NGC 3132 Planetary Nebula with new PN discovery named Sel 1 - in HOO with RGB Stars

Image Title: NGC 3132 Planetary Nebula with new PN discovery named Sel 1 - in HOO with RGB Stars

Copyright: Mike Selby and Gowri Visweswaran

Date image was taken: March 22, 2025

Location: Observatorio El Sauce, Chile.

Data Acquisition Method: Personal Telescope Setup

Image Description and Details: We would like to present this image, acquired in Obstech, Chile.

Title of the Object:

NGC 3132 Planetary Nebula with new PN discovery named Sel 1 - in HOO with RGB Stars

Description of the Object:

This image contains NGC 3132 and a newly discovered Planetary Nebula named Sel 1.

NGC 3132, also known as the Southern Ring Nebula, Eight-Burst Nebula, or Caldwell 74 is a striking planetary nebula located about 2,000 light-years away in the southern constellation Vela.
What you’re seeing is the glowing, expanding shell of gas ejected by a dying Sun-like star, now a white dwarf at its core. The nebula spans roughly 0.4 light-years across, yet appears just 1 arcminute wide in the sky — about 1/30th the width of the full Moon.

Despite its compact appearance, a considerable amount of detail can be revealed in long-exposure imaging.
In this image, the bright teal-blue core is rich in ionized oxygen (OIII), while the outer reddish arcs trace hydrogen-alpha emission (Hα). Faint dust lanes and overlapping shells show the chaotic beauty of this stellar farewell.
Recent JWST observations revealed that NGC 3132 is actually a binary star system, with a hidden second star playing a major role in shaping the nebula’s complex form over thousands of years.

Imaged in HOO RGB on Mike Selby's Planewave CDK 700 at Observatorio El Sauce, Chile.

Image acquisition: Mike Selby
Processing: Mike Selby and Gowri Visweswaran

Equipment Details: Scope: Planewave CDK 700
Camera: Moravian C5A-150M
Filters: Chroma HOORGB

Name: Mike Selby Gowri Visweswaran