GUM 12, NGC 2451 & NGC 2447

 EMISSION CLOUD WITH OPEN CLUSTERS IN PUPPIS (THE POOP DECK)

(Image centered at: ra 07h:49 m / dec - 38º 15')

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR A HIGH RESOLUTION VIEW

December 2024, Observatorio Cielos Albertnos, Buenos Aires, Argentina

DATA

TYPE: Asterism

APPARENT DIAMETER: FOV 5 x 3 degrees 

APPARENT MAGNITUDE (V): 2.8 for NGC 2451 and 5.8 for NGC 2477

DISTANCE: GUM 12 1470 light years, NGC 2451 850 and NGC 2477 4700 light years

IMAGE INFORMATION

INSTRUMENT: Canon EF 200 mm f2 lens stopped at 4.5

CAMERA: QSI 583 WS

MOUNT: SKYWATCHER NEQ6 guided with ORION 80/400 refractor and Starlight Xpress LodeStar M7 camera

FILTERS: Optolong RGB set Optolong Ha 7 nm

SKY CONDITIONS: Bortle 2-3 skies

OBJECT DESCRIPTION AND IMAGE SESSION

The Gum Nebula (Gum 12) is an emission nebula that extends across 36° in the southern constellations Vela and Puppis. It lies approximately 1470 light years from the Earth. Hard to distinguish, it was widely believed to be the greatly expanded (and still expanding) remains of a supernova that took place about a million years ago. More recent research suggests it may be an evolved H II region. It contains the 11,000-year-old Vela Supernova Remnant, along with the Vela Pulsar.

The image above covers only about 5°of Gum 12 in Puppis, and they are visible at the center lower left open cluster NGC 2451 dominated by the red supergiant “c Puppis” which is 12 times more massive than our Sun. Then the the center upper right we have the open cluster NGC 2477 that groups about 300 stars and has an apparent size similar to that of the full Moon. An area rich in stars, ideal for observing with binoculars from dark and even urban skies.