I managed to catch a nova last night! That's an unusual astronomical event in which a star brightens tremendously in a short time. This one, known as Nova Cas 2021 was discovered in the constellation Cassiopeia just a few days ago and is now bright enough to see in binoculars and photograph with modest equipment. It also shares the view with some other interesting objects: an open cluster of stars, Messier 52 (M52) and a nice star-forming nebula, NGC 7635, known as the Bubble Nebula for the interstellar cavity being blown by a bright, young star.

By studying spectra (the distribution of the light across colors/wavelengths) and the light curve (the change in brightness over time), astrophysicists have determined that Nova Cas is a "classical nova" in which one of the stars in a close binary system transfers some of its mass to its white dwarf star companion, which eventually results in a tremendous nuclear explosion that we can see across the galaxy. Here's an article from Astronomy Now with more information: astronomynow.com/.../new-nova-in-cassiopeia.../.

Tech: ZWO ASI294MC Pro camera, Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6 lens @500mm, 15x60sec. exposures, processed in Astro Pixel Processor and Lightroom.

#astrophotography #novacas2021

The bright star just off-center is Polaris, which is surrounded by Integrated Flux Nebulae (IFN) named the Polaris Flare, discovered in 1984 by Heiles (Panopoulou et al. 2015: doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stv1301). Yildun, the brightest star in the lower right-hand corner, is the next star in the 'handle' of the Little Dipper.

Acquisition details: Fujifilm X-T10, Samyang 135mm f/2.0 ED UMC @ f2.0, ISO 1600, 78 x 60 sec, tracking with iOptron SkyTracker Pro, stacking with DeepSkyStacker, editing with Astro Pixel Processor and GIMP, taken on Apr. 11, 2020 under Bortle 2/3 skies.

26x120sec.

IC 1848, as known as Soul Nebula, is an emission nebula locatel in the constellation of Cassiopeia; far 7500 years light from the solar system. It conforms a great stars formation region, with visible huge extensions of ionized and excited gas. Soul nebula is integrated by many open star clusters, an intense radio source called W5 and by huge bubbles formed by the intense winds coming from massive young stars. W5 integrates large cavities that were carved out by radiation and winds from the region’s most massive stars, pushing gas together and causing it to ignite into successive generations of new stars. Dense large pillars of material can be seen around the nebula structure, pillars of around 10 light years with stars forming into them.

This image is taken through Ha, SII and OIII filters, and mapped in post-process as a variation of the SHO palette. Because of this, we can see differenciated areas, depending on the signal received. Hydrogen Alpha, Sulfur double ionized or Oxygen triple ionized. The narrowband astrophotography allows us to detect different chemical compositions of the ionized gas emited by the nebulas.

Technical data:

Remote Observatory "FarLightTeam"

Team: Jesús M. Vargas, Bittor Zabalegui,José Esteban, Marc Valero.

Telescope: Takahashi FSQ106 ED 530mm f/5

CCDs: QSI683 wsg8

Filters: Baader Planetarium - Halpha-SII-OIII

Mount: 10Micron GM1000 HPS

Imaging Software: Voyager

Processing Software: PixInsight-AstroPixelProcessor

Captured through 12 December 2021 to 21 February 2022, ( Fregenal de la Sierra ) Badajoz, Spain.

Processing: Marc Valero

Image composed by a Mosaic of 2 tiles:

Ha: 94x1200"

SII-OIII: 147x1200"

Date: 2022-11-25

Location: Kamiwari-saki

Optics: Mamiya Apo-sekor 250mm F4.5, EOS6D (Twin)

Exposure: 240s x 99f + 10s x 10f, ISO1250 (left)

240s x 46f + 10s x 10f, ISO1250 (right), 2 panel mosaic

Processing: Pixinsight, AstroPixelProcessor, Photoshop

The Flaming Star Nebula (IC 405, at the top), a star-forming nebula, along with two rich open star clusters in the Messier Catalog: M36 (bottom) and M38 (left). A composite of 30 5 minute exposures, ZWO ASI294MC Pro camera, Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 lens, 200mm, f/4, dual narrow-band filter (Hα+[O III]), iOptron CEM25P mount, ZAO ASIAir controller, ZWO ASI120MM Mini guide camera and Astro-Tech 60mm f/4 guide scope.

