Minkowski 1‑8 is a tiny planetary nebula located about 13,000 light‑years away in the constellation Monoceros. Spanning only about 20 arc‑seconds—which corresponds to roughly half the apparent size of Jupiter—it presents a really compact but visually striking structure. Its outer rim glows more brightly in H‑alpha, while the inner regions are dominated by OIII emission, revealing a multipolar, bow‑tie–like form viewed side‑on. There is a bright central torus that stretches across its core, but no obvious progenitor star is visible in this image. Despite its small size and subtle features, its shape and coloration evoke the well‑known Little Dumbbell Nebula (M76).
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| Minkowski 1-8 - February 12&13, 2026 EdgeHD11/ASI2600mm HOORGB - 5hr 12m integration time |
So, why did I decide on capturing this elusive PN? Well, it was after I completed the installation of a new auto focuser on my Edge (in the cold I might add) that I noticed a faint patch in the star field while reviewing the test subs. Curious, I loaded the image into PixInsight for annotation, which revealed a small planetary nebula. Over the following two nights, I collected enough data to process a reasonable photo of it.
