01-07-2025
Look: Jaw-dropping nebula spotted in UAE skies, 5,000 light-years away from Earth
In a stunning astronomical spectacle, a nebula was spotted in UAE skies by photographers of the Emirates Astronomy Society (EAS) in the eastern mountainous regions of the country.
The Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888), also known as Caldwell 27-Sharpless 105, is located in the Cygnus constellation, approximately 5,000 light-years from Earth.
The nebula was observed and photographed in high resolution, according to Tamim Al Tamimi, a member of the society and an astronomical photographer.
While speaking to WAM, Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Chairman of the Emirates Astronomy Society, revealed the nebula was formed by strong winds from a Wolf-Rayet star, WR 136, which collided with the material ejected by the star during its red giant phase.
This large gas bubble of ionized hydrogen and oxygen is formed and appears in fine detail when imaged using narrow-field techniques.
The observations took place over 10 hours using H-alpha and O3 filters, with the image processed according to the scientific color mode HOO, which clearly shows the chemical differences within the nebula.
The images were captured with a cooled ZWO ASI183MM Pro camera using the Explore Scientific 152mm David H. Levy Comet Hunter Maksutov-Newtonian telescope on an iOptron HAE43 mount, with ASIAir Plus guidance, while final processing was performed using PixInsight and Photoshop, Jarwan added.
In an important feat for UAE astronomers, the sighting highlights the commitment of Emirati astrophotographers to observing and photographing deep-sky objects despite the climatic challenges in mountainous or desert regions, where night time temperatures during the photographing period sometimes reach between 36 and 40 degrees Celsius.
