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



LBN 576