NGC 7662 otherwise known as the Blue Snowball Nebula is a planetary nebula located in the constellation Andromeda.  The distance to this nebula is not known with any real accuracy.  The distance of NGC 7662 is about 1,800 light years, the actual diameter about 20,000 AU. In a more recent survey of the brighter planetaries, C.R.O'Dell (1963) derived a distance of 1,740 parsecs or about 5,600 light years, increasing the actual size to 0.8 light year, or nearly 50,000 AU. It has a faint central star that is variable, with a magnitude range of 12 to 16.  The central star is a bluish dwarf with a continuous spectrum and a computed temperature of about 75,000K.

Imaging Data

Date: 9-26-2010

Location : Sudbury, Massachusetts

Optics : William Optics ZenithStar 66 Semi Apo Refractor

Filter(s) : Astronomik CLD-CCD

Mount : PiggyBack Meade LX-200 on ATS Pier

Autoguiding : None

Camera : Canon EOS 1000D Astro-modified

Exposure info : 50 x 60 second Exposures @ISO 1600

Total Exposure : 50 minutes