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In HOO + RGB Palette

HOO+RGB Palette

Ha: 40 x 900"

OIII: 40 x 900"

RGB: 25 x 120" each

Total time: 22h30m

WR 134 is a variableWolf-Rayet star located around 6,000 light years away from Earth in the constellation of Cygnus, surrounded by a faint bubble nebula blown by the intense radiation and fast wind from the star. It is five times the radius of the sun, but due to a temperature over 63,000 K it is 400,000 times as luminous as the Sun.

Embedded in the region's interstellar clouds of gas and dust, the complex, bright arcs are the sections of bubbles or shells of windblown material from the Wolf-Rayet star WR 134, the brightest star near the center of the galaxy. plot. Distance estimates place WR 134 at about 6,000 light-years away, making the frame more than 50 light-years across. This region lies just about 2 degrees south of NGC 6888, the Crescent Nebula. Shedding their outer shells in powerful stellar winds, massive Wolf-Rayet stars have burned through their nuclear fuel at a prodigious rate and end this final phase of massive star evolution in a spectacular supernova explosion. Stellar winds and final supernovae enrich the interstellar medium with heavy elements that will be incorporated into future generations of stars.

For this image I combine OIII with Ha.

Located 31 million light years away, this is one of the furthest targets I’ve attempted for quite some time.

I shot this during an 87% moon, which is very far from ideal conditions for broadband imaging on a galaxy.

However, I managed to get 177 x 60s images to stack.

Equipment used below

- ZWO 533

- EQ6R Pro

- ZWO 290MM

- Skywatcher 8” newtonian

- NINA for capturing

- APP for stacking and pre-processing

- Photoshop for processing

Technical Information:

Telescope: AIRY APO 130T

Mount: Paramount MyT - Software Bisque

Camera: QHYCCD QHY168C -20°C

Filter: Optolong 2" L-eXtreme

Frames: RGGB: 40 x 900s for each panel - 4 Panel Mosaic

Total Integration: 40 Hours

Software: SGP – TheSkyX – PHD2 – DSS – PixInsight – Photoshop 2022

Location: AstroAtlas Observatory - Noventa di Piave (Venice) 4 meter above sea level – ITALY

Environment Temperature: About 15°C

Relative Humidity: 87%

Date: 06.09.21 - 08.09.21 - 09.09.21 - 11.09.21 - 01.10.21 - 08.10.21 - 09.10.21

This is a 4 panel mosaic of IC1805 - The Heart Nebula - taken with the Optolong 2" L-eXtreme Filter!

I am happy of the result! I had some trouble to merge the 4 panel mosaic but, in the end, I am satisfied of this image.

IC1805 is a diffuse nebula in the constellation of Cassiopea.

Taken from the AstroAtlas Observatory situated in Noventa di Piave (ITALY);

I hope you like it and clear skies!

AstroBin: astrob.in/gce3g6/0/

NOTE: Sky Bortle 5.

#astrophotography #astronomy #astroatlas

Technical Information:

Telescope: AIRY APO 130T PrimaLuceLab

Mount: Paramount MyT - Software Bisque

Camera: QHYCCD QHY9

Filter: H-a Optolong 3nm 2" - OIII Optolong 3nm 2"

Frames: H-a: 40x900s -- OIII: 40x900s -- RGB

Total Integration: 20 Hours

Software: SGP – TheSkyX – PHD2 – DSS – PixInsight – Adobe Photoshop 2022

Location: AstroAtlas Observatory - Noventa di Piave (Venice) 4 meter above sea level – ITALY

Environment Temperature: About 27°C

Relative Humidity: 62%

Date: 13.07.22 - 03.08.22 - 09.08.22

NGC6960 in Bi-Color technique! Taken from the AstroAtlas Observatory with the new 2" HSO 3nm Optolong Filter!

I have to thank my friend Andrea Peretti, who provide me his photo of NGC6960 taken with RGB filters - thanks to him I could add some beautiful stars color and a better color balance!

Clear skies!

AstroBin: astrob.in/3jz8n2/0/

NOTE: Bortle 5.

