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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
M81 , M82 and areas ,,
201 Light Frames
106 Bias Frames
101 Dark Frames
Manual Hands trackin lol
Total Exposure 13 mn and 20 sec with Magic Lantern Nightly
Stakced with Deep Sky Stacker 3.3.4
reedit in Digital Photo Professional 3.13.51.1
Single Frame details :
File name_MG_2447.CR2
File Size23.0MB
Camera ModelCanon EOS 600D
FirmwareFirmware Version 1.0.2
Shooting Date/Time4/18/2014 11:47:56 PM
AuthorMzytengaM
Copyright NoticeMzytengaM
Owner's Name
Shooting ModeManual Exposure
Tv(Shutter Speed)4
Av(Aperture Value)5.0
Metering ModeEvaluative Metering
ISO Speed3200
Auto ISO SpeedOFF
LensEF75-300mm f/4-5.6
Focal Length220.0mm
Image Size5184x3456
Aspect ratio3:2
Image QualityRAW
FlashOff
FE lockOFF
White Balance ModeColor Temperature(5200K)
AF ModeManual focusing
Picture StyleUser Defined 1(Auto)
Sharpness3
Contrast0
Saturation0
Color tone0
Color SpaceAdobe RGB
Long exposure noise reduction0:Off
High ISO speed noise reduction2:Strong
Highlight tone priority0:Disable
Auto Lighting OptimizerStandard
Peripheral illumination correctionEnable
Dust Delete DataNo
Drive ModeSelf-Timer Operation
Live View ShootingON
Camera Body No.sure
Commentno comments
Picture saved with settings applied.
We had a cloudless night last night, but the transparency was appalling (could only see The Pleiades with averted vision!). But as it was the first clear night in a month, I decided to have a go. Seven frames in and the fog descended with a vengeance, so this is just 7 x 4 minutes. Very pleased with this considering the conditions and small number of subs, and gives me hope for a much better image when the conditions improve. Hopefully then I'll pick up some of the fainter stuff :)
Nikon D70 modded, 55-200 Nikkor at 200mm (full frame), f5.6, 1600iso, Baader Neodymium filter.
7 x 4 min subs for a total of 28 mins, unguided EQ5
Darks, flats and bias
Stacked and processed in DSS and CS5.
Español
Equipo: Nikon D3200 en Sky-Watcher 150 F5 newtoniano
montado en EQ3-2 con motores en ambos ejes.
English
Equipment: Nikon D3200 on Sky-Watcher 150 F5 Newtonian
mounted on EQ3-2 with Dual Axis drive.
Exposures/Exposiciones: 12x8sec ISO800 + 7x15sec ISO800 + 1x20sec ISO800 + 1x30sec ISO800.
Processing/Procesamiento: DeepSkyStacker (alignment, stacking) + Lightroom (levels).
Place/Lugar: Córdoba, Argentina.
This is a reworking of a previous post. I'm finally having a go at stacking, this was only a few frames stacked using DeepSkyStacker....no darks, flats etc just 4 jpeg files. The result is definitely an improvement on any of the original individual frames and this has inspired me to shoot more accordingly with stacking in mind next....more frames, in RAW and some dark, light, offset frames. Not a bad peice of sky considering it is only 40 mins drive out of London. Piggotts Hill, nr High Wycombe Bucks UK.
4x untracked 30s frames Canon EF18-55mm std lens stacked in DSS, processed using Lightroom4. Just think....there are an estimated couple of hundred billion galaxies in our known universe....and we can't even travel far enough to get to the edge of ours!! One day, maybe we might discover what or who else is out there!
Still very low and only just above the roof of my observatory. There was some thin cloud interference in many frames. Still nice to get some structure in the ion tail.
A stack of the best 34 of 60x60s exposures using a QHY22 camera on a TS Imaging Star71 - 71mm f/4.9 Imaging APO telescope. Autoguided. CLS filter. Flats, darks and bias applied. 2x2 binning.
Calibration and stacking done in DeepSkyStacker and post-processing in PixInsight.
C9.25 @ f10 on a CEM60,Starlight Xpress filterwheel/OAG and 314L.
7x300 second subs in Ha and 7x300 second subs in OIII stacked in Deepskystacker,colour combined in Maxim DL4 (Ha,OIII,OIII) and processed in Photoshop CS2
Image taken 1/04/19
Second attempt with the new AstroTrac. This time I simply pointed to a random patch of the Milky Way in the South, and fired away.
