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A wide field view of IC 1396 nebula that contains the "Elephant's Trunk Nebula". The Elephant's Trunk Nebula is a concentration of interstellar gas and dust within the much larger ionised gas region of IC 1396 located in the constellation Cepheus about 2,400 light years away from Earth. In this wide view, the Elephant's Trunk is centred in the lower half of the image.
14 nights of imaging
October 14,15,24,28 2021
November 3,4,5,6,7,8,10,11,12,13 2021
Imaging locations
My home in Gérgal, Almeria, Spain. Elevation 720m
Negratín reservoir, Granada, Spain. Elevation 680m
Bortle class 4 - 5 at both locations
Exposures and filters
Sii - 152 x 300 seconds = 12.5 hours
Oiii - 178 x 300 seconds = 14.8 hours
Ha - 137 x 300 seconds = 11.4 hours
Total integration time: 38.7 hours
Equipment
Telescope: William Optics GT81 with x0.8 reducer / field flattener
Focal length: 385mm at f/4.7
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI6200 MM Pro at full frame (62 Mpx) -5C
Autofocus: PegasusAstro focus cube V2
Filters: ZWO 2" 7nm Ha, Sii and Oiii
Guide scope: William Optics off axis guider
Guide camera: ZWO ASI120MM Mini
Telescope mount: Celestron CGX
Capture computer: PrimaLuce Labs EAGLE 4
Software: N.I.N.A, PHD 2, Sharpcap Pro, PixInsight, Topaz Labs, Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop
#IC1396 #ElephantTrunkNebula #astrophotography #deepspace #narrowband
Sunflower galaxy M63, is a spiral galaxy that lies 35 million light years from us in constellation of Canes Venatici. Gear setup: Celestron edge HD8 @ f/7, iOptron GEM45 guided by OAG + ZWO 174MM, ZWO 2600MC @ -5, Optolong L-Pro. Lights subs 180sec x 68, Darks 10, Flats 10, Bias 50, all Bin 2x2. Total exposure 3.4 hours. Captured by APT, Sharpcap pro, PHD2. Stacked in APP, Processed in PI & PS.
Some rare clear skies allowed me an opportunity to capture Sunspot AR2804 earlier today, a nice little sunspot group. Nothing fancy, just a white light glass filter on Meade 12” scope.
TECH SPECS: Meade 12” LX-90, Celestron CGEM-DX pier mounted, ZWO ASI071mc-Pro, Antares Focal Reducer, Meade White-Light Solar Filter. Captured using SharpCap v3.2, stacked in Autostakkert, sharpened in Registax, final image in Corel Paintshop Pro. Image Date: February 25, 2021. Location: The Dark Side Observatory, Weatherly, PA, USA.
IC1396 with the ES 80mm ED triplet APO refractor
Zwo ASI1600MM Pro cooled mono camera and Orion Field Flattener
Had clear skies last night, good tracking
Astronomik 1 1/4" 12nm Ha filter
#SharpCap Pro, PoleMaster
Ioptron CEM 25 EQ mount, PHD2 guiding
Orion 30mm guidescope Zwo 120MM mini
200 Gain offset 50, 0c cooling,
IC1396 was 120 minutes, 5 minute exposure each
12 darks 32 flats and 32 bias frames
Astro Pixel Processor and PS
Located in the constellation of Cephus, a bright red hydrogen alpha gas forms the shape of a flying bat and lying within, is the very faint blue Giant Squid shaped nebula. Located 2,300 light-years from Earth, the Flying Bat spans 8 full moons.
This project spanned 13 nights imaging from December 4 2021 until January 12 2022. The total imaging time of 28 hours was barely enough to pick out the very faint details of the Giant Squid and will be an on-going project to develop more details in the image. I will revisit this challenging target next year adding sulphur II and RGB to give it more natural detail in the stars and nebula.
Technical details:
Location:
Gérgal, Almeria, Spain. Bortle class 4.5
Filters used:
Oiii 218 x 300s = 18 Hours
Ha 129 x 300s = 10.75 Hours
Equipment:
Telescope: William Optics GT81 with x0.8 Field Flattener @ 385mm
Image Camera: ZWO ASI 2600 MM Pro -5 C
Pegasus Astro Falcon rotator
Pegasus Astro Focus Cube
ZWO 7 Position filter wheel
ZWO Filters 7nm Oii and Ha
Guide scope: William Optics 50mm Uniguide 200mm f/4
Guide camera: ZWO ASI 192 MM Mini
Software:
N.I.N.A, PHD2, Sharpcap Pro, PixInsight and Lightroom Classic.
