Picture saved with settings embedded.

While Rosalind and I spent a few days in rural NSW, we had clear skies at night and I decided to get a good shot of the Southern Cross (Crux). It's amazing how a photograph can show so many more stars than the eye could see. The stripe of the Milky Way passes right through this photo.

The bright star in the lower left part of the picture is Alpha Centauri, the closest star system to our solar system - a little over 4 light years away.

This was my first real attempt at astrophotography, a subject I learned a lot about while processing this photo. I didn't have a system to track the stars, so I was limited to about 15 second exposures to prevent star trails. I took 8 shots and merged them in DeepSkyStacker to produce this image. I'm looking forward to the next time I'm in a clear, rural area so I can try some more astrophotography.

Zoomable version

Second night of data added to the previous image. Total of 37 minutes exposure. Canon EOS 450D DSLR prime focus, ISO1600. Baader Neodymium filter and coma corrector. Sky-Watcher 150P Explorer on EQ3-2 mount. DeepSkyStacker > PixInsight > PhotoShop.

Messier 97 and Messier 108

OTA: Celestron 8" newtonian reflector, C8N

Filter: Orion Skyglow imaging filter

Corrector: MPCC

Mount: Celestron CGEM DX

Camera: Canon 450d mod BCF, 50F

Exposure: 15x4min ISO 400

Guided with PHD, SSAG, TS-OAG9

Captured with BackyardEOS

Registered and stacked with DeepSkyStacker

Photographed from Round Rock TX (Orange zone)

Crescent nebula, imaged night of June 27 2022, from backyard in Sunnyvale California. Camera is QHY168C at -10C, mount is Losmandy G11 with Gemini-1. Autoguided with PHD2 using Celestron OAG, with ZWO ASI224 autoguide camera. Equipment run by NINA. This is a stack of 8 subs of 300 sec each, using DeepSkyStacker with LogSqRt of luminance stretching. Added Halpha filtered image as Red. Added Televue Nebustar filtered image (Hbeta+Oxygen3 as Blue layer.

Manually, off-axis guided for 9 x 5-minute exposures at ISO 1600, f/4.

Modified EOS 600D & Revelation 12" Newtonian reflector telescope.

Registered and stacked using DeepSkyStacker; initial curves adjusted and noise reduced in Canon Photo Professional; final curves & colour-balance adjusted using Paint Shop Pro.

Not the first time I've imaged this object this year. Last time I used the C8, so it was good to be able to use exposures half as long this time, but at the expense of coma (distorted stars around the edges). I'm still pleased with the result, which I've processed to emphasise the reddish areas of star formation.

C9.25 with 6.3 focal reducer,QHY168C and UHC filter. 6 subs at 300 secs each stacked in Deepskystacker and processed using Nebulosity 4 and Photoshop CS2. Flats and darks subtracted and image cropped.

Taken early hours 01/08/19

another shot of our neighbor galaxy M31 using 514 light frames (42m50s total exposure time). taken in Cambridge, MA with 70mm F/4.0, cropped 1:3, and processed with 2x drizzle.

FSQ106ED + QE0.73X + QHY600EB(-15C)

Astrodon Tru-Balance E-Series Gen2

L12x300sec,R4x300sec,G4x300sec,B4x300sec

on SkyWatcher AZ-EQ6GT (Total:120min)

Guiding: QHYOAG + ASI120MM-Mini + ASIAir

DeepSkyStacker, StellaImage7, Photoshop CC2019

Locations: Kamogawa Sports Park, Kibichuocho, Okayama, Japan

Nov. 2019

Moon up there, and not a lot of dark, so thought I'd reprocess something, as you do.

More definition and colour in this version I think. Not sure if the colours are correct, but it looks nice!

Original image

24 March 2011

200p, EQ5 unguided

Nikon D70 full spectrum prime focus

28 x 60sec, iso 1600

darks, bias and flats.

Stacked in DSS processed in CS5

C9.25 with 6.3 focal reducer,QHY168C and UHC filter. 6 subs at 300 secs each stacked in Deepskystacker and processed in Nebulosity 4 and Photoshop CS2. Darks and flat frames subtracted and image cropped.

