This image of NGC1499 was generated from the monthly image data given to iTelescope subscribers. The data was captured on their T80 telescope at E-Eye Fregenal de la Sierra on 27/10/2023.Because so few files had already been calibrated, the master files were created in AstroPixelProcessor before being processed in Pixinsight. The image is made up from 6 x LRGB 180s subframes giving a total integration time of 1.2 hours.

Manufacturer: Renault S.A., Boulogne-Billancourt (Paris) - France

Type: NN Torpédo 6CV

Production time: 1924 - 1928

Production outlet: ± 150,000

Engine: 951cc straight-4

Power: 15 bhp / 1.980 rpm

Drivetrain: rear wheels

Speed: 60 km/h

Curb weight: 810 kg

Wheelbase: 104.7 inch

Chassis: ladder frame with wodden subframe and separate body

Steering: screw and nut

Gearbox: three-speed manual + reverse / floor shift

Electric system: Bosch 12 Volts with starter/generator by Rhone, Paris

Ignition system: Bosch magneto

Brakes front: mechanical drum brakes

Brakes rear: mechanical drum brakes

Suspension front: semi-elliptic leaf springs

Suspension rear: transverse leaf springs

Rear axle: live

Differential: spiral bevel

Wheels: closed discs

Special:

- The model NN, aka Renault 6CV, was designed by Louis Renault and at first shown at the 1924 Mondial de l'Automobile in Paris.

- In the early '20s Renault released a series of new models, recognizable by their "cheese plate radiator” or "shovel-nosed" hood, with prominent "gills" on the sides of the bonnet/hood for cooling.

- The radiator was placed behind the engine, with the gas tank behind that (note the two caps on the hood).

- In 1927 it became the first car to make a solo trip across the Sahara Desert.

- The NN Series was assembled in Billancourt, France and available as this 2-door Roadster, as 2-door Coupé Limousine, as 4-door Torpédo, as 4-door Landaulet-Taxi, as 4-door Limousine and as rolling chassis for coachbuilders.

- In 1928 the larger and heavier NN2 was introduced (1928-1929), recognizable by the bumpers.

***************************************************************************

Photographed at Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada

(285 km by road north of Toronto)

between 23.10 and 23.13 EDT

* Altitude of comet's head at time of exposures: ~12°

* Temperature 17° C.

* Total exposure time: 1.25 minutes

* 105 mm focal length lens

___________________________________________

Description:

This comet has been touted as the brightest in a generation. The last comet that I can remember being this bright was Comet Hale-Bopp in 1997, which was undoubtedly the best comet that i will have seen in my lifetime.

This visitor to the inner solar system was discovered on March 20 this year by astronomers during the NEOWISE mission of the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) space telescope (hence the name of the comet). It reached naked eye visibility this month, and I finally got into a dark sky - with no Moon in the sky to wash out the fainter outer reaches of the tail - on July 17.

In this view we see the bright head of the comet at the bottom near the horizon, with the broad yellowish dust tail fanning out to the right, and the fainter, narrow bluish plasma or ion tail bordering the dust tail to the left.

At the time of this photo, Comet Neowise was 78 million km (0.52 astronomical units ("AU") - the distance from Earth to the Sun) from the Sun, and 109 million km (0.73 AU) from Earth, and shone at a brightness of third magnitude, with a 10 degree tail.

___________________________________________

Technical information:

Nikkor AF-S 70-200 mm f/2.8 G ED VRII lens on Nikon D810a camera body, mounted on Astrophysics 1100GTO mount with a Kirk Enterprises ball head

Six stacked frames; each frame:

105mm focal length

ISO 3200; 30 sec. exposure at f/5.6; unguided

With long exposure noise reduction

Subframes stacked in RegiStar;

Processed in Photoshop CS6 (levels, brightness / contrast, colour balance, deblurring of tree horizon)

***************************************************************************

Sunset through the rock hole

***************************************************************************

Photographed at Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada

(285 km by road north of Toronto)

between 23.10 and 23.13 EDT

* Altitude of comet's head at time of exposures: ~12°

* Temperature 17° C.

* Total exposure time: 1.25 minutes

* 660 mm focal length telescope

___________________________________________

Description:

This comet has been touted as the brightest in a generation. The last comet that I can remember being this bright was Comet Hale-Bopp in 1997, which was undoubtedly the best comet that i will have seen in my lifetime.

This visitor to the inner solar system was discovered on March 20 this year by astronomers during the NEOWISE mission of the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) space telescope (hence the name of the comet). It reached naked eye visibility this month, and I finally got into a dark sky - with no Moon in the sky to wash out the fainter outer reaches of the tail - on July 17.

In this view we see the bright head of the comet at the left side, with the broad yellowish dust tail fanning out to the right, and the fainter, narrow bluish plasma or ion tail bordering the dust tail at the top.

At the time of this photo, Comet Neowise was 78 million km (0.52 astronomical units ("AU") - the distance from Earth to the Sun) from the Sun, and 109 million km (0.73 AU) from Earth, and shone at a brightness of third magnitude, with a 10 degree tail.

