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Imaged over 25 nights in November and December 2024 at the Los Coloraos complex in Gorafe, Spain.
This Galaxy doesn't rise very high from Spain so multiple nights were required to capture over 40 hours of integration. Most of the data was imaged with the UV/IR cut filter for maximum detail with Red Green and Blue for colour and a few hours of Ha, were added to highlight the Nebula regions in the galaxy.
A challenging project to undertake with so many nights and over 1500 frames of data to process but I am happy with the end result.
Many thanks for viewing and clear skies!
Full resolution and capture details available at
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• Sky-Watcher Quattro 250P
• Sky-Watcher EQ8-R Pro
• ZWO ASI294MM-Pro
• Astronomik L: 40x300s bin1 gain 0
• Astronomik RGB: 29x300s bin2 gain 125
(total integration 5.75h)
• ZWO OAG & ASI290Mini guide cam
• TS GPU coma corrector
• ZWO EFW, ZWO EAF & Pegasus Astro Ultimate Powerbox 2
Trevinca, Valding, Spain
Bortle 3, SQM 21.8
processed with Pixinsight
So what you read next is not going to make sense, for the last four day in the morning I get the data. I have edited as per I know the shot as a colour sensor looks. After looking at it on the fouth days edit I did not like it so I thought time to try some thing new. Glass of red wine and Pink Floyd "Wish you where here" playing on the computer "Shine on you crazy Diamond", edit how I see the data not some thing else.
I hope there is a few out there understand the madness and like the edit.... for those of you like me never found the chicken once starless the chicken stood out. Bottom left corner on the rim of the light patch looking into the middle of the shot. 100% looking at The lioness profile on the other side of the nebula. This is 27 hours worth of data.
QHY268M -10c 110 Odd shots 5 min each filter over 4 nights .. 30 shots each RGB 1 min exposure.
QHYCFW3 and 7 Antlia filters LRGBSHaO
MeLE Mini PC
Pegasus Astro Pocket Mini power box
Starpoint Australis SP3 Focuser Rotated 90 degrees
Skywatcher 200 F4 PREMIUM PHOTO QUATTRO REFLECTOR OTA
Skywatcher F4 Aplanatic Coma Corrector
Skywatcher NEQ 6 Pro Hypertuned
SVbony 50MM Guide scope
QHY5L-II-M Guide camera
Guided PHD2, Nina
Pixinsight, Ps, Lr
IC 405 - der Flaming Star Nebel mit seinem Nachbar IC 410 der Tadpole Nebula
Konnte kurz vor Saisonende noch knapp 8,7 Std. mit dem Epsilon 130D und der QHY268m drauf halten.
Leider kommen die Quallen nicht so toll raus wie gehofft, denke da hätte noch etwas zusätzliches Schmalband geholfen.
Equipment:
Takahashi Epsilon 130ED
QHY268m
CFW3M
Astronomik H-alpha MaxFR
Skywatcher EQ8
Februar 2022
Processing: PixInsight/affinity photo
120x180s H-alpha
23x120s red
30x120s green
30x120s blue
2,7 Std. RGB
6 Std. H-alpha
total: 8,7 hour
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• Sky-Watcher Quattro 250P
• Sky-Watcher EQ8-R Pro
• ZWO ASI294MM-Pro
• ZWO Hα 7nm: 57x900s bin1 gain 200
• ZWO OIII 7nm: 54x900s bin2 gain 200
• ZWO SII 7nm: 41x900s bin2 gain 200
(total integration 38h)
• ZWO OAG & ASI290Mini guide cam
• TS GPU coma corrector
• ZWO EFW, ZWO EAF & Pegasus Astro Ultimate Powerbox 2
Trevinca, Valding, Spain
Bortle 3, SQM 21.8
processed with Pixinsight
M 92 Globular Cluster in Hercules LRGB
Messier 92 is a globular cluster in the constellation of Hercules. So Hercules has a pair of spectacular clusters!
M 92 is about 26,000 light years from Earth, only a little farther away than M 13 The Great Hercules Cluster.
