View allAll Photos Tagged DeepSkyObjects
The Witch's Broom(NGC 6960) - also known as the Western Veil Nebula in the constellation Cygnus.
Shot earlier today! Moon at 97% Full
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The Dumbbell Nebula, M27 or NGC 6853 is a planetary nebula in the constellation Vulpecula, at a distance of about 1227 light-years. This object was the first planetary nebula to be discovered by Charles Messier in 1764.
Equipment:
Celestron 9.25” 2350mm Edge-HD Telescope
Celestron .7 EdgeHD Reducer Lens
Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro Computerized GoTo Telescope Mount
Orion 50mm Helical Guide Scope & StarShoot AutoGuider
Celestron 9x50 Finder Scope
ZWO ASI294MC Pro Color Camera
PHD2 Guiding Software
ZWO 1.25” Duo-Band Filter
SharpCap Pro
Thank you for your comments,
Gemma
Two nights of acquisition - 160 minutes of total integration time.
Nikon D5300 Nikon 500mm catadioptric lens. 320 thirty-second light frames, plus dark. bias and flat calibration frames. Astro Pixel Processor, LR and PS.
Portion of the Eastern Veil Nebula also known as Caldwell 33, whose brightest area is NGC6992.
The Veil Nebula is a cloud of heated and ionized gas and dust in the constellation Cygnus.
The Nebula was discovered on 1784 by William Herschel.
Given a distance of 2400 Light Years, this gives the radius of the entire nebula as 64 Light Years.
Undulations in the surface of the shell lead to multiple filamentary images, which appear to be intertwined.
Equipment:
Celestron 9.25” 2350mm Edge-HD Telescope
Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro Computerized GoTo Telescope Mount
Orion 50mm Helical Guide Scope & StarShoot AutoGuider
Celestron 9x50 Finder Scope
ZWO ASI294MC Pro Color Camera
Celestron .7 EdgeHD Reducer Lens
PHD2 Guiding Software
SharpCap Pro
Thank you for your comments.
Gemma
IC 2944/2948 (catalogued twice)
Heart of the Running Chicken nebula
Open cluster and associated emission nebula in the southern constellation of Centaurus. Spanning about 100ly at the distance of approx. 6000 light years from earth. Dark molecular clouds (Bok globules) can be seen towards the center of the nebula.
Insta
www.instagram.com/leonel.padron/
Astrobin
www.astrobin.com/users/leonelpc/
The image is a SHO (hubble palette) combination of about 11hrs of integrated data
Ha - 24 x 900s
Oiii - 17 x 600s
Sii - 16 x 600s
All subs at gain 111, -10°C, bin 2x2
Gear
HEQ5 Pro, 6in reflector, ASI183MM Pro Cooled (imaging), ASI120MM mini (guiding), Baader Mpcc mkiii coma corrector, ASIAir Pro, Optolong Ha 7nm, Optolong Oiii 6.5nm, Optolong Sii 6.5nm, ZWO EAF, ZWO filter drawer.
Location: Perth, Western Australia
January, 2021
The Andromeda Galaxy, M31, is the nearest spiral galaxy to our own Milky Way...and it's growing nearer every second.
See on Fluidr
To see more of my work and to buy prints visit www.jklovelacephotography.com/pages/space
The Helix Nebula, also known as NGC 7293, is a planetary nebula located in the constellation Aquarius and lies about 650 light-years away.
The Nebula was discovered by Karl Ludwig Harding, probably before 1824, this object is one of the closest to the Earth of all the bright planetary nebulae.
Equipment:
Celestron 9.25” 2350mm Edge-HD Telescope
Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro Computerized GoTo Telescope Mount
Orion 50mm Helical Guide Scope & StarShoot AutoGuider
Celestron 9x50 Finder Scope
ZWO ASI294MC Pro Color Camera
Celestron .7 EdgeHD Reducer Lens
PHD2 Guiding Software
SharpCap Pro
Thank you for your comments.
Gemma
A wonderful music, for all of you - Caravelli-Wigwam
IC 5146 (also Caldwell 19, Sh 2-125, and the Cocoon Nebula) is a reflection/emission nebula in the constellation of Cygnus. The distance is about 4,000 light years away. When viewing IC 5146, dark nebula Barnard 168 (B168) is an inseparable part of the experience, forming a dark lane that surrounds the cluster and projects westward forming the appearance of a trail behind the Cocoon.