Equipo Principal: ZWO ASI 1600 mm-pro + SW Explorer 250pds + SW Coma Corrector 0.9x + EQ6-R-Pro + ZWO EAF + ZWO 7x2" EFW
Equipo guía: starguider 60/240 mm, ZWO ASI 120mm mini
*Gain 139, -20 º C, Ha 7nm 2" Optolong, 140x180"
*Gain 139, -20 º C, Oiii-CCD 6.5 nm 2" Optolong, 72x180"
*Gain 139, -20 º C, Sii-CCD 6.5 nm 2" Optolong, 62x180"
100 Darks
100 Flats por filtro
Polar Align: SharpCap 3.2
Adquisición: SGP 3.1
Procesado: Pixinsight 1.8.8, PS
43 Minutes of data taken with a QHY183c camera and 54 minutes with DSLR were combined and this is the result.
M51 with the Rokinon lens 135mm
Zwo ASI071MC Pro cooled color camera
Had clear skies last night, but windy
Pegasus Power Box and EAF
Zwo IR/cut filter 2"
#SharpCap Pro, PoleMaster
Orion Skyview Pro EQ mount
100 Gain offset 20, 0c cooling,
M51 was 55 minutes, 30 seconds exposure each
50 darks 50 flats and 50 bias frames
Astro Pixel Processor and PS
Plus the moon, Orion 102mm Mak-Cass telescope Zwo 290MC camera AS3 RegiStax6 and PS
This is an RGB image + some h alpha data. Captured in the Israeli desert (the Negev)
Equipment: Celeatron Cpc1100 Millburn wedge Starizona hyperstar Zwo asi294mc for imaging + asi178mc for guiding Finderscope for guiding
Acquisition: 60 subs of 32 seconds for RGB 20 subs of 64 seconds for hydrogen alpha (This is an f/2 config) Captured with sharpcap and guided with phd2
Processing: Stacked in pixinsight Processed and enhanced in photoshop including noise reduction, sharpening etc.
I know this is kind of noisy.. but it was the end of the night and I didn't know what to capture :) so I gave it a quick go...
A quick shot of Saturn on October 18, 2018. Probably the last imaging for this season. Best 25% of 30k frames.
Tech Specs: Sky-Watcher Esprit 120mm ED Triplet APO Refractor, Celestron CGEM-DX mount, ZWO ASI290MC, unguided, 30k frames captured with SharpCap. Image date: October 18, 2018. Location: The Dark Side Observatory, Weatherly, PA, USA.
NGC 7380 Nebula
Technicals:
Telescope: Orion 8 inch f4 Astrograph
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5
Imaging Camera: ASI294MC Pro cooled to -5C . Gain 120. Captured 48 exposures of 180 seconds each.
Used the excellent Televue Paracoor Type-2 corrector.
Guiding: PHD2 with ASI178MC Camera on a ZWO 30mm, 120mm focal length, guidescope.
Filter Used: STC Astro Duo Narrowband
No Darks or Calibration Frames.
Processed in Pixinsight with Finishing Touches in Corel Paintshop Pro. Captured with APT. Polar Aligned with Sharpcap Pro.
Site: Landers, California, USA. Bortle 4 zone.
Not the best as I was shooting in the Austin, Texas Light dome for this. Has to get around that. I did find a lot of very power capabilities within PixInsight to process this, which saved it. (especially, the ability to separate the comet from the stars, process the comet and then merge the files). Still, a nice little comet that is expected to brighten somewhat by January 2023.
