Hind’s Variable Nebula (NGC1555) is situated 400 light-years away in the region between Aldebaran and the Pleiades, in the constellation Taurus, in the same area as the Hyades (see below).  The nebula is a Herbig-Haro object – a bright patch of nebulosity in which new stars are forming – which changes in apparent size and brightness.  It is illuminated by the young pre-main sequence triple star system T-Tauri and was discovered by the English astronomer John Russell Hind in 1852. 

The data for this image was obtained from the Deep Sky West (DSW) site in New Mexico using a Takahashi FSQ 106 paired with a QSI 683-WSG8 camera, which provides a widefield view of the nebula (see top of the page), thereby including many colourful bright stars that dominate this area.  The addition of Ha data further highlights the complex nature of the region which is not fully seen in an LRGB image.

IMAGING DETAILS
Object	NGC1555 Hind’s Variable Nebula & Hyades
Constellation	Taurus
Distance	400 light-years + Hyades 153 light-years
Size	4 light-years ~5.908 arc secs
Apparent Magnitude	+9.98
Scope	Takahashi FSQ 106  FL 530mm  f/5  +  Moonlight Nightcrawler focuser
Mount	Paramount MyT
Guiding	Yes
Camera	QSI 683-WSG8    KAF-8300 full frame CCD sensor   5.4nm pixels
	FOV 1.94o x 1.46o   Resolution 2.1”/pix.   Image array 3326 x 2,507 pix
Processing	Deep Sky Stacker,  PixInsight v1.8.9-2
Image Location & Orientation	Centre – RA 04:21:53.55      DEC +19:19:49.3
Exposures	L x31, R x14, G x19, B x19 x 15 mins + Ha x16 x 30 minutes   @ -20C Total Integration Time: 28hr 45min
Calibration	20 x 900 sec & 20 x 1800 sec Darks   x56 Bias & x20 LRGB Ha Flats
Location & Darkness	Deep Sky West – amateur hosting facility near Rowe, New Mexico  – USA    SQM Typically >= 21.7
Date & Time	Q1 2019