Popped Balloon Nebula (Abell 85)
Click image for detailed view
Abell 85 (also known as ACO 85) is a massive galaxy cluster located in the constellation Cetus, approximately 740 million light-years away from Earth. It is part of the Abell catalog of galaxy clusters and is one of the most studied clusters due to its interesting structure and interactions.
Abell 85 is a Rich Galaxy Cluster – It contains hundreds of galaxies bound together by gravity. Abell 85 has a vast amount of hot gas emitting X-rays, which have been observed by telescopes like Chandra X-ray Observatory and XMM-Newton. In addition it is a Supermassive Black Hole – A large black hole (~3 to 5 billion solar masses) has been detected in the cluster’s central galaxy.
Studies suggest that Abell 85 has undergone merging events, leading to its complex structure. Like all galaxy clusters, most of its mass is in the form of dark matter, inferred from gravitational lensing and X-ray observations.
Abell 85 is an important target for studying galaxy evolution, dark matter, and large-scale cosmic structures. Its interactions with neighboring clusters and subgroups provide insights into how galaxy clusters grow over time.
| Object | Popped Balloon Nebula (Abell 85) |
| Link | https://www.shetzers.com/popped-balloon-nebula-abell-85/ |
| Wiki Link | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abell_Catalog_of_Planetary_Nebulae |
| Hemisphere | Northern |
| Constellation | Cassiopeia |
| Other Names contained in image | LBN 576 |
| Imaging telescopes or lenses | Takahashi TOA-130NFB |
| Imaging cameras | QHY268M |
| Mounts | Astro Physics 1600 |
| Focal reducers | None |
| Software | N.I.N.A., AP Drivers, PHD Lab PHD2, Viking, PixInsight, Photoshop, Lightroom |
| Filters | Astrodon LRGB Gen2 E-Series Tru-Balance 36mm unmounted. Chroma Technology Narrowband 3nm Ha, SII, OIII – 36mm Unmounted |
| Accessories | Moonlite NightCrawler 35 focuser, Maxdome II, Digital Loggers Pro Switch, Sky Alert Weather Station, Pegagsus Ultimate Powerbox v2, QHY 7-slot filter wheel. |
| Guiding Telescope or Lenses | Orion 60mm Guide Scope |
| Guiding Camera | ZWO ASI290MM Mini |
| Imaging Dates | 10/22/24, 10/23/24,11/9/24, 11/10/24, 11/13/24, 11/17/24, 11/19/24, 11/20/24, 11/21/24, 11/28/24 |
| Frames | Ha:180×600″ (30h) Gain 56, High Gain Mode, Temp -25C, Bin 1×1 OII: 75×600″ (12.5h) Gain 56, High Gain Mode, Temp -25C, Bin 1×1 Red: 20×45″ (0.3h) Gain 26, Photographic Mode, Temp -25C, Bin 1×1 Green: 19×45″ (0.3h) Gain 26, Photographic Mode, Temp -25C, Bin 1×1 Blue :19×45″ (0.3h) Gain 26, Photographic Mode, Temp -25C, Bin 1×1 |
| Integration | 43.4h |
| Darks | 50 |
| Flats | 20 per Filter |
| Flat Darks | 40 |
| Bortle Dark-Sky Scale: | 2 |
| RA center | 359.83797 |
| DEC center | 62.41826 |
| Pixel scale | 3.76 |
| Resolution | 6280 x 4210 |
| Locations | Sirus 3.5m Observatory, Carbondale Colorado |
| Data source | Backyard |
| Seeing | Average |
| Post Processing Techniques | PixInsight to Photoshop to Lightroom |
| Type | HOO with RGB Stars |