Michael A. Stecker
mastecker@gmail.com


 

Barnard-72
The Snake (B72 or LDN 66) is an s-shaped dark nebula at RA 17 hrs, 23.5 min and
Declination -23.6 drgrees . To the rightof it are three smaller dark nebulae B68, B69 and B70.
The closest bright star to the Snake is 6.7 magnitude SAO 185357 which is seen at the 4-o'clock
position close to B72. About 0.5 degree below and slightly to the right of this star is a small
dark nebula B74. At the lower left corner of the image is part of B78 (the bowl of the Pipe
Nebula). The brightest star in the field is 4.3 magnitude 44-Ophiuchus (SAO 185401)
at the lower center.

Photographic Data
Telescope:
Astro-Physics 155 mm f/7 EDF refractor
Camera:
Pentax 6 X 7
Film:
non-hypered Kodak Pro 400 PPF-120 format
Exposures: Two 50-minutes, stacked

Co-ordinates:
RA 17 hrs, 24 min and Declination -24 degrees
Field of view:
2.8 x 4.2 degree
Photographed from: Mt. Pinos, California at 8300 feet