23 x 4 min at ISO 800, f/4
Canon 350D (modified)
Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L
AstroTrac TT320(k)
This image is a 5-hr guided exposure (60 x 5-min subs) of IC 63 (and part of IC 59), also known as the Ghost of Cassiopeia. The brightest star in the image is Gamma Cassiopeiae, which is 19 times more massive, 65,000 times brighter, and spins 200 times faster than our sun. The radiation from Gamma Cass is so intense that it affects the IC 63 gas/dust cloud several light years away.
The hydrogen within IC 63 is being bombarded with ultraviolet radiation from Gamma Cassiopeiae, causing its electrons to gain energy which they later release as hydrogen-alpha radiation -- visible in red in my image.
The dust in IC 63 also reflects the blue light from Gamma Cass. Hints of blue are just starting to show up in my data.
Rio Rancho NM Bortle 5 zone -- from my balcony
September 22 2021
William Optics Redcat 51
ZWO 183mc pro
ZWO 30mm f/4 mini guide scope and ZWO 120 Mini
Optolong L-eNhance filter
ZWO ASI Air Pro
Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer
60 X 300s lights (5 hr) ; with darks and bias
Gain 111 at -10C
Processed in DSS and PS
Conjunction between Moon, 17% illuminated, Mars, Uranus, Jupiter and Pleiades.
Camera Model Name: SONY ILCE-7RM4
Lens Model: SONY FE 85mm F1.4 GM
Date/Time Original: 2024:07:02 04:31:20 (GMT+02:00)
Exposure Time: 1/4 s
F Number: 2.2
ISO: 400
Focal Length: 85.0 mm
Frames: 30 light+12 Flat
Mount: Tripod
Image taken at: Melegnano, Lombardy, Italy
Software: DeepSkyStacker 5.1.3+Gimp 2.10.38
I solved some of the problems I had with this image: had a few rogue darks in the batch that caused horrendous banding in the original process. Having disposed of them, the banding magically disappeared. Better colour in this one I think, and as it's full frame, I have a touch of colour on the right (and a smidgeon on the left if you look really closely) :)
Nikon D70 modded, 55-200 Nikkor at 200mm, f5.6, 1600iso, Baader Neodymium filter.
43 x 2 min, unguided EQ5
Darks, flats and bias
Stacked and processed in DSS and CS5.
Comet ISON take between 0536-0545hrs.
6x90sec (9min total), 2x2 Binned
Stacked in DeepSkyStacker & processed in PS2.
Camera: Atik 314L+ Mono
Filters: Baader Luminosity.
Scope: Sky-Watcher Equinox 80ED .
Mount: AZ EQ6-GT goto, Unguided.
Not a bad view, eh? Sitting and looking at the ocean is always a restful, soothing experience for me. Sitting and lThis image of Orion and its surrounds was created using the iOptron SkyTracker and my unmodded Canon EOS 6D plus Canon 40mm STM lens. The photo shows lots of stars and some significant deep-sky features. I expected to be able to photograph M42 (Orion Nebula) and got it but it’s overexposed here. The one feature of this part of the sky that I was wanting to capture was Barnard’s Loop and I’m happy that I achieved that goal. As well as these two wonders I snagged the Witch Head Nebula (very faint), the Running Man Nebula, IC434 & the Horsehead Nebula, plus the Flame Nebula. The Rosette and Lambda Orionis Nebulae, the much smaller and fainter vDB 38 Nebula and the Christmas Tree Cluster are also visible.
I’ve had the tracking mount for about three years but haven’t used it more than a handful of times. Initially I struggled with achieving polar alignment and after my first few attempts the tracker ended up languishing in a cupboard for around eighteen months. Whether it’s the “proper” way or not I’ve found that using some electronic spirit levels and my iPhone’s Compass app I can achieve polar alignment much more reliably than any method I’ve tried previously.
The source images for this composite were as follows:
Lights:x49 framesCanon EOS 6D, Canon 40mm STM f/2.8 lens @ f/3.2, 60 second exp @ ISO 1600
Darks:x5 framesCanon EOS 6D, Canon 40mm STM f/2.8 lens @ f/3.2, 60 second exp @ ISO 1600
Bias:x15 framesCanon EOS 6D, Canon 40mm STM f/2.8 lens @ f/3.2, 1/4000 second exp @ ISO 1600
Stacking was done using Deep Sky Stacker running in the Wineskin wrapper on an iMac. I used the “MiniSTARS” Photoshop action for star reduction photographingspace.com/product/ministars/?utm_source=ps&a... at a starry sky fills me with awe and wonder. This seat on Tarandore Point at Tuross Head, Australia, provides the best of both of these experiences. Access is free and more often than not you’ll be the only person there to take it all in.