This is an image taken with the QSI690 that I was hoping to add to, but it won't be happening, so I decided to post!
Details:
M: Avalon Linear Fast Reverse
T: Takahashi FSQ85 0.73x
C: QSI690-wsg with Baader RGB filters and Astrodon 3nm Ha.
34x1800s Ha
50x300s for R, G and B
Totalling 29.5 hours.
The Bubble Nebula is an emission Nebula in the constellation Cassiopeia. It lies close to the direction of the open cluster Messier 52. The "Bubble" is created by the stellar wind from a massive hot, 8.7 magnitude young central star. The nebula is near a giant molecular cloud which contains the expansion of the bubble nebula while itself being excited by the hot central star, causing it to glow.
The Bubble Nebula was discovered in 1787 by William Herschel.
Equipment:
Celestron 9.25” 2350mm Edge-HD Telescope
Celestron .7 EdgeHD Reducer Lens
Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro Computerized GoTo Telescope Mount
Orion 50mm Helical Guide Scope & StarShoot AutoGuider
Celestron 9x50 Finder Scope
ZWO ASI294MC Pro Color Camera
ZWO 1.25” Duo-Band Filter
PHD2 Guiding Software
SharpCap Pro
Thank you for your comments,
Gemma
This bright emission nebula in the constellation Cassiopeia is 9,459 light years away and is named because of it's similarity to the famous video game character.
Also on Astrobin: astrob.in/4sorxj/D/
Technical details:
Imaging telescope: Takahashi FSQ-85EDX Baby-Q
Imaging camera: ZWO ASI533MC-Pro
Mounts: iOptron CEM70
Guiding telescope: Primaluce 60mm Guidescope
Guiding cameras: ZWO Optical ASI290MC
Focal reducers: Takahashi Flattener 1.01x for FSQ-85EDX
Software: StarXterminator · Aries Productions Astropixel Processor · openphdguiding.org PHD2 v2.6.10 · Incanus Ltd. Astro Photography Tool · Adobe Photoshop v22.5
Filters: Optolong L-eXtreme 1.25"
Accessory: ZWO EAF 5V Electronic Auto Focuser
Dates:Sept. 19, 2021 , Sept. 20, 2021
Frames:Optolong L-eXtreme 1.25": 124x300" (10h 20') (gain: 100.00) -10C bin 1x1
Integration: 10h 20'
Darks: 30
Flats: 50
Flat darks: 50
Bias: 50
The Dumbbell Nebula (also known as Apple Core Nebula, Messier 27, M27, or NGC 6853) is a planetary nebula in the constellation Vulpecula, at a distance of about 1227 light-years. This object was the first planetary nebula to be discovered by Charles Messier in 1764.
Equipment:
Astro-Tech AT80EDT f/6 ED Triple Refractor Telescope
Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro Computerized GoTo Telescope Mount
Orion 50mm Helical Guide Scope & StarShoot AutoGuider
ZWO ASI294MC Pro Color Camera
Orion 38mm clear-aperture Field Flattener
PHD2 Guiding Software
SharpCap Pro
Thank you for your comments,
Gemma
The North America Nebula is a large and colorful emission nebula, immense clouds of ionized gases throwing off their own light. It is 1,500 light years distant from earth and in the night sky it appears as large as 4 full moons. While it is large and bright for a nebula, it is too dim to be seen with the naked eye. But I use a "go to" tripod and mount that can guide a telescope to thousands of galaxies, nebulae and stars. It can not only point the camera precisely to the object, it also tracks the target's movement across the night sky so that the stars remain points of light even with exposure times (the time the shutter is open) of 5 minutes.
This composite photo is a stack of 35 photos, each 5 minutes long, so light was collected for close to 3 hours. I lounged in my sleeping bag nearby, keeping track of the progress of collecting photos with an iPad mini. On each of the nights I turned off the mount and camera at about 4 am, as light began to appear on the eastern horizon.
Best seen on a bright screen in a dark room
Nikon D5300 Nikon 500mm catadioptric lens. 160 thirty-second light frames, plus dark, bias, and flat calibration frames. APP, LR, and PS. Viewing conditions were more difficult than predicted - 68 degree dew point and intermittent clouds.
