RCW 60
Head of The Running Chicken. Emission Nebula, Centaurus
RCW 60 is part of the Lambda Centaurus nebula complex (Running Chicken nebula) in the constellation of Centaurus. This is actually two distinct nebulae at different distances: Gum 39 (RCW 60a – top) and Gum 40 (RCW 60b – bottom), also designated as IC 2872.
Gum associates Gum 39 with HD 99897 but gives a B5 class, too cool to ionize the nebula. Cameron Reed, the Georgelin’s and SIMBAD all give a much hotter O6 class, making it likely that this is the main ionizing star.
Gum associates Gum 40 with the nebula IC 2872 and the star HD 99898. He gives a B8 class for this star, too cool to ionize the nebula. However, Cameron Reed gives a B2/5 III class and SIMBAD (following the Georgelin’s) gives a much hotter O9 V, making it more likely that this is the ionizing star.
Gum associates Gum 39 with HD 99897 but gives a B5 class, too cool to ionize the nebula. Cameron Reed, the Georgelin’s and SIMBAD all give a much hotter O6 class, making it likely that this is the main ionizing star.
Gum associates Gum 40 with the nebula IC 2872 and the star HD 99898. He gives a B8 class for this star, too cool to ionize the nebula. However, Cameron Reed gives a B2/5 III class and SIMBAD (following the Georgelin’s) gives a much hotter O9 V, making it more likely that this is the ionizing star.
Telescope: Planewave CDK17 (FR) f4.5
Mount: Astro Physics 1600GTO
Camera: QHY16200A/ Integral FW
Guider: Agena Starguide II / ZWO ASI178MM
Filters: Astronomik 36mm LRGB
L: 52×10 mins = 520 mins, R: 24×10 mins = 240 mins, G: 24×10 mins = 240 mins, B: 24×10 mins = 240 mins
Total Imaging Time: 20h 40m
Data Imaged remotely over 6 nights during May 2023.
Imaged from Observatorio El Sauce, Chile, in partnership with Fred Espenak.
Data acquisition & Processing by David Churchill.
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