Hubble's Variable Nebula LRGB

NGC 2261 (also known as Hubble's Variable Nebula or Caldwell 46) is a variable nebula located in the constellation Monoceros. The nebula is illuminated by the star R Monocerotis (R Mon), which is not directly visible itself.

This astrophotography is a stacking of Luminance frames from December 2020 to April 2021: it does not highlight the variation in brightness of the star/nebula.
I’m currently working on a gif version.


RA: 06h 39m 09.2s
DEC: +08° 45’ 35.6"
Size: 14 x 14 arcmin
Orientation: Up is 359 degrees E of N
Location: Monoceros
Distance: 2.5 kly
Magnitude: 9.0

Acquisition December 2020 to April 2021
Total acquisition time of 19.6 hours.

Location: El Sauce Observatory, Río Hurtado, Coquimbo, Chile
L,R,G,B filters
Optics: Planewave CDK24
Mount: Mathis MI-1000/1250
CCD: FLI ProLine PL9000
Pre Processing: CCDstack, Pixinsight & Excalibrator
Post Processing: Photoshop CC