Vela SNR – First Light Atik APX60 Camera

Presenting the first light image for my new ATIK APX60 camera. It was time to retire the 6162 CCD and embrace CMOS technology!
This is not the full file size; it’s been cropped a tad as I had a vignetting issue from my filters being a little too far from the sensor.
While working to resolve that, I was keen to see what this baby could do, and I’m impressed!

The QE is much higher than my CCD, and subs download in seconds, not minutes, which is awesome; it easily reached -10C on a warm Summer night with 28C Ambient, so the cooling is great too!
I like the built-in USB hub on the camera, too, which makes cable management much easier.
This is taken from my severe LP backyard in Melbourne, Australia (Pop 5 million).

I can’t wait to get this baby under a dark sky!

About this Nebula

The Vela Supernova Remnant featured in this image is immersed in this region at a distance of about 900 light years away. Laced with intertwining filaments and loops of excited oxygen (blue) and both filamentary and more diffuse hydrogen (red), the Vela SNR originated with the explosion of another massive star sometime between 11,000 and 12,300 years ago.

The continued ionization of these filaments so long after that explosion probably results from prodigious ultraviolet radiation emitted by Gamma2 Vel and perhaps other OB stars in its proximity.

These shock waves plough through interstellar space at over 500,000 kilometres per hour. Initially, the shock waves were moving at millions of kilometres per hour but have slowed considerably, sweeping up surrounding interstellar material. The image shows blue-green from oxygen emission and red/magenta from hydrogen emission, which has been expanding ever since.

The ejected material expanded into the surrounding interstellar medium at incredibly high speeds and temperatures, ionizing gas and causing it to glow, not only in optical wavelengths shown in the image but also in X-ray and Radio wavelengths. The bluish tendril structures shown in the image are the shock fronts from this interaction.

Eventually, these features will dissipate as they expand and cool. The Vela SNR is likely embedded in a larger and older supernova remnant, the Gum Nebula.