___________________________________________

Technical information:

Nikon D810a camera body on Tele Vue 127is (127 mm - 5" - diameter) apochromatic astrograph, mounted on Astrophysics 1100GTO equatorial mount

Five stacked frames; each frame:

660 mm focal length

ISO 3200; 15 sec. exposure at f/5.2; unguided

With long exposure noise reduction

Subframes stacked in RegiStar;

Processed in Photoshop CS6 (levels, brightness / contrast)

***************************************************************************

Seestar S50

967 ten second subframes

A complete rework and framing from my previous version of the Pleaides.

This version was to show more of the dust clouds surrounding the reflection nebula which is just as interesting as the star cluster and it's nebula itself.

Captured from my home in Gérgal, Almería, Spain in two nights on the 28 and 29th of November 2021

Subframes:

Red: 168 x 120s = 5.6h

Green 172 x 120s = 5.7h

Blue 172 x 120s = 5.7h

Calibration

20 x Darks and Flat Darks

​​​​​​​20 x Flats per filter for each night

Margate, 2021.

It's not the best time here for astrophotography, the nights are short the summer solstice approaches.

But I managed to have 3 hours of data on the Western Veil

The Western Veil (also known as NGC 6960) is a part of the Cygnus Loop a large a supernova remnant whose explosion dates back 10.000 years.

The Western Veil is a nebula made of ionized gas and dust located about 1,400 light years from Earth

-Equipment-

Scope: TS-Optics 94/414 EPDH (414mm focal)

Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro at -5°C

Guiding: ZWO OAG

Guiding camera: ZWO ASI 120MM

Mount: Skywatcher EQ5

Filter: Optrolong L-eXtreme

-Acquisition-

Light : 36x300s ( 3h ) at Gain:101 Offset:49

Dark,Flat,Offset

Date : Take on 3 night 06/13-15/2021

Location : France-Alsace Bortle 4/5

-Software-

Carte du Ciel, N.I.N.A, Phd2 , PoleMaster and PixInsight

All Processing in Pixinsight

Use EZ_Processing Suite(by darkarchon) in Pixinsight

-Pre Processing-

Image Calibration

Cosmetic Correction

Debayer

Subframe Selector

Star Alignement

Local Normalization

Drizzle x2

Crop the black bands from the stacking

-Processing-

Linear Fit

Channel Combination

DBE

EZ_Deconvolution

Background Neutralization

Photometric Color Calibration

SCNR (green 50%)

EZ_Denoise

EZ_Soft Strech

EZ_HDR

Curves Transformation with mask on nebula for Saturation, Hue and K channel

EZ_Star Reduction

Clear skies !

Manufacturer: Auto Union AG, Auto Union AG, Chemnitz - Germany

Type: F4 Series Lastwagen

Engine: 692cc straight-2 two-stroke water-cooled

Power: 20 bhp / 4.000 rpm

Speed: 85 km/h

Production time: 1934 - 1936

Production outlet: unkown

Curb weight: 800 kg

Special:

- Auto Union was the result of a merger between four companies in 1932: Wanderer, DKW, AUDI and Horch.

- The emblem represents this amalgamation with its four rings, one representing each company.

- The shares were sold in 1964 to Volkswagen and from that time on they were called Auto Union (without DKW).

- In 1969, NSU became part of the union and became known as AUDI NSU. In 1985, it offically became known as AUDI.

- From 1931 until Juli 1963 they were build at Audi works in Zwickau, Germany.

- This DampfKraftWagen (DKW) "Lastwagen" / lorry was based on the F4 Series (1934-1935), having front wheel drive.

- It has a three-speed manual gearbox (with a lockable freewheel device), a "Krückstockschalthebel" / "umbrella stick" coming out of the dashboard, a 6-Volts electric system, a 32 liter fuel tank and front wheel drive.

- Its self-supporting body was supported by a U-profile plywood subframe, has rear hinged "suicide" doors for easier access and egress, independent suspension and drum brakes all around.

Our closest neighbor, the Andromeda Galaxy.

Another shot made with the new telescope OS Veloce RH200.

Also this image is a quite short expusure of the subject in a 4.5° field of view.

LLRGB made with all 10min subframes time are 30:30:30:30. A car passed during the exposure so a subtle reflection in form of an arch is visible on the image... What a pity.

Thanks for watching!

Widefield shot of M31 - taken with waxing crescent in the night sky

Taken using a 55-250mm telephoto lens at 170mm f/7.1

Canon EOS 700D on a HEQ5 Pro mount

1 hr 30 mins of subframes, 3 mins each at ISO 800

Stacked and processed in DSS and GIMP.

M42 The Orion Nebula imaged in HaOiiiOiii. The Ha image is mapped to red and consists of 6 hours of 60 second subframes. The Oii image is mapped to green and blue and consists of 4 hours worth of 60 second subframes.