Taken midnight 01/08/19

Fujifilm X-T10, XF18-55mm F2.8-4.0 @ F5.6 and 55mm, ISO 3200, 10 x 3 min, tracking with iOptron SkyTracker Pro, stacking with DeepSkyStacker, editing in GIMP, taken Sept. 19 just before astronomic dawn at my semi-dark site

C9.25 with Antares 6.3 focal reducer,QHY 168C and UHC filter was used to collect 10 subs at 60 seconds each. Stacked in Deepskystacker and processed in Nebulosity 4 and Photoshop CS2. Darks and flats subtracted and image cropped.

Taken early hours of 01/08/19

Here's a crop of the M42 region showing the Running Man Nebula north of the Great Orion Nebula. The Running Man is a reflection nebula (notice the blue gas cloud similar to the Pleiades's Merope Nebula) with a dark dust cloud that sort of looks like a man running.

Taken by Doug Spalding on April 10, 2011 near Butler, Missouri using an SBIG8300C camera mounted on a CGE1100 Telescope using Hyperstar (F/2). This is the sum of 12 five minute images, stacked using DeepSkyStacker. The image was then processed with Maxim DL and Photoshop CS2.

Guiding used PhD Guiding with an Orion Starshoot autoguider.

L1050912

Shotdate: 10-11-2013

Camera: Nikon D3x

ISO speed:1600

Exposure: 40 x 300 seconds

Optics: Celestron 9.25" Edge HD

Guiding: LVI SmartGuider 2 on F500mm D90mm APO

Calibration: 32 dark, 108 bias and 30 flat frames.

Stacking in DeepSkyStacker and post-processing in PixInsight 1.7

獵戶座 M42 及其他

Orion M42 and others

20170211 20:16 to 20:46

51 shoots

Eath ISO 1 dark frame

Camera OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA E-PL5

Lens Miranda 35-70mm 1:3.5-4.5 MC MACRO

Tripod WF WT 3730

Software

DeepSkySacker 3.3.2

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6.1 (Windows)

ISO1600 to 25600

70mm ( 140mm )

f3.6

3.2s

Old data again - just humour me, I'm addicted to this stuff. This is from my scope days ;)

Parts of this came out a rather putrid shade of green the last time I did it. :)

SW 200p, EQ5 unguided

Nikon D70 modded, iso1600

58 x 60sec

darks, bias and flats.

Stacked in DSS and processed in CS5

Had another go at this area of NGC 7000 this time using my 8" f4 Schmidt Newtonian and Atik 314L+ with narrowband filters. 6subs at 5mins each for Ha,6subs at 5mins each for SII and 7subs again at 5mins each for OIII. Stacked in Deepskystacker and colour combined (Hubble palette) in Maxim DL4. Final processing in StarTools and Photoshop.

Autoguided using OAG.SX Lodestar and PHD2.

Image taken 13/10/15

NGC 7000 The North America Nebula, and IC 5070 Pelican Nebula (H-alpha)

Lens: Nikkor 180mm ED AI-s at f/2.8

Mount: CGEM DX

Camera: Canon 350d mono, with 3.4V to TEC cooler

Exposure: 31x4min ISO 800

Astronomik 12nm H-alpha filter

Guided with QHY5L-IIm and PHD2

Captured with BackyardEOS

Mono conversion with dcraw -D -4 -T -b 16

Registered and stacked with DeepSkyStacker

Photographed from Round Rock TX (Orange zone)

Cúmulo de Hércules

M13, Messier 13 o Gran Racimo

- Fecha: 31/08/2019

- Lugar: Mirador de las estrellas, Sesué - Huesca (42°33'58.5"N 0°28'19.3"E) Alt. 1.270m

IMAGEN

- 101 Lights a 600mm, ISO 10000, 8s, f5.6

- 25 Darks a ISO 10000, 8s, f5.6

- Tiempo total de exposición 13m 4s

EQUIPO

- Montura de seguimiento Sky-Watcher AZ-GTi

- Camara Sony ILC3-A7M3 Modo APS-C

- Objetivo Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS

- Haida Slim Nano Pro MC Clear Night filter

SOFTWARE

- Stellarium Scope & Stellarium para el guiado de la montura

- Apilado con DeepSkyStacker

- Procesado con Adobe Camera Raw y Adobe Photoshop CC

©2019 All rights reserved. MSB.photography

Thank all for your visit and awards.