The photo was taken with a Canon EOS 6D, a Rokinon 24mm lens @ f/2.4, 13-second exposure @ ISO 6400.
Esprit 150ED apo triplet and 1000D with UHC filter was used to collect 9 subs at 5 minutes each at ISO 1600 for this image of the galaxy NGC404 (Mirach's Ghost) in Andromeda. Stacked in Deepskystacker and processed in Photoshop.
Image taken early hours of 05/01/17
C9.25 @ f10 on a CEM60,Starlight Xpress filterwheel/OAG and 314L.
7x300 second subs in Ha and 7x300 second subs in OIII stacked in Deepskystacker,colour combined in Maxim DL4 (Ha,OIII,OIII) and processed in Photoshop CS2
Image taken 1/04/19
Picture saved with settings applied.
Deep Sky Stacker with Digital Photo Professional and DPP++
cr2 converted with out editing to DNG 7,1 with Adobe converter . Stacked and first edit in DSS . 16 bit saved and ReEdit in DPP. output Jpg.
68 Light Frames
15 Dark Frames
17 Bias Frames
Hand Tracking
all together 1 minute and 8 second exposure ..no Flat :/ ( how get flat ? )
Single Frame Details :
File name_MG_5263.CR2
File Size22.3MB
Camera ModelCanon EOS 600D
FirmwareFirmware Version 1.0.2 Powered By Magic Lantern Nightly
Shooting Date/Time12/28/2013 2:27:43 AM
AuthorMzytengaM
Copyright NoticeMzytengaM
Owner's Name
Shooting ModeManual Exposure
Tv(Shutter Speed)1.6
Av(Aperture Value)4.5
Metering ModeEvaluative Metering
ISO Speed3200
Auto ISO SpeedOFF
LensEF75-300mm f/4-5.6
Focal Length105.0mm
Image Size5184x3456
Aspect ratio3:2
Image QualityRAW
FlashOff
FE lockOFF
White Balance ModeColor Temperature(6000K)
AF ModeManual focusing
Picture StyleUser Defined 1(Auto)
Sharpness2
Contrast0
Saturation0
Color tone0
Color SpaceAdobe RGB
Long exposure noise reduction2:On
High ISO speed noise reduction2:Strong
Highlight tone priority1:Enable
Auto Lighting OptimizerDisable
Peripheral illumination correctionDisable
Dust Delete DataNo
Drive ModeSelf-Timer Operation
Live View ShootingON
Camera Body No.xxx
Comment
Taken using Skywatcher 80ED Pro (.85X FR), Nikon D3300, 188x30" lights (ISO 3200), 100 flats, 110, bias. Stacked in DeepSkyStacker and processed in Photoshop
Stack of six 20-second frames taken shortly before this photo.
The bright "star" is the planet Jupiter. There's a satellite trail visible just above the planet.
Skywatcher 150PDS
Celestron CG5
Nikon D90
86 x 20 s @ ISO3200
Total exp.: 29 min
DeepSkyStacker
GIMP 2.10
This is just practice! I set up my Orion mount with my unmodified Canon 40D, 1.4 Extender, and 70-200mm f/4L at 200 mm in my backyard in San Jose. Limiting magnitude due to light pollution and the nearly full moon is about 3. Indeed if I didn't know where to look, the Andromeda Galaxy is not visible to the naked eye - and it wasn't easy to find in binoculars, either.
Despite the obstacles of light pollution, an 80% illuminated moon, some less than perfect seeing and operating near the dew point, this was the result. I kept dew at bay using my Dew Not system - but I think I may not have needed it provided I didn't breath in the direction of the lens.
The effective focal length of this system is 448 mm. This is a crop of about 2/3 of the full frame.
For this image I used the full compliment of calibration frames (Lights, darks, bias and flat frames). By comparison see below for what I got when not using the bias and flat frames). NOTE: If this terminology doesn't make sense to you, don't feel badly. It took a while to make sense to me and that's why I decided to create a starter class (a Webinar!) on Astrophotography.
If you're interested in trying your hand at Astrophotography and would like to get going without bankrupting yourself, you might find my "Astrophotography 101: Getting Started Without Getting Soaked" webinar a great help - it might even save you 100s (or thousands) of dollars on equipment purchases. Because I must pay hosting fees, (and have spent days writing materials) I must charge for the class.
