 Kohoutek
2-2 is a large and diffuse ancient planetary nebula.
Oddly, the appearance of this nebula in the eyepiece is
markedly different from that of the red-light DSS image to
the right. I have been unable to find a color image of
the planetary and it is in the southern unfinished zone of
the online second generation DSS where no blue image is
available, so I can't make one of my own with the DSS.
I suspect that the blue-light image would appear markedly
different.
In my 18-inch
f/4.5 at 94x this planetary was quite difficult, even with
an OIII filter. With perseverance I was eventually
able to detect an elongated, egg-shaped glow between two
stars (as drawn in to the simulated eyepiece view
below). This planetary is very obscure, so if you do
detect it you can count yourself among a select group of
people who have ever seen it.
|