The Fish head nebula (IC1795) features glowing gas and dust in a star forming area in Cassiopeia. It s part of the Heart nebula (IC1805) complex that is located at about 6000 light years away.
This is a 2 pane mosaic in order to get the complete nebula in the frame.
I decided to go with a slightly different process here, as I felt that the colours I normally use made it feel a little flat..... as it was the colours used gave it a much deeper feeling of depth.
Details.
M: Mesu 200
T: TMB 152/1200
C: QSI690 3nm Chroma narrowband filters
Pane 1
Ha 20x1800s, OIII 15x1800s and SII 15x1800s
Pane 2
Ha 20x1800s, OIII 15x1800s and SII 15x1800s
The total exposure is 50 hours.
I spent Sunday night setting up my scope again, aligning it, and tracking the Triangulum Galaxy. The Triangulum Galaxy lies ~2.7 million light years away from Earth and is part of our local group of galaxies. It lies in the constellation Triangulum, from where it gets its name. Charles Messier cataloged it first in 1764. He published his Catalog of Nebulae and Star Clusters in 1771 and listed it as object number 33, hence the name M33.
Equipment:
SkyWatcher EQ6-R
Nikkor 500mm f/4 P AI-S at f/5.6
Sony a7RIII (unmodified)
ZWO 30mm Guide scope
GPCAM2 Mono Camera
Acquisition:
Taos, NM: my front yard - Bortle 3
28 x 301" for 2 hours, 26 min, and 56 sec exposure time.
3 dark frames
15 flats frames
15 bias frames
Guided
Software:
SharpCap
PHD2
DeepSkyStacker
Photoshop
Lightroom
My Sony a7RIII and adapted Nikkor 500mm f/4 P AI-S were mounted on an ADM vixen rail and secured to the SkyWatcher EQ6-R mount. I polar aligned my mount using SharpCap Pro. The guide scope/camera was attached to the camera's hot shoe. I used PHD2 to autogude during the imaging session. DeepSkyStacker was used to combine all frames, and then I processed the TIFF file in Photoshop. I stretched the 32-bit file and used Gradient XT on the image. I then made it a 16-bit file and continued to stretch the file in levels, then curves. I used the color sampler tool and levels to do my best to help keep colors accurate. I then used my skillset, including some dodging & burning, and relied on Astronomy Tools Action Set and Topaz Denoise to give the image a polished look. I brought it into Lightroom to do final color corrections and add EXIF data.
This image is 2-panel mosaic of NGC 3372 (Eta Carinae nebula), one of the brightest and largest DSOs in the night sky.
The image is the result of a 2-panel mosaic in SHO. Aiming at a 9-panel mosaic to cover the entire nebula...hoping my computer's graphics card can handle it 😅. A total of 14hr integration time so far.
Gear used
HEQ5 Pro, 6in reflector, ASI183MM Pro Cooled(imaging), ASI120MM mini (guiding),Baader Mpcc mkiii coma corrector, ASIAir Pro, Optolong Ha 7nm,Optolong Oiii 6.5nm, Optolong Sii 6.5nm, ZWO EAF, ZWO filter drawer
109 x 420s subs at gain 111, -10°C, bin 2x2
The star at the center (η Car) was once the second brightest star in the night sky after it suddenly exploded in the 19th century...an event known as The Great Eruption.
Insta
Astrobin
Eastern Veil Nebula (C33)
I've recently upgraded my astro setup with a new scope (Takahashi FSQ-85EDX Baby Q) and also had several clear nights to try it out (amazing as new gear normally comes with clouds). I've also been learning AstroPixelProcessor for stacking and processing which has made a big difference to the final results.
The Eastern Veil nebula (designated parts IC1340, NGC6992 and NGC6995) is part of the larger Cygnus loop - a supernova remnant about 1500 light years away in the Cygnus (Swan) constellation and is 5000-8000 years old. The total size of the nebula is about 3 times the width of the full moon.
