02 March 2026

The Medusa Nebula & NGC 2395

 

Telescope : SW Esprit 100ED
Mount : SW Wave 150i
Camera : ZWO 533mc
Guiding :Zwo 120mono with Touptek oag
Filters:   Total exposure time :8hours & 25minutes with SVBONY 220 7nm 2"
Programs I have used : ZWO AsiAir & PixInsight 1.9.3
From 2 night's 18/2/26, 19/2/26
 
The Medusa Nebula (Abell 21) is an ancient planetary nebula located roughly 1,500 light-years away in the Gemini constellation. Often paired in wide-field astrophotography with the nearby open cluster NGC 2395 (located about
away), the nebula spans over 4 light-years, showcasing, filaments of gas, and a hot, central, bluish star.
Key Details about the Pair:
  • Medusa Nebula (Abell 21/Sh2-274): A large, old planetary nebula, it gets its name from filaments resembling snakes. Its shape is often likened to a crescent or jellyfish, featuring emission from ionized gases (OIII and Ha).
  • NGC 2395: A loose open cluster of stars situated near the Medusa Nebula, often included in the same field of view for astrophotography.
  • Location: Situated in the constellation Gemini, making it a popular winter target for observing and imaging.
The Medusa Nebula is known for being quite faint, requiring long exposure times or large apertures to observe its detailed structure, which is often enhanced by the nearby backdrop of NGC 2395.


15 February 2026

IC 443 Jellyfish (SV220)

 

Telescope : SW Esprit 100ED
Mount : SW Wave 150i
Camera : ZWO 533mc
Guiding :Zwo 120mono with Touptek oag
Filters:   Total exposure time :8hours & 5minutes with SVBONY 220 7nm 2"
Programs I have used : ZWO AsiAir & PixInsight 1.9.3
From 2 night's 06/02/2025 and  13/02/2026
 

IC 443 (also known as the Jellyfish Nebula and Sharpless 248 (Sh2-248)) is a galactic supernova remnant (SNR) in the constellation Gemini. On the plane of the sky, it is located near the star Eta Geminorum. Its distance is roughly 5,000 light years from Earth.

IC 443 may be the remains of a supernova that occurred 30,000 - 35,000 years ago. The same supernova event likely created the neutron star CXOU J061705.3+222127, the collapsed remnant of the stellar core. IC 443 is one of the best-studied cases of supernova remnants interacting with surrounding molecular clouds.