#astrophotography #astronomy #astroatlas

Technical Information:

Telescope: AIRY APO 130T

Mount: Paramount MyT - Software Bisque

Camera: QHYCCD QHY168C -10°C

Filter: Optolong 2" L-eXtreme

Frames: RGGB: 120 x 900s

Total Integration: 30 Hours

Software: SGP – TheSkyX – PHD2 – DSS – PixInsight – Photoshop 2022

Location: AstroAtlas Observatory - Noventa di Piave (Venice) 4 meter above sea level – ITALY

Environment Temperature: About 18.5°C

Relative Humidity: 82%

Date: 09.08.21 - 10.08.21 - 11.08.21 - 01.09.21 - 02.09.21 - 03.09.21 - 04.09.21 - 14.10.21

This is Sh2-132 - The Lion Nebula - taken with the Optolong 2" L-eXtreme Filter! This is a dual band filter and I have to say I have been very satisfied of the result I had! After the calibration the colors were quite good and it was not necessary to calibrate them a lot.

Taken from the AstroAtlas Observatory situated in Noventa di Piave (ITALY);

I hope you like it and clear skies!

AstroBin: astrob.in/8250v7/0/

NOTE: The image was acquired from a polluted sky with 82% of humidity - Bortle 5.

#astrophotography #astronomy #astroatlas

Technical Information:

Telescope: AIRY APO 130T PrimaLuceLab

Mount: Paramount MyT - Software Bisque

Camera: QHYCCD QHY9

Filter: 2" HSO Optolong filter

Frames: H-a: 57x900s --OIII: 80x900s -- SII: 48x900s

Total Integration: 46,25 Hours

Software: SGP – TheSkyX – PHD2 – DSS – PixInsight – Adobe Photoshop 2022

Location: AstroAtlas Observatory - Noventa di Piave (Venice) 4 meter above sea level – ITALY

Environment Temperature: About 23°C

Relative Humidity: 69%

Date: 10.06.22 - 19.06.22 - 25.06.22 - 26.06.22 - 29.06.22 - 30.06.22 - 03.07.22 - 08.07-22 - 07.07.22 - 21.07.22 - 25.07.22 - 01.08.22 -

vdB142 - The Elephant trunk Nebula taken from the AstroAtlas Observatory situated in Noventa di Piave (ITALY). Acquired with the new HSO Optolong 3nm HSO filters.

I love this target and I hope you like it!

Clear skies!

AstroBin:

NOTE: The image was acquired from a polluted sky with high humidity - Bortle 5.

#astrophotography #astronomy #astroatlas

The constellation Cygnus the Swan is overhead during the entire summer and hosts a bright star forming region called the North American Nebula or ngc 7000. This image shows the area of Mexico and Central America with the Gulf of Mexico 😉. I used three narrowband filters, hydrogen-alpha, OIII, and hydrogen beta and assigned the colours according to their spectral wavelengths. Generally speaking, hydrogen-beta emits in the blue end of the spectrum and OIII is emitting a green blue colour. Hydrogen-alpha of course is a deep red. These are the real colours of ngc 7000 presented by isolating these three emissions. Broadband RGB stars have been added in after removing the narrowband stars. 23.5 hours of data taken with my Ceravolo 300mm astrograph at f/4.9 and an SBIG STX 16803 ccd camera.

Technical Information:

Telescope: AIRY APO 130T PrimaLuceLab

Mount: Paramount MyT - Software Bisque

Camera: QHYCCD QHY9

Filter: Optolong 36mm unmounted L-Pro, R, G, B and H-a 6nm

Frames: H-a:32x900s -- L-Pro:150x240s -- R:75x240s -- G:75x240s -- B:75x240s

Total Integration: 33 Hours

Software: SGP – TheSkyX – PHD2 – DSS – PixInsight – Adobe Photoshop 2022

Location: AstroAtlas Observatory - Noventa di Piave (Venice) 4 meter above sea level – ITALY

Environment Temperature: About 5°C

Relative Humidity: 89%

Date: 12.03.22 - 13.03.22 - 23.03.22 - 24.03.22 - 25.03.22 - 26.03.22 - 27.03.22

M51 - The Whirlpool Galaxy taken from the AstroAtlas Observatory situated in Noventa di Piave (ITALY).Acquired with Optolong H-aLRGB filters. Small galaxy for my equipment - The photo has been cropped.

I hope you like it!

Clear skies!

AstroBin: astrob.in/6e5jim/0/

NOTE: The image was acquired from a polluted sky with high humidity - Bortle 5.

