Abell 36
PK 318.4 +41.4


5 minutes exposure, SBIG ST-8E CCD.
8" f/10 schmidt-cassegrain at prime focus.

Abell 36 is a large planetary nebula in Virgo, about 10 degrees south-east of Spica. It has a very low surface brightness and so although the magnitude is quoted as 13.0, the light is spread out over and area about 5 arc minutes in diameter, making the nebula very faint. The ghostly traces of the nebula are visible between the lines in the above image.


Combination of 20, 3 minute images, SBIG STL-1001E CCD.
20" f/6.8 cassegrain at prime focus.

The short streak almost in the centre of the image is the 15.8 magnitude asteroid 1002 Olbersia. There are also a number of faint galaxies visible in the image, the brightest of which is the 16.9 magnitude PGC 159359, located a little below the centre of the image.