NGC 6164 &  6165

BIPOLAR NEBULA IN NORMA

 (ra 16:34.0/ dec -48:06)

June 2013 - Camping La Porteña - San Antonio de Areco, Buenos Aires, Argentina

DATA

TYPE: Bipolar Nebula

Apparent magnitude: Central Star HD 148937 6.78

Apparent diameter: 7.5 arc minutes

Distance: 4.200  light years

IMAGE INFORMATION

SCOPE: Carbon Fiber Ritchey Chrétien 8" f8 

CAMERA: QSI 583 WS

FILTERS: Baader LRGB, 2" IDAS LPS for all channels

SKY CONDITIONS: rural skies 75% Moon

EXPOSURES: LHaRGB (80,40,30,30,30)

OBJECT DESCRIPTION AND IMAGE SESSION

Sometimes confused with a Planetary Nebula, NGC 6164 and NGC 6165 are emission material ejected by the hot massive star HD 148937 which is loosing mass from its outer layers, continuously. This two NGC numbers refer to the shells as separate objects. NGC 6164 lower left and NGC 6165 upper right. The nebula spans for about 4 light years and it has a bipolar symmetry.
The central star is in fact, part of a triple system orbiting around each other. The brightest member, visible in the picture, has 40 times the mass of our Sun and it has only three to four millions years old. In another four to five million years, the star will end in a supernova explosion.