Altair Astro ED60 with 0.8x reducer/flattener @ f/4.8

ZWO ASI585MC OSC

60 x 60sec. subs. for a 4 pane mosaic (4 hrs.)

Processed with Astro Pixel Processor, GraXpert, NoiseXTerminator and Affinity Photo.

The Rosette Nebula, a star-forming nebuls, consisting of several catalogued objects: NGC 2237, 2238, 2239, 2244, and 2246. A composite of 30 4 minute exposures, ZWO ASI294MC Pro camera, Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 lens, 200mm, f/4, dual narrow-band filter (Hα+[O III]), iOptron CEM25P mount, ZAO ASIAir controller, ZWO ASI120MM Mini guide camera and Astro-Tech 60mm f/4 guide scope.

Probably my last view of comet C/2021A1 (Leonard). Schlepped out to Goose Pond Fish & Wildlife area in Greene County, Ind., a dark site with low horizons on a cold but crystal evening. The comet was very low by the time it got dark enough to emerge from the twilight so it appears redder than when higher in the sky. But I got enough exposures, to show some detail in the tail and coma. This is a composite, processed twice: registered on the comet and separately registered on the stars, combined in Photoshop.

30 15 sec. exposures, Explore Scientific 102mm f/7 refractor, ZWO ASI294MC camera, UV/IR cut filter, iOptron CEM25P mount, ASIAir Pro controller, processed in Astro Pixel Processor, Lightroom and Photoshop.

#cometleonard, #astrophotography

Pinwheel Galaxy Messier 101

© Julian Köpke

This is a four panel mosiac of the Region surrounding the bright star Dschubba.

One and a half hours per panel in rgb (club dark site) and one hour per panel in H alpha (Bortle 6)

10 hours of integration in total.

Stacked individual panels -RGB and Ha -separately in AstroPixel Processor; 4 panel RGB and Ha mosaics created -LNC first degree, MBB 20% in APP

Stacked mosaics processed in Pixinsight

Dynamic crop

ADBE

BlurX (correct only)

Image solve

SPCC (RGB only)

BlurX

Starnet++

NoiseX

Nebula

Generalised Hyperbolic Stretch

Curves

SetiAstro star stretch

PixelMath to add stars back to starless image

Mosaics registered in Pixinsight

Stars removed from registered Ha mosaic with Starnet++. This still left a few very bright stars.

Converted to tiff and remaining stars removed using content aware fill in Photoshop CS6

(this did a better job than clone stamp in PixInsight)

Saved in PI as XISF File.

Combined RGB and Ha using the excellent Combine Ha and RGB process in PixInsight

Equipment

Samyang 135mm/ZWOASI 533 Mc and MM/Optolong UV/IR Filter/Antlia 3nm H alpha filter/ASIAIR/AM3

Software

ASIAIR App

AstroPixelProcessor

PixInsight with RC plugins (NoiseX, Blur X) and Starnet++

Photoshop CS6

The Pacman Nebula, an emission nebula [NGC281] with open star Cluster [IC1590], may be seen in the constellation of Cassiopeia.

M: iOptron EQ45-Pro

T: William Optics GTF81

C: ZWO ASI533-Pro [Cooled]

F: Ha & Oiii Narrowband (ZWO 7nm)

G: PHD2

GC: ZWO ASI120mini

Format: RAW16; FITs

Temp: -10 DegC

Gain 101;

Frames: 24 x Ha Exp 400s; 24 x Oiii Exp 400s

Dark Calibration Frames: 1 Master Dark from 20 Darks

Flat Frames: 1 Master Flat from 50 flats

100% Crop

Capture: SharpCap [Advanced Sequence automation]

Processed: Astro Processor Pro [APP]; Photoshop [PS]

Sky: No moon, calm, No cloud, Bortle Class 5, good seeing.

What is an impressive and beautiful sight for us was a cosmic catastrophe. Mosaic Antares IC 4606 and IC 4592. Panorama of 31 tiles, 630 million pixels. Remastered.