Image Details:
- Imaging Scope: William Optics 61mm ZenithStar II Doublet
- Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI183MC Color with UV/IR Blocking filter
- Guiding Scope: William Optics 66mm Petzval
- Guiding Camera: Orion Starshoot Auto Guider
- Acquisition Software: Sharpcap
- Guiding Software: PHD2
- Capture Software: SharpCap Pro (LiveStack mode with dithering)
- Light Frames: 15*1 mins @ 100 Gain, Temp -10C
- Dark Frames: 15*1 mins
- Stacked in Deep Sky Stacker
- Processed in PixInsight, Adobe Lightroom and Topaz Denoise AI
M20 The Trifid Nebula and the M21 Open Cluster
The Trifid Nebula (catalogued as Messier 20 or M20 and as NGC 6514) is an H II region located in Sagittarius. It was discovered by Charles Messier on June 5, 1764.[3] Its name means 'divided into three lobes'. The object is an unusual combination of an open cluster of stars; an emission nebula (the lower, red portion), a reflection nebula (the upper, blue portion) and a dark nebula (the apparent 'gaps' within the emission nebula that cause the trifurcated appearance; these are also designated Barnard 85). Viewed through a small telescope, the Trifid Nebula is a bright and peculiar object, and is thus a perennial favorite of amateur astronomers.[4]
The Trifid Nebula is a star-forming region in the Scutum spiral arm of the Milky Way. The most massive star that has formed in this region is HD 164492A, an O7.5III star with a mass more than 20 times the mass of the Sun. This star is surrounded by a cluster of approximately 3100 young stars.
(Wikipedia.org)
Technical Information for This Image
This image was the result of only 8 exposures at 240 seconds and a Gain of 140 on a ZWO ASI294MC Pro camera cooled to -5C. No darks, flats, or bias frames were used. The image was taken through an Explore Scientific ED102 APO refractor with FL 714mm and a F7 ratio. The mount used was a Celestron Advanced VX. An Orion 50mm guidescope was used with a ZWO ASI290MC camera for guiding. The guiding was directed by PHD2 auto-guiding software. Polar alignment was done with SharpCap Pro software. Acquisition of exposure frames was through Astrophotography Tool (APT) software. As this object is viewed toward the center of our Milky Way galaxy, the use of star masks in the post processing Pixinsight software proved important, along with all the other great tools that Pixinsight offers.
soul_neb-65x120-g20-o100-qhy183c_-15C-lnh-85f5_6-v3
130 minutes of exposure in 2 minutes sub-images (65x120 sec.) QHY183c at -15C cooling, Gain 20, Offset 100, Optolong L-eNhance filter, Televue TV-85 at F/5.6. SharpCap 3.2 for acquisition and LiveStacking.
Metro area LP conditions (Bortle 7-8 zone,) clear, 55F, above average transparency.
Equipo Principal: ZWO ASI 178mc + SW Explorer 250pds + EQ6-R-Pro + ZWO EAF + Barlow Celestron X-Cel LX 3X
10% of 10.000 frames selected in PIPP and stacked in Registax6
scale: 4 pix/km
SharpCap 3.2, PIPP, Registax6, Pixinsight 1.8.8, PS
A quick attempt between high-level clouds and some guiding issues. This is with the ZWO Duo Band filter. More data next month.
The Rosette Nebula spans a distance of about 100 lightyears across and is located 5,000 lightyears from Earth in the Monoceros constellation.
Image Details:
- Imaging Scope: William Optics 61mm Zenithstar II Doublet
- Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI183MC Color with UV/IR Blocking filter
- Guiding Scope: William Optics 66mm Petzval
- Guiding Camera: Orion Starshoot Auto Guider
- Filter: ZWO Duo Band (HA & OIII)
- Acquisition Software: Sharpcap
- Guiding Software: PHD2
- Capture Software: SharpCap Pro (LiveStack mode with dithering)
- Light Frames: 15x5 mins @ 100 Gain, Temp -20C
- Dark Frames: 15*5 mins
- Stacked in Deep Sky Stacker
- Processed in PixInsight, Adobe Lightroom and Topaz Denoise AI
ic443-276x30-g37-o15_-20C-qhy183c-uhcs-85f5_6-v3.jpg
Technical:
Taken on Feb 29, 2020. 276x30 sec @ Gain 37 (1 to 54 range,) Offset 15, QHY183c at -20C, UHC-S filter, Televue TV-85 at F/5.6, Atlas EQ-G w/EQMOD. Orion Mini-Guidescope with Rising Tech Sony IMX224 eyepiece cam.
Acquisition: Livestacking in SharpCap 3.2 with dither, PHD2 Guiding.
Location: Metro area location with heavy LP (Bortle 8 Red Zone.)
