130’000 years), and consequently, it is very large (~10 Ly across) and dim as its gas is dispersing into the interstellar medium. The central star is a tiny white dwarf 4 times the size of earth and with a surface temperature of 85’000 °C. Link to interactive sky chart.

Dates:

This is derived from the outstanding data taken by Martin Pugh during January 2026 (Martin’s website: Remote Astrophotography with Martin Pugh (martinpughastrophotography.space).

His telescope is located in Chile (Observatory: El Sauce).

Colour palette is HOO with RGB stars.

Telescope & Mount:

Planewave CDK24 on a Planewave L600 mount.

Imaging:

Camera: Moravian C3-61000 (bin 2×2)

Data:
Astrodon Ha: 39x900s
Astrodon OIII: 39x900s

Stars:
Astrodon R: 24x180s
Astrodon G: 24x180s
Astrodon B: 24x180s

Total integration time: 23h 6′