26th March
ngc2264 15x10minutesThere was a star like object in a frame I took of ngc2264 in Hydrogen alpha that was not in any other frames.
Camera is QSI 683
A close up crop
It does not look at all like the usual cosmic ray streak.
It is also far too bright - the maximum pixel is 63608
A nearby star that Maxim claims is the same magnitude has a maximum pixel of 29975 and looks fatter, so the object is not a normal point source.
The object is to the left, the comparison star to the right.
Cosmic ray strikes can cause spurious tracks, but they usually have a maximum pixel intensity of a few thousand, not 63608.
This track had a value of 1140
Does anyone have any idea what can cause this 'false star'?
This is the location in the DSS image
These profiles show how the object profile is much thinner and taller than a star of equal overall magnitude.
This rules out the possibility that the object is a point source celestial body.
Object
Star
A comparison with a known magnitude star nearby gives the magnitude of the object as 9.85
A 3D plot of the mystery object. The object is noticeably sharper in profile than the nearby stars.
| A direct comparison between the object profile
and a star that Maxim says is the same magnitude. The base of the object is clearly narrower than that of the star. |
 |
The SIMBAD catalogue shows that the nearest object is a sub-millimetre radio source, JCMTSF J064033.9+095150
No star is visible.
A map produced by Aladdin