It is one of the bright globular clusters in the northern hemisphere, but it is often overlooked because of its proximity to the spectacular M 13 Hercules Cluster that I imaged a few days prior to this image.
I would recommend looking at this cluster in a telescope if possible as it truly shines bright light diamonds in the sky.
It’s interesting to note that M 92 is approaching us at 112 km per second!
A single night of imaging in May 2023 from my home in Gérgal, Spain. Taken during almost a full Moon at 96%.
A higher resolution image with imaging details can be found on my Astrobin page at: astrob.in/full/otud5v/0/
Thank you for looking.
Technical summary:
Captured: 7-05-2023
Imaging Sessions: 1
Location: Gérgal, Andalucía, Spain
Bortle Class: 4
Total Integration: 2h 8m
Filters:
Red 23x 60s 23m BIN 2 Gain 100 0C SQM 20.1
Green 21x 60s 21m BIN 2 Gain 100 0C SQM 20.1
Blue 19x 60s 19m BIN 2 Gain 100 0C SQM 20.1
UV/IR 65x 60s 1h 5m BIN 2 Gain 100 0C SQM 20.1
Pixel Scale: 0.55 arcsec/pixel
Telescope: Celestron C11 Edge HD f/10 2800mm
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI 6200MM Pro
Guiding: ZWO OAG-L - ZWO ASI120MM Mini
Filters: Astronomik R, G, B, UV/IR
Mount: iOptron CEM120 EC
Computer: Minix NUC
Capture software: NINA, PHD2
Editing software: PixInsight, Adobe Lightroom
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• Sky-Watcher Quattro 250P
• Sky-Watcher EQ8-R Pro
• ZWO ASI294MM-Pro
• Astronomik L: 263x300s bin1 gain 0
• Astronomik RGB: 98x300s bin2 gain 125
(total integration 30h)
• ZWO OAG & ASI290Mini guide cam
• TS GPU coma corrector
• ZWO EFW, ZWO EAF & Pegasus Astro Ultimate Powerbox 2
Trevinca, Valding, Spain
Bortle 3, SQM 21.8
processed with Pixinsight
Distance: ca.52 Mio. Lj
Equipment:
TS 10" f/4 ONTC Newton
1000mm f4
ZWO ASI 1600mmc
Astrodon LRGB
Skywatcher EQ8
Guding:
Lodestar on TS Optics - ultra short 9mm Off Axis Guider
PHD2
April 2018
Processing: PixInsight
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• Sky-Watcher Quattro 250P
• Sky-Watcher EQ8-R Pro
• ZWO ASI294MM-Pro
• Astronomik L: 170x300s bin1 gain 0
• Astronomik RGB: 75x300s bin2 gain 125
(total integration 20.4h)
• ZWO OAG & ASI290Mini guide cam
• TS GPU coma corrector
• ZWO EFW, ZWO EAF & Pegasus Astro Ultimate Powerbox 2
Trevinca, Valding, Spain
Bortle 3, SQM 21.8
processed with Pixinsight
Canon eos 600D modified and cooled.
Baader Bcf filter.
Skywatcher 150/750 pds.
Skywatcher Neq6 pro2 guided with phd2, zwo asi 290mc and refractor orion 50/162mm
Here are the Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae in the constellation Sagittarius.
From my backyard, these targets sit SO low on the horizon, that they JUST clear the treeline and my neighbor's roof.
They're also directly over the light dome of the city, so, needless to say, a challenging image from my location.
However, I am SUPER happy with the results I am getting from the system I mentioned in my last video. The Triad ultra filter and RedCat are a match made in heaven if you like these types of images.
Not to rush galaxy season. but seriously, I can't wait to dig into Cygnus over the next 2 months.
Canon EOS 60Da
William Optics RedCat 51
Sky-Watcher HEQ5
OPT Triad Ultra
28 x 5-minutes
ISO 1600
Stacked in DSS with Darks and Flats.
