Reflection Nebula

Note: The EGB catalog was originally compiled by Glen L. Ellis, Earl T. Grayson, and Howard E. Bond from the Department of Astronomy at the University of Louisiana (USA).

EGB 10, a very faint object located in the constellation Draco, was initially identified in the 1980s as a potential planetary nebula. However, it was quickly dismissed and later misclassified at various times as a reflection nebula or even a distant galaxy. Recent work by a team including Xavier Strottner, Marcel Drechsler, Utkarsh Mishra, and Sankalp Mohan has significantly revised our understanding of this object. Their findings revealed that EGB 10 is in fact a much larger and more intricate cosmic structure.

Narrowband imaging in the OIII spectrum has uncovered expansive gaseous shells, suggesting a far more complex origin and morphology than previously believed.

To capture the image, an ASKAR FRA400 refractor telescope was used in combination with a ZWO ASI2600MM monochrome CMOS camera and Antlia Ha, OIII, and RGB filters. Given the extreme faintness of the Ha and OIII emission, long exposures were essential to gather enough signal. A total of 664 frames were stacked, resulting in 81.7 hours of integration time. Post-processing involved careful contrast and level adjustments to bring out delicate structures such as the faint surrounding gas clouds.