Technical card:
Imaging telescope: Takahashi FSQ-85EDX Baby-Q
Imaging camera: ZWO ASI533MC-Pro
Mount: iOptron CEM70
Guiding telescope: Primaluce 60mm Guidescope
Guiding camera: ZWO Optical ASI290MC
Focal reducer: Takahashi Flattener 1.01x for FSQ-85EDX
Software: Aries Productions Astropixel Processor · Adobe Photoshop v22.5 · PHD2 v2.6.10 · Icanus Ltd APT 3.88.3
Filters: Optolong L-eXtreme 1.25"
Accessory: ZWO EAF 5V Electronic Auto Focuser
Dates:Aug. 28, 2021 , Aug. 29, 2021
Frames:Optolong L-eXtreme 1.25": 111x300" (9h 15') (gain: 100.00) -10C bin 1x1
Integration: 9h 15'
Avg. Moon age: 20.99 days
Avg. Moon phase: 62.16%
Bortle Dark-Sky Scale: 4.00
Andromeda Galaxy a.k.a. Messier 31
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Andromeda, the largest galaxy in the so-called Local Group of Galaxies to which our galaxy also belongs, is 2.5 million light-years away and can be seen (even with the naked eye) in the constellation Andromeda. As general information, Andromeda is about 1.5 times larger than the Milky Way, with a diameter of 220,000 light-years (compared to the Milky Way which is 120-140,000 light-years in diameter) and contains more than 2 times as many stars. Although the first mention of this celestial object dates from 960, the first to give a more detailed description was the German astronomer Simon Marius, in the 1600s.
It should also be mentioned that Andromeda and the Milky Way are approaching with about 100 miles per second, experts estimate that in about 3-4 billion years the 2 galaxies will collide and thus form a new giant galaxy.
Equipment and settings:
Mount: Skywatcher EQ6R Pro
Telescope: Skywatcher Evostar 72/420 + 0.85 reducer
Camera: ASI 533MM Pro
Filters: Astrodon LRGB+Ha
Integration: 4h40'
Edit in Pixinsight.
Location: my Bortle 6+ backyard
The Orion Nebula Messier 42, M42 is a diffuse nebula situated in the Milky Way Galaxy, south of Orion's Belt in the constellation of Orion. M42 is located 1344 light years away, and is the closest region of massive star formation to Earth.
The Running Man Nebula M43 is a popular target for amateur astrophotographers, as it lies close to the Orion Nebula and has many guide stars. The outline of the running man shows up primarily in photographs; it is difficult to perceive visually through telescope, thought the reflection nebula itself is visible in small to medium apertures in dark skies.
Additionally the sparse scattering of bright stars without nebulosity at the top of this image is NGC 1981, a compact and detached cluster.
Equipment:
Astro-Tech AT80EDT f/6 ED Triple Refractor Telescope
Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro Computerized GoTo Telescope Mount
Orion 50mm Helical Guide Scope & StarShoot AutoGuider
Orion 38mm clear-aperture Field Flattener
PHD2 Guiding Software
Astronomy Tool Actions
Thank you for your comments,
Gemma
The graceful, winding arms of the majestic spiral galaxy M51 appear like a grand spiral staircase sweeping through space. They are actually long lanes of stars and gas laced with dust. Such striking arms are a hallmark of so-called grand-design spiral galaxies.
In M51, also know as the Whirlpool galaxy, these arms serve an important purpose: they are star-formation factories, compressing hydrogen gas and creating clusters of new stars.
Discovered by Charles Messier in 1773, M51 is located 31 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Canes Venatici.
Messier 51 (The Whirlpool Galaxy) NASA
Equipment:
Astro-Tech AT80EDT f/6 ED Triple Refractor Telescope
Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro Computerized GoTo Telescope Mount
Orion 50mm Helical Guide Scope & StarShoot AutoGuider
ZWO ASI294MC Pro Color Camera
Orion 38mm clear-aperture Field Flattener
PHD2 Guiding Software
SharpCap Pro
Thank you for your comments,
Gemma
The Orion Nebula Messier 42, M42 is a diffuse nebula situated in the Milky Way Galaxy, south of Orion's Belt in the constellation of Orion. M42 is located 1344 light years away, and is the closest region of massive star formation to Earth.
The Running Man Nebula M43 is a popular target for amateur astrophotographers, as it lies close to the Orion Nebula and has many guide stars. The outline of the running man shows up primarily in photographs; it is difficult to perceive visually through telescope, thought the reflection nebula itself is visible in small to medium apertures in dark skies.
