Sh2-68
Sh2-68 is an ancient planetary nebula that is estimated to be at least 45,000 years old. The diffuse orange emission to the upper right is the result of the planetary nebula's motion through the disk of our galaxy. The bluish interior is from energized oxygen atoms. The progenitor star is the very blue star at the center of the bluish gas.
| Observatory: | Kitt Peak National Observatory Kitt Peak, Arizona |
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| Telescope: | KPNO 4-Meter |
| Instrument: | Mosaic I |
| Astronomer: | T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage) and H. Schweiker (WIYN and NOAO/AURA/NSF) |
| Date of Observation: | 10-24-2011 |
| Filters and Assigned Colors: | Hydrogen alpha (red) and Oxygen [OIII] (blue) |
| Exposure Times: | 5x10min in each filter |
| Location of Image: | Serpens |
| Field of View: | 21.2 x 16.2 arcmin |
| Orientation: | North is right, East is up |
| Link to Larger Image | |
| Link to Full Resolution Image | |
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