Abell 74
PK 72 -17.1


Combination of 20, 3 minute exposures, SBIG ST-9XE CCD.
10" f/6.3 schmidt-cassegrain at prime focus.

Abell 74 is an exceptionally large, and very faint planetary nebula in eastern Vulpecula, near the border with Pegasus. The total magnitude is about 12 but the light is spread out over a diameter of about 14 arc minutes.

In the above image, the planetary covers almost the entire field. The lines point to the 15.2 magnitude galaxy, PGC 66741. This galaxy lies within the nebula. Some faint traces of the nebula are visible to the right of this galaxy, near the edge of the field, and also near the lower right corner.