© Julian Köpke

The Pacman Nebula (NGC 281) is an emission nebula in the constellation Cassiopeia in the northern sky, 9,500 light-years from Earth. (Wikipedia)

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Mount: SkyWatcher HEQ5 Pro

Guiding: ZWO ASI 120MM Mini USB 2.0 Mono Camera - Orion 50mm Guide Scope

Filter: Astronomik CLS CCD EOS APS-C Clip-Filter

Camera: Canon EOS 70D (full spectrum modified)

Askar 80 PHQ F7.5 Quadruplet Astrograph Telescope

Focal length: 600mm

Astronomik CLS CCD Clip Filter

15 x 360 seconds frames - ISO 800 - f7.5

1 1/2hr total Integration

Darks: 20 frames

Flats: 20 frames

Bios: 20 frames

DarkFlats: 20 frames

Bortle 5/6

Apps: N.I.N.A. > PHD2 > ASCOM

Processing: AstroPixelProcessor > PixInsight > Photoshop >Topaz > Photoshop

The Iris Nebula can be a tricky target due to the amount of dust and dark nebulosity around, which can be easily mistaken for noise or light polution, but also equally it is very easy to over expose the core. Whilst I have some sort of reflection in the lower left corner, I am very happy with the way this image turned out, there's a lot of detail around the nebula

RA: 21h07m01.11s

Dec: 67°15'22.46"

Constellation: Cepheus

Designation: NGC7023

Image Details:

389x150S at Gain 100 - CLS-CCD Filter

Darks: 101 Frames

Flats: 101 Frames

Bias: 101 Frames

Acquisition Dates: March 20, 2021 , April 6, 2021 , April 7, 2021 , April 13, 2021 , April 15, 2021 , April 16, 2021 , April 17, 2021 , April 18, 2021 , April 19, 2021

Total Capture time: 16.2 Hours

Equipment Details:

Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI6200MC Pro 62mpx Full Frame OSC

Imaging Scope: SharpStar 15028HNT Hyperboloid Astrograph

Guide Camera: StarlightXpress Lodestar X2

Guide Scope: 365Astronomy 280mm Guide Scope

Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ8 Pro

Pier: Altair Astro Skyshed 8" Pier

Focuser: Primalucelab Sesto Senso V2

Filter: Astronomik CLS-CCD 2"

Power and USB Control: Pegasus Astro USB Ultimate Hub Pro

Acquisition Software: Main Sequence Software. Sequence Generator Pro 3.2

Calibration and Stacking: Astro Pixel Processor

Processing Software: PixInsight 1.8.8 and EZ Processing Suite for Star Reduction

Fujifilm X-T10, Samyang 135mm f/2.0 @ f2.0, ISO 1600, 33 x 60 sec, tracking with iOptron SkyTracker Pro, stacking with DeepSkyStacker, editing with Astro Pixel Processor and GIMP, taken Nov 1 under Bortle 3/4 skies.

I love imaging Orion. My goal with this shot was to include the Flame and Horsehead Nebulae, Barnard's Loop, Messier 78, and Lynds' Dark Nebula (LDN) 1622, the Boogeyman Nebula (upper left). It seemed like a good target for Halloween night.

The Cave Nebula (Sh2-155) is a Hydrogen cloud (in the center) with a brighter rim and a star forming region in the large molecular cloud known as Cepheus B. The stars of the Cepheus OB3 association are less than 100,000 years old. Low mass star formation is occurring at a high rate within the dust clouds of Sh2-155.

The blue reflection nebula (lower left) is VDB-155.

Just south (in this image to the left) of the Cave nebula we can see some strange orange Nebulosity, the home of some Herbig Haro Objects. HH168, HH169 and HH174 are locations, where a star is born, still surrounded by dust and nebulosity, already shaped into a rotating disk. This material blocks the light of the new-born stars and the pressure can be released only at the disk poles and Jets of material are escaping from their northern and southern poles.

RGB: 72,71,70 x 600 sec bin 1x1: 22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30 July 2017

Ha: 63x 600 sec bin 1x1: 31 Jul, 2,3,4 aug 2017

Total integration time: 46 hrs.

QHY16200 CCD camera/ Esprit 100 f5.5/ 10 Micron GM2000 HPS

Knight Observatory, Tomar

Sky-Watcher Quattro 150P f/3.5

QHYCCD Minicam8

Hubble Palette

15 x 120sec. subs each filter (1.5hrs. total)

Processed with Astro Pixel Processor, NoiseXTerminator and Affinity Photo

On April 15th, 2023 minor planet (270) Anahita passed by galaxy NGC 4939. I captured this encounter with a remote telescope in Auberry, California. Unfortunately this was about 16 hours after the close encounter, but the minor planet is still in the field of view. To my suprise I found an other minor planet, which is the still unnamed (35954) 1999 KY15.

