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| Catalogue and alternative designations | NGC
6164 and NGC 6165
|
| Type | Bipolar emission nebula |
| Position | 16 34 03, -48 09 09 |
| Constellation | Norma |
| Camera and Telescope | STXL16200 and 36.8 cm Ritchey Chretien |
| Focal Ratio | F9 |
| Exposure Details | This is a Hubble palette image (SHO) using Astrodon filters where red is assigned to Sulphur II, green to Hydrogen Alpha and blue to Oxygen III. The Hydrogen alpha contribution is somewhat attenuated because it tends to overwhelm the other colours. The exposure times were Sulphur II = 390 minutes, Hydrogen Alpha = 240 minutes and Oxygen III = 330 minutes. |
| Description | This nebula was discovered by John Hershel in 1834. It was once thought to be a planetary nebula but is actually a bi-polar emission nebula generated by winds from the O type central star HD 148937. The nebula is about 2.5' x 0.5' arc minutes in diameter. Visually it's reasonably faint unless a nebula filter is used. HD 148937 is about magnitude 6.7. |