Stellar Shot of the Week
SVX140T - LDN 43
Frank Dibbell captured this crisp shot of the Cosmic Bat Nebula (LDN 43) in Ophiuchus with his SVX140T. Tony Hallas processed the image, highlighting the bat’s shape and bringing out its colors. This dark nebula sits approximately 1,400 light-years away from Earth and is roughly 12 light-years across. The bright regions seen in this nebula are dense gaseous knots where stars form. This object blocks light from the stars behind it, as well as wisps of glowing gas from nearby reflection nebula LBN 7.
According to Tony:
“This is a reprocess of the original data … LDN 43 … or “The Bat Nebula”. It is such a bizarre nebula looking like a bat emerging from the depths of Hades. I made the background dark to emphasize the sinister nature of this object. Taken from New Mexico with a Stellarvue SVX140T refractor and a ZWO 2600MM camera. RGB exposures … each color 26 X 600 seconds. Processed with CCDStack, Registar, and PS CC + plug-ins. Data was secured by my friend Frank Dibbell at his remote site.”
Other Designations: Cosmic Bat Nebula, LDN 43.
Details:
Telescope: Stellarvue SVX140T
Camera: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro
Mount: 10Micron AZ1000 HPS
Filters:
- Baader Blue (CMOS-Optimized) 50 mm
- Baader Green (CMOS-Optimized) 50 mm
- Baader Red (CMOS-Optimized) 50 mm
Software:
- Adobe Photoshop
- Auriga Imaging Registar
- CCDWare CCDStack
- Topaz Labs Topaz AI
References:
AstroBin. (n.d.-a). AstroBin. https://app.astrobin.com/u/tonyhallas?i=y2se0k#gallery
APOD: 2024 October 27 – LDN 43: The Cosmic Bat Nebula. (n.d.). https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241027.html
Admin. (2025, July 7). Cosmic Bat Nebula (LDN 43) – Constellation Guide. https://www.constellation-guide.com/cosmic-bat-nebula-ldn-43/
