Featured Deep-Sky Object - Gum 15 Nebula

As Insight Observatory's affiliate 12.5" f/9 Ritchey-Chretien (ATEO-3) remote telescope, located at Deep Sky Chile, undergoes some upgrading in preparation for its next round of imaging for Starbase and education projects, we thought it would be appropriate to feature an interesting deep-sky object imaged on ATEO-3 in the past year.

Gum 15, an emission nebula, is a little-known object located in the southern constellation Vela at a distance of about 3,000 light-years from Earth. The glowing cloud is a perfect example of an HII region. This nebula has many similarities to the more famous HII region, Messier 20, the Trifid Nebula, located in the constellation Sagittarius. It is shaped by aggressive winds flowing from the stars within and around it. The bright star in the center of the nebula is HD 74804, a double star.

Gum 15 Nebula, located in the southern constellation Vela, imaged on ATEO-3. Image data acquired by
Franck Jobard and processed by Utkarsh Mishra.  The image set is available for download on Starbase.

The blueish wisps are dusty streamers from the scattering of blue light of the star HD 74804. Dark dust all throughout the nebula is detected through a thick lane in the middle of the nebula. The material is perhaps behind the star, on the far side from our viewpoint, therefore we don't see the scattered light. Also, to the lower left, you can see what looks like the bright outline of a dark mountain, pointing inward toward the star. That feature is designated SFO 58.

Gum 15 Nebula image data is currently available for subscription and downloading in Insight Observatory's image set repository, Starbase. Below are the image parameters available for the nebula image set.

ATEO-3 - 12.5" f/9 Quasar Ritchey-Chretien:

• Gum 15 - Luminance (2020): Nebula in Vela - 12 Hours 20 Minutes 
• Gum 15 - RGB (2020): Nebula in Vela - 6 Hours 40 Minutes

Log In or Sign Up for Starbase Here

Sources: Wikipedia, European Southern Observatory (ESO), and Bad Astronomy - Phil Plait.

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2017 Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassadors Program

Applications are now being accepted for the 2017 Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassadors Program (ACEAP).

This program, in its third year, brings amateur astronomers, planetarium personnel, and astronomy educators of all levels to U.S.-funded astronomy facilities in Chile. While there, ambassadors receive in-depth, behind-the-scenes information on the instruments, science, and research coming out of some of the world’s most productive and advanced astronomy observatories.

Applications for the 2017 ACEAP program are now being accepted.

The Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassadors Program is a collaborative project of Associated Universities, Inc., the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, National Optical Astronomy Observatory, and Gemini Observatory.

ACEAP was initially funded in 2015 as a two-year pilot program by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Additional funding for 2017 has been requested but not yet secured. Due to the success of the pilot program, however, the partners are accepting applications on a contingent basis in anticipation of funding for a third year.

Eligible individuals for this program, who must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, include amateur astronomers, kindergarten through college (formal and informal) educators who teach astronomy as part of their curriculum or program, and planetarium educators and others who communicate astronomy to the public.

A total of nine ambassadors will be selected from across the United States and its territories.

The third ACEAP program is scheduled for June 17-26, 2017. This nine-day expedition will include stops at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), Gemini-South Observatory, and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA).

In addition to the professional facilities, ACEAP Ambassadors will visit smaller amateur/public observatories. Weather permitting, nighttime observing opportunities will be made available.

ACEAP takes a shared commitment approach, so the majority of the expenses for each ambassador is covered by grant funding. Each ambassador (or their institution or sponsor) will be responsible for airfare from the United States to Santiago, Chile, and from Santiago to Calama and La Serena. Additional details can be found on the application site.

Visit us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AstronomyAmbassadorsProgram/.

The deadline for applications is 11:59 p.m. EST, Sunday, February 19.

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