Deux tentatives réussies de capturer la comète C/2013 R1 Lovejoy. Malheureusement, la queue ne se détache que très mal du fond du ciel. Les raisons peuvent être le début de l'aube et la présence de la Lune presque pleine. Je tenterai de combiner les 10 fichiers d'assez bonne qualité avec Deepskystacker ou IRIS.

Two attemps of capturing Comet C/2013R1 Lovejoy. Unfortunately, the comet's tail doesn't detach that clearly from the background sky. Reasons can be the approaching dawn and the almost full Moon, which was that far in the sky (roughly 90°). I will try to stack the 10 good files I made in Deepskystacker or IRIS.

Canon EOS 450D prime focus Skywatcher 150 Explorer Newtonian. EQ3-2 mount. 24 lights (30s ISO1600), 10 darks, 20 flats, 20 bias. DeepSkyStacker > PixInsight > Photoshop CS5

North America Nebula

Canon 200mm f2.8 @ f2.8, f3.2, f4

Canon T4i ISO 800 90 seconds

20x light frames

iOptron Skytracker

DeepSkyStacker Kappa Sigma Clipping

Pixinsight 1.8

This image is the result of a of 34 photos which have been superimposed with DeepSkyStacker.

This 1.7 km asteroid made a flyby 31 october 2016. This stack of 10 images, 120 seconds each shows the fast movement of 60 arcminutes per minute. Esprit 100 APO/Canon 6Da on 10 Micron GM2000 HPS II, unguided), iso1600 using Sequence Generator Pro). Stacked in DeepSkyStacker and processed/ platesolved/ annotated in Pixinsight)

Knight Observatory, Tomar

EXIF - 210X120" (7h), Gain 120, f5

Calibration: Flats - 60, Darks - 60

Camera: ZWO ASI294MC Pro (cooled to -10°C)

Filter: Astronomik L-2 - UV IR Blockfilter 1,25"

Main optics: Sky-Watcher Explorer 200P

Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro

Guiding: Artesky UltraGuide 70 + ZWO ASI120MM Mini

Controller: ZWO ASIair Pro

Electronic focuser: ZWO EAF

Software: DeepSkyStacker + Pixinsight + Photoshop

Location: Bilice, Sibenik, Croatia

This image shows several deep-sky objects, arranged from upper left to lower right. First is the open cluster of stars known as NGC 1981. Next is the mix of dark nebulae and blue reflection nebula known collectively as NCG 1977, also colloquially called the "Running Man Nebula" due to the silhouette which resembles a running human figure. The comma-shaped nebula in the center is Messier 43. Then comes the show-piece, the vast glowing bubble of Messier 42, the Great Orion Nebula. Lastly, the faint blue reflection nebula NGC 1980 surrounds the bright stars of the small cluster Collinder 72, on the lower right edge of the Great Orion Nebula's bubble.

Nikon D90 camera

Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM APO Autofocus Lens

Orion TeleTrack GoTo Altazimuth Telescope Mount

One from the clear, moonless nights a fortnight ago. I hadn't posted it previously due to the problem of focus varying across the frame. I think I know the cause(s).

Manually, off-axis guided for 9 x 5-minute exposures at ISO 1600, f/4. Modified EOS 600D & Revelation 12" Newtonian reflector telescope.

Registered and stacked using DeepSkyStacker; initial curves adjusted in Canon Photo Professional; final curves & colour-balance adjusted using Paint Shop Pro; noise reduction via CyberLink PhotoDirector.

The moon was out last night, so I tried H-alpha IC1805 and IC1848.

Lens: Canon 50mm f/1.8, stopped down f/4

Filter: Astronomik 12nm H-alpha

Mount: Celestron CG5 ASGT

Camera: Canon 450d mod BCF, 39F

Exposure: 36x4min ISO 1600

Guided with PHD, SSAG, 9x50

Captured with BackyardEOS

Registered and stacked with DeepSkyStacker

Photographed from Round Rock TX (Orange zone)

EOS500D,14MMf2.8/Fstop4,12X3mins,ISO1600.PSCS3,Deepskystacker.