Ha data was captured during December 2019 and January 2020.

Ts65 Quad Astrograph & ASI1600MM Pro camera

IC1805, the Heart Nebula with the open star cluster Melotte 15 inside. About 6500 light years away from us.

238 Subframes of 3 minutes each, just under 12 hours in total. +

200 calibrationframes.

Full version: theastroenthusiast.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/rosette...

Starless version: theastroenthusiast.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/starles...

I highly recommend opening the full version to take a closer look at some of the finer details revealed by the large integration time. A starless copy is also provided to show off fainter detail.

This incredibly detailed image of the Rosette nebula was created from more than 110 hours of exposure across three continents — Europe, USA, and Oceania. We combined 1064 subframes and 6791 minutes of exposure to reveal faint details previously masked by lower amounts of data. The high exposure time also allowed us to sharpen fine features, giving the image more contrast and revealing more fine structures.

On the top of the image lies a wispy structure of bok globules and dust, framed by the glowing ionized gas behind it. The center of the image displays the faint particle streams created by sulfur and oxygen gas blown away from the bright cluster of stars. Just below the center of the rosette nebula lies a beautiful mountain-like structure created by sulfur and hydrogen gas. Through the center of the image, faint wisps of glowing sulfer gas are visible above the dominant oxygen gas.

Credits:

Image Acquisition: Jens Unger (www.instagram.com/jazz.astro/), Rob Olson (www.instagram.com/the.robservatory/), Dominic Annis (www.instagram.com/domnuch/), Justin P. (www.instagram.com/justadudewitha_camera_/), Amrit Prasad (www.instagram.com/amrit.insta/), Tommy Lease (www.instagram.com/colorado_astro/), Jay Aigner (www.instagram.com/aignerastro/)

Image Processing: William Ostling (theastroenthusiast.com/), Justin P. (www.instagram.com/justadudewitha_camera_/)

We would love to have you in our astrophotography group! The link to join is in our Instagram bio: www.instagram.com/friendly.cosmos/

It was mostly cloudy this weekend so I didn't get much of a chance to add to the Orion images, I went out and tried shooting at a place I thought would make a good winter shooting location based on light pollution maps (easy access, supposedly bortle 3), turned out not so great, guess I'll have to keep searching. I also changed up my setup a little bit, opened up the legs on my tripod and hung a 20 pound dumbbell under it for better stability, now it's rock solid. I tried shooting 5 minute exposures with my D7000 and Samyang 135mm lens, it seems like I can get to 5 minutes fairly consistently with not too many subs that have to be thrown out (keeper rate of about 75% I'd guess), but once I go above 5 minute exposures the keeper rate drops down to probably 30%. The periodic error (?) of the mount is 10 minutes from what I've read so I guess once you get up to that length of exposure you are running into mount limitations. I'm thinking of buying a guidescope and camera and trying out some guiding with the mount to see if I can improve the keeper rate, I'd really love to take some super long exposures (like 10 minutes) to really bring out the dust around this area as well.

So I ended up only getting another 6 subs out of all the ones I shot thanks to clouds and tracking error, I decided to go back and re-calibrate, register, and stack in PixInsight this time using the subframe selector script to weight the subs prior to registering/stacking. I also tried not going to wild on the post processing and just focusing on bringing out the dust without destroying the image with noise.

Subframed by the Waterlily leaves.

“Water Lilies' is an extension of my life. Without the water the lilies cannot live, as I am without art.”

― Claude Monet

IMG_4751.jpgt.jpgp.jpgy

Manufacturer: Pontiac Motors Division, Kansas City, Kansas - USA / General Motors Company, Detroit, Michigan - U.S.A.

Type: Firebird Trans Am Turbo 4.9

Engine: 4940cc V-8 302 Turbo 90°

Power: 203 bhp / 4.000 rpm

Speed: 190 km/h

Production time: 1980 - 1981

Production outlet: 178,229 (all Firebirds 1980-1981)

Curb weight: 1706 kg

Special:

- This car of the second generation (1970-1981) has a three-speed Turbo-Hydramatic automatic gearbox, a Rochester M4MC 4-barrel carburettor, a Garrett TB305 turbocharger, a 12-Volts electric system, a 79 liter fuel tank and rear wheel drive.

- The separate partial F-body frame chassis with self-supporting body with front subframe has a 108.2 inch wheelbase, a bulge in the hood (to create more space for the turbo), recirculating ball VPAS steering, a special bird decal on the hood, turbo graphics on the hood and deck lid spoiler, front trapezoidal wishbones, independent coil spring front suspension with sway bar, longitudinal semi-elliptic rear suspension with anti roll bar, telescopic shock absorbers all round, special disc wheels, tire size P225/70 R 15, ventilated hydraulic servo disc brakes at the front and powered hydraulic drum brakes at the rear.

- A “Yellow Bird” package, an electronic-tuned stereo radio with a four-speaker system, a new dark blue interior color, and new seating which came in five colors were optional.