ظاهرة الكسوف الجزئي للشمس من سماء الدوحة حيث حدث الكسوف يوم الثلاثاء ٢٥/١٠/٢٠٢٢ في الساعة ١:٣٥ظهرا. و قد وصل الكسوف ذروته عند الساعة ٢:٤٧ حيث تم حجب قرص الشمس بنسبة ٣٨ ٪ . تحدث هذة الظاهرة نتيجة مرور القمر امام قرص الشمس . On Tue 25/10/2022, Doha witnessed a partial solar eclipse of maximum 38% @ 2:47 PM Sun coverage. This happens due to Moon pass in front of the Sun. This image is taken by Hydrogen filter telescope. As you can see the solar flares & prominence. Gear setup: Coronado PST double stack, Baader UV/IR cut, TV powermate 2.5x, ZWO 294MC @ 0, iOptron GEM 45. Captured by Sharpcap pro, stacked in Autostakkart! and processed in Registax.
We feel very lucky in Tallahassee though super bad for the folks to our east and for the loss of life inland.
Skymax 150mm f/12 Mak and ZWO ASI432MM. IR pass filter. Sharpcap, Autostakkert, MS ICE, and Photoshop. Seeing was quite good for North Florida.
Here is a view of Saturn taken on August 28, 2018 along with some of the major rings components identified.
Tech Specs: Sky-Watcher Esprit 120mmED Triplet Refractor, Celestron CGEM-DX mount, ASI 290MC, and Televue 2.5x Powermate (1.25”). Captured with SharpCap software (best 25% of 30k frames) and processed in Corel Paintshop Pro. Image Date: 23 August 2018. Location: The Dark Side Observatory, Weatherly, Pennsylvania, USA.
Jupiter, Aug 20 2021. I had my Questar 3.5" scope serviced at the Mother Ship in New Hope, PA. It seems to be working nicely, this capture was very simple using the camera in the eyepiece port with the Questar barlow. That's Io moving away from the face having just completed a transit..
Tech Stuff: Questar 3.5" scope with internal barlow/QHY5iii178/SharpCap/AS3/RS6/ACDSee.
The Sword of Orion region, in the Orion Constellation. This features the amazing Orion Nebula (M42) as well as the smaller and less colorful Running Man Nebula (NGC1977). Hubble has spied new planets being formed around the newer stars in the heart of the Orion Nebula, thus making it a true stellar nursery.
Image Details:
- Imaging Scope: William Optics 66mm Petzval
- Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI183MC Color with UV/IR Blocking filter
- Guiding Scope: AstroTelescopes 80mm ED Refractor
- Guiding Camera: Orion Starshoot Auto Guider
- Acquisition Software: Sharpcap
- Guiding Software: PHD2
- Light Frames: 20x5 mins @ 100 Gain, -25F
- Dark Frames: 20*5 mins
- Stacked in Deep Sky Stacker
- Processed in PixInsight and Adobe Lightroom
Messier 46 (M46) is an open cluster that can be found in the constellation Puppis, to the upper left of the star Sirius in Canis Major. The cluster is fairly bright and contains about 500 stars and is about 5,400 light years away. If you close you can also spot the planetary nebula, a small ring, known as NGC 2437, while it looks like it is part of the cluster, it is actually in front of it by 2,500 light years.
Tech Specs: Sky-Watcher Esprit 120mm ED Triplet APO Refractor, Celestron CGEM-DX mount (pier mounted), ZWO ASI071MC-Pro running at -25C, 7 x 120 second exposures, GAIN 200, guided using a ZWO ASI290MC and Orion 60mm guide scope. Captured using SharpCap v3.2. Image date: January 21, 2020. Location: The Dark Side Observatory, Weatherly, PA, USA.
NGC 6543, also known as the Cat's Eye Nebula, is a bright and compact planetary nebula in the northern sky, in the constellation Draco. Its high surface brightness and bright-green color that stems from an emission line of double-checked oxygen ions allow it to be observed even from light-polluted cities, although its small size requires a high magnification to see details.
The center of the nebula features an intricate pattern of interlocking bright shells, maybe the result of an unseen, close companion star? The small bright dot in the center is a white dwarf, the burnt-out and slowly cooling core of an once sun-like star. This is surrounded by a more diffuse glow, in which high-resolution images, e.g., from the Hubble Space Telescope, reveal several concentric shells from multiple phases of the dying star blowing off its outer shell. But beyond the easily-visible center, there is also a very faint but extended outer nebula, also shining mostly in greenish O-III light and some traces of deep red Hydrogen emission. The outer nebula has a very peculiar hexagonal shape with spokes pointing towards the center. These are probably the remnants of even earlier material ejections from the central star.
