Rochus Hess, member of the Haus der Natur’s Astronomical Working Group, provides the world’s first image of a newly discovered planetary nebula.
With this image, Salzburg astrophotographer Rochus Hess has again succeeded in photographing a recently discovered planetary nebula by the Drechsler-Strottner research team – which is why he has now given the nebula its name: The proper name of the planetary nebula “StDr31” is now “Rochus”. ‘ Blossom Nebula” (“Rochus’ Blossom Nebula”).
Planetary nebulae mark the final stages of dying stars. Thinking in cosmic dimensions, they are fleeting phenomena and have only existed for a few tens of thousands of years.
Spectroscopic analysis confirms fog
Since 2019, the two amateur astronomers Xavier Strottner and Marcel Drechsler have been cataloging planetary nebulae in a freely accessible database. They have now documented about 140 of these objects. After systematically searching celestial images, they identify areas with traces of planetary nebulae. A spectroscopic analysis follows, which confirms the nebulae, but their appearance remains completely unclear.
To get a picture of the planetary nebulae discovered, the two teamed up with the world’s top astrophotographers – one of them is Rochus Hess of Salzburg. Rochus Hess has been a member of the astronomy working group of the Haus der Natur for many years and has been involved in scientific-level astrophotography for more than 25 years.
He mainly focuses on objects outside our solar system, with the powerful one-meter reflecting telescope in the “VEGA Observatory House of Nature”, which was built in 2018, opening up new possibilities for him. “Rochus’ Blossom Nebula” is the second recording in a short time, which ensures recognition in the international professional world.
In June 2020, Hess received the coordinates of the nebula from Marcel Drechsler. Since this object is never very high above the horizon in our latitudes and can only be seen well in the months of June and July, it was not easy to collect enough exposure time – summer nights are short. Although this project took more than two years, the total exposure time of the image is only four and a half hours, a low value in astrophotography.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