The image is a stack of 20 frames of 180 seconds each. The minor planets are only shown in 7 frames each, to better show the movement.

Equipment: Planewave 24" (0,61m) CDK, F=3962mm, f/6.5, FLI-PL09000 CCD camera, Mount: Planewave Ascension 200HR.

Processing with AstroPixelProcessor and Photoshop.

An animation of the movement can be found here: www.jmwill.de/deep-sky-aufnahmen.html#a2584

Markarian's Chain is a group of galaxies in the constellation of Virgo, the galaxies when viewed from earth are in a curved line hence the name Markarian's Chain, they obtained the name from Benjamin Markarian who dicovered the common motion of the galaxies back in the early 1960s, there are quite a number of galaxies within the group, but the chain itself consists of M84, M86, NGC4477, NGC4473, NGC4461, NGC4458, NGC4438 and NGC4435 which are all visible in this image.

This image is a 2-Panel Mosaic, as the QHY183M on the SharpStar 15028HNT doe snot give me enough of a field of view to capture it in a single frame

Each Panel consists of

51x150S in Red Filter

51x150S in Green Filter

51x150S in Blue Filter

Darks, Flats and Flat Darks were applied in the image stacking process

Total Capture time: 12.8 Hours, total Image Size 34.9mpx

Acquisition Dates: March 3, 2020 , March 17, 2020 , March 23, 2020 , March 24, 2020 , March 27, 2020 , March 28, 2020 , April 12, 2020 , April 15, 2020 , April 16, 2020

Equipment Details:

Imaging Camera: Qhyccd 183M Mono ColdMOS Camera at -20C

Imaging Scope: SharpStar 15028HNT Hyperboloid Astrograph

Guide Camera: StarlightXpress Lodestar X2

Guide Scope: Sky-Watcher Finder Scope

Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ8 Pro

Focuser: Primalucelab ROBO Focuser

FIlterwheel: Starlight Xpress Ltd 7x36mm EFW

Filters: Astronomik Red, Green and Blue

Power and USB Control: Pegasus Astro USB Ultimate Hub Pro

Acquisition Software: Main Sequence Software. Sequence Generator Pro

Calibration and Stacking: Astro Pixel Processor

Mosaic Panel Merging: Image Composite Editor

Processing Software: PixInsight 1.8.6

NGC7882 is a large Emission Nebula in Cepheus, whilst I tried to obtain some OIII data, there appears to be very little OIII Data within this particular target. NGC7822 lies approximately 2900 light years from Earth and spans somewhere in the region of 100 light years across, there are a number of "Pillars of Creation" scattered throughout this large nebula.

RA: 00h01m08.59s

Dec: 67°25'17.00"

Constellation: Cepheus

Designation: NGC7882 / Sharples 171

Image Details: 101x300S at Gain 100

Darks: 101 Frames

Flats: 101 Frames

Bias: 101 Frames

Acquisition Dates: Nov. 3, 2020 , Nov. 4, 2020 , Nov. 5, 2020 , Nov. 6, 2020 , Nov. 7, 2020

Total Capture time: 8.4 hours

Equipment Details:

Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI6200MC Pro 62mpx Full Frame OSC

Imaging Scope: SharpStar 15028HNT Hyperboloid Astrograph

Guide Camera: StarlightXpress Lodestar X2

Guide Scope: 365Astronomy 280mm Guide Scope

Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ8 Pro

Focuser: Primalucelab Sesto Senso V2

Filter: Optolong L-eXtreme Dual Band Filter

Power and USB Control: Pegasus Astro USB Ultimate Hub Pro

Acquisition Software: Main Sequence Software. Sequence Generator Pro 3.2

Calibration and Stacking: Astro Pixel Processor

Processing Software: PixInsight 1.8.8 and EZ Processing Suite for Star Reduction

Equipo: Star Adventurer - Canon 6D - Sigma 70/300 APO

50 lights - 19 darks - 32 flats - 100 bias

60s - f/6,3 - ISO 3200 - 190mm - 4000K - Crop

Procesado: AstroPixelProcessor - Photoshop - Lightroom

When I first got into astrophotography, galaxies were what I was most interested in imaging. I quickly realized that to image most galaxies well (except for the few large ones like M31 and M33), I needed a long focal length lens and accompanying highly accurate tracking. My budget didn't allow for that, so I adjusted my aspirations and focused on widefield shots with a simple tracker. Still, I love a good galaxy picture and anticipate stepping up to more sophisticated equipment someday.