You can check here for the latest classes workshops and webinars.
© Copyright 2011, Steven Christenson blog Events
All rights reserved. Curious what "all rights reserved means?" it means that without written permission you may not: copy, transmit, modify, use, print or display this image in any context other than as it appears in Flickr.
The central region of the Milky Way at the intersection of Sagittarius, Ophinicus and Scorpius. Now annotated!
Gear Used:
-Camera: Canon EOS 350D (APS-C)
-Lens: Canon EF-S 18-55mm
-Mount: Nyxtech NyxTracker
Aquistion Details:
15x42" sub exposures
10.5 min total integration
ISO-1600
f/4.5
35mm focal length
Software Used:
RawTherapee
DeepSkyStacker
Pixinsight 1.6
rnc-colorstretch
Adobe Photoshop CS5.1
-HLVG Plugin
EXIF - 60X300" (5h), Gain 120
Calibration: Darks - 20, Bias - 20
Camera: ZWO ASI294MC Pro (cooled to -10°C)
Filter: Astronomik L-2 - UV IR Blockfilter 1,25"
Main optics: William Optics RedCat 51
Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
Guiding: William Optics UniGuide + ZWO ASI120MM Mini
Controller: ZWO ASIair Pro
Software: DeepSkyStacker + Pixinsight + Photoshop
Location: Sibenik, Croatia
Messier 78 to Alnitak. Not much signal from my backyard (relative to LP), and a lot of post-processing in my attempt to get an Ok picture.
Lens: Canon 300mm f/4, stopped down to 61mm (f/4.9)
Filter: Astronomik CLS
Mount: Celestron CG5 ASGT
Camera: Canon 450d mod BCF, 46F
Exposure: 30x4min ISO 400
Guided with PHD, SSAG, 9x50
Captured with BackyardEOS
Registered and stacked with DeepSkyStacker
Photographed from Round Rock TX (Orange zone)
My first session with the 12" Newtonian since May, and unfortunately not very successful due to the aberrations (coma and tllt) that distort the stars (I've cropped the worst of it out). It seems to be worst when I image objects high in the sky, while those closer to the horizon have better-shaped stars.
28 x 2-minute manually-guided exposures, ISO 3200, f/4, taken on 17 and 20 September. Modified EOS 600D & Revelation 12" Newtonian reflector telescope.
Frames registered and stacked in DeepSkyStacker software; curves adjusted in Canon Photo Professional; noise reduction in CyberLink PhotoDirector.
Update: I've added 12 more sub-exposures, taken on 20 Sept, re-stacked and reprocessed for a less noisy result than the original.
After I have spent hours to watch the starry sky, I tried to realize a image of our nearest neighbor galaxy : Andromeda M31.
Wihtout using a tracking mount, I took 64 images (+ 20 darks) that I superimposed with DeepSkyStacker software.
In order to improve the clarity of the photograph, I used lightroom. But the focus is not perfect unfortunately...
Tehnical datas :
Canon T3i on tripod
50 mm lens
f/1.8
64 x 8 s = 8.5 minutes of exposure
ISO3200
JPEG editing
In 1054, Chinese astronomers took notice of a “guest star” that was, for nearly a month, visible in the daytime sky. The “guest star” they observed was actually a supernova explosion, which gave rise to the Crab Nebula, a six-light-year-wide remnant of the violent event.
With an apparent magnitude of 8.4 and located 6,500 light-years from Earth in the constellation Taurus, the Crab Nebula can be spotted with a small telescope and is best observed in January. The nebula was discovered by English astronomer John Bevis in 1731, and later observed by Charles Messier who mistook it for Halley’s Comet. Messier’s observation of the nebula inspired him to create a catalog of celestial objects that might be mistaken for comets.
Telescope : T120 (www.obs-hp.fr/guide/t120.shtml)
Camera : Andor iKon-L 936 (www.obs-hp.fr/guide/camera-120/camera-120.shtml)
Filters : UBVRI Filter Set (www.obs-hp.fr/guide/camera-120/ubvri.shtml)
Acquisition :
Lights : RGB, total ~15min
Darks : no darks
Flats : 25 flats for each color
Bias : 25
Software :
Pre-processing : DeepSkyStacker
Processing : Siril, Pixinsight
Post-processing : Lightroom, Photoshop
Celestron CGEM 1100HD with Canon 60Da. Manual guiding using Celestron's off-axis guider and Orion's 12.5mm illuminated reticle eye piece.