Equipment:
Astro-Tech AT80EDT f/6 ED Triple Refractor Telescope
Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro Computerized GoTo Telescope Mount
Orion 50mm Helical Guide Scope & StarShoot AutoGuider
Orion 38mm clear-aperture Field Flattener
PHD2 Guiding Software
Astronomy Tool Actions
Since March 25th, I haven't been able to take any astro photographs due to bad weather we have been having in northern Arizona. Here is a revised image of the Great Orion.
Thank you for your comments,
Gemma
Inspirational song and music.
The Cygnus Wall is the central part of the North America Nebula (NGC 7000) in the constellation Cygnus. It lies approximately 2202 light years away.
Gear and capture details:
Imaging telescope: Takahashi FSQ-85EDX Baby-Q
Imaging camera: ZWO ASI533MC-Pro
Mount: iOptron CEM70
Guiding telescope: Primaluce 60mm Guidescope
Guiding camera: ZWO Optical ASI290MC
Focal reducer: Takahashi Flattener 1.01x for FSQ-85EDX
Software: Adobe Photoshop v23 · Aries Productions Astropixel Processor · openphdguiding.org PHD2 v2.6.10 · RC Astro StarXterminator · Incanus Ltd. Astro Photography Tool
Filters: Optolong L-eXtreme 1.25"
Accessory: ZWO 8x 1.25" EFW · ZWO EAF 5V Electronic Auto Focuser
Dates:Oct. 12, 2021 , Oct. 16, 2021
Frames:Optolong L-eXtreme 1.25": 39x300" (3h 15') (gain: 100.00) -10C bin 1x1
Integration: 3h 15'
Darks: 30
Flats: 50
Bias: 50
The Horsehead Nebula, also known as Barnard 33, is a dark Nebula in the constellation Orion. The Nebula is located just to the south of Alnitak, the easternmost star of Orion's Belt and is part to the much larger Orion Molecular Cloud Complex.
The Nebula was first recorded in 1888 by Scottish astronomer William Fleming on a photographic plate taken at the Harvard College Observatory. The Horsead Nebula is approximately 1500 light years from Earth. It is one of the most identifiable nebulae because of its resemblance to a horse's head.
Due to its recognizable shape the Horsehead Nebula is one of the most famous celestial objects.
The Flame Nebula, designated as NGC 2024 and SH2-277, is an emission nebula in the constellation of Orion. It's about 900 to 1,500 light-years away
The bright star Alnitak, the easternmost star in the Belt of Orion, shines energetic ultraviolet light into the Flame and this knocks electron away from the great clouds of hydrogen gas that reside there. Much of the glow results when the electron and ionized hydrogen recombine
Equipment:
Astro-Tech AT80EDT f/6 ED Triple Refractor Telescope
Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro Computerized GoTo Telescope Mount
Orion 50mm Helical Guide Scope & StarShoot AutoGuider
Orion 38mm clear-aperture Field Flattener
PHD2 Guiding Software
Astronomy Tool Actions
Thank you for your comments,
Gemma
Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Complex
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Located at about 500 light-years from Earth, Rho Ophiuchi is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular and colorful parts of the night sky.
Emission nebulae, reflection nebulae, dark nebulae or star clusters, all can be found in this small part of the sky. There is also a star nursery, practically the closest to Earth, and not to forget Antares (in the yellow area of the attached photo), a giant star, 700 times larger than the Sun, and 10,000 times brighter.
A book could be written about this area, so I will stop here with the description. I hope I will be lucky enough to repeat the experience at the next new moon.
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Equipment and settings:
Mount: Skywatcher Star Adventure GTI
Camera: Nikon D610 – astro modified
Lens : Rokinon 135mm F2
Settings: F 2.8, ISO 1600
Total exposure: 80 minutes (53 exposures x 90 sec)
Calibration frames: 15 darks.
Location: Bortle ¾.
Edit : Pixinsight.
Messier 3 (M3 or NGC 5272) is a globular cluster of stars in the northern constellation of Canes Venatici. It was discovered by Charles Messier on May 3, 1764, and resolved into stars by William Herschel around 1784.
This cluster is one of the largest and brightest, and is made up of around 500,000 stars. It is estimated to be 8 billion years old. It is located at a distance of about 33,900 light-years away from Earth.