#astrophotography #astronomy #astroatlas

Technical Information:

Telescope: AIRY APO 130T

Mount: Paramount MyT - Software Bisque

Camera: QHYCCD QHY168C

Filter: Optolong 2" L-Pro

Frames: RGGB - 159 x 240 s

Total Integration: 10.6 Hours

Software: SGP – TheSkyX – PHD2 – DSS – PixInsight – CS6

Location: AstroAtlas Observatory - Noventa di Piave (Venice) 4 meter above sea level – ITALY

Environment Temperature: About 5°C

Relative Humidity: 68%

Date: 15.04.21 - 16.04.21

The Markarian's Chain of Galaxies taken from the AstroAtlas Observatory situated in Noventa di Piave (ITALY);

I do really like this parts of the sky but it has been hard to process because of the light pollution.

Despite of the light pollution caused by the position of these galaxies in the sky, considering my position, I like the work done by the QHY168C camera this time - over 2 nights of expsosure time.

AstroBin: astrob.in/radykr/0/

NOTE: Sky Bortle 5.

#astrophotography #astronomy #astroatlas

Technical Information:

Telescope: AIRY APO 130T PrimaLuceLab

Mount: Paramount MyT - Software Bisque

Camera: QHYCCD QHY9

Filter: Optolong H-a 7nm, L-Pro, R, G, B -- 36 mm

Frames: H-a:40x900s -- L-Pro:147x240s -- R:50x240s -- G:50x240s -- B:50x240s

Total Integration: 29,8 Hours

Software: SGP – TheSkyX – PHD2 – DSS – PixInsight – CS6

Location: AstroAtlas Observatory - Noventa di Piave (Venice) 4 meter above sea level – ITALY

Environment Temperature: About 3°C

Relative Humidity: 71%

Date: 02.03.21 - 06.03.21 - 07.03.21 - 08.03.21 - 20.03.21 - 21.03.21 - 23.03.21

M101 - The Pinwheel Galaxy taken from the AstroAtlas Observatory situated in Noventa di Piave (ITALY);

I really like this Galaxy for its shape.

Over 29 hours of exposure time taking H-a_LRGB - Half of the lights taken with H-a filter where taken with 3/4 of Moon.

AstroBin: astrob.in/sa3jdd/0/

NOTE: The image was acquired from a polluted sky with 71% of humidity - Sky Bortle 5.

#astrophotography #astronomy #astroatlas

Technical Information:

Telescope: AIRY APO 130T PrimaLuceLab

Mount: Paramount MyT - Software Bisque

Camera: QHYCCD QHY9

Filter: Optolong 36mm unmounted L-Pro, R, G, B

Frames: L-Pro:150x240s -- R:45x240s -- G:45x240s -- B:45x240s

Total Integration: 19 Hours

Software: SGP – TheSkyX – PHD2 – DSS – PixInsight – CS6

Location: AstroAtlas Observatory - Noventa di Piave (Venice) 4 meter above sea level – ITALY

Environment Temperature: About 1°C

Relative Humidity: 75%

Date: 27.02.22 - 01.03.22 - 05.03.22 - 08.03.22 - 09.03.22 - 10.03.22

This is my last picture taken from the AstroAtlas Observatory situated in Noventa di Piave (ITALY).

This is M64 acquired with Optolong LRGB filters. Small galaxy for my equipment - The photo had been cropped.

I am happy of this result and I hope you like it!!!

Clear skies!

AstroBin: astrob.in/xfqgjf/0/

NOTE: The image was acquired from a polluted sky with high humidity - Bortle 5.

#astrophotography #astronomy #astroatlas

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)

The result of 30+ hours of "pushing the outside of the envelope" in PixInsight image processing. See the 3.5 hour time-lapse animation here: flic.kr/p/2ofokk7

C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is a long-period comet from the Oort cloud. It reached perihelion (1.11 AU from the Sun) on 01/12 for the first time in 50,000 years. Since its orbit has changed, the comet will either return in many millions of years or be ejected into interstellar space. On 01/24, the comet clearly displayed an ion tail, dust tail, and rare anti-tail as Earth passed through its orbital plane. The green glow in the coma is the emission of diatomic carbon. It passed 0.28 AU from Earth on 02/01.

On the morning of 01/20, I took a huge gamble and tried to shoot this comet with my new Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 lens. It was a massive sacrifice to sleep 3 hours, wake up at 02:00 EST, set up/troubleshoot the previously untested rig, shoot until dawn, pack everything up, and leave for a long, exhausting work day. After stacking the images later that day, I was extremely disappointed with the result.

The otherwise fantastic lens suffers from internal reflections that are impossible to correct or remove. I spent days desperately trying to salvage the data with new calibration frames, different focus distances, etc., but I realized it was no use. From what I can tell it seems to be a pupil ghost (www.cloudynights.com/topic/536295-flat-not-correcting-cen...) caused by the glass elements and/or reflective rings inside, and there is no solution. I would have discovered the issue if I had tested it before. It was an excruciating lesson to learn.