Topaz DeNoise AI for noise reduction
Processed in Adobe Photoshop
Explanation: The globular cluster M22, contains over 100,000 stars. These stars formed together and are gravitationally bound. Stars orbit the center of the cluster, and the cluster orbits the center of our Galaxy. So far, about 140 globular clusters are known to exist in a roughly spherical halo around the Galactic center. Globular clusters do not appear spherically distributed as viewed from the Earth, and this fact was a key point in the determination that our Sun is not at the center of our Galaxy. Globular clusters are very old. There is a straightforward method of determining their age, and this nearly matches the 13.7 billion-year age of our entire universe. (Text: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap050627.html)
This picture was photographed June, 13, 2015 in Rozhen observatory, Bulgaria.
Equipment: home assembled reflector 10 in., f/3.8
Mount WhiteSwan-180 with a control system «Eqdrive Standart», camera QSI-583wsg, Tevevue Paracorr-2. Off-axis guidecamera QHY5L-II.
RGB filter set Baader Planetarium.
RGB= 8*100 sec. each filter, bin.1.
40 minutes total.
FWHM 2.25″-2.56″
Altitude from 23° to 24°
Processed Pixinsight 1.8 and Photoshop CS6
-#265 in Explore 29/10/2017 (verificato 01/11/2017 )
Star Party del Gruppo Astrofili Catanesi presso Rifugio Margio Salice 18-20/08/2017
Speravo in qualcosa di più da questa immagine, ma in questa circostanza penso di aver raggiunto veramente i limiti strumentali e i miei limiti elaborativi.
La piccola nebulosa a riflessione, denominata "Iris" (NGC7023) di colore azzurro-ciano è certamente un oggetto facile da fotografare, ma il mio vero interesse erano le interessanti nubi molecolari che la circondano insieme a quelle oscure come la VdB141 denominata "nebulosa Fantasma" e che farebbero parte del complesso nebuloso molecolare di Cefeo
Sapevo che queste nubi molecolari, molto deboli e di natura oscura erano difficili da fotografare, ma contavo su una integrazione su 6h e 25min acquisita in 3 notti consecutive.
Purtroppo questa non è bastata perchè due parametri critici hanno rovinato la maggioranza dei frame: la temperatura del sensore direttamente influenzata dalla temperatura ambientale e la non ottima trasparenza del cielo. LA temperatura ambiente media notturna è stata di circa 18-19° C e quindi quella del sensore intorno ai 26° C. Troppo rumore termico (che potete vedere qui Frame grezzo singolo dell'immagine ) che ha cancellato il debole segnale delle nubi molecolari. In minor misura ha influito la non ottima trasparenza del cielo che ha permesso all'Inquinamento Luminoso delle vicine città di rendere il cielo lattiginoso.
Per evidenziare le nubi molecolari occorre agire con molti strech successivi che in questo caso hanno evidenziato soprattutto il rumore. Ho dovuto quindi trovare un compromesso rendendo morbida l'immagine.
L'elaborazione forzata ha evidenziato anche la vignettatura anche se trattata con i flat; quindi ho dovuto croppare del 10% entrambi i lati dell'immagine.
Mi auguro che questa condivisione possa aiutare gli amici astrofili come confronto e a fare le scelte migliori in base al setup posseduto e ad altri parametri esterni.
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-#265 on Explore 10.29.2017 (checked on 11.01.2017)
Star Party of Gruppo Astrofili Catanesi at Rifugio Margio Salice August 18-20, 2017
I was hoping for something more from this image, but in this circumstance I think I have really reached the instrumental limits and my elaborate limits.
The little reflection nebula, called "Iris" (NGC7023) of blue-cyan color is certainly an easy-to-photograph object, but my real interest was the interesting molecular clouds that surround it along with the obscure ones like the VdB141 called "Ghost Nebula "and that would be part of the Cepheus Molecular Cloud Complex .
I knew these molecular clouds, poorly lit and dark nature were difficult to photograph, but I expected on an integration of 6h 25min acquired in 3 consecutive nights.
