Jeff Reitzel caught this remarkable image of Lower’s Nebula (Sh 2-261) in Orion with his SVX127D. This nebula is named after amateur astronomer Harold Lower and his son Charles who discovered this nebula in 1939, in their home of San Diego. Resting 3,200 light-years away from Earth, it houses the massive OB star HD41997. The full bubble structure at the nebula’s center is just starting to show up in recent images. This can most likely be attributed to advances in camera sensitivity and quality of optics.

Imaging Details:

Stellarvue SVX127D with 0.72 reducer

QHy268M Camera with Astronomik Ha, OIII, and SII filters

Paramount MYT Mount

12.5 hrs integration

Processed with Pixinsight Photoshop

*This image was awarded Top Pick status on AstroBin

For more details and an in depth look at this image, visit Jeffs AstroBin by clicking the following link: https://www.astrobin.com/o3kpn2/

References:

Salvatore Iovene - http://iovene.com/. (n.d.). SH2-261 - Lower’s Nebula. AstroBin. https://www.astrobin.com/r186jw/

Salvatore Iovene - http://iovene.com/. (n.d.-b). Sharpless 2-261 Lower’s Nebula. AstroBin. https://www.astrobin.com/o3kpn2/

SH2-261 – The Lowers Nebula NB – CORIUS Astronomy. (n.d.). https://www.corius.net/portfolio-item/sh2-261nb/