- The second generation Firebirds were assembled at plants in Van Nuys (California) and Norwood (Ohio). Norwood used lacquer based paint while Van Nuys used water based paint , due to California's tightening pollution regulations. The water based paint often failed and delaminated during the warranty period and subsequently, cars had to be repainted.

Another successful session using the Starizona HyperStar (converts sluggish f/10 telescope into speedy f/2.2). Detailed capture with only 16 minutes of integration time.

Date: October 29, 2025

Bortle Class 5 backyard, SF Bay Area (East Bay)

Capture: 16 x 60-sec subframes, OSC

Telescope: Celestron C9.25 SCT

Accessory: Starizona HyperStar C9.25-v4 lens

Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI 2600MC

Antlia Triband RGB Ultra, 2"

Mount: iOptron GEM45

ZWO ASIAIR Plus Control and Capture

Calibrated with Darks, Flats and Dark Flats

Processed with PixInsight, Photoshop

Happy 4th July fireworks!

Captured in wisconsin

Gear:

ES80 apo + 0.8x focal reducer ( f/4.8 with an effective focal length of 384 mm)

iEQ45 pro, guided with PhD

30min integration (1min subframes)

Olympus E-M5, ISO 1000, auto dark subtraction filter on

Stacked in Nebulosity, tweaks in Lightroom

Fireball captured in one frame was overlain on the stacked image in Photoshop.

Full write up here: theastroenthusiast.com/a-luminous-m101-with-outer-spiral-...

Big, beautiful spiral galaxy M101 is one of the last entries in Charles Messier’s famous catalog, but definitely not one of the least. About 170,000 light-years across, this galaxy is enormous, almost twice the size of our own Milky Way galaxy. M101 was also one of the original spiral nebulae observed by Lord Rosse’s large 19th century telescope, the Leviathan of Parsontown. M101 shares this modern telescopic field of view with more distant background galaxies, foreground stars within the Milky Way, and a companion dwarf galaxy NGC 5474 (upper left). The colors of the Milky Way stars can also be found in the starlight from the large island universe. Its core is dominated by light from cool yellowish stars. Along its grand design spiral arms are the blue colors of hotter, young stars mixed with obscuring dust lanes and pinkish star forming regions. Also known as the Pinwheel Galaxy, M101 lies within the boundaries of the northern constellation Ursa Major, about 23 million light-years away. Its companion NGC 5474 has likely been distorted by its past gravitational interactions with the dominant M101.

I chose to dump a lot of integration time with longer subframes (28 hours worth of 3 minute frames) to try to reveal some of the fainter outer arms not shown in most astrographs. I think I succeeded quite well – you can see the three fainter arms take shape on the left side of the galaxy. Compared to my last image of M101, this is quite the improvement!

You can view all the background galaxies in this image: flic.kr/p/2n8WdGu

Website: theastroenthusiast.com/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/the_astronomy_enthusiast/

Starless verison

Original image : flic.kr/p/2mDTTGu

-Equipment-

Scope: TS-Optics 94/414 EPDH (414mm focal)

Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro at -5°C

Guiding: ZWO OAG

Guiding camera: ZWO ASI 120MM

Mount: Skywatcher NEQ5

Filter: Astronomik L

-Acquisition-

Light :Panel-1 60x300s

Panel-2 60x300s

Panel-3 52x300s

Panel-4 60x300s

Dark-100x300s Flat-50 Bias-100

Date : Take on 2 night 05 September2021

and 10 October 2021

Location : France-Alsace Bortle 4/5

-Software-

Carte du Ciel, N.I.N.A, Phd2 , PoleMaster and PixInsight

Ez Processing Suite from darkarcon

darkarcon website : darkarchon.internet-box.ch:8443/

-Pre Processing each panels in PixInsight-

Image Calibration

Cosmetic Correction

Debayer

Subframe Selector

Star Alignement

Local Normalization

Drizzle x2

Dynamic crop

-Build the 4 panel mozaic

It's my first 4 panel mosaic so I follow this tutorial from Amy Astro www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0f8Tl_kC0A

-Processing

DBE master Light

Split L,R,G,B layer from Master light

__L__

Ez_Deconvolution

Ez_Denoise

Ez_Soft Streatch

Ez_HDR

UnsharpedMask with mask

__RGB__

Linear Fit

BackgroundNeutralization

PhotometricColorCalibration

Ez_Soft Streatch

Starnet++

CuvesTransformation with mask

A lot of curves...

Bring back stars with PixelMath

__LRGB__

LRGBCombination

Final CurvesTransformation

Ez_Star Reduction

DarkStructureEnhance script

Starnet++ for remove stars

Save as jpg

Clear Skies !