Unfortunately this was not enough because two critical parameters have ruined the majority of frames: the temperature of the sensor directly affected by the ambient temperature and the poor transparency of the sky. The average nighttime ambient temperature was around 18-19 ° C and therefore the sensor temperature around 26 ° C. Too much thermal noise (you can see here single raw frame ) that cleared the little signal of molecular clouds. The unobtrusive transparency of the sky has adversely affected to a lesser extent; in fact it has made the bright sky caused by the light pollution coming from nearby cities
To highlight the molecular clouds, it is necessary to act with many successive strechs which in this case have highlighted the noise above. I had to find a compromise, making the image softer.
Forced processing also highlighted the vignetting even if treated with the flat; so I had to cut 10% on both sides of the image.
I hope this sharing can help amateur astronomers friends how to compare and make the best choices based on their setup and other external parameters.
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Optic: Rifrattore APO Scopos TL805 80mm/f7 + WO 0.8X
Camera: Canon EOS 550D (Rebel T2i) mod. Baader BCF
Mount: Sky Watcher HEQ5 Synscan
Seeing: 3 (scala Antoniadi inversa)
55x420s 1600iso / 17 dark /21 flat / 21 bias
Date: 18-19-20/08/2017
Integration: 6h 25min
Temperature: 19°C (media)
Temperature sensor: 26°C (media)
Location: Rifugio Margio Salice, monti Nebrodi (Sicily-Italy) 1250m slm
Elaborazione DSS + PSCS3.
The Everlasting Universe
Interplanetary Travel
Youtube: "4K" Road Trip in Tunisia - Visiting Tunisia "2019"
Camera: Canon EOS Kiss X7i
Photograph by Yusuf Alioglu
Location: Outer space (space)
This deep image of the Helix Nebula reveals the full extent of the series of ejecta blown off by this dying star. The deep exposure reveals a long history of stellar eruptions by a once Sun like star in Aquarius. In this image the Helix Nebula is shown to actually cover several full moons worth of sky area!
AP152 F7.5 Starfire APO refractor with 4" field flattener
FLI ProLine11002 CCD & CFW-2-7
L SII Ha OIII: 1hr, 7hrs, 10hrs, 9hrs = Total 27hrs (all bin 1X1) Astronomik filters
AstroHandy LightRing used for flats
FOV = 1.0deg X 0.8deg at 1.4"/pix
Guide Camera: Starlightxpress SXVH9
Astroart4 use for camera control and processing
Sh2-155 is a diffuse nebula in the constellation Cepheus, within a larger nebula complex containing emission, reflection, and dark nebulosity. The Cave nebula is about 2,400 light-years away from Earth.
Image captured over 4 nights; 2021-10-01 to 2021-10-07.
17 hours and 20 min total integration
Ha subs 24 * 1,200sec = 8 hours
OIII subs 13 * 1,200sec = 4 hours 20 minutes
SII subs 15 * 1,200sec = 5 hours
Imaging Equipment:
SharpStar 140PH Triplet 910mm focal length
Mesu 200 MKII,
ZWOASI2600MM Pro camera
3nm Ha, OIII & SII filters
Far Beyond the Realm of the Stars
Interplanetary Travel
Youtube: "4K" Road Trip in Tunisia - Visiting Tunisia "2019"
Camera: Canon EOS Kiss X7i
Photograph by Yusuf Alioglu
Location: Outer space (space)
NGC7380 or the Wizard Nebula as it is commonly known as, is an emmision nebula in the constelation of Cepheus
Image Details:
Acquisition Dates:Sept. 20, 2019, Sept. 21, 2019, Sept. 30, 2019, Dec. 6, 2019, Dec. 9, 2019, Dec. 20, 2019, Dec. 25, 2019, Dec. 31, 2019
Frames:
Astronomik Ha 6nm: 51x300" (gain: 11.00) -20C bin 1x1
Astronomik OIII 6nm: 51x300" (gain: 11.00) -20C bin 1x1
Astronomik SII 6nm: 51x300" (gain: 11.00) -20C bin 1x1
Integration: 12.8 hours
Darks: ~101
Flats: ~101
Flat darks: ~101
Avg. Moon age: 15.36 days
Avg. Moon phase: 43.95%
Bortle Dark-Sky Scale: 4.00
Equipment Details:
Imaging Scope: Sharpstar Optics 15028HNT Hyperboloid Astrograph Reflector
Imaging Camera: Qhyccd 183M Mono ColdMOS at -20C
Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ8 Pro
Guide Scope: Sky-Watcher Finder Scope
Guide Camera: Starlight Xpress Ltd Lodestar X2
Filters: Astronomik 36mm RGB F2.2 Certified
Filterwheel: Starlight Xpress Ltd 7x36mm EFW
Power and USB Control: Pegasus Astro Ultimate USB Hub
Focuser: Primalucelab Sesto Senso Auto Focuser
Image Acquisition Software: Main Sequence Software SGPro
Guide Software: PHD 2
Processing Software: PixInsight
This nebula region of gas and dust is brilliantly colorful and often photographed. The star that is yellow is the named star Antares.