A globular cluster is a spherical collection of stars that orbits a galactic core as as satellite. Globular clusters are very tightly bound by gravity, which gives them their spherical shapes and relatively high stellar densities toward their centres.
Details.
M: Mesu 200
T: TMB 152/1200
C: QSI683 Baader LRGB filters
30x600s Luminance
30x600s Red
30x600s Green
30x600s Blue
Totalling 20 hours.
This was all taken as well during the full moon period, as Globular clusters are less affected by moonlight than other Deep Sky objects.
NGC 7822
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This is an emission nebula located in the constellation Cepheus, about 3000 light-years from us, being a region where new stars are born. If the strong radiation emitted by the new stars ionizes the surrounding gas and illuminates the entire area, the same radiation erodes those "pillars" of cosmic dust causing, over time, those concentrated areas of dust to disappear and thus destroy the main "material" that forms the new stars.
Equipment and settings:
Mount: Skywatcher Eq6R
Telescope: Explore Scientific 102ED + 0.75 APM reducer
Camera: ASI 533MM
Filter: Astrodon SHO
Total integration: 10 hours ( Ha 38 exposures x 5 min, Sii 44 x 5 min, Oiii 63 x 3 min )
Edit in Pixinsight.
Location: my Bortle 6+ backyard.
This star forming region in the constellation Perseus resembles a snail inching its way across the Galaxy.
OTA: Takahashi CCA-250
MOUNT: Software Bisque Paramount ME-II w/AOE encoders
CAMERA: FLI PL-16803
REDUCER: Takahashi 645 CA 0.72X (f/3.6)
SOFTWARE: SGP, PhD2, TheSkyX, Pixinsight, Starnet++, Photoshop
FILTERS: Astrodon LRGB; 5nm Hα, SII 3nm, OIII 3nm
ACCESSORIES: FLI CFW 5-7 Filter Wheel
LOCATION: SRO
See on Fluidr
To see more of my work and to buy prints visit www.jklovelacephotography.com/pages/space
NGC 7293 a.k.a. Helix Nebula
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Helix Nebula, also known as the Eye of God, is a planetary nebula that was discovered about 200 years ago by German astronomer Karl Harding and can be found at 650 light-years from Earth, in the constellation of Aquarius. Specialists believe that Helix appeared due to a star relatively similar to the Sun, a star that reached the last stage of its existence and began to release large amounts of energy and gas in the outer space. The calculated diameter of this nebula is almost 3 light years, and the expansion speed exceeds 20 miles / sec.
In the northern hemisphere ( 45 degrees ) Helix can be observed / imaged only during the summer, August being the best month for this, but because it does not rise much in the night sky, those passionate about astrophotography and / or visual observations must use locations with a good opening towards the south, and away from the light pollution of the big cities.
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Equipment and settings:
Mount: Skywatcher Eq6 R
Telescope: 150/750 Newtonian telescope
Camera: ASI 533MC Pro
Total integration: 60 min.
15 light frames x 4 min + calibration frames.
Stacking in Deep Sky Stacker.
Edit in Pixinsight and Lightroom.
After a long break from doing astrophotography, I decided to spend some time last night and use the new gear I recently got shooting a popular and relatively easy target, The Pleiades. It does appear the lens was slightly off on focus, but whatever. Most people will never pixel-peep it anyways. It all worked great, and it felt good to capture the heavens again.
Equipment:
SkyWatcher EQ6-R
Nikkor 500mm f/4 P AI-S at f/5.6
Sony a7RIII (unmodified)
ZWO 30mm Guide scope
GPCAM2 Mono Camera
Acquisition:
Taos, NM: my front yard - Bortle 3
68 x 121" for 2 hours, 17 min, and 8 sec exposure time.
10 dark frames
15 flats frames
15 bias frames
Guided
Software:
SharpCap
PHD2
DeepSkyStacker
Photoshop
Lightroom
I polar aligned my mount using SharpCap Pro. My Sony a7RIII and adapted Nikkor 500mm f/4 P AI-S were mounted on an ADM vixen rail and secured to the SkyWatcher EQ6-R mount. The guide scope/camera was attached to the camera's hot shoe. I used PHD2 to autogude during the imaging session. DeepSkyStacker was used to combine all frames, and then I processed the TIFF file in Photoshop. I stretched the 32-bit file and used Gradient XT on the image. I then made it a 16-bit file and stretched it in levels, then curves. I used the color sampler tool and levels to do my best to help keep colors accurate. I then used my skillset and relied on Astronomy Tools Action Set and Topaz Denoise and Sharpening to give the image a polished look. I brought it into Lightroom to do final color corrections and add EXIF data.