Seestar S50

393 ten second subframes - polar alignment

Tici Microcar (1971) Engine 998cc BMC A Series S4

Production 40 approx

Registration Number JCU 300 K (Leicester)

Pronounced Titchy

The project was created by British designer Anthony Hill, a Royal College of Art graduate and industrial design consultant based in Nottinghamshire. Before developing the TiCi, Hill had worked on everything from motorcycles and domestic appliances to wheelchairs, locomotives, and even marine projects. During the 1960s he became fascinated with the idea of a minimal urban commuter vehicle and founded TiCi Cars Ltd in 1966. The first prototype appeared in 1968. It was just six feet long and used a Triumph 500cc motorcycle engine combined with a highly experimental interconnected suspension system. Hill later returned to the idea with a more practical second-generation design, now known as the TiCi II. This version adopted Mini mechanical components but remained dramatically smaller than the donor car. Measuring only 89 inches long, it was roughly three feet shorter than a standard Mini. The wheelbase and track width were both set at exactly 50 inches, creating almost square proportions. The TiCi used a lightweight monocoque structure with a fiberglass body supplied in three separate sections. The entire Mini front subframe, complete with the A-Series engine and transmission, was relocated to the rear of the car, effectively making it a mid-engined machine. The front suspension was specially engineered because conventional Mini components would not fit the unusual dimensions. Despite its appearance the TiCi incorporated genuine safety engineering, including a reinforced windscreen surround and integrated crash structures. The removable roof panel and optional tiny fiberglass added some weather protection

Production officially began in 1972 after the TiCi debuted at the Evening News Motor Show Boat event, a floating motor show held aboard a Townsend Thoresen ferry. The car was promoted in Hot Car, Cars & Car Conversions, and Car Magazine, while television appearances on shows such as Tomorrow’s World, Blue Peter, and Record Breakers helped turn the TiCi into a cult sensation. Racing legend Stirling Moss became closely associated with the project and was frequently photographed driving a TiCi through central London. Inventor Clive Sinclair also supported the concept. Members of the rock and roll group Showaddywaddy owned several examples, while singer Eartha Kitt even appeared in promotional photos with the car. Around 40 TiCis are believed to have been built, with several exported overseas to Spain, Japan, and Cyprus. Most were sold as kits in yellow gelcoat finish, produced by Bourne Plastics

Diolch am 100,566,855 o olygiadau gwych, mae pob un ohonynt yn cael eu gwerthfawrogi'n fawr.

Thanks for 100,566,855 amazing views, every one is greatly appreciated.

Shot 12.11.2022, at the Classic Car Show, NEC, Marston Green, Birmingham REF 167-481

First Light with QHY163M

Gain:10

Offset:57

Camera: QHY163M Cooled CMOS to -30C

Telescope: 11" Celestron EdgeHD w/Hyperstar

Mount:Pier mounted CGEM-DX

46x30 second LUM subframes, unguided

flic.kr/p/NuqVFK

I added some RGB from an older image

This is a stack of 8 150 s exposures taken around 2021-06-11 05:15 UT. The Leo Triplet consists of M65 (lower right), M66 (lower left) and NGC 3628 (top). These galaxies appear in Leo, about 8° north of the ecliptic. Since the inclination of Vesta's orbit is a bit over 7° to the ecliptic and its orbit is larger than Earth's, it can be photographed with the three galaxies.

Subframes taken with an Atik 314L+ color CCD on a HyperStar on a Celestron Edge HD 925. Preprocessing in Nebulosity; processing in PixInsight with final touches in Photoshop.

Vesta is the bright object in the lower right corner.

lavender attached to subframing root on a house wall

Some of the 50000 or so starlings that return each day at dusk to roost on the metal subframe of the pier - Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales

Backside of Trollbeads silver pendant Naughty Dragon, designer Søren Nielsen.

Manufacturer: Wilhelm Karmann GmbH, Osnabrück - Germany / Volkswagen AG (VAG), Wolfsburg - Germany

Type: Typ 34 1500S Karmann Ghia Coupé

Production time: 1962 - 1965

Production outlet: 29,502

Production outlet: 42,505 (September 1961 - July 1969: 1500, 1500S and 1600 models)

Engine: 1493cc (HO4 OHV) four-cylinder boxer forced air-cooled

Power: 54 bhp / 4.200 rpm

Torque: 106 Nm / 2.400 rpm

Drivetrain: rear wheels

Speed: 145 km/h

Curb weight: 866 kg

Wheelbase: 94.5 inch

Chassis: central tubular frame with continuous deck, rear forked subframe and monocoque all-steel body

Steering: worm & roller with hydraulic damper

Gearbox: four-speed manual / all synchronized / floor shifter

Clutch: single dry plate disc

Carburettor: twin Solex 32 PDSIT downdraft

Fuel tank: 40 liter

Electric system: Bosch 6 Volts 77 Ah

Ignition system: distributor and coil

Brakes front: ATE hydraulic Duplex drums

Brakes rear: ATE hydraulic drums

Suspension front: independent lengthwise crank trailing arms, anti-roll bar connected to upper trailing links, crossed transverse round torsion spring rods, progressively acting rubber springs + hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers

Suspension rear: pendulum axle, double jointed CV joint trailing arms, transversely rotating torsion bars, progressively acting rubber springs + hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers

Rear axle: live swing type

Differential: spiral bevel 4.125:1

Wheels: 4½J x 15 safety rim wheels

Tires: 6.00S x 15L Bias 6-Ply tubeless

Options: Fichtel & Sachs Saxomat semi-automatic four speed transmission (an electromagnetic clutch with a centrifugal clutch used for idle), three-speed automatic transmission, Air Conditioning (USA), radio, electrically operated sliding steel sunroof

Special:

- The body, based on Typ 3 platform (VW 1500/1600) and for that called „große Karmann-Ghia“ / „big Karmann-Ghia“ in Germany, was restyled by Sergio Sartorelli from Carrozzeria Ghia SpA, Turin - Italy, but built by Karmann in Osnabrück - Germany.

- The Typ 34 was the flagship model of the entire Volkswagen line. It was the most expensive Volkswagen available (handcrafted body), the fastest, and the most luxurious (built-in fog lights, cigar lighter, electric clock, locking steering column, front & rear vent windows, variable wiper controls and luxurious interior).

- Initially, this would replace the original Type 14 Karmann Ghia, but later it was decided to assemble both types at the same time.

- Sales went bad because Type 34, nicknamed “Razor-Edge Ghia” in the UK, was almost as expensive as a Porsche 356 and it was not offered officially in the USA. But nowadays the USA has the largest number of known Typ 34’s Karmann Ghia’s left in the world (400 of the total 1,500 (officially registered) to 2,000 or so remaining.

- Currently, less than 1500 are worldwide registered at the “VW Type 34 Karmann Ghia Registry”, San Diego, California - USA.

- Production figures from Convertibles differences, but it is very likely that 12 vehicles (prototypes and zero-series) were built at Karmann in Osnabrück. Some sources mention 17 prototype units.

- Lorenz Karosserie GmbH, Wetter an der Ruhr, Northrhein Westfalen - Germany converted Coupé’s into Convertibles on customer request. There should have been about 20 Lorenz Convertibles.

This is part of my ongoing experiment to adapt one of my mono lunar/planetary cameras, a cooled ZWO ASI174MM, for deep sky work through my 300mm f/10 SCT. This is only a slightly trimmed LRGB image so M27 only just fits vertically in this close-up view. All luminance subframes were just 20 seconds each.

Practice experiments on two previous nights in the last week were ruined by a combination of poor skies with high cloud and some technical issues working out the right settings. I'm sure I can later improve on this image once I work out the optimum camera settings for the scope and add more data. The most important aspect was to gather appropriate dark and flat frames to ensure amp noise was removed.

The other parallel experiment was to abandon autoguiding and rely on the accuracy of my EQ8 mount.

Peter

L = 97x20 seconds

R = 13x30 seconds

G = 14 x30 seconds

B = 15x30 seconds

Peter

1 stack of 58 60s images, Canon 800D at ISO 800, Canon 400mm f5.6 lens at f6.3, iOptron Skyguider Pro tracker. 120 darks, 120 biases. Processed in PixInsight as below

* CC defect list + master dark (sigma = 8)

* Subframe selection

30*(1-(FWHM-FWHMMin)/(FWHMMax-FWHMMin))

+ 30*(1-(Eccentricity-EccentricityMin)/(EccentricityMax-EccentricityMin))

+ 20*(SNRWeight-SNRWeightMin)/(SNRWeightMax-SNRWeightMin)

+ 20

Eccentricity < 0.7 && SNRWeight > 1 && FWHM < 5. Keep frames 7173 and 7177 even though they failed the rejection conditions, for meteors

* star alignment:

img 8411 ref, frame adaptation (let's see if this works)

* ESD integration, range exclude

* drizzle integration, gaussian kernel\

*****Linear processing

*** Initial

* Crop

* DBE tolerance 3

*** CC

* PCC on Pleiades, default settings pixel size 2, background neutralization upper limit 0.0012

*** Decon

* star mask creation: extract luminance get starmask with starnet, then range mask 0.1-1 (1). from stretched luminance range mask 0.55-1 (2). Pixel math max the 2 as binary_star_mask. 4x dilate, 6x convolve

* PSF - ezdecon script

* background mask -ezdecon script and curves

* with background mask on, inverted, apply decon 100 iterations on luminance, deringing global dark 0.01 light 0.002 and local deringing with binary star mask, wavelet regularization

*** Denoise

Using jonrista.com/the-astrophotographers-guide/pixinsights/eff... as implemented by EZSuite.

* EZDenoise, TGV 1500 edge 1e-5, default MMT

***** Nonlinear

*** Initial stretch

* Masked stretch, default settings

* using a contrasty luminance as mask, curves stretch

*** Stretched color mods

* with binary_star_mask protecting stars, ACDNR on chrominance, lightness mask, stdev 4 iterations 6

* CC background ref upper limit 0.125

* invert, SNCR green 1, invert again (to fix magenta hues in whites)

* SNCR green 0.8

*** Star mods

* extract star mask with starnet, blur 3 layers of a trous, curve boost

* with it on, curve saturation upwards. Clone stamp out big stars - small_star_mask

* using that as a start, EZStarReduce using morphological transformation

* with small_star_mask on, unsharp mask 0.9, w/ deringing

***MLT stretch

www.stelleelettroniche.it/en/2014/09/astrophoto/m42-ngc19...

