The Eskimo nebula, NGC 2392, resides 2.4 degrees southeast of 3.5 magnitude Wasat, Delta (55) Geminorum. 8.2 magnitude HD 59087 shines just 2' to the north of NGC 2392. I recommend you begin your star hop at 1.2 magnitude Pollux, the southern twin star in Gemini. Magnitude 3.7 Kappa Geminorum is a 3.6-degree slew due south. You should be able to hold both in your finder scope field. Move west-southwest about 6 degrees from Kappa to find Wasat. Notice the "C" grouping of five stars due north of NGC 2392. These are an important landmark. They're about 2 degrees due east of Wasat. Slew to this asterism and switch to an eyepiece producing about 100X magnification. Then, drop southeast 37' to find the Eskimo.
| Winter Sky Tour: NGC 2392-The Eskimo Nebula (Gemini) RA: 07h 29.2m / DEC: +20° 54'.7 |
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This is a bright planetary nebula that is readily visible under a dark, transparent sky with moderate aperture. Although it only spans an area roughly 50" across, the Eskimo nebula is relatively large as planetary nebulae go. Its high surface brightness allows for high magnification when the seeing is good. I used an 8.8-mm UWA eyepiece mounted in a TeleVue 3X Barlow to generate a 388X view. NGC 2392 displays a 10.5 magnitude central star surrounded by an inner ring about 20" across. An outer, faint shell surrounds the inner portion and there are places where a gap between the two shells is visible. It's easy to see how this nebula earned its moniker. Delicate striations within the outer shell area also visible. This gives an overall appearance reminiscent of a dandelion.