I turned my back on Orion last night (it was difficult) and shot north again for the first time in awhile. I didn't have high expectations for what I'd get from imaging Galaxy IC 342 with a 135mm lens. I'm guessing somebody has tried it, but I couldn't find any examples online.

I'm happier than anticipated with this image. Although small, there is a good variety of objects in this extent; in addition to IC 342, it contains 1) the yellow reflection nebula around star BE Camelopardalis in the center, 2) a dark nebula on the left (I think IREC 193), 3) star cluster NGC 1502 in the upper left, and 4) the asterism Kemble's Cascade below NGC 1502 (although it's difficult to distinguish among the surrounding smaller stars).

Here's a thorough report about the reflection nebula around star BE Cam that clued me into its existence: www.sternwarte-baerenstein.de/upload/be-cam_reflection_ne.... Also an excellent APOD of IC 342: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170708.html

I'm looking forward to doing some more widefield galaxy shots this spring.

Acquisition details: Fujifilm X-T10, Samyang 135mm f/2.0 ED UMC @ f2.0, ISO 1600, 56 x 60 sec, tracking with iOptron SkyTracker Pro, stacking with DeepSkyStacker, editing with Astro Pixel Processor and GIMP, taken on Feb. 19, 2020 under Bortle 3/4 skies. I've cropped it but not extensively.

I might have overprocessed this one - the data was so nice. Bortle 2 skies make for easy processing.

Acquisition details: Fujifilm X-T10, Samyang 135mm f/2.0 ED UMC @ f2.0, ISO 1600, 70 x 60 sec, tracking with iOptron SkyTracker Pro, stacking with DeepSkyStacker, editing with Astro Pixel Processor and GIMP, taken Mar. 18, 2020 from Bortle 2 skies.

27 * 15 sec exposures only. Unguided

Camera at 0 degrees C.

No darks/flats/bias frames

Imaged from middle of Brisbane city

NGC7380 is an open cluster embedded in clouds of dust and gas at 7200 Light years in the constellation Cepheus.. This Image is made with Esprit 100 refractor+ QHY16200 CCD camera @ -20Celcius.

(45Red, 36Green, 47Blue x300 sec + 48Ha x600sec, total integration time: 18.5 hrs). Processed with AstroPixelProcessor and Pixinsight.

Imaging dates: 20 june, 7,9,14,17,18 en 21 july2018.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_7380

Knight Observatory, Tomar.

Altair Astro Starwave 102ED-R (2017), HEQ5 Pro (Rowan Belt Drive), Berlebach Tripod, Altair IMX178MC Hypercam, Altair 0.6x Focal Reducer, Pegasus Stepper Motor Focuser, 21 x 30 Second Exposures. Processed in AstroPixelProcessor Finished in Photoshop and Lightroom.

I was excited to capture 30 minutes of imagery of my first comet, C/2017 T2 PANSTARRS, on Thursday, January 30, before clouds moved in.

Since I wasn't sure I'd get anything because of clouds, I didn't bother to drive to my Bortle 3/4 dark site, but instead shot from my Bortle 5 backyard, 60 x 30 seconds. I combined this imagery with some better imagery of the Heart and Soul Nebulae from this past fall (47 x 60 seconds under Bortle 3/4 skies), to create this small mosaic (the Heart and Soul Nebulae turned out a bit ugly from my Bortle 5 backyard). I was impressed with how well Astro Pixel Processor combined the imagery of such differing quality.

Fujifilm X-T10, Samyang 135mm f/2.0 ED UMC @ f2.0, ISO 1600, 60 x 30 sec for left half, 47 x 60 for the right half, tracking with iOptron SkyTracker Pro, stacking with DeepSkyStacker, editing and mosaicking with Astro Pixel Processor and GIMP, double cluster and comet imaged on Jan. 30, 2020 from my Bortle 5 backyard.

