This difficult SNR has been lon my wish list since long. I was encouraged and inspired to take the plunge by
@Gary Imm's
recent beautiful picture on this subject. Unfortunately I could expose the target only for two nights due to bad weather; at least another night would have been beneficial.
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SNR G119.5+10.2, aka CTA1CTA1 was discovered as a radio source in the 60s. CTA stands for Caltech list A, a catalog of radio sources.
The SNR shell optical signal is extremely weak as often happens with SNRs, while it is visible in radio spectrum (see revision C).
In turn, its central star, the neutron star remnant PSR J0007+7303, is silent in the radio frequencies; yet it emits strongly as a pulsar in gamma range, as detected in 2008 by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope.
The distance is 1400 pc and the SNR age estimation is 10 k years.
Its shape reminds me pretty much the one another supernova remnant,
SNR G206.9+02.3 in Monoceros, which is sporting a "Champagne flow" effect, due to differential resistance offered by the inhomogeneous interstellar medium.
Planetary Nebula NGC40Here is
a spin-off image dedicated to NGC40.
NGC 40 (also known as the Bow-Tie Nebula and Caldwell 2) is a brilliant planetary nebula, 1619 pc away. Probably it has a barrel shape, and is visible here what seems to be one of its polar ejections (but oddily bent..., your opinion welcome!)
Its central star HD826 has a high superficial temperature of 71000 K, similar to the one typical of WR stars.
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