Stack of 25 images taken at ISO 800 with 10 minute exposures. Dark frames and flats were taken after the session. DeepSkyStacker was used along with GIMP for PP.
This galaxy is about 22 million light-years away and is about 11 arc-min across (1/3rd the diameter of the moon. It is fairly bright at mag 9.5 but bad seeing made photographing it hard.
IC2944 - Running Chicken Nebula
Imaging telescopes : Skywatcher Esprit 100ED APO Triplet
Imaging cameras: ZWO 1600MM-COOL
Mounts: Sky Watcher NEQ6 pro
Guiding telescopes : Skywatcher Esprit 100ED APO Triplet
Guiding cameras: ASI290MM
Software: Photoshop CC Photoshop · Astrophotography Tool · DeepSkyStacker 4.1.1 64bit Deepskystacker
Filters: Chroma 5nm HA · Chroma Sii 3nm · Chroma OIII 3nm
Accessory: ZWO EFW 36 mm Filter Wheel
Frames:
Chroma 5nm HA: 28x600" (gain: 139.00) -15C bin 1x1
Chroma OIII 3nm: 28x600" (gain: 139.00) -15C bin 1x1
Chroma Sii 3nm: 24x600" (gain: 139.00) -15C bin 1x1
Integration: 13.3 hours
Darks: ~30
Flats: ~30
Flat darks: ~30
Bortle Dark-Sky Scale: 6.00
Astrometry.net job: 3957246
RA center: 11h 37' 15"
DEC center: -63° 8' 48"
Pixel scale: 1.414 arcsec/pixel
Orientation: 91.300 degrees
Field radius: 1.104 degrees
Well wonders will never cease - we got a clear moonless night last night :)
This is Andromeda (well, some if it), and its two satellite galaxies M32 and M110. 2.5 million light years away and on a collision course with our galaxy, so don't worry too much about your pension ;)
This is my first serious attempt at M31, apart from a rather weak effort with the scope when I first started indulging in this masochistic activity. Considering how close it is (relatively speaking), the outer details of this thing are infuriatingly faint. This is 2 hours, so, in my ignorance, I expected a little bit more - the outer lanes would have been nice. We live and learn :)
Nikon D70 modded, 55-200 Nikkor at 200mm (cropped, a lot), f5.6, 800iso, Baader Neodymium filter.
30 x 4 min, unguided EQ5
Darks, flats and bias
Stacked and processed in DSS and CS5, with a little help from Noel's tools.
Reprocessed here.
IC 1396 is a star cluster surrounded by an area of (very faint, I discovered) nebulosity in the constellation Cepheus, about 2,400 light years away. The area contains the Elephant's Trunk Nebula, which you can't see clearly in the above image, but it is in there somewhere! The bright orange star to the left is the red supergiant Mu Cephei (μ Cephei), also known as Herschel's Garnet Star (garnet from the colour), and is one of the biggest and most luminous stars in our galaxy. It is 1650 times larger than our sun, and if placed where our sun is, it's radius would extend between the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn. It's a big fella!
This is the first iteration, and I will no doubt have several goes at this. One of the most difficult I've had to process, for three hours total exposure the noise was horrendous, and the signal weak. I'm sure there's more there, but I was constantly struggling against the noise and the most appalling colour gradients I've ever seen! First time I've managed 5 minute subs unguided, which is a result.
Nikon D70 full spectrum, 55-200 Nikkor at 175mm (cropped), f6.3, 1600iso, Baader Neodymium filter.
20 x 4 min and 20 x 5 min subs for a total of 3 hours (longest I've done so far), unguided EQ5
Darks, flats and bias
Stacked and processed in DSS and CS5, with a little help from Noel's tools.
Second iteration to follow once I've got rid of my headache and got about five hours to kill :)
While Comet Holmes is quite large (about 1° in width) it is much fainter than it was two months ago. However, Comet Tuttle is returning to the inner solar system. It's about magnitude 6 and just visible in dark skies. In light polluted city skies it is just barely visible. With a four 30-second exposures stacked and 7 dark frames subtracted I was able to tease out the faint green of Comet Tuttle.
On December 30 it will make its way toward the constellation Triangulum and come very close to the Triangulum Galaxy.
my very first astro picture! :) sony a6000, Minolta MD Tele Rokkor 2.8/135 @ f4, 1s@ISO3200 on static tripod, 12 Lightframes, 11 Darkframes, 11 Flatframes stacked in DeepSkyStacker