**Initial (fine details)

* created a new multiscale linear transform, kept 5 layers

* diffed from original image to create a "blurred" version of original image

* extracted luminance from original, s-shaped RGB curve used as mask on blurred version

* used curves to create s shape in RGB (asymmetrical, like a camera curve) and pump up saturation a lot

* pixelmath sum the 3, rescaled, back to original image

**Second (nebula)

* created a new multiscale linear transform, kept 7 layers, and diff from original

* extract luminance from diff, s-shaped RGB curve. Use as mask on blurred version

* slight boosts in sat and RGB

* pixelmath sum the 3, rescaled, back to original image

*** Finishers

* EzDenoise, TGV 1500 edge 8e-3, default MMT

* LHE kernel 512 contrast 1.5,slight boost in sat, 50-50 mix with original

* LHE kernel 256 contrast 1.5, 20-80 mix with original

* dark structure enhance

* MMT sharpen, 6 layers biases 0.05 0.05 0.025, 0.025, 0.012, 0.005 with luminosity mask s-curved for more contrast

(español abajo) The pencil nebula, NGC 2736 in Vela, a very difficult target, about 24 hours in a mix HOO-L+HOO/LRGB (9 hours in O3 and 5 hours in Ha) from my backyard obs in La Colonia, Illapel, Chile. GSO RC 30cms scope, camera STF8300/AO-8, 8 and 16 min subframes at -35°C. Maxim-Registar-CCDStack-Photoshop software. This picture is dedicated to my daughters. Comments welcome, have a nice day !

La nebulosa del lápiz, también conocida como "el rayo de Herschel", NGC 2736, un blanco difícil en la constelación de Vela. Alrededor de 24 horas d exposición en una mezcla HOO-L+HOO/LRGB (con 9 horas de filtro O3 y 5 de H alfa), desde mi observatorio en La Colonia, Illapel, Chile. Telescopio GSO RC de 30 cms, cámara STF8300/AO-8, tomas de 8 y 16 minutos a -35°C. Softwares Maxim-Registar-CCDStack-Photoshop. Este trabajo está dedicado a mis hijas. Comentarios bienvenidos, que tengan un buen día...

The Pelican Nebula (also known as IC 5070) is an emitting nebula located about 2000 years from the earth.

It is very extensive in the sky, about 2.5 times the diameter of the Moon.

-Equipment-

Scope: TS-Optics 94/414 EPDH

(414mm focal)

Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro at -15°C

Guiding: ZWO OAG

Guiding camera: ZWO ASI 120MM

Mount: Skywatcher EQ5

Filter: Optrolong L-eXtreme

-Acquisition-

Light : 95x300s ( 8h ) at Gain:101 Offset:49

Dark-100x300s Flat-30 Bias-100

Date : Take on 5 night 05/24+30+31/2021 06/01+02/2021

Location : France-Alsace Bortle 4/5

-Software-

Carte du Ciel, N.I.N.A, Phd2 , PoleMaster and PixInsight

-Pre Processing in PixInsight-

Image Calibration

Cosmetic Correction

Debayer

Subframe Selector

Star Alignement

Local Normalization

Drizzle x2

Crop the black bands from the stacking

-Processing-

_L Layer_

DBE

EZ_Deconvolution

EZ_Denoise

EZ_Soft Stretch

Unsharp Mask

_RGB Layer_

Linear Fit

Channel Combination

DBE

Background Neutralization

Photometric Color Calibration

SCNR (green 50%)

EZ_Soft Strech

_LRGB_

LRGB Combination

Curve Tranformation

Color Saturation

Clear skies !

The Cepheus Dust Complex: Dark Shark (LDN 1235), Anglerfish (LDN 1251) & vdB 152

Here is my 2-panel mosaic capturing a wide field of rich molecular clouds and dust complexes in the constellation Cepheus. Framing this region allowed me to capture not only the iconic Dark Shark Nebula but also several surrounding dark clouds and reflection nebulae embedded in the Integrated Flux Nebula (IFN).

MAIN OBJECTS IN THE FIELD:

- LDN 1235 (Dark Shark Nebula): Prominently swimming vertically near the center.

- vdB 149 & vdB 150: The two blue reflection nebulae glowing inside the body/head of the Shark.

- LDN 1251 (Anglerfish / Rotten Fish Nebula): Visible in the bottom-left corner with its distinct hook-like structure.

- vdB 152 (Wolf's Cave Nebula) & LDN 1217: The dark dust lane extending to the far right edge into the small blue reflection nebula vdB 152.