L 10mx39
R 10mx38
G 10mx34
B 10mx28
Total Integration = 23.2h
Data from Telescope.Live
PI: CC/RGB Comb/DC/Curves/LRGB Comb
PS: ColorEfex Detail Extractor/Curves/Smart Sharpen
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• Sky-Watcher BK P2001 with TS Optics 2" Dual Speed Focuser
• EQ6-R Pro
• ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
• Baader Hα 7nm: 15x600s
• Baader OIII 8.5nm: 15x600s
(total integration 5h)
• -20° sensor temp., Gain 139 (UG)
• Baader MPCC Mark III coma corrector
• 60x240 guide scope, ZWO ASI290Mini guide cam
Captured with ZWO EFW, ZWO EAF, ZWO ASIAIR, Pegasus Astro Powerbox
Saint Petersburg, Russia. Red light pollution zone, balcony
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• Sky-Watcher Quattro 250P
• Sky-Watcher EQ8-R Pro
• ZWO ASI294MM-Pro
• Astronomik L: 101x300s bin1 gain 0
• Astronomik RGB: 44x300s bin2 gain 125
• ZWO Hα 7nm: 29x300s bin1 gain 200
(total integration 14.5h)
• ZWO OAG & ASI290Mini guide cam
• TS GPU coma corrector
• ZWO EFW, ZWO EAF & Pegasus Astro Ultimate Powerbox 2
Trevinca, Valding, Spain
Bortle 3, SQM 21.8
processed with Pixinsight
Rosette Nebula Narrow Band Image" Image time 30 Hrs with 10 min subs using Ha S2 O3 filters. Imaged from my backyard in Whittier CA USA Using a TOA-130f @ 1004mm Mounted on a AP1200 Note: Image start date 1-1-08 Thru 2-10-08
Using warp drive from it's powerful anti-matter engine, the Hullbull Remote Space Telescope has rapidly approached the distant City of Light, Metropolis 1, to capture images from the incredible light show heralding the opening of the light city, some thousand light years distant. Here, one of the first images from the mission shows the first stages of a powerful series of explosions where matter was created by use of an advanced dimensional oscillator, similar to a miniature and controlled "Big Bang". Stellar fireworks, if you will. This is from the start of the light show which was produced a safe distance from Metropolis 1, several astronomical units, but yet close enough for the residents to see it develop in real time. The scale of the light show as viewed from Metropolis 1 would be similar to about 20 times the size of the full moon in our own sky. Additional images from the light show will be posted as more data are received from the Hullbull Telescope.
The Cocoon Nebula (IC1396) in the constellation of Cygnus. My third attempt at this very faint object. This image combines data from 2013 and 2016. All data was collected from the Tacoma Astronomical Society's site for their annual star party in Goldendale, Washington. Total exposure time is 9.4 hours.
This is M78/NGC2068, a 5 light-year wide nebula about 1350LY away in the constellation Orion.
Imaged using a 8" SCT at f6.3 (1280mm focal length), with a QHY268M camera for a total integration time of 12 hours through LRGB and H-Alpha filters.
