A diffuse gas cloud or “nebula” (Latin for cloud) of hydrogen gas measuring three light years across at a distance of 2,000 light years in the constellation Perseus. The image is a combination of 13 hours (80x10 minute sub-images) taken through red, green, blue and luminance filters and then combined to produce color. It shows detail that you could never see with any telescope, no matter how big. The red coloration is called an "HII" region, meaning that it consists of ionized hydrogen gas (hydrogen atoms that have been stripped of their single electron by absorbing energetic ultraviolet photons emitted by newly formed blue giant stars clearly visible in this image). These "bachelor" electrons are quickly captured by the ionized hydrogen nuclei, and emit discrete amounts of energy as they cascade down the various energy levels to the "ground state" near the core of the nucleus. The very common transition from the third to the second energy levels (n3 to n2) results in the emission of a photon with a wavelength of 656 nanometers corresponding to the color red in the visible spectrum. The prevalence of hydrogen in the universe (some 75% of all physical matter) makes red a dominant color.
Diffuse Nebula NGC 1579 in Perseus
Date Taken:November 2018
Location Taken:Roswell, New Mexico
Conditions of Location: Equipment Used:Astrophysics 305 mm f/3.8 Riccardi-Honders Astrograph with a SBIG WTX-16803 camera
Processing Used:35x10 minute luminance, 15x10 minute RGB (total exposure time of 13 hours combined and processed in Pixinsight..
Distance from Location:2,000 light years
Constellation:Perseus
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Richard – please consider some day including most ( all? ) of your favorite passages of scripture regarding the biblical perspective of your work, and
regarding the lessons we could and should draw from witnessing , with you,
our physical heaven and earth before we witness the new heaven and new earth, and from
His invitation to mankind to belong in His eternal and infinite kingdom despite our seemingly momentary and minute involvement, and from
His promise that we may know and so love the sovereign God of all that is.