NGC 281 a.k.a. Pacman Nebula
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Discovered nearly 130 years ago by E.E. Barnard, an American astronomer, NGC 281 is an emission nebula that spans nearly 100 light-years and is located about 9,500 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cassiopeia.
NGC 281 is also known as the Pacman Nebula for its resemblance to the video game character.
Although it is an emission nebula, the Pacman Nebula is bright enough to be seen with a medium-sized telescope, preferably from low-light locations.
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Equipment and settings:
Mount: Skywatcher EQ6R Pro
Telescope: Explore Scientific 102ED
Flattener/reducer: APM Riccardi 0.75x
Camera: ASI 533MM Pro
Filters: SHO Astrodon 5nm
Total integration: 18 hours ( Ha 57 x 5 min, Sii 70 x 5 min, Oiii 88 x 5 min)
Edit in Pixinsight.
Location: my Bortle 6+ backyard
Same data as last image, but reprocessed and cropped.
SKYWATCHER ED80, QHY163M - Optolong LRGB, 5min luminance x nearly 2hrs total luminance, with 2min RGB x approx 6 each filter.
Shooting a few frames here and there adding to the luminance data.
Messier 104 a.k.a. Sombrero Galaxy
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Discovered 250 years ago, the Sombrero galaxy (The Hat) is an elliptical galaxy located just over 30 million light-years from us and can be seen between the constellation Virgo and the constellation Corvus. According to measurements made by specialists in the field, M104 has a diameter of about 40,000 light-years, being about 3 times smaller than our galaxy. The name of the Hat is given both by the angle from which we can see it, and due to that prominent ring of cosmic dust that surrounds this galaxy and which is also the main source of new star formation. Regarding the nucleus of this galaxy, with the help of special infrared measurements it was found that in the galactic center of M104 there is a massive black hole, larger than in any other galaxy located within a radius of 40 million light years around the Milky Way.
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Equipment and settings:
Mount: Skywatcher Eq6 R
Telescope: 150/750 Newtonian telescope
Camera: ASI 533MC Pro
Total integration: 4 hours.
120 light frames x 2 min + calibration frames.
Stacking in Deep Sky Stacker.
Edit in Pixinsight and Lightroom.
The Veil Nebula is a cloud of heated and ionized gas and dust in the constellation Cygnus, at about 2400 light years from us.
It constitutes the visible portions of the Cygnus Loop,a supernova remnant, many portions of which have acquired their own individual names and catalogue identifiers. In modern usage, the names Veil Nebula, Cirrus Nebula, and Filamentary Nebula generally refer to all the visible structure of the remnant, or even to the entire loop itself. The structure is so large that several NGC numbers were assigned to various arcs of the nebula. There are three main visual components: 1. The Western Veil (also known as Caldwell 34), consisting of NGC 6960 (the "Witch's Broom", Lacework Nebula, "Filamentary Nebula"; 2. The Eastern Veil (also known as Caldwell 33), whose brightest area is NGC 6992, trailing off farther south into NGC 6995 (together with NGC 6992 also known as "Network Nebula"; 3. Pickering's Triangle (or Pickering's Triangular Wisp), brightest at the north central edge of the loop, but visible in photographs continuing toward the central area of the loop.
The source supernova was a star 20 times more massive than the Sun which exploded between 10,000 and 20,000 years ago. At the time of the explosion, the supernova would have appeared brighter than Venus in the sky, and visible in the daytime. The remnants have since expanded to cover an area of the sky roughly 36 times the area of the full Moon.
Equipment and settings:
Mount: Skywatcher EQ6 R pro
Lens: Rokinon 135mm F2
Camera: ASI 533MM Pro
Filters: Astrodon SHO
Total integration: 10h30 ( Ha 49 exposures x 5 min, Sii 30 x 5 min, Oiii 77 x 3 min )
Edit in Pixinsight.
