NGC 6543, known as the Cat’s Eye Nebula, is a planetary nebula in the constellation Draco, about 3,300 light years away. It formed when a Sun-like star expelled its outer shells at the end of its evolution. The intense radiation of the exposed central star ionises the expanding gas and creates the nebula’s complex, shell-like structure. NGC 6543 is one of the most structurally detailed planetary nebulae and shows pronounced inner shells as well as faint outer halos that point to several ejection phases.
IMAGE DATA
Object
NGC6543 - Cat's Eye Nebula
Distance
approx. 3,300 light years
Date
21.01.2026
Exposure
RGB each 45x 15sec. (for core), RGB each 20x 120sec. (stars), HAlpha 36x 300sec. & OIII 56x 300 sec., - Total approx. 10h
Mount
Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro
Telescope
Skywatcher 200PDS with 1.0x coma corrector
Camera
ZWO ASI 2600mm with ZWO RGB, HA & OIII Filter
Guiding
Zwo Asi OAG with ZWO Asi 290mm Mini & Asiair
Software
AsiAir, Astropixel Processor, Pixinsight, Photoshop CC, NoiseXterminator, Star X Terminator, BlurXterminator, Nik Collection 7
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