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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.
(Updated Post: Learned how to use PixInsight and got a much better result!)
First attempt at an apparently very difficult object. I think you're supposed to utilize different types of filters to pull out the color detail, but it looks like I obtained some decent nebula structure.
NGC 2359 is an emission nebula in the constellation Canis Major. The nebula is approximately 3,670 parsecs away and 30 light-years in size. The central star is the Wolf-Rayet star WR7, an extremely hot star thought to be in a brief pre-supernova stage of evolution.
Image Details:
Imaging Scope: Astrotelescopes ED 80mm Refractor
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI183MC Color with IR/UV Cut Filter
Guiding Scope: William Optics 66mm Petzval
Guiding Camera: Orion Starshoot Auto Guider
Acquisition Software: Sharpcap
Guiding Software: PHD2
Light Frames: 25*5 mins @ Gain=100
Stacked in Deep Sky Stacker
Processed in PixInsight and Adobe Lightroom
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
I’d starting the evening with my planetary scope but seeing was very poor so I swapped over to my 480mm f/6 refractor instead.
I should have guessed seeing was poor as a lot of airliners were flying overhead during the day - usually a sign that they are chasing a tailwind from the turbulent jet stream.
I had hoped to get quite a few hours of data but only got 41 x 2 minutes. Once I had done my polar alignment and basic focus at Park, I was able to run the whole session indoors from my IPad including plate solving GOTO and automatic multi star FWHM focusing.
I reduced my exposure time down to 2 minutes and gain to 0 as it’s difficult to accommodate both the bright stars and faint nebulosity of the Pleiades.
Technical Card:
480/80mm f/6 Altair Starwave triplet refractor.
Altair Planostar 1.0 x FF with 2 inch IDAS LPS P3 filter
ZWO ASI2600MC; 41 x 2 minute subs, Gain 0, Offset 50, Temp = -10c.
EQ6 pro mount with Rowan belt drives. EQMOD control. Primalucelab Sesto Senso electronic focuser.
Session control; SharpCap 4.0 on laptop with WiFi link to IPad.
50 dark frames
50 flat frames (electroluminescent panel, 1 second exposure @ 0 gain).
Post processed in PixInsight 1.8.9.
Local parameters:
Temp: 0.3c
Humidity: 99%
Dew point: 0.2c
Light Pollution and Weather:
SQM (L) at end of session = 20.2 mag/arcsec2.
Session ended by cloud, all subs good.
Polar Alignment:
QHY Polemaster alignment -
Error measured by PHD2= 0.2 arc minute.
RA drift + 1.21 arcsec/min
Dec drift + 0.04 arcsec/min
Guiding:
PHD2 guiding with ZWO ASI290mm/Altair Starwave 206/50mm guider.
RA RMS error 0.62 arcsec
Dec RMS error 0.59 arcsec
Astrometry:
Center: RA: 3 47 16.236 Dec: +24 06 15.58
Size: 2d 23' 52.7" x 1d 44' 6.8"
Image scale: 1.612 arcsec/pixel
Focal distance: 481.09mm
Pixel Size 3.76 microm
Messier 38 (M38 or NGC 1912) is a large open cluster found in the constellation Auriga. It lies at a distance of about 4,200 light years away from Earth and is about 13 light years across. Also included in this view is open cluster NGC 1907 to the upper right of M38.
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. Darks and bias included. Image date: December 20, 2019. Location: The Dark Side Observatory, Weatherly, PA, USA.
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
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
Telescopio: APM APO-SD 140/980 mm f 7 + Barlow APO 1.5X aplanatica
Camera di acquisizione: QHY5III178C
Montatura: iOptron CEM60
Software: SharpCap 3.0, Emil Kraaikamp Autostakkert 2.6.8, Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight 1.8, Astra Image 4 SI
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.
TS65APOQ, SkyWatcher EQ6-R Pro, Altair Hypercam 183C. 75 of 100 Subs Captured in SharpCap Pro. Processed in PIPP and Registax6. Finished in Lightroom.