Somehow, I was lucky enough to get another clear morning on 01/24. This time, I switched back to my trusted and proven deep-sky telescope. I woke up at 01:00 (4 hours of sleep), set everything up to start shooting around 03:00, packed up at dawn, and left for another long, painful day at work. Comet image processing was another mountain to climb, but I figured out a good workflow (influenced by Adam Block's technique: youtu.be/TaEwvC1lzKM) after 10 days of experimenting. The hard work has finally paid off and I'm super proud of this result!!

Apparent magnitude: 5.6

Distance from Earth: 0.40 AU

Orbital period: 50,000 years (before) / unknown (after)

Velocity (relative to Sun): 24.6 mile/s (39.7 km/s)

Total integration: 2 hours 8 minutes

128 x 60 seconds ISO1250

01/24/23 07:55 to 11:25 UTC

Location: Summerville/Ladson, SC

SQM: 18.87 mag/arcsec^2 (Bortle 7)

Camera: Canon 7D Mark II (stock/unmodified)

Telescope: Explore Scientific ED80 f/6.0 Apochromatic Refractor (with ES field flattener)

Mount: Orion Sirius EQ-G

Guide scope: Svbony 50mm f/4.0 Guide Scope

Guide camera: ZWO ASI224MC

Capture software: N.I.N.A., ASTAP, PHD2

Processing software: PixInsight, Paint.NET

For anyone interested, I wrote up a thorough summary of my PixInsight image processing journey here: www.cloudynights.com/topic/862530-comet-c2022-e3-ztf-30-h...

This image was taken at the end of August 2019. With a Vixen Visac and a ZWO ASI 071 ​​MC.

I didn't post it until today.

I still have some more images that I have not shared on my social networks and I hope to present them.

Telescope: Vixen Visac

CMOS: ZWO ASI 071MC

Mount: Skywatcher AZ-EQ6

60 subframes of 180"

Processed with Pixinsight and Photoshop CC2022

The Sunflower Galaxy ( messier 63)

Some info from Wikipedia 👇👇👇

Messier 63 or M63, also known as NGC 5055 or the seldom-used Sunflower Galaxy,[6] is a spiral galaxy in the northern constellation of Canes Venatici. M63 was first discovered by the French astronomer Pierre Méchain, then later verified by his colleague Charles Messier on June 14, 1779.[6] The galaxy became listed as object 63 in the Messier Catalogue. In the mid-19th century, Anglo-Irish astronomer Lord Rosse identified spiral structures within the galaxy, making this one of the first galaxies in which such structure was identified.[7]

Equipment Used;

Lacerta 200/800 photo Newtonian

Celestron CGX mount

QHY9s CCD

Baader lrgb filters

ZWOasi224mc guide camera

60mm deluxe guide scope

Capture details;

24 x 5min Red

24 x 5min green

24 x 5min blue

50 x 5 min lum

31 x darks

Super bias (pixinsight)

Software used;

SGP, PHD2 & Pixinsight

The jellyfish nebula is a notoriously dim object in the night sky. As a result, most images of this nebula are highly denoised, leading to a loss of detail. But by combining nearly 1000 exposures and 6740 minutes of exposure from collaborators across three continents for a total integration time of 112.4 hours, we were able to reveal structures and detail previously not displayed by previous images.

In this image, channels are mapped in the classic Hubble palette, where ionized sulfur is represented by red, ionized hydrogen is represented by green, and ionized oxygen is represented by blue.

The Jellyfish Nebula is a stupendously complicated nebula created by the remains of a massive star that exploded. In the center of this jellyfish lies interweaving tendrils of hydrogen, sulfur, and wispy oxygen warped by an intragalactic wind coming from the northeast. Dark lanes of inert dust obscure small portions of the Jellyfish. The bowshock-like “head” of the jellyfish was most likely formed by its contact with the denser nebulosity to the left of the jellyfish. The Sulfur and Oxygen tendrils escaping the Jellyfish to the left and to the bottom are most likely a result of unstable magnetic fields from the supernova. The field of nebulosity to the right, although unrelated to the supernova, greatly affects the movement of the supernova’s western region.

