New astronomical discoveries
TelCom 1 - A Planetary Nebula
I’m thrilled to announce my discovery of a new planetary nebula in the constellation Vela! Designated TelCom 1, this discovery has been officially cataloged in the HASH PN database, making me the second-youngest person to discover a new nebula at the age of 16, and I believe the youngest to confirm one as a true PN. TelCom 1 is one of only 158 amateur planetary nebulae that have been confirmed as true PNs. This was a collaboration between myself and Mark McComiskey, another amateur astrophotographer who helped me image this target.
The search for a new PN has been something that I have been trying to achieve for the past year or so. Starting off with the old remote scope in Spain, I used that to survey and was able to find a new reflection nebula with it - The Dancing Horse. However, the end goal in mind was always a PN, and it is now reality.
The journey began with extensive survey analysis, including my own OIII surveys using my newer telescope at SFRO. A faint signal in the W4 band of the WISE survey caught my attention. Having consulted with my colleague Julian Shapiro last year, I recognized this as a potential indicator of a planetary nebula. The next step was locating a central star (CSPN) - the white dwarf typically found near the center of most planetary nebulae that [describe characteristics]. However, with the bright star TYC 8599-1035-1 dominating the center, I initially suspected the CSPN might be obscured behind it.
Though this CSPN search was inconclusive, I had to give it a go due to the promising nature of what was there. Since my remote scope is located at SFRO, it isn't quite good enough to see the top of Vela. Even though this was the case, because my scope was all the way at the front of the roof, I could however get some signal at only 5 degrees above horizon. This signal was horrible, as expected. Recognizing these constraints, I contacted Mark McComiskey, who operates an ASA600 system at Obstech. He has helped me in the past with some survey work which ended up being nothing, but nonetheless was still motivated to help. Mark shares my passion for astronomical discovery and enthusiastically agreed to collaborate on this project!
While the object revealed itself to be a PN, due to the inconclusive CSPN, further follow up spectral observations were needed. The Planetary Nebula Net contributors were kind enough to run a spectral follow-up with the 2SPOT spectral scope in Chile. The spectra showed true PN lines and a helium emission, a key signature of planetary nebulae, typically found at their centers. Helium is exceptionally difficult to ionize and only appears in the hottest, most energetic regions at the centers of planetary nebulae where conditions are extreme enough to produce helium emission.
TelCom 1(left) and PN 279.6+02.2
The Dancing Horse - A Reflection Nebula
I'm excited to share that I've managed to image a never-before-photographed reflection nebula in Perseus! I've named it the "Dancing Horse Nebula" because of its vivid prancing horse-like form. Since the "Prancing Horse Nebula" is already taken, I had to be a little artful with the name.
This journey began a few months ago when I was thoroughly impressed by astrophotographers Julian Shapiro and Bray Falls. Seeing their images provided me with the motivation to search for something extraordinary in the evening sky. After a deep dive into an extensive survey, I discovered a mid-infrared region in Perseus that resembled an uncatalogued reflection nebula. While reflection nebulae are not as exciting as planetary nebulae or supernova remnants, the excitement of the discovery was well worth it!
I also spent a few hours imaging the target in blue, and to my surprise, the nebula gradually showed up. In order to make my "find" sure, I wrote an email to Marcel Drechsler, a well-known astrophotographer with multiple discoveries. He told me that since this area was already familiar as an IRAS mid-infrared area with no specific references, I shouldn't name it "discovery" when sending it in. Although he believed I could name it – so I did!
