Fun facts
The Snake Nebula (also known as Barnard 72) is a dark nebula in the Ophiuchus constellation. It is a small but readily apparent SP-shaped dust lane that snakes out in front of the Milky Way star clouds from the north-north-west edge of the bowl of the Pipe Nebula. Its thickness runs between 2′ and 3′ and runs around 6′ in the north-west / south-east orientation. It is part of the much larger Dark Horse Nebula. To the right of the Snake Nebula is Barnard 68. Below it are Barnard 69, Barnard 70, and Barnard 74.
Other Catalog Designations: The Snake Nebula, Barnard 72, LDN 66
Subtype: Dark nebula
Location: Right Ascension 17h 23m 30s / Declination −23° 38′
Distance from Earth: 650 light years (200 pc)
Apparent dimensions: 37′ × 17′
Constellation: Ophiuchus
{ From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_Nebula and Stellarium}
Capture & Processing Notes
Second target of the night of 19 March 2026. I switched from Vela SNR Highway Spur at 02:45CDT (20Mar26). Ended Vela SNR sequence, slewed telescope to correct parking position (0°, 90°), disconnected equipment, validated cable connections, pulled up B72 Snake sequence, reconnected equipment. Started sequence at 02:48: EAF#1 (5982 to 5972), plate solve (1.69°, 439 px; resolved on second pass), resume AG (4.62 HFD, 121.1 SNR), EAF#2 (5972 to 5975). At 02:54CDT Event1/Frame1 started. Ended the sequence at 06:42CDT (in middle of astronomical twilight).
Sequence plan: Gain 158, Offset 30, Temp 0°C; 42x5min, 210min (3:30hrs); Collected 20Mar2026, 03:00 Chilean Daytime Time (CDT) – 20Mar2026, 06:42CDT.
Processing summary: Captured in SGP, stacked in APP (Adaptive Airy), star removal with Starnet++, processing with LR/PS
Equipment
Equipment: All equipment controlled by HP Probook (DSO-CTRL1) running Sequence Generator Pro v4.4.0.1441.
- Imaging (ASI2400-SC420): ZWO ASI2400MC imaging camera; (Southern Cross) Askar FRA600 108mm; f/5.6 Quintuplet Petzval Flat-Field Astrograph with Askar 0.7x reducer for FRA600
- Mount: Rainbow Astro RST-135E (controlled by iHubo ASCOM driver)
- Polar alignment: QHYCCD camera (controlled by Polemaster for polar alignment)
- Autoguiding: Orion 60mm Multi-Use Guide Scope with ZWO ASI120MM mini mono camera (controlled by PHD2)
- Autofocuser: ZWO EAF Electronic Automatic Focuser (EAF-5V-STD)
Summary
Captured: 20 March 2026, 03:00 – 06:42 Chilean Daytime Time (CDT). 42x5min, 210min (3:30hrs).
Shooting location: SPACE Atacama Lodge, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
Equipment: ZWO ASI2400MC imaging camera; (Southern Cross-420mm) Askar FRA600 108mm; f/5.6 Quintuplet Petzval Flat-Field Astrograph with Askar 0.7x reducer for FRA600 on Rainbow Astro RST-135E
Processing summary: Captured in SGP, stacked in APP (Adaptive Airy), star removal with Starnet++, processing with LR/PS