Messier 31 the Andromeda galaxy HaLRGB
I added some more data to this so it’s just under 13 hours of data, I think I’m done on this one
Equipment used;
CGX mount
QHY9s CCD
AA 70 EDQ-R telescope
Baader filters
Capture details;
24 x 300 red
21 x 300 green
26 x 300 blue
48 x 300 ha
36 x 300 lum
31 x darks
100 bias (super bias pixinsight)
Software used;
SGP, phd2, pixinsight & Photoshop
The Cygnus Wall complex is part of the more recognisable North American nebula.
This ridge is approximately 20 light years long and is a huge star forming region. You can see where it is in a larger picture below.
This is a 4 pane mosaic as the field of view was too small to fit in the Cygnus Wall itself.
Details
M: Mesu 200
T: ODK10
C: QSI683 with 3nm Astrodon Ha filter
18x1800s in each pane
Total exposure 36 hours
Very faint nebulosa in Auriga.
That's the most complicated object I never did and my first integration from new really dark location at Montsec, Lleida (Spain). Integration of 29.5 hours.
A really proof for remote operations that I started one month ago.
Technical card
Imaging telescope or lens:Teleskop Service TS Photoline 107mm f/6.5 Super-Apo
Imaging camera:ZWO ASI1600MM-Cool
Mount:Astro-Physics Mach-1 GTO CP4
Guiding telescope or lens:Celestron OAG Deluxe
Guiding camera:QHYCCD QHY5III174
Focal reducer:Riccardi Reducer/Flattener 0.75x
Software:Main Sequence Software Seqence Generator Pro, Astro-Physics AAPC, Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight
Filters:Astrodon HA 36mm - 5nm, Astrodon B Gen.2 E-series 36mm, Astrodon G Gen.2 E-series 36mm, Astrodon R Gen.2 E-series 36mm, Astrodon S-II 36mm - 5nm, Astrodon O-III 36mm - 5nm
Accessories:ZWO EFW, MoonLite NiteCrawler WR30
Resolution: 2328x1760
Dates:Jan. 9, 2019
Frames:
Astrodon B Gen.2 E-series 36mm: 45x10" (gain: 200.00) -20C bin 1x1
Astrodon G Gen.2 E-series 36mm: 45x10" (gain: 200.00) -20C bin 1x1
Astrodon HA 36mm - 5nm: 104x600" (gain: 200.00) -20C bin 1x1
Astrodon O-III 36mm - 5nm: 36x600" (gain: 200.00) -20C bin 1x1
Astrodon R Gen.2 E-series 36mm: 45x10" (gain: 200.00) -20C bin 1x1
Astrodon S-II 36mm - 5nm: 35x600" (gain: 200.00) -20C bin 1x1
Integration: 29.5 hours
Avg. Moon age: 3.07 days
Avg. Moon phase: 10.31%
Astrometry.net job: 2466785
RA center: 81.629 degrees
DEC center: 42.932 degrees
Pixel scale: 2.936 arcsec/pixel
Orientation: 89.771 degrees
Field radius: 1.190 degrees
Locations: AAS Montsec, Àger, Lleida, Spain
Data source: Own remote observatory
Remote source: Non-commercial independent facility
My previous attempt at this was a failure so I moved to a faster scope.
My intent with this image is to show the subtly of this faint structure.
Acquisition details: www.astrobin.com/prmon5/
Here is my first and only attempt at Comet Leonard!
It was from the end of November that I was looking for the ideal weather conditions, but unfortunately it never stopped raining and the sky was always overcast.
I had almost lost hope, but this morning (Friday 10 December) after I woke up at 3.45 AM, I was finally able to take the shot I so wanted to do.
Miraculously the conditions were optimal and Leonard's magnitude was 4.85 (considering the air masses).
I was able to shoot until around 6 AM and eventually I also captured a small thunderstorm along with the twilight lights of dawn.
Nikon D750 modded, AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II
Panorama 3 blocks @ 70mm: landscape (1x13sec, ISO 2540, f/5.6), sky (1x20sec, ISO 3200, f/2.8), Leonard (200mm scaled at 70, 85x20sec, ISO 3200, f/2.8 + 45 dark frames, bias, flats)
A close up of the prominence in the Cygnus Wall part of NGC 7000 North America Nebula
Imaged using the Celestron C14 EdgeHD telescope at f/11 and ZWO 6200MM cooled camera.