- Integrated Flux Nebula (IFN): Faint, high-latitude cosmic dust clouds surrounding the main targets across the entire field of view.

ACQUISITION DETAILS:

- Target: Cepheus Molecular Clouds (LDN 1235 / LDN 1251)

- Panels: 2-panel mosaic

- Subframes: 80 x 120s per panel (160 frames total)

- Total Integration Time: 5 hours 20 minutes (5h 20m)

EQUIPMENT:

- Telescope/Lens: Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM

- Camera: Canon EOS 6D (Full Frame)

- Mount: Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro

- Controller/Guiding: ZWO ASIAIR Plus

PROCESSING:

- Stacked and stitched in PixInsight

- Star separation using StarXTerminator

- Background & dust stretch in PixInsight

- Final mosaic blending, color calibration, star reduction, and fine adjustments in Adobe Photoshop

****************************************************************************

Photographed 25 km east of Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia, long. 134.04° E., lat. 23.76° S., between 23.24 and 23.46 CAST (Central Australian Standard Time)

* Altitude of centre of frame at time of exposures: 40-43°

* Temperature 12° C.

* Total exposure time: 10 minutes

* 105 mm focal length lens

___________________________________________

Description:

The star pattern in the constellation Scorpius (The Scorpion) is one of the most recognizable in the sky. The lower part of this pattern - the tail of the scorpion - lies very low in the sky as seen from the northern hemisphere. From southern latitudes, however, this part of the sky is directly overhead during nighttime hours in the months of April-July.

Our home galaxy, the Milky Way, passes through Scorpius, as can be seen in this view. Numerous pink hydrogen gas clouds and many star clusters are concentrated in this part of the sky as well.

This is the telescope and mount that I used for my astrophotography on this trip:

www.flickr.com/photos/97587627@N06/28602350028

For a version of this photo WITH LABELS, click on your screen to the RIGHT of the photo, or click here:

www.flickr.com/photos/97587627@N06/40663302100

__________________________________________

Technical information:

Nikkor AF-S 70-200 mm f/2.8 G ED VRII lens on Nikon D810a camera body, mounted on Sky-Watcher HEQ5 equatorial mount with Kirk Enterprises ball head

Seven stacked subframes; each frame:

ISO 3200; 1 minute exposure at f/4.5, 105 mm focal length, unguided (with LENR - long exposure noise reduction)

Subframes stacked in RegiStar;

Processed in Photoshop CS6 (levels, brightness, contrast)

****************************************************************************

Subframe

Description:

Some celestial objects announce themselves with explosive violence. Others emerge in silence, hidden within the dust that will one day give birth to stars. The Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Complex belongs firmly to the latter, a vast and intricate region of interstellar gas and dust located roughly 460 light-years away in the constellation of Ophiuchus, making it one of the closest stellar nurseries to Earth.

Unlike the glowing hydrogen-rich nebulae that dominate many astrophotography images, Rho Ophiuchi is a masterpiece of reflection and obscuration, shot here in a single night in broadband under Bortle 4 skies. Its characteristic blue hues arise from starlight scattering off fine cosmic dust particles, while the deep reddish-brown lanes are enormous concentrations of colder dust dense enough to absorb and extinguish the light behind them. Embedded within this chaotic structure are newly forming stars, protostellar systems, and complex molecular clouds that continue to evolve over astronomical timescales.

This target presents a unique challenge for astrophotographers in Kuwait. At my latitude, Rho Ophiuchi never climbs particularly high in the sky, reaching a maximum altitude of only about 36 degrees above the horizon. Imaging through such a thick layer of atmosphere means fighting against increased turbulence, atmospheric extinction, gradients, and the relentless scattering effects caused by dust and humidity near the horizon. Capturing fine detail under these conditions requires patience, careful calibration, and many hours of integration.

This image was captured using my dual Askar 140 APO setup operating at a focal length of 784.2mm. By combining two identical refractors simultaneously, I was able to produce an image I can truly be proud of in a single night.

Equipment:

Imaging Telescopes: 2x Askar 140APO

Camera: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro

Equatorial mounts used: Sky-Watcher EQ8-R Pro · ZWO AM5N

Filters:

Antlia Luminance 36 mm

Chroma Blue 36 mm

Chroma Green 36 mm

Chroma Red 36 mm

Accessories:

Askar 0.8x Full Frame Reducer / Flattener for 140APO Telescope

Acquisition details:

Date: May 14, 2026

Subframes:

Luminance: 65×300″ (5h 25′)

Blue: 20×300″ (1h 40′)

Green: 20×300″ (1h 40′)

Red: 20×300″ (1h 40′)

Total integration: 10h 25′

Location:

Al Salmy Desert, Al Jahra Governorate, Kuwait

#Subframing #FlickrFriday

I'd set out to use this WW2 coastal look-out bunker somehow for Flickr Friday anyway, but this as-found can was a gift from the photography Gods :-)

Olympus XA4 & Kodak Tmax400 (exp.'02) FX39II.

Scan of a silver gelatin print using an epson v37.