Finally had a clear night over a week after the launch of the NASA's James Webb Space Telescope and managed to catch an image of it on the way to its observation post. This is a composite of about six hours of exposures from suburban Bloomington, Indiana. JWST shows up as the streak to the left of the bright (relatively) orange star (HD 44256) as it moves relative to the background stars. The trail is interrupted because several bad frames (poor tracking, etc.) were excluded.

73 5-min. exposures, Explore Scientific 102mm f/7 refractor, ZWO ASI294MC camera, UV/IR cut filter, iOptron CEM25P mount, ASIAir controller, processed in Astro Pixel Processor, Lightroom and Photoshop.

40x300" lights

Sky-Watcher Quattro 150P f/3.5

Player One Uranus-C OSC (Offset:20 / Gain:211 [HCG] )

UV/IR filter

240 x 15sec. subs (60 mins.)

Processed in Astro Pixel Processor and Affinity Photo.

32 * 88 secs at ISO 1600, f6.1 - unguided tracking.

Although there is a degree of trailing on the stars, it's a pleasing result given that the lens is at 200mm, so a 400mm FF equivalent. (OLYMPUS M.75-300mm F4.8-6.7 II)

Used the Skywatcher Star Adventurer for tracking & Pole Master for polar alignment. Astro Pixel Processor for all the image calibration, only jpg as still learning software (lights and darks only) then export to Photoshop.

This complex of reflection nebulae lies some 6,000 light-years away, in the constellation Cygnus.Obscuring interstellar dust clouds appear in silhouette against reddish hydrogen emission nebulae, along with the dusty blue reflection nebulae. Ultraviolet radiation from the massive, hot, young stars of the extensive Cygnus OB2 association ionize the region's atomic hydrogen gas, producing the characteristic red glow as protons and electrons recombine. Embedded Cygnus OB2 stars also provide the blue starlight strongly reflected by the dust clouds.

Telescope: Esprit 100 APO refractor.

Camera: QHY16200 CCD @-10 (RGB) and -20C (Ha).

28x 300sec Red filter

24x 300sec Green filter

28x 300sec Blue filter

23x 900sec H-alpha filter (6nm)

(12.4 hrs total integration time)

Ha Imaged on 20/5, 8/6, 27/7,28/7,30/7 2017.

RGB Imaged on 4/4, 5/4, 28/7, 29/7 2019.

Processed with AstroPixelProcessor and Pixinsight.

Knight Observatory, Tomar

Polaris & ses nébuleuses sombres

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Aujourd’hui, je vous fais découvrir les nébuleuses sombres qui accompagnent l’étoile polaire.

Cette étoile sert depuis des millénaires comme point de repère entre autre pour la navigation. Elle nous sert aussi à nous aligner pour nos montures équatoriales puisque toutes les constellations tournent autour de Polaris.

Que viennent faire les nébuleuses sombres dans cette histoire ?

Elles sont présentes autour de notre étoile polaire. En anglais, elles sont appelées IFN pour « Integrated Flux Nebula ». Elles sont principalement composée d’hydrogène moléculaire et d’hélium.

Cependant, ce n’est pas aisé de pouvoir les photographier. D’une part, comme leur nom l’indique, elles sont obscures.

Ce sont des nuages denses qui absorbent la lumière des étoiles en arrière plan.

D’autre part, au moment de la prise de vue, elles sont invisibles. Très pratique me direz vous… Même constat au moment de l’empilement, il n’y a que le traitement qui permettent de les mettre en valeur.

A titre d’exemple la tête de cheval (IC434) dans la constellation d’Orion fait partie des nébuleuses sombres les plus connues.

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Photographier sur deux nuits pour obtenir,

300 lights d’une minute soit 5h de temps d’intégration

Offset + Flats, No Dark.

Bortle 4

Traitement AstroPixelProcessor, Photoshop.

Mosaic Antares IC 4606 and IC 4592. Ongoing project, inital result.

© Julian Köpke

40 exposures, each 360 sec. Explore Scientific ED102 102mm f/7 refractor, ZWO ASI294MC camera, H-alpåha filter, iOptron CEM25P mount, ASIAir controller. Processed in Astro Pixel Processor and Lightroom

One of my favorite targets - the integrated flux nebula (IFN) or galactic cirrus is faint dust illuminated by our galaxy, and there happens to be a nice concentration of it in the direction of Bode's Nebulae (Bode's (M 81) and Cigar (M 82) Galaxies). The Angel Nebula, which is made of IFN, is in the lower left corner. This is an improvement over my last attempt at this target - shooting raw and more integration time made a difference.