Acquisition: Andy Brown (@abastrophotouk), Dominic (@domnuch), Jay Aigner (@aignerastro), Oliver Carter (@bright_ascension), Tommy Lease (@colorado_astro), Jens Unger (@jazz.astro), Sendhil (@deepskyimaging), Justin P. (@justadudewitha_camera_)

Image processing: William Ostling (@the_astronomy_enthusiast), Justin P. (@justadudewitha_camera_)

This galaxy is often photographed alongside M31. However, it's rarely captured by itself due to it being much less visually interesting than M31.

M110 is a dwarf elliptical galaxy that is a satellite of M31, Andromeda. It's located around 2.7 million light years away and is part of the Local Group.

This photo was captured from my garden in England, UK and 20 hours of exposure were captured across LRGB filters.

An image I've wanted since I started deep sky astrophotography back in late 2018.

Orion is one of the most recognisable constellations in the night sky and it is packed full of dust, nebulae and deep sky goodness.

Here I've captured a wide field of Orion's Belt, part of Barnard's loop in the very top left, Messier 78 just under, the flame nebula, the famous horse-head nebula, the Running Man Nebula and the very famous messier 42, the Great Orion Nebula.

Surrounding all these targets is a huge amount of dust lit up by the surrounding stars.

To capture this image I used my portable setup which consists of a 100mm Canon macro lens and a ZWO 533MC camera. This is on a Skywatcher star adventurer. Due to the nature of this setup, I had to do a mosaic (or in conventional photography terms, a panorama) image. This meant that to get a finished image, it took twice as much total exposure time.

I'm extremely happy to finally have this image in my collection and I really hope I can add more to the field of view and more exposure time.

Captured over 3 nights in March 2024. 60s exposures. UVIR cut filter.

This image is around 12 hours of exposure time on the surrounding large region of Integrated Flux Nebula found in the constellation of Ursa Major.

This IFN is incredibly faint requiring long exposures, dark skies and patience.

The two most prominent galaxies are Messier 81 and Messier 82, these are two very commonly photographed galaxies due to their easy nature to find in the sky and they're bright. However, it's much less common to capture the surrounding IFN as unfortunately most people don't have dark enough skies.

This was captured from my garden using a Canon 100mm macro lens (ironically!) and a dedicated ZWO 533MC deep sky camera. This was on my portable Skywatcher star adventurer mount, controlled by NINA and guiding with PHD2.

NGC 6888 captured in hydrogen alpha and oxygen to reveal the faint intricate structures and details.

Captured from my back garden telescope

A reprocess of previous data - NGC2244 / Rosette nebula.

ED80 - ATIK16HR - astronomik ha clip/baader OIII filters. Processed in photoshop - capture/stacking nebulosity.

i really must leave this data alone now :D

A starless photograph of Wolf Rayet 134 emission nebula.

Wolf Rayet is a massive variable star around 6,000 light years away in the constellation of Cygnus. A faint bubble nebula surrounds it, formed by the star's radiation and solar winds.

This photo was captured from my garden in England, UK

- 300s (Ha x 141, Oiii x 144)

- F/4.75, Modified Skywatcher 200P 8" newtonian telescope

- ZWO IMX533 monochrome

- Antlia 3nm Ha Pro, 2.8nm Oiii ultra 36mm filters

- NINA, PHD2

- Astro Pixel Processor

- Siril

- Photoshop

Here we have one of the most famous deep sky targets in the night sky - The horse head nebula.

Located immediately next to it is the flame nebula. The spot of light above that is the bright star that is Alnitak - the far left star that makes up the belt within the Orion constellation.

The most impressive part about this image is that it comprises of only 5 exposures totally 15 minutes of exposure time. This is *incredibly* short for deep sky imaging, but it possible due to the setup I was using.

I captured this photo with a Canon 400mm F/2.8 IS III - the very fast focal ratio of this telescope allows me to capture lots of light in a short amount of time. The camera was very sensitive too - an IMX533 colour sensor with is much more sensitive than your average DSLR or mirrorless camera.

Capture details:

- 5x180s

- ZWO 533MC

- Skywatcher EQ6R Pro

- ZWO 715MC + 32mm guide scope

- Canon 400mm F/2.8 IS III (wide open at F/2.8)

- Astronomik 2" UVIR

- ZWO 2" EF filter drawer

- NINA + PHD2

- APP for stacking

- Siril

- PS CC + RC Astro plugins

The ignored galaxy, M110. Messier 110 is very frequently photographed, but more often than not simply because of its huge neighbour - M31, The Andromeda Galaxy, which can be partially seen in the top left of this photo.

M110 is a dwarf elliptical satellite galaxy, similar to the Milky Way’s Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). This companion galaxy is bound by the gravity of M31 and is a member of the Local Group which comprises of galaxies located closest to our Milky Way and is located around 2.69 million light years away.

