LBN 576 (also known as Abell 85 and CTB 1) is a faint supernova remnant lying almost 10,000 light years away. Coincidentally, it is also around 10,000 years old. Until recently it was thought to be a planetary nebula but recent studies confirm it to be a supernova remnant, the closest one known to Earth. Supernova remnants result from the explosion of a star in a supernova and are bounded by an expanding shock wave. They consist of ejected material expanding from that explosion.

Also appeared on “Starship Asterisk,” the main discussion venue for the Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD)  October, 2014.

Technical Information       

Date:                       October, 2014

Location:                 Green Valley, Arizona

Telescope:              Takahashi FSQ-106EDX

Camera:                  SBIG STT-8300M

Filters:                     Astrodon Gen 2

Mount:                     AstroPhysics 1200

Exposure:                HaLRGB = 13:3:3:3:3 (25 hrs. total), all unbinned

Software:                 Acquisition: Maxim DL 5, TheSkyX, Pinpoint, CCD Commander

                                Processing: CCDStack, PhotoShop CS6 with various plugins