Abell 85 (CTB1)

From time to time, I acquire data sets from remote observatories around the world. One of my favorite providers is Telescope Live, which operates telescopes in Chile, Australia, and Spain. Among the datasets I received was a fascinating one featuring the supernova remnant Abell 85 (CTB 1), located in the constellation Cassiopeia. This faint, filamentary shell of ionized gas marks the expanding remains of an ancient stellar explosion, with intricate structures that reveal the complex interaction between the shockwave and the surrounding interstellar medium.

In 2024, I also received a new dataset of Abell 85 from Insight Observatory, acquired with a telescope located in Germany. This dataset includes RGB, H-alpha, and [O III] data.

Data calibration, registration, and final image processing were all performed using PixInsight.

The result was as follows:

The images were taken with the following equipment:

• Location: AFIL 38, Germany, Spain
• Telescope: Skywatcher Esprit 100 ED
• Focal length [mm]: 412
• Focal ratio: 4.1
• Mount: Skywatcher EQ8
• Camera: ASI 2600MM
• Filter: R:G:B:Hα:[OIII]:[SII]
• Exposure time [min]: 63:63:62:650:650:640
• Resolution: 1.87″/px

Data calibration, registration, and final image processing for the Telescope Live data were all performed using PixInsight.

The result was as follows:

Abell85 (CTB1) annotated

The images were taken with the following equipment:

• Location: IC Astronomy Observatory, Spain
• Telescope: Takahashi FSQ-106EDX4
• Focal length [mm]: 390
• Focal ratio: 3.6
• Mount: Paramount MX+
• Camera: FLI Proline 16083
• Filter: Hα:[OIII]:[SII]
• Exposure time [min]: 330:340:340
• Resolution: 4.75″/px