Barnard 142 and 143 (Barnard's E) |
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 Barnard's E - Click on thumbnails below to view larger image. Opens in a new window. |
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| "Barnard's E" is actually a grouping of two
dark nebulae (specifically Barnard 142 and 143), which makes
them the 142nd and 143rd entries in the Barnard Catalogue of
dark nebulae. This catalog is named after American astronomer
Edward Emerson Barnard. The nebulae cover a region of the sky
about the size of the Full Moon (0.5 degree), but the uncropped
version of this image covers a wider portion of the sky than
that. Both nebulae are estimated to lie about 2,000 light-years
away and can be found in the constellation Aquila. Barnard 143 is the designation given to the top half of the "E" and Barnard 142 is the lower half. In the widefield view of this region, Barnard 143 appears to connect to Barnard 142 via a knotty loop. Dark nebulae are described as such because they are dense enough that they block visible light from stars behind them. They are composed primarily of cold molecular hydrogen, interstellar dust, carbon monoxide and tiny silicate and carbon-rich dust grains. Many images do show the nebulae as dark regions in the sky, though ironically the clouds appear brighter with longer exposures. I've had a personal desire to image this region for many years simply because it resembles the first letter of my name (so I can vainly claim that my first initial is written in the stars, ha-ha). But I've been distracted by other brighter targets during my first many years of astro-imaging. It's only in 2026, when dark nebulae are among my higher priority targets, that I finally decided to add this to my collection. There are two renditions shown here: one shows the full field of view as imaged, and the second a cropped version highlighting the "E". Link to Astrobin version. |
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| Constellation: Aquila | ||
| When Visible: May - October | ||
| Distance: 2,000 Light-years | ||
| Date: July - August 2026 | ||
| Location: Location: Starfront Observatories, Rockwood, Texas | ||
| Exposure Details:
L: 213 × 3 minutes R: 113 × 3 minutes G: 134 × 3 minutes B: 137 × 3 minutes 29 hrs 51 minutes total exposure |
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| Equipment Used: Takahashi FSQ-106N on a ZWO AM5N mount. ZWO ASI-2600MM Pro camera with 7 x 50mm filter wheel and Antlia Pro filters. Externally guided with a ZWO ASI224MC camera on a William Optics UniGuide 50 guide scope. | ||
| Acquisition Software : Nighttime Imaging 'N' Astronomy, PHD2 | ||
| Processing Software: MaximDL, PixInsight, Photoshop CS5, IrFanView | ||