Imaged over 8 nights in September 2024 at Los Coloraos, Gorafe, Granada, Spain.
47 Hours of integration in Ha, Oiii, Sii, Red, Green and Blue filters.
A full resolution image and technical details are available at astrob.in/nkb6qp/0/
Deep Space Antenna 1 is ESA’s first 35-m deep dish, staring out to space to communicate with missions far from home.
Located 140 kilometres north of Perth, Western Australia, close to the village of New Norcia, this giant antenna is in the perfect spot to observe the skies.
“The Wadjarri people from the Murchison region refer to much of the milky way as the emu, as it resembles an emu stretched across the sky,” says Suzy Jackson, Maintenance & Operations Manager for the ground station.
“I’m told that when the emu’s nose reaches the horizon, that’s the best time to collect emu eggs. Having our antenna in the foreground just makes it all the better. I am amazed at how beautiful our workplace here is.”
The New Norcia antenna provides routine support to missions orbiting Mars like Mars Express and Exomars TGO as well as the Gaia space observatory, in the process of making the world's most precise map of the stars in our Milky Way galaxy and BepiColombo on its way to Mercury.
With the launch of ESA’s ESTRACK now 'dashboard’, you can find out exactly which missions are communicating with which antennas at any moment, and discover more about what individual missions are up to - what is their mission and how far away are they?
Explore the ESTRACK network in real time.
Check out our guide to using the dashboard, here.
This processed image was taken by local astrophotographer Jim Longbottom. Find more of his work on his Flickr page.
Credits: Jim Longbottom
This is a beautiful example of galactic dark nebulae at high latitudes that become visible through illumination by the interstellar radiation field this is known as Extended Red Emission (ERE). ERE is a dust-luminescence process, which appears in a broad band extending in wavelength across the R-band. ERE also often appears in narrow filaments on the edges of clouds and may therefore be mistaken for H-alpha emission. This nebula emits no significant H-alpha signal. It's shape reminds of a cometary globule in its very last phase before being dispersed. (Text: panther-observatory.com/gallery/deepsky/doc/LBN438_cass.htm)
This picture was photographed durin October-November 2015 in Rozhen observatory, Bulgaria.
Equipment: home assembled reflector 10 in., f/3.8
Mount WhiteSwan-180 with a control system «Eqdrive Standart», camera QSI-583wsg, Televue Paracorr-2. Off-axis guidecamera QHY5L-II.
LRGB filter set Baader Planetarium.
L = 26 * 900 seconds , bin.1, RGB = 15 * 300-450 seconds, bin.1 each filter. About 11 hours.
FWHM source in L filter 1.99"-2.73", sum in L channel - 2.32"
The height above the horizon from 66° to 86°, the scale of 1"/ pixel.
Processed Pixinsight 1.8 and Photoshop CS6
The Little Rosette Nebula, is an H2 region located in the constellation of Cassiopeia. This region of gas and dust is located about 7,500-light years away from Earth.
The bright star at the nebula's center ionizes the surrounding hydrogen gas and causes it to glow. While it is not small in size, it is a very faint and relatively unknown object. Approximate size is 2/3's of the full moon. There is also a significant level of dark dust mixed in with the gas, and filaments can be seen throughout.
Image captured over 6 nights; 2022-11-19, 20, 23, & 2023-01-18, 19, 22.
23 hours and 10 min total integration
Ha subs 33 * 1,200sec = 11 hours
OIII subs 17 * 1,200sec = 5 hours 40 minutes
SII subs 15 * 1,200sec =5 hours
R subs 15 * 120sec = 30 minutes
B subs 15 * 120sec = 30 minutes
G subs 15 * 120sec = 30 minutes
Imaging Equipment:
SharpStar 140PH Triplet 910mm focal length
Mesu 200 MKII,
ZWOASI2600MM Pro camera
3nm Ha, OIII & SII filters, R,G,B filters
Imaged every year by thousands of astrophotographers and still remains one of the most iconic nebulas in the night sky. Not surprising really due to its beauty and amazing surrounding nebulas.