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
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.
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.
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.
R,G,B color composite image using IR650nm Longpass filter instead of Red. Images captured at 02:24, 02:26 and 02:29 UT July 6.
Software used, SharpCap, Autostakkert, Winjupos, Registax, Topaz Sharpen AI.
Genova, Italy (28 Oct 2022 21:25 UT)
Planet: diameter 48.0", mag -2.8, altitude ≈ 44°
Telescope: Orange 1977 vintage Celestron C8 (203 F/10 SC)
Mount: EQ5 with ST4 hand controller (no GoTo)
Camera: QHY5III462C Color
Barlow: GSO APO 2.5x
Filter: QHY UV/IR block
Recording scale: 0.150 arcsec/pixel
Equivalent focal length ≈ 3990 mm F/19.7
Image resized: +50%
Recording: SharpCap 4.0
(640x480 @ 60fps - 120 sec - RAW16 - Gain 120)
Best 25% frames of 7233
Alignment/Stacking: AutoStakkert! 3.1.4
Wavelets/Deconvolution: AstroSurface T5
Final Elaboration: GIMP 2.10.30
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).
Here is a line of craters near the lunar terminator on October 22, 2018. From left to right it includes Pythagoras, Anaximander, Carpenter and Pascal.
Tech Specs: Sky-Watcher Esprit 120mm ED Triplet APO Refractor, ZWO ASI290MC, Televue 2.5x Powermate (1.25”), best 25% of 30k frames, captured using SharpCap Pro v3.1. Image date: October 22, 2018. Location: The Dark Side Observatory, Weatherly, PA, USA.
Foto lograda sumando los datos de 2 equipos distintos (14 h de exposición Total):
1) ASI1600MM-pro + SW Esprit 100 + NEQ6pro rowan mod + optolong LRGB filters. Guide: guidescope 60mm and QHY5L II M – 68 x 3 min L, 20 x 3 min R, 20 x 3 min G, 19 x 3 min B. 100 flats per filter, 100 darks, gain 100: Capturado por Juan Filas
2) Equipo Principal: NIKON D7500 + SW Explorer 200p + SW Coma Corrector 0.9x + EQ6-R-Pro + ZWO EAF
Equipo guía: guidescope 60/240 mm, camara guia ZWO ASI 120mm mini
ISO 800, 154 x 180" Lights
100 Darks
100 Flats
85 Bias
Polar Align: SharpCap 3.2
Adquisición: SGP 3.1
Capturado por Ariel Cappelletti
Procesado de Imagen: Juan Filas / Ariel Cappelletti
Capturado en Cielo clase Bortle 2, desde Observatorio la Banderita, La Pampa, Argentina.
Gracias Especiales a Leonardo Julio (www.astronomiapampeana.com.ar) por la invitación tanto a Juan como a mì para ir al Observatorio.
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Image achieved by the addittion of data from to different equipments (14 h of total exposure):
1) ASI1600MM-pro + SW Esprit 100 + NEQ6pro rowan mod + optolong LRGB filters. Guide: guidescope 60mm and QHY5L II M – 68 x 3 min L, 20 x 3 min R, 20 x 3 min G, 19 x 3 min B. 100 flats per filter, 100 darks, gain 100: Captured by Juan Filas
2) Main Equipment: NIKON D7500 + SW Explorer 200p + SW Coma Corrector 0.9x + EQ6-R-Pro + ZWO EAF
Guiding Equipment: guidescope 60/240 mm, ZWO ASI 120mm mini
ISO 800, 154 x 180" Lights
100 Darks
100 Flats
85 Bias
Polar Align: SharpCap 3.2
Acquisition: SGP 3.1
Captured by Ariel Cappelletti
Image Processing By Juan Filas / Ariel Cappelletti
Taken under skies Bortle 2, from Observatorio La Banderita, La Pampa, Argentina, special thanks to Leonardo Julio for the invitation to Juan and me to travel to La Banderita (www.astronomiapampeana.com.ar).