The combination of the bright central nebula and its faint outer component is notoriously challenging to display without losing detail, and required some rather extreme adjustments of the image's brightness curve. But somehow I managed without doing a HDR blend of different exposures.
The data for this image was acquired over 2h 15min during a Saturday evening barbecue at the Volkssternwarte München, using the 16" Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope at 2.5 m focal length, a dual-narrowband filter for O-III and H-alpha light and an ASI 294MC pro color camera.
Equipment:
Telescope: Meade LX200 16" Schmidt-Cassegrain
Reducer/Flattener: Starizona SCT Corrector IV 0.63x
Filter: IDAS NBZ-II dual narrowband filter
Camera: ASI 294MC Pro @-5°C / gain 120
Mount: MAM-50 (equatorial, unguided)
Acquisition:
Lights: 405 x 20s
Calibration: flatfield, dark
Software: SharpCap Pro 4.1
Processing:
Stacking and post-processing: SiRiL
Sharpening: fitswork (central nebula only)
Final adjustments: Luminar 2018
FUN night results: TLDR 15 second exposures, lots of them and no guiding! Long post lots of info. Capture info in comments.
I was experimenting again last night with very short exposures, no guiding, no stress. Granted M27 is a very bright object but I wanted to see if I could stack many subs without having to guide and not get walking noise like I did last time I tried.
RGB was taken with Sharpcap and no dithering. I got slight amount of banding noise that the ASI 183 is known for. But seemed to be fine for the RGB channels. I took 120 frames of each color or 30 minutes each.
LUM I took with APT and dithered every frame through APT without the need for PHD2 to be involved. No walking noise at all, but I had a little issue a couple times where the mount dithered right across the frame lol. May have been a sticky DEC. Thin clouds came and went during LUM capture and it was getting late so I only got like 100 frames or less than 30 minutes. I would normally hope to get a couple hours of LUM.
Darks were really a big key difference in noise. Since exposures were only 15 seconds each I was able to take 30 darks in just a couple minutes so the temps were very very close to exposure temps 75F!! for RGB and 65F for LUM. Amp glow was a non issue after calibration.
My scope is little and slow. 65mm aperture and 420mm focal length for a ratio of 6.4. My camera is an un-cooled mono which is also has tiny pixels and does not capture a ton of light, and when it does, stars quickly saturate due to small full well capacity. I took so many frames that I was able to toss any that came out poor which I normally do not have the luxury of doing. My stars were nice tiny little round things, so satisfying!
Next time I will try some narrowband though I am not holding my breath for too much success. If the night is good and the target is in a good spot, I can get 60 second unguided exposures though.
Overall, I am extremely happy with the results and have the 8" RASA on my wish list :)
Technical data:
Celestron 114/900 Newton
Planetary camera QHYCCD QHY5L-II-C
filter UV IR cut
Sharpcap, Autostakkert 3, Registax 6, Autostitch, Adobe Photoshop, Camera Raw
Cabras - Sardinia - Italy
39°55'50'' N 8°31'49'' E
2021-11-18 23:17 UTC
Facebook profile: www.facebook.com/roberto.ortu.7509/
Instagram profile: www.instagram.com/ortu399/
Copyright: Roberto Ortu
Telescopio: Celestron C8 Edge HD
Montatura: iOptron CEM60
Camera di ripresa: ZWO ASI 174 mono Cooled
Filtro: Optolong Red CCD 50,8 mm
Software:SharpCap 3.2 Pro, Emil Kraaikamp Autostakkert 3.0.14, Zoner Photo Studio X v. 19, Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight 1.8, Astra Image 4 SI
Focuser: Moonlite CF 2,5" focuser with high resolution stepper DRO
Pose: 1007 a 150 ftgs
Lunghezza focale: 2032 mm
Seeing: 3 Trasparenza: 5
Here is a view of NGC 2261 also known as Hubble’s Variable Nebula. The dust cloud is being illuminated by the star R Monocerotis, the brightest area on the left of the fan-shaped nebula. It is thought the condensation near the star varies over time changing the illuminations of the fan. The star is roughly 2,500 light-years away from Earth.
Tech Specs: Sky-Watcher Esprit 120mm ED Triplet APO Refractor, Celestron CGEM-DX mount (pier mounted), ZWO ASI071MC-Pro running at -20C, 15 x 120 second exposures, GAIN 200, guided using a ZWO ASI290MC and Orion 60mm guide scope. Captured using SharpCap v3.2. Image date: January 22, 2020. Location: The Dark Side Observatory, Weatherly, PA, USA.