Elliptical galaxies have a smooth and featureless structure which can make them much less visually interesting compared to spiral (especially grand spiral) galaxies. That doesn’t mean it’s not cool! This is still a galaxy containing around 10 BILLION stars. Just sit and think about that for a second.

This photo, as always, was captured from my garden telescope in England, UK ✨

LRGB - 180s x 514 (26.2)

EQ6R Pro

Skywatcher 200P Modified (F/4.75)

Antlia LRGB 36mm filters

In this wide field photograph, we can see the bright blue shining star that is Polaris, often called the North Star.

This is a very familiar star to astrophotographers as every equatorial telescope mount in the northern hemisphere points towards this star. All the stars in the sky appear to rotate around Polaris, but in actual fact the rotation is very slightly to the side. That's where the North Celestial Point (NCP) currently is.

Surrounding Polaris is an abundance of Integrated Flux Nebula (IFN). This IFN is faint dust lit up by the light coming off our own Milky Way galaxy, the integrated flux of all the stars combined.

Dark skies and long exposure times are required to reveal this dust. I used a Canon 100mm 2.8 IS L macro lens to capture this photo. Its fast F2.8 focal ratio aids in capturing this faint region. I also used a high sensitivity IMX533 colour camera. A simple star tracker from Skywatcher was used which made this setup nice and portable and fun to use.

Over the course of 3 nights (4th - 6th February 2025) I captured 172 exposures of 180s long. This was stacked to produce a low noise image to help reveal the IFN.

in LRGBHa composition

TAKAHASHI FSQ106 f3,6

42 tomas de 300" filtro astrodon 5nm con ASI1600MMC

25 tomas de 180" en cada filtro astrodon LRGB

Casi 7h de exposición total

Darks, bias, flats.

William Optics FLT 132 Apo triplet

ZwoASI2600MC Pro

Optolong L-Pro broadband filter

Guiding:

Radian Raptor 61 Apo triplet

ZwoASI290MM mini

Celestron CGX

PHD2 guide software

20-300 second subs

Deepsky Stacker

Adobe Photoshop CC 2021

Here is a closeup of a really cool region in the constellation of Lacerta.

This is (compared to the surrounding regions) not commonly photographed due to it's diffuse appearance, which makes it more tricky that the likes of M31 which is visible at the same time in the sky as LBN 437.

This is 26.26 hours of exposure time across LRGBHa filters.

Captured from my garden telescope in England, UK

Messier 101 captured from my back garden in England, UK.

I was fortunate enough to have been given access to an amazing Canon EF 400mm F/2.8 IS III to use for deep sky imaging. This thing lets in a LOT of light in a short space of time.

However, this speed came with a whole other big problem. Focusing was a nightmare which you can see go down in my massive filled to the brim video on YouTube - www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH6f-E0PWfM

M101 is located around 21 million light years away from Earth within the constellation of Ursa Major (also known as the Big Dipper). This galaxy is a face-on spiral galaxy with some slightly irregular shaped spiral arms. The fainter top left arms require dark skies and generally lots of exposure time to capture - however, this was only 72 exposures of 180s long to capture. This is the perk of dark skies plus fast optics.

Capture details

- IMX533 colour

- Canon EF 400mm F/2.8 IS III

- Skywatcher EQ6R Pro

- IMX715 + 32mm guide scope for guiding

- Astronomik UVIR 1.25"

- NINA + PHD for capturing

- APP + PS for processing

- 72 x 180s

- Gain 100

- F/2.8

Hubble's Palete

Captured from my front yard in Michigan.

Radian Raptor 61 Apo triplet

ZwoASI2600MC Pro

Optolong L-Pro broadband filter

Guiding:

William Optics Zenithstar 73

ZwoASI290MM mini

Celestron CGX

PHD2 guide software

27-240 second subs

DeepSky Stacker

Adobe Photoshop CC 2021

M27, the dumbbell nebula, captured in the HOO palette with RGB stars.

Captured from my garden telescope :)

- ZWO 533MM

- Modified Skywatcher 200P

- EQ6R

- ZWO EAF, EFW 36mm V2, OAG V2

- Antlia 36mm V-Pro RGB, 3nm Ha Pro, 2.8nm Ultra Oiii filters

14 x 300s Oiii + Ha

A wide field image of the Iris Nebula and surrounding dusty regions of Cepheus.

This is an image totalling 41.15 hours of exposure time. This took months to capture, starting in June 2024 and finishing in August.