Stacks : best 31 out of 36

Stack program : DeepSkyStacker

Stack mode : Maximum

Exposure Time : 31x15sec (~7 min total)

ISO : 1600

Camera : Sony A77

Mount : EQ-5

Tube : Newton

Focal length : 750 mm

Aperture : F/5

Autoguide : Nope

A quick photo of the Orion and Running Man nebulas. This is the first astrophoto I've managed to take this year.

Details:

Exposure: 112 x 30s, ISO 1600

Canon 5D (unmodified) through an Orion ED80.

ImagesPlus camera capture control

Celestron CG5 mount (not autoguided).

Stacked with DeepSkyStacker

The Rosette nebula imaged at our local Stargazing Live event in Ipswich on the evening of Monday Jan 16th - a re-edited version which is a bit smoother and less 'in your face' than the last.

Whilst the 300 (yes, 300!) people were all queing up to look through some of the scopes set up I was showing them images taken on my modest imaging rig via my laptop. In the mean time the rig was snapping away at the Rosette nebula.

This is a total of 23 X 6 minute exposures with matching darks and flats applied. The full details are as follows:

Photographer: Ben Jarvis

Location: Christchurch park, Ipswich, Suffolk

Date and time: 6pm - 9pm Mon Jan 16th 2012

Camera: Canon Eos 500D (modded)

Filters: LP clip filter only

Scope: Williams Optics Megrez 72 Apo + FF2 flattener/reducer operating at 345mm fl and f4.8

Mount: SkyWatcher HEQ5 Pro

Guiding: SX Lodestar camera + ST80 scope - PHD + EQMod

Stacking: DeepSkyStacker

Processing: Photoshop 7

I consider this pic somewhat of a homage to the BBC's Stargazing Live show as it was that show that got me into this hobby exactly one year ago :-)

Object:IC 1805 Heart Nebula in the constellation of Cassiopeia.

Location:13/09/20, Llanarmon Yn Ial, Wales, Bortle 4, no moon.

Aquisition:52x 120s subs @ iso 800 Total Integration 104 min.

Equipment:Image; Altair Astro 60EDF, Canon 1200D AM, Skytech CLS-CCD Filter, Star Adventurer.

Guide (RA only); Altair Astro MG32 mini, Zwo ASI120MC.

Software:APT, PHD2, DeepSkyStacker, Photoshop, Starnet++.

- Canon 7D Mark II

- Orion 8" f/3.9 Astrograph

- Baader MPCC Mark III Coma Corrector

- Orion Atlas Pro Mount

- ZWO ASI 120MC-s guide camera w/ 60mm guide scope

- 27 x 300 second Lights ISO 1600. Dithered each frame

- 10 flats

- No dark or bias

- Captured with BackyardEOS

- Guided with PHD2

- Stacked with DeepSkyStacker

- Processed in Pixinsight

- Imaged on 6-5-16 at the Grandview Campground in the White Mountains near Bishop, California

More on this object - youtu.be/vwibAnrdcR4?list=PLZbAxl62ULQvacOuzRbWNhlOD4IXRkFIk

Quelques tentatives réussies de capturer la comète C/2012 S1 ISON. Malheureusement, la queue ne se détache que très mal du fond du ciel. Les raisons peuvent être le début de l'aube et la présence de la Lune presque pleine, bien qu'à l'opposé. Je tenterai de combiner les 17 fichiers d'assez bonne qualité avec Deepskystacker ou IRIS.

Some attemps of capturing Comet C/2012 S1 ISON. Unfortunately, the comet's tail doesn't detach that clearly from the background sky. Reasons can be the approaching dawn and the almost full Moon, although it was far in the sky. I will try to stack the 17 good files I made in Deepskystacker or IRIS.

Skywatcher Esprit 100 APO triplet refractor and full spectrum modified Canon 6D. 54 x 240 seconds iso 1600 lightframes, 20 flatframes, 65 bias frames, no darkframes, dithered every 3 frames (PHD-BYE). Stacked in DeepSkyStacker and processed with Pixinsight. No noisereduction.

Andromeda.