First view of Jupiter for this season under less than favorable conditions.
Tech Specs: Sky-Watcher Esprit 120mm ED Triplet APO Refractor, ZWO ASI290MC, Televue 2.5x Powermate (1.25”), SharpCap Pro v3.2, best 30% of 15k frames. Image date: 12 July 2019. Location: The Dark Side Observatory in Weatherly, PA, USA.
Messier 67 (also known as M67 or NGC 2682) is an open cluster in the constellation of Cancer. It has the nickname King Cobra cluster, not sure where that name came from but would love to know. The cluster is about 2,800 light-years away from Earth. From Burnham's Celestial Handbook, Volume 1, "It is a compact group, some 15' in diameter, and containing 500 or more members, from the 10th to the 16th magnitudes."
Tech Specs: Sky-Watcher Esprit 120mm ED Triplet APO Refractor, Celestron CGEM-DX mount (pier mounted), ZWO ASI071MC-Pro running at -25C, 20 x 60 second exposures, GAIN 200, guided using a ZWO ASI290MC and Orion 60mm guide scope. Captured using SharpCap v3.2. Image date: December 20, 2019. Location: The Dark Side Observatory, Weatherly, PA, USA.
Gorgeous night with very transparent and stable skies. A had a run of good luck with the guiding for once and this image at full size shows it. 1.1 arcsec/pixel resolution.
78 minutes of 3 minute sub-images, taken with a QHY183c camera, a Baader UHC-S filter, and a Televue TV-85 reduced down to F/5.6. Stacked live in SharpCap 3.2. Metro area LP location.
TS65APOQ, SkyWatcher EQ6-R Pro, Altair Hypercam 183C. 75 of 100 Subs Captured in SharpCap Pro. Processed in PIPP and Registax6. Finished in Lightroom.
Best 35% of 3500
Equipment used;
Celestron hd edge 8
ZWOasi224mc camera
Celestron x-cel lx 2 x Barlow
Captured using sharpcap, stacked in AS2, sharpened in registax and photoshop
NGC 4631 (also known as the Whale Galaxy or Caldwell 32) is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici. This galaxy's slightly distorted wedge shape gives it the appearance of a herring or a whale, hence its nickname. Because this nearby galaxy is seen edge-on from Earth, professional astronomers observe this galaxy to better understand the gas and stars located outside the plane of the galaxy. This galaxy lies 31 million light years away.
The Crowbar Galaxy (NGC 4656/57) is a highly warped barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Canes Venatici and is sometimes informally called the Hockey Stick Galaxies or the Crowbar Galaxy. Its unusual shape is thought to be due to an interaction between several other galaxies (NGC 4656, NGC 4631, and NGC 4627). It is about 30 million light years away.
Image Details:
- Imaging Scope: William Optics 61mm ZenithStar II Doublet
- Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI183MC Color with UV/IR Blocking filter
- Guiding Scope: William Optics 66mm Petzval
- Guiding Camera: Orion Starshoot Auto Guider
- Acquisition Software: Sharpcap
- Guiding Software: PHD2
- Capture Software: SharpCap Pro (LiveStack mode with dithering)
- Light Frames: 20*4 mins @ 100 Gain, Temp -20C
- Dark Frames: 20*4 mins
- Stacked in Deep Sky Stacker
- Processed in PixInsight, Adobe Lightroom and Topaz Denoise AI
Moon, 98.5% Waxing Gibbous. Scope: Altair 102ED-R with 0.8x Reducer. Mount: SkyWatcher EQ6-R Pro. Camera: ZWO ASI294MC Pro IR/UV Cut. 400 Frames Captured in SharpCap Pro. Processed in PIPP. Best 70% of 199 In AS!3. Wavelets in Registax. Finished in Lightroom CC.
M51 with the Rokinon lens 135mm
Zwo ASI071MC Pro cooled color camera
Had clear skies last night, but windy
Pegasus Power Box and EAF
Zwo IR/cut filter 2"
#SharpCap Pro, PoleMaster
Orion Skyview Pro EQ mount
100 Gain offset 20, 0c cooling,
M51 was 55 minutes, 30 seconds exposure each
50 darks 50 flats and 50 bias frames
Astro Pixel Processor and PS
Plus the moon, Orion 102mm Mak-Cass telescope Zwo 290MC camera AS3 RegiStax6 and PS
Anaxagoras Crater – diameter is 52 km and it is about 3.0 km in depth. It is located in the north polar region of the moon. Named after the Greek astronomer (500-428 BC). It is a relatively recent crater that has rays extending down to the crater Plato.