This is a close up version just showing the dark Horsehead nebula B33, the bright red emission nebula IC 434 and the bright reflection nebula of NGC 2023.
Imaged from Los Coloraos using the Celestron C11 EDGE HD telescope.
A high resolution image and full imaging details available at astrob.in/mws17m/0/
Remotely imaged over 5 nights in January and February 2024 from Los Coloraos, Gorafe, Spain.
132 x 120 second exposures with Red, 105 x Green, 19 x Blue and 35 x 300 seconds of H-alpha
Total image time: 13 hours 53 minutes
Telescope: Celestron C11 EDGE HD
Camera: ZWO ASI6200MM Pro cooled to -5C
Filter: Astronomic Deep-Sky Red, Green and Blue and H-Alpha 12nm
Mount: iOptron CEM 120
Captured with: NINA, processed with PixInsight and Adobe Lightroom Classic
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While the main and most prominent object in this image is the Glowing California Nebula otherwise known as NGC 1499, there is much dust and in the annotated version www.flickr.com/photos/terryhancock/49425960883/in/datepos... an abundance of distant galaxies are also visible. It only takes 1000 years for light to reach us from the California Nebula, yet in this very same image we are looking at photons that left the distant elliptical galaxy IC 2027 287 million years ago.
Captured from Grand Mesa Observatory in Western Colorado over 3 nights using the QHY128C Full Frame One Shot color CMOS camera on one of the Twin Takahashi E-180 Astrographs “System 4a” and available from their legacy data archive: grandmesaobservatory.com/legacy
Total Integration time 13 hours
Image details
Terry Hancock downunderobservatory.com
Location: GrandMesaObservatory.com Purdy Mesa, Colorado
Dates of capture: December 30th 2019, 14th, 17th January 2020
Color RGGB 785 min, 157 x 300 sec
Camera: QHY128C Color CMOS
Calibrated with flat, Dark & Bias
Optics: Takahashi E-180 Astrograph
Filter UV-IR Cut by Optolong
Image Acquisition software Maxim DL6
Pre Processed in Pixinsight
Post Processed in Photoshop
Star Reduction with Starnet
NGC 7380 is an open cluster of stars in the northern constellation of Cepheus. The surrounding nebulosity is known as the Wizard Nebula.
Rio Rancho NM Bortle 5 zone,
Sept 25-27, 2022
William Optics Redcat 51
ZWO 183mm pro
ZWO 30mm f/4 mini guide scope and ZWO 120 Mini
Optolong Ha and OIII filters
ZWO ASI Air Pro
Sky-Watcher HEQ5
90 X 300s Ha
114 x 300s OIII
Darks bias dithering
Gain 111 at -10C
Processed in DSS and PS
As a follow on to my last post, here is a dedicated image to the Andromeda galaxy. This is a collaborative effort between myself and my good friend Steve Zigler. Steve captured the data using his dedicated astro camera and telescope and then was kind enough to let me edit it (though he's perfectly capable of edited it himself!). This is a two image pano, shot in LRGB. As my first LRGB image, let me just say this was an absolute BEAST to put together. Fun project, and a nice companion image to my last post.
The Crescent Nebula, NGC 6888, at the bottom right is an emission nebula created by the death throes of the Wolf-Rayet star HD 192163.
This bi-colour narrowband image (Hydrogen alpha/Oxygen iii) captures NGC6888 and surrounding nebulosity. At the middle bottom is a small, faint planetary nebula PN G75.5+1.7, also known as the Soap Bubble nebula.
Captured from DSW in New Mexico with a Takahashi FSQ-106ED scope and QSI-683 camera. 4.25 hours of Ha and 9 hours of Oiii. Processed with PixInsight.
I was in cyprus last week for a few days to catch up with family and had the opportunity to go out at night to do a bit of astrophotography. This was my first attempt at photographing Andromeda Galaxy - our nearest galactic neighbour. I still got a lot to learn in this area, but for now I am happy with the results!