Imaging scope: William Optics FLT98

Imaging Camera: Nikon D7000

Guide Scope:Tokina 100-300mm f/4 telephoto lens

Guide camera: Orion Starshoot Autoguider

31x 1min subexposures under light polluted sky

64 images, 12 dark and 12 offsets. I used DSS on this one ! It's my first time stacking that many images :)

Night sky was quite clear at around 9pm on 10 July 2013. But when I got to the location at around 9:15pm, high level clouds started to come in. However, I noticed that the part between sagittarius scorpio remained clear despite the incoming clouds. Set up equipment and "triggered" 40 shots straightaway. The resulting photo was affected by the incoming clouds on the left and light pollution on the right.

Details

Pentax K-30 & DA12-24

40 x 13 seconds

Stacked using DSS (all light frames)

12mm focal length

ISO640

Taken on 10 July 2013, 9:20pm

Tripod: Yes

Equatorial mount: No

40 x 20 second exposures stacked using Deepskystacker. Sony A57 + Skywatcher ST102 on an Alt/Az GOTO mount.

Shotdate: 23-11-2013

Camera: Nikon D3x

Optics: Celestron 9.25"EdgeHD

Guiding: LVI SmartGuider2 om APO F500mm f90mm

ISO speed: 1600

Exposure: 16 x 300 seconds

DeepSkyStacker settings:

Stacking mode: Standard

Alignment method: Automatic

Lights 16 frames - total exposure: 1 hr 20 mn

RGB Channels Background Calibration: No

Per Channel Background Calibration: No

Method: Kappa-Sigma (Kappa = 2.00, Iterations = 5)

Offset: 108 frames exposure: 1/8000 s

Method: Kappa-Sigma (Kappa = 2.00, Iterations = 5)

Dark: 32 frames exposure: 5 mn 0 s

Method: Kappa-Sigma (Kappa = 2.00, Iterations = 5)

Flat: 70 frames exposure: 1 s

Method: Kappa-Sigma (Kappa = 2.00, Iterations = 5)

Post-processing in PixInsight 1.7

The Whirlpool Galaxy M51 (also known as Messier 51a, M51a, or NGC 5194) is a spiral galaxy located approximately 31 million light-years from us in the constellation Canes Venatici. The blob on the end is a companion galaxy designated NGC 5195. This was the first galaxy to be recognised as a spiral galaxy.

Had less of my recent mount troubles with this having done a bit of work on it, so managed to retain 58 subs for 58 minutes total exposure (58 minutes 28 seconds according to DSS for some obscure reason). May have another crack at processing this later.

There is a closer crop here.

Reprocessed here.

3 May 2011

200p, EQ5 unguided

Nikon D70 full spectrum prime focus

58 x 60sec

iso 1600

darks, bias and flats.

Stacked in DSS processed in CS5

Compilation de 12 images (2 darks) de la galaxie d'Andromède, M31. Programmes: Deepskystacker et Photoshop CS4. D4+Nikkor 200-400 F/4+ TC-14E II+ Déclencheur souple MC-30+ Monture motorisée. Expositions entre 30 et 130s.Total de 1351 secondes.

Stack of 12 images (and 2 darks) of the galaxy Andromeda (M31). Softwares: Deepskystacker and Photoshop CS4

D4+Nikkor 200-400 F/4+ TC-14E II+ Remote trigger MC-30+ Motor mount. Exposures between 30 and 130s.Total of 1351 seconds.

Image by Dewald van Rensburg

Camera Settings:

Canon EOS 100D

50mm f1.8 Lens

8s Exposure @ 6400 ISO

Tripod

Location: From Backyard - Boknes

20 Lights

20 Darks

30 Bias

DeepSkyStacker

Processing In PS CS5 & Lightroom 5

7 exposures of the stars - combined with DeepSkyStacker to show the stars without noise and hot pixels from the sensor.

My first (and probably last) attempt at a cluster. They come with their own challenges it seems. This is 29 minutes (because there are so many stars even the slightest tracking error screams at you!)

M13 aka NGC 6205 is about 25K light years away, and is about 145 light years in diameter. It contains several hundred thousand stars. Must be a pretty spectacular sight if you live on a planet orbiting one of those stars. Apparently we sent a message to M13 in 1974 - haven't had a reply yet though! :)

25 May 2011

200p, EQ5 unguided

Nikon D70 full spectrum prime focus

29 x 60sec

iso 1600

darks, bias and flats.

Stacked in DSS processed in CS5