I started capturing this during very short nights, but captured a few hours at a time and eventually came to a total of 823 images at 180s each.

This region is so incredible to capture under dark skies. This dust is relatively faint and light pollution often is the biggest barrier when it comes to capturing these sort of images. I'm very fortunate to live under the dark skies that I have, it makes capturing faint light enjoyable.

Ironically, I didn't use a telescope for this, rather a macro lens. Yes. A lens that is designed to focus on very close up small things, I decided to capture something outside our own solar system and larger than the Earth. It worked out reasonably well though. I had to stop the lens down to around F4.5 (Or 5.6 I forget as I have to do it manually)

Capture details

- ZWO 533MC

- Astronomik L2 UVIR

- Canon 100mm L Macro lens

- Skywatcher Star Adventurer

- ZWO 715MC (guide camera)

- 32mm guide scope

- NINA

- PHD2 (ST4 guiding)

- APP (stacking)

- PS processing

823 x 180s = 41.15 total hours.

The aptly named PAC-MAN nebula due to its resemblance to the famous video game character. This wonderful emission nebula is relatively small, but fits in my 0.6 degree field of view perfectly. This FOV is about the size of a full moon for size perspective.

Captured from my garden telescope :)

- ZWO 533MM

- Modified Skywatcher 200P

- EQ6R

- ZWO EAF, EFW 36mm V2, OAG V2

- Antlia 36mm V-Pro RGB, 3nm Ha Pro, 2.8nm Ultra Oiii filters

133 x 180s Oiii

130 x 180s Ha

15 x 60s R,G,B

🐬 Sh2-308 - The Dolphin Nebula 🐬

follow - share - credit

www.instagram.com/ale_motta_astrofotografia

Emerging like a celestial dolphin leaping through the cosmos, Sh2-308, or the Dolphin Nebula, is a striking example of a Wolf-Rayet bubble located in the Canis Major constellation. This expansive nebula spans around 60 light-years and is formed by the powerful stellar winds from a massive Wolf-Rayet star.

🔭 Target: Sh2-308 (Dolphin Nebula)

📍 Location: Constellation Canis Major, approximately 4,500 light-years away

🌟 Central Star: EZ Canis Majoris (WR 6)

💡 Apparent Magnitude: ~12 (nebulosity)

📐 Apparent Size: ~40 arcminutes

About the Region:

The soft, bluish glow comes from ionized oxygen (OIII) excited by the high-energy radiation of the central Wolf-Rayet star. These rare stars are in a late evolutionary stage, ejecting intense stellar winds that sculpt the surrounding gas into this ethereal bubble-like structure.

🎨 Processing Notes:

This image highlights the delicate filamentary structure of the nebula, accentuating its ethereal quality against the backdrop of countless stars.

Instrument: Telescope Takahashi FSQ-106ED, Camera QHY 600M, Filters Astrodon Halpha, OIII, SII

Lights: Halpha 16x300", OIII 16x300", SII 16x300

HaRGB Composition

M82, a starburst galaxy located in Ursa Major. Often seen with its neighbouring galaxy, M81, in frame - however my setup allows me to capture close up images of these space targets.

This was captured using LRGBHa filters, that way I was able to better capture the surrounding faint Integrated Flux Nebula and also the hydrogen jets coming out from the galaxy.

As always, captured from my garden.

Circa 34 hours total integration time.

LRGB Composition

NGC 206. This bright cluster of really massive and young hot blue stars resides in the Andromeda Galaxy 2.5 million light years away. These stars don't last very long and will die as supernovae in only a million years.

Technical details:

telescope: Ceravolo300 at f/9

Camera: SBIG Aluma 694

Filters: Astrodon LRGB

8 hours

Location: Personal observatory, BC, Canada

William Optics Zenithstar 73 Apo doublet

ZwoASI2600MC Pro

Optolong L-Pro broadband filter

19-420 second subs

Deepsky stacker

Adobe Photoshop CC 2021

DSLR IMAGE CANON 550D

️ 30 Doradus - The Tarantula Nebula ️

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A cosmic masterpiece, the Tarantula Nebula (30 Doradus) lies within the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and is one of the most dynamic star-forming regions in the Local Group of galaxies. Its spider-like web of glowing gas and young stars earned it the nickname Tarantula.

