GUM 41 AKA RCW 61

STAR FORMATION REGION IN CENTAURUS

 (ra: 11.31,21/ dec -63:56)

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR A HIGH RESOLUTION VIEW

March - 2024, Sarandí, Gualeguaychú, Entre Ríos, Argentina

DATA

TYPE: Barred Spiral Galaxy

APPARENT DIAMETER: 15 arc minutes

APPARENT MAGNITUDE (V): NA

DISTANCE: 7300 light years

IMAGE INFORMATION

INSTRUMENT: 6" ORION OPTICS UK (Ultra Grade Optics) w/Sky Watcher Coma Corrector (0.9x) working at at f4.5

CAMERA: QHY 183 MONO

MOUNT: VIXEN GDPX, OAG with Starlight Xpress Lodestar

FILTERS: BAADER LRGB Set

SKY CONDITIONS: rural skies - Bortle 4 - SQM 20.63

EXPOSURES: LHaRGB (30,60,20,20,20)

OBJECT DESCRIPTION AND IMAGE SESSION

Gum 41 is actually part of a bigger structure called the Lambda Centauri Nebula, also known by the more exotic name of the Running Chicken Nebula. The shape of the Gum 41 resembles a glowing rose. Hot young stars are giving off energetic radiation that causes the surrounding hydrogen to glow with a characteristic red hue. According to Avedisova, the mention HII structure is ionized by 09 giant star HD 100099 (O9 III) is the star in the middle of Gum 41.

This nebula was discovered by the Australian astronomer Colin Gum after taken images from Mount Stromlo Observatory near Canberra. Collin Gum included this object in his catalogue of 84 emission nebulae, which was published in 1955.