Tech Specs: ZWO ASI290MC camera and Meade 12” LX90 telescope mounted on a Celestron CGEM-DX mount. Software used included Sharpcap v2.9 and AutoStakkert! Alpha Version 2.3.0.21. Photographed on February 6, 2017 from Weatherly, Pennsylvania.
Telescopio: Celestron C8 Edge HD
Montatura: iOptron CEM60
Camera di acquisizione:ZWO ASI 174 CMOS mono Cooled
Filtro: Meade Red 31,8 mm
Software:SharpCap 3.2 Pro, Zoner Photo Studio X v. 19, Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight 1.8, Avistack 2.0
Lunghezza focale: 2032 mm
Pose: 180 ssu 507 a38 ftgs
Seeing: 2 Trasparenza: 7
Jupiter, captured through a brief window of very good seeing before midnight of November 22, 2023. 12.5" f/5.1 home built newtonian (driven by OnStep), TeleVue 3x barlow, ZWO ASI290 mc, UV/IR blocking. I captured the video clips for creating this image using SharpCap Pro with a gain of 300 and an exposure of 8.2ms. I captured string of about 20 1-minute video clips, processed using Astrostakkert!3, using only 50% of the frames. I chose 11 consecutive 1-minute videos. I used an altazimuth mount, so I had to carefully correct for frame rotation before derotating in WinJupos. I processed the image(s) using Pipp, Registax, and Photoshop.
Here is a view on Earth’s moon in a region called Sinus Iridum (Bay of Rainbows), there are two capes, or points, named Promontorium Laplace and Promontorium Heraclides. This area has also been called the “jeweled scimitar” because of its resemblance to the scimitar sword (or sabre). If you look close, you can see some “wrinkle ridges” on the flat surface area. These were caused when lava cooled and contracted, they are also referred to as veins.
Tech Specs: Sky Watcher 120ED Esprit, Celestron CGEM-DX mount (pier mounted), ZWO ASI290MC, best 15% of 2500 frames, unguided. Captured using SharpCap Pro v3.2 and stacked in AutoStakkert! 3.0.14. Image date: December 7, 2019. Location: The Dark Side Observatory, Weatherly, PA, USA.
2nd test of this new remote telescope: Cassegrain 8" 3500mm in Ager.
More info at
astro.carballada.com/new-cassegrain-8-ager/
Technical card
Imaging telescope or lens:GSO 8" f12 Classical Cassegrain
Mount:Mesu 200 Mk2
Focal reducer:Baader Q-Barlow
Software:SharpCap, Emil Kraaikamp Autostackert! 3, Registax
Filter:Astronomik Proplanet 642 - 842 nm
Accessory:ZWO EFW
Resolution: 2912x1787
Date:Jan. 5, 2020
Time: 21:14
Frames: 30
FPS: 90.00000
Focal length: 3500
Locations: AAS Montsec, Àger, Lleida, Spain
Data source: Own remote observatory
Remote source: Non-commercial independent facility
NGC7000 North America Nebula. Scope: TSAPO65Q with TeleVue NPR-1073 0.8x Reducer + ZWO IRCUT Filter. Mount: SkyWatcher EQM-35 Pro. Camera: ZWO ASI294MC Pro. Guide: SkyWatcher 50mm EvoGuide with Altair 130M. 25x3 Mins in SharpCap Pro. Processed in APP. Finished in Adobe CC.
The 'West Coast' of the North America Nebula [NGC 7000 or Caldwell 20] Seen in the constellation of Cygnus.
The bright 'West Coast' is often called the 'Cygnus Wall'.
The over exposed orange star towards the top is 'Xi Cygni', or 'ξ Cygni'.
M: iOptron EQ45-Pro
T: William Optics GTF81
C: ZWO ASI1600MC-Cooled
F: IDAS filter (Light Polllution)
G: PHD2
GC: ZWO ASI120mini
RAW16; FITs
Temp: -15 DegC
Gain 200;
14 x Exp 200s
Frames: 14 Lights; 10 Darks; 100 Flats
100% Crop
Capture: SharpCap
Processed: DSS; APP, PS
Sky: 99% Moon, slight breeze, 30% to 80% cloud, mild, fair seeing.