Acquisition details: Fujifilm X-T10, Samyang 135mm f/2.0 ED UMC @ f2.0, ISO 1600, 78 x 60 sec, tracking with iOptron SkyTracker Pro, stacking with DeepSkyStacker, editing with Astro Pixel Processor and GIMP, taken on Feb. 21, 2020 under Bortle 3/4 skies.

Nov 2020 update: The color of M 81 on my original version had always irked me a bit. I reprocessed it and now M 81's color is much better (in my opinion).

The Jellyfish Nebula (left-center) is a supernova remnant. The Monkey Head Nebula is the bright emission nebula near the bottom; the monkey head is upside down looking right here. Both are quite close - the Jellyfish Nebula is an estimated 5,000 light years from earth; the Monkey Head is an estimated 6,400 light years from earth. The large star cluster near the top is Messier 35 (NGC 2168). NGC 2158 is the other smaller star cluster to the lower right of Messier 35.

Acquisition details: Fujifilm X-T10, Samyang 135mm f/2.0 ED UMC @ f2.0, ISO 1600, 150 x 30 sec, tracking with iOptron SkyTracker Pro, stacking with DeepSkyStacker, editing with Astro Pixel Processor and GIMP, taken Mar. 15, 2020 from my Bortle 5 backyard. The Monkey Head and brightest part of the Jellyfish are bright - they were apparent even on my unprocessed subs from my Bortle 5 backyard.

3-panel mosaic, 20 300 sec. and 71 360 sec. exposures. Explore Scientific ED102 102mm f/7 refractor, ZWO ASI294MC cooled camera, H-alpåha 7nm filter, iOptron CEM25P mount, auto-guided, ASIAir controller. Processed in Astro Pixel Processor and Lightroom.

I have not imaged M42 or the Great Orion Nebula for a few years, but with the field of view the ZWO ASI6200MCPro offers on the 15028HNT I just could not resist the temptation, this image is a blend of data from the L-eXtreme Filter and the Astronomik CLS-CCD filter

RA: 05h35m17.31s

Dec: -05°23'28.00"

Constellation: Orion

Designation: M42

Image Details:

60x90S at Gain 0 - CLS-CCD Filter

88x150S at Gain 0 - L-eXtreme Filter

32x30S at Gain 0 - L-eXtreme Filter

Darks: 101 Frames

Flats: 101 Frames

Bias: 101 Frames

Acquisition Dates: Jan. 3, 2021 , Feb. 18, 2021 , March 5, 2021 , March 6, 2021 , March 7, 2021

Total Capture time: 5.4 Hours

Equipment Details:

Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI6200MC Pro 62mpx Full Frame OSC

Imaging Scope: SharpStar 15028HNT Hyperboloid Astrograph

Guide Camera: StarlightXpress Lodestar X2

Guide Scope: 365Astronomy 280mm Guide Scope

Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ8 Pro

Focuser: Primalucelab Sesto Senso V2

Filter: Optolong L-eXtreme 2"

Filter: Astronomik CLS-CCD 2"

Power and USB Control: Pegasus Astro USB Ultimate Hub Pro

Acquisition Software: Main Sequence Software. Sequence Generator Pro 3.2

Calibration and Stacking: Astro Pixel Processor

Processing Software: PixInsight 1.8.8 and EZ Processing Suite for Star Reduction

Dati: 43 x 300 sec a gain 5 e offset 25 a -15° c + 33 dark + 25 flat e darkflat

Filtro Astronomik UV/IR Block L2

Montatura: EQ6 pro

Ottica: Takahashi FSQ106

Sensore: QHY168C

Cam guida e tele: magzero mz5-m su Scopos 62/520

Software acquisizione: nina e phd2

Software sviluppo: AstroPixelProcessor e Photoshop

Temperatura esterna: 10 ° C - Umidità 95%

Reprocess of data from a few months back.