Location: my Bortle 6+ backyard.
NGC 2403 is a Spiral Galaxy in the constellation Camelopardalis. It is 8 million light years away. It is quite bright at magnitude 8.9
This image is the result of 1 hour 20 minutes of exposure, with Darks and Bias frames.
Conditions were poor, quite windy, which kept exposures down to 3 or 4 minutes at 800 ISO and 1600 ISO It needs longer to bring out more detail.
Equipment: Celestron 8 inch Reflector on AVX mount and Canon 500D. Guided with ZWO 60mm guidescope and SSAG with PHD 2.6
Finished in DSS and PS
Tech Specs:
Taken 21 Dec 22, Oracle, Arizona, Bortle 4,
Transparency 9/10, calm, temperature 44F, RH 63%
Nikon d7100, Nikkor 180mm f/2.8 @ f/5
103x90s, iso 3200, Raw
Orion Sirius EQ mount, PixInsight, Photoshop
Tech Specs:
Taken 21-22 Dec 22, Oracle, Arizona, Bortle 4,
Transparency 9/10, calm, temperature 38F, RH 78%
Nikon d7100, Nikkor 180mm f/2.8 @ f/5
212x90s, iso 3200, Raw
Orion Sirius EQ mount, PixInsight
NGC 6960 a.k.a. Western Veil Nebula a.k.a. The Witch's Broom
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10,000 years ago, long before the first records in human history, a bright light appeared in the sky and lasted for weeks until it faded and disappeared. Now we know that the phenomenon was caused by the explosion of a supernova, a huge star, 20 times larger than the Sun. What is seen in the attached image is a part of the remnants of that star, remnants that created a cloud consisting mainly of hydrogen (red) and oxygen (blue) and which expands with a speed of about 1 milion miles per hour.
This nebula is found in the constellation Cygnus, at a distance of about 2400 light-years from Earth, and is one of the best known summer targets for astrophotography enthusiasts, but due to the large number of stars in that area, it cannot be considered a easy target.
Besides Witch's Broom, other names under which this nebula is known are: Finger of God, Filamentary Nebula or Lacework Nebula.
Equipment and settings:
Mount: SW EQ6R
Telescope: SW Newtonian 150PDS
Camera: ASI 533MC Pro
Filter: Optolong Lextreme
Integration: 6h
88 light frames x 4 min + calibration frames
Stacking with DSS. Edit in Pixinsight si Lightroom.
Location: my Bortle 6+ backyard
This nebula, located in the cygnus constellation, is a part of the wonders of the summer sky.
The nebula type is a supernova remnant.
This picture is a stack of 60 subs of 180 seconds with my ZWO ASI585 MC PRO on Sharpstar 61 EDPH II refractor.
Capture with NINA and processing with Siril
This was my first HOO imaging try.
I used the SVbony SV220 Dual Narrow Band filter. It really desserves to be bought ! Great job for this really affordable filter :-)
I clearly need more data for this one, but this is part of my learning curve for shooting through the Celestron Edge HD 925 with the Nikon D5100. I used a light pollution filter and was shooting at ISO 1600. This is a stack of 30 exposures that were around 55 s in length at a focal length of 2200 mm. I reduced the size of the final image substantially because it was so noisy.
Preprocessing, registration, stacking, and initial processing were done in PixInsight; final touches in Photoshop.
IC 2177 a.k.a. Seagull Nebula.
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IC2177 is a region of nebulosity that spans about 240 light-years along the border between the constellations Monoceros and Canis Major, at a distance of about 3,800 light-years from Earth.
This is not the first time I have shot at the same targets with both the color and mono cameras, but it is the first time I have used both data sets for a single image. The color camera data was used as the Luminance channel, along with the Halpha data, and for the final result I used an LRGB approach.
Equipment and settings:
Mount: Skywatcher EQ6R
Telescope: Skywatcher 72ED + 0.85 dedicated flattener/reducer
Camera: ASI 533MC pro + ASI 533MM pro
Filters : Antlia ALP-T / Astrodon H S O 5nm
Integration : 42 x 5 min with the color camera / S 26 x 4min, O 40 x 5min, H 21 x 5min
Stacking with DSS/Pixinsight.
Edit in Pixinsight.
Location: my Bortle 6+ backyard.