Capture summary
Nebula in Canis Major
Narrowband
Ha, OIII
Winter target / wide composition
Detailed filter totals have not been entered for this image yet.
Thor’s Helmet is a wind-blown bubble around a Wolf-Rayet star in Canis Major. The bright shell has a sculptural shape that makes the target immediately recognizable, especially against the surrounding hydrogen field.
The Ha/OIII data gives the image its contrast: cooler oxygen tones trace the helmet-like bubble, while red hydrogen frames the surrounding gas. It is compact, bold, and a little strange in the best possible way.
Target Planner
Nebula in Canis Major; best planned for December through February from New Jersey.
Winter targets reward clear, steady nights and usually climb well by late evening.
Assumes a New Jersey backyard horizon and evening imaging.
Emission nebulae are good candidates for narrowband filters; reflection nebulae prefer darker skies.
NGC 2359 is listed here in Canis Major.
Current frame: Narrowband / Ha, OIII.
Calculating target altitude and moon context.
Use the full planner to enter a ZIP code, choose a date, and compare the target from your sky.
Based on the current time.
Green marks usable dark-sky altitude.
Next upper transit.
Approximate horizon crossing.
Moon phase and altitude.