🔭 Target: 30 Doradus (Tarantula Nebula)

📍 Location: Constellation Dorado, approximately 160,000 light-years away

🌟 Apparent Magnitude: ~8

📐 Apparent Size: ~40 x 25 arcminutes

About the Region:

The Tarantula Nebula is a hotbed of stellar activity, housing some of the most massive and luminous stars known, such as those in the R136 cluster at its heart. This nebula is so luminous that, if it were as close as the Orion Nebula, it would cast shadows on Earth. The interplay of ultraviolet radiation and stellar winds sculpts intricate filaments of gas and dust, giving it its unique appearance.

🎨 Processing Notes:

The nebula's vibrant hues highlight emissions from hydrogen (Hα), oxygen (OIII), and sulfur (SII), revealing its intricate structure. This image emphasizes the nebula’s web-like formation and the dense star clusters embedded within.

Instrument: Telescope Takahashi FSQ-106ED, Camera FLI PL16803, Filters Astrodon Halpha, OIII, SII

Lights: Halpha 16x300", OIII 16x300", SII 16x300

#TarantulaNebula #30Doradus #LargeMagellanicCloud #Astrophotography #DeepSkyImaging

The Heart Nebula, also known as IC 1805, is a large emission nebula in the constellation Cassiopeia.

It is located approximately 7.500 light-years from Earth.

The brightest portion of the nebula is called NGC 896, but we also have Melotte 15, the core of this nebula and the Fish Head Nebula.

This Nebula is also made up of ionised oxygen and sulfur gasses.

After almost 1.5 years without taking a single photo, I dusted off my telescope and I tried to see if everything was alright, I then pointed my telescope to the Heart Nebula just for checking if the motors of the mount were working correctly.

I suddently saw a lot of potential in my camera that I bought almost 1 year ago and I never used.

I decided to let the telescope run for 3 hours and when I saw the results of the HA channel I was amazed, so I also took the OIII channel the day after, ending up with a total integration time of 6 hrs, under a 50% illuminated moon and with a bit of fog. This is how quicky I fell in love again with astrophotography in a bortle 9, white zone.

Pleiades Star Cluster in Taurus - M45. 16 October 2010.

My first attempt at deep sky imaging.

200p, EQ5, Nikon D40 at prime focus

Unguided, 60 x 30 second exposures

Darks only - no flats or bias

Stacked in DSS, processed in CS5 (and clipped in the process!)

I was quite happy with this as it was my first serious attempt.

Single 30 second exposure.

This is 90mins L, with 190mins Ha and 330mins of RGB. I also blended in 70mins of O3 to the core section of the nebula.

Taken with a Tak106N, and Tak85. The 106 took the L, O3, and Ha, while the 85 took the RGB with a colour ccd. Both cameras wre the ATK4000.

My husband took these pictures last week. He says he is too busy for photo-sharing sites like flickr; I say his astrophotography is too cool not to share!

The Flame Nebula and Horsehead Nebula (NGC2024 and B33) are found in the constellation of Orion, approximately 900 to 1500 light years away, respectively

William Optics Zenithstar 73

ZwoASI2600MC Pro

Optolong L-Pro broadband filter

PHD2 guided

SharpCap

DeepSkyStacker

Adobe Photoshop CC 2021

29-150 second subs

✨ The Dark Wolf Nebula - LDN 1235 ✨

(Remastered)

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Unveiling the haunting beauty of the Dark Wolf Nebula (LDN 1235), a captivating region where dark interstellar dust contrasts against a backdrop of glowing hydrogen and scattered starlight. Resembling the silhouette of a wolf, this cosmic formation lies hidden in the constellation Cepheus.

🔭 Target: LDN 1235 (Dark Wolf Nebula)

📍 Location: Constellation Cepheus, approximately 1,000 light-years away

🌟 Apparent Magnitude: Diffuse and faint

📐 Apparent Size: ~1 degree

About the Region:

The nebula’s dark shape is a result of dense molecular clouds that obscure the light of background stars. Embedded within are faint reflection nebulae, glowing faintly from nearby starlight. This region is an active site for star formation, making it a treasure trove for astrophotographers and astronomers alike.

🎨 Processing Details:

This image enhances the intricate textures of the dark nebula, highlighting its interplay with the surrounding faint emission and reflection regions. A balance of subtle contrasts brings out the nebula's enigmatic beauty.

Lights: 31x300" each filter LRGB

Instrument: Telescope Planewave CDK24, Camera QHY 600M, Filters Astrodon Luminance, Red, Green, Blue

Processed: PixInsight

Date: 24/03/2024

#LDN1235 #DarkWolfNebula #CepheusConstellation #Astrophotography #DeepSkyImaging