Bortle 5 Sky.
Distance from Earth: 2,202 light years.
The Horsehead Nebula and Flame Nebula with a Zenithstar 61ii
This nebula pair in Orion is one of the most photographed Deep Space Objects in astrophotography. I used a small and simple rig consisting of a William Optics Zenithstar 61ii with an inexpensive Canon T7i DSLR mounted on it. The entire telescope and camera assembly could easily fit in a small backpack with plenty of room left over for other things. The unit was mounted on an iOptron CEM25P with guiding using a small ZWO 30mm fl 120mm guidescope and PHD2 guiding software. No darks or other calibration frames were taken ... just the 21 exposures at 240 seconds each. The ISO was set to 800. The site was a Bortle 4 and the temperature was 15 C (59 F). The Canon T7i DSLR sensor temperature was 21 C (70 F).
The exposures were captured with APT software. Processing was done with Pixinsight. Polar Alignment for the evening used SharpCap Pro. It's so relaxing to take such a small telescope out and use it to capture the beauty of the heavens while sitting back nearby in a comfortable chair with a cup of hot coffee in hand ... just looking with wonder at the sights above. What a blessing these nights are.
Exploring Messier 42 The Great Orion Nebula
Even though Messier 42 is one of the most photographed astrophotography targets, you can explore its details and change its poses tirelessly. My inexpensive little Orion 80ED APO could use a new focuser, but its optics are excellent. The little telescope is a technical powerhouse when used to explore the heavens. The scope was mounted on a Skywatcher HEQ5 with guiding via a very small ZWO 30mm fl 120mm guidescope and PHD2 guiding software. No darks or other calibration frames were taken. Exposures were 25x24s, 12x44s, and 50x12s with the ASI294MC Pro camera set to a gain of 120 and Bin of 2x2 and cooled to -5 C. No filters were used. The site was a Bortle 4 and the ambient temperature was 15 C (59 F).
Capturing the exposures was done with APT. Processing was done with Pixinsight with final touches put in with Corel Paintshop Pro. Polar Alignment for the evening used SharpCap Pro.
Here is a wide-field view of the northwest section of Mare Imbrium showing Sinus Iridum, the crater Plato and the Montes Rech mountain range.
Tech Specs: ZWO ASI290MC camera and Meade 12” LX90 telescope mounted on a Celestron CGEM-DX mount – an Antares Focal Reducer was used for the wide view. Software used included Sharpcap v2.9, AutoStakkert! Alpha Version 2.3.0.21, and ImagesPlus v5.75a. Best 2500 frames out of 10000 frames captured. Photographed on March 8, 2017 from Weatherly, Pennsylvania.
A stacked view of yesterday’s sun showing quite a few sunspots. Imaged in white light (glass filter), best 20% of 500 images. Solar cycle 25 is the current solar cycle, the 25th since 1755, when extensive recording of solar sunspot activity began. The peak solar activity month is currently estimated to be July 2025.
Tech Specs: Sky-Watcher Esprit 120ED Telescope, ZWO ASI2600MC camera, best 20% of 500 images, Sky-Watcher EQ6R-Pro pier mounted, ZWO EAF and ASIAir Pro, captured with SharpCap Pro and processed in Autostakkert. Image Date: July 31, 2023. Location: The Dark Side Observatory (W59), Weatherly, PA, USA (Bortle Class 4).
b33-262x30-g37-o200-qhy183c_-20C-lnh-85f5_6-v3
A full moon and Bortle 7-8 metro area conditions can't stop the Optolong L-eNhance filter. 131 minutes of 30 sec sub-images LiveStacked in SharpCap 3.2, QHY183c at -20C, Televue TV-85 at F/5.6.
Still learning my new mono camera
ASI183MM non cooled (30 F ambient temps)
AT65EDQ APO
CG5 ASGT
QHY 5lii guide camera
meade 60mm achro 300mm guide scope
16 @ 300 seconds HA 9nm Schuler filter
Software: ASCOM POTH, SharpCap Pro 3.1, Photoshop CC 2017, Google remote desktop, CdC, APT - Astro Photography Tool, PixInsight 1.8 Ripley PixInsight, ProDigital Software Astronomy Tools Actions Set
Accessories:Arduino Focuser DIY FocuserPro2 arduino focus motor ( Robert Brown)
Data source: Backyard