Object Information - Cigar Galaxy (Left)

* Designation : M82, NGC 3034

* Type : Starburst Galaxy

* Magnitude : 8.4

* Location (J2000.0): RA 09h 55m 52s / DEC +69° 40' 47"

* Approximate distance : 11.4 - 12.4 million lightyears

Object Information - Bode's Galaxy (Right)

* Designation : M81, NGC3031

* Type : Spiral Galaxy

* Magnitude : 6.9

* Location (J2000.0): RA 09h 55m 33s / DEC +69° 03' 55"

* Approximate distance : 11.8 million lightyears

Hardware

* Mount : Celestron CGX

* Imaging Scope : SkyWatcher Explorer 150PDS

* Imaging Camera : Canon EOS 80D (unmodified)

* Guide Scope : 50mm f/4

* Guide Camera : ZWO ASI 120MM

Exposures

* Single Exposure Length : 120sec

* ISO : 1600

* Light Frames : 60x

* Flat Frames : None

* Dark Frames : 20x

* Bias Frames : 25x

* Total Integration Time : 2h00m

* Capture Dates : 2018-02-14

Capture Software

* Astro Photography Tool

* PHD2 Guiding

Processing Software

* Astro Pixel Processor 1.061

* Adobe Photoshop CC

* Astronomy Tools Action Set

10*180s subs = 30 minutes total integration time. Using the Avalon m-zero mount with near perfect guiding, amazing considering I guestimated polar alignment. Imaging telescope was the William Optics GT71 with FF 6A2 that I have finally got working with correct back focus. Still some walking noise from the bad PA,

Camera was the ASI1600mm at 0 degrees. Calibrated lights only in APP.

Again balcony astro, Brisbane city, Bortle 8 and a full moon.

IC5146 (The Cocoon Nebula) and the dark "Tail" Barnard 168 in the Constellation Cygnus imaged with an Esprit 100 refractor and QHY16200 CCD. 21 x 600 seconds Red, 21 x 600 seconds Green and 21x 600 seconds Blue.

Imaged on 2,3,13,14,15,16,17,21 and 22 July 2017. Processed with APP and Pixinsight.

Knight Observatory, Tomar

COBS (Comet OBSveration database) contributions indicates that C/2021 Leonard had a significant outburst just prior to its recovery in the evening sky on December 15/16 2021. The comet flared to mag 3.5 and then quickly subsided to mag 5 by December 18. These three images were captured with a Vixen VSD 100 mm telescope and a Nikon Z7II camera mounted on a Vixen SXP. About 2.5 minutes of images were acquired with subs and stacked with AstroPixelProcessor and finished with Photoshop. With clouds and haze in Tucson and Comet Leonard gaining altitude each day the differences shown are not normalized and are a qualitative product of the captures.

Fujifilm X-T10, Samyang 135mm f/2.0 ED UMC @ f2.0, ISO 1600, 41 x 60 sec, tracking with iOptron SkyTracker Pro, stacking with DeepSkyStacker, editing with Astro Pixel Processor and GIMP, taken Jan 10, 2019.

This is a reprocess of data from earlier in the year - this time I used the 'remove light pollution' and 'HSL selective color' tools of Astro Pixel Processor after integrating light frames in DSS and before editing in GIMP. Also, my flats were introducing artifacts so I didn't use them, but instead corrected vignetting with the 'remove light pollution' tool.

I'm much happier with this version - the color and definition of the nebula are much better, and seem to be accurate in comparison with other images.

William Optics GT71 with ASI 294 MCPro

30 * 60 sec subs

Gain = 300

Temp = -10 Deg C.

Mounted on the Sky Watcher Star Adventurer and calibrated using AstroPixel Processor. Lights only.

Taken at Dayborough, Queensland, Bortle 4

This emission nebula is found in the constellation of Vulpecula, the Little Fox.

34*180 sec subs at ambient temperature. 102 mins total, then high altitude clouds rolled in.

Captured using Nebulosity and could not get the program to cool the camera :(

The telescope was the William Optic GT71 with the ASI183MM camera and Antlia 3.5nm filters.

Calibrated using lights, darks, flats and dark flats In APP.

Again, this was using the Avalon m-zero mount with only a rough PA.

Reprocesado de flic.kr/p/UMDVfy con AstroPixelProcessor y Lightroom

The 48 panel version does not show the Veil nebula so i decided to extend to 8x8 panels. This 16 panel (2x8) strip shows 2 main "attractions". This version is made with single 15 minute exposures using a 6nm Ha filter. (QHY16200/ Esprit 100 on GM2000 unguided) Software: Sequence generator pro/ Astro Pixel Processor.

Image reduced to 25%.

Knight Observatory, Tomar