RCW 80 AKA GUM 48d & YELLOW SUPER GIANT STAR V766 CEN

EMISSION NEBULA IN CENTAURUS

(Image centered at: ra 13 h:48 m / dec - 62º 42')

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR A HIGH RESOLUTION VIEW

June - 2024, Home Backyard in Martinez, Buenos Aires, Argentina

DATA

TYPE: SUPERGIANT STAR & EMISSION NEBULA

APPARENT DIAMETER: 12 x 6 arc minutes and 12 x 2 respectively

APPARENT MAGNITUDE (V): V766 cen 6.17 - 7.5

DISTANCE: 11.700 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 Antlia HA 3nm filter

SKY CONDITIONS: urban skies - Bortle 8

EXPOSURES: LHARGB (60,150,30,30,30)

OBJECT DESCRIPTION AND IMAGE SESSION

I have spotted this object while imaged Cedelbrad 122 two months ago and later found some details in Galaxy Map. There are not many images of RCW 80 so I decided to have a go with it.  RCW 80 or Gum 48d is an HII region ionised by the supergiant V766 aka HR 5171B. SIMBAD follows several sources in identifying RCW 80 with the supernova remnant SNR 309.2-00.6. However, the nebula and the radio peak within the supernova remnant seem to have different locations. A 2009 paper states clearly that the HII region and the supernova remnant are two distinct and likely unrelated objects.

V766 Centauri (aka HD 119796, HIP 67261 or HR 5171) is a yellow Hipergiant star. Its brightness changes in an irregular way and it is part of a system of two stars.