This nebula is located at around 7500 lights years from the Earth and extend over 165 lights years.

On the upper right part you can see the Fish Head Nebula (IC 1795).

On the left it is a part of the Heart Nebula (IC 1805) and you can see Melotte 15 in the middle of the Heart Nebula, a little star cluster with a lot of dust

Starless version: flic.kr/p/2mA2B1y

One exposure 300s : flic.kr/p/2mwYXX5

-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 NEQ5

Filter: Optrolong L-eXtreme

-Acquisition-

Light :218x300s ( 18h ) at Gain:101 Offset:49

Dark-100x300s Flat-50 Bias-100

Date : Take on 5 night 29, 30 september 2021

and 7, 8, 9 october 2021

Location : France-Alsace Bortle 4/5

-Software-

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

I use the ForaxX palette for HOO combination

ForaxX website : thecoldestnights.com

And the Ez Processing Suite from darkarcon

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

-Pre Processing in PixInsight-

Image Calibration

Cosmetic Correction

Debayer

Subframe Selector

Star Alignement

Local Normalization

Drizzle x2

Dynamic crop

-Processing

Split the master_LRGB into L, R, G, B layer

DynamicBackgroundExtractor each layer

___RGB layer___

Split RGB channels for build Ha and Oiii

Ha=R Oiii= B*0.3+G*0.7

EZ_Soft Stretch

HOO combination with Foraxx formula

R=Ha

G=((Oiii*Ha)^~(Oiii*Ha))*Ha + ~((Oiii*Ha)^~(Oiii*Ha))*Oiii

B=Oiii

Starnet++ for remove stars and build a mask nebula

Color Saturation

Curves Tansformation (K,saturation,hue)

Saturate stars for push up stars color

SCNR with star Mask for remove green in stars (OSC camera)

Bring back the stars with PixelMath

___L layer___

Ez_Deconvolution

Ez_Denoise

Ez_Soft Stretch

Ez_HDR

Local Histogram Equalization with nebula mask

UnsharpedMask with nebula mask

___LRGB___

Final Curve Transformation

DarkStructureEnhance script

EZ_Star Reduction

Save as BMP 32bit file

Clear skies !

Tate Britain, London

Free-hand…

1962 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL Roadster

Further to posting the steering wheel and dash board the other day, here is the rest of the car, which didn't actually sell at the auction last September so it may still be up for sale.

"Announced in 1954 and based on the 180 saloon whose all-independently-suspended running gear it used, the 190 SL did not enter production until January 1955, the delay being caused by alterations aimed at strengthening the saloon's shortened platform to compensate for the open body's reduced stiffness. Mounted on a detachable subframe along with the four-speed manual gearbox, front suspension and steering, the power unit was a 1,897cc overhead-camshaft four - the first such engine ever to feature in a Mercedes-Benz. Breathing through twin Solex down-draft carburettors, the M121 unit produced 105bhp at 5,700rpm, an output sufficient to propel the 190SL to 60mph in 13 seconds and on to a top speed of 107 miles per hour."

Flickr Friday theme: Subframing

Thanks to everyone who took the time to view, comment, and fave my photo. It’s really appreciated. 😊

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

Photographed at Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada

(285 km by road north of Toronto)

* Temperature 11 degrees C.

Total exposure time: 15 minutes.

* 540 mm focal length telescope

___________________________________________

Description:

This large hydrogen gas nebula lies about 6,000 light-years away in the constellation Cassiopeia, and in the Perseus Arm of our Milky Way galaxy. The nebula is energized by hot stars near the centre in this view, some of which are about 50 times the mass of our own Sun. The nebula has a diameter of about 200 light years.

For a wider angle view of Cassiopeia and this nebula, made with a 50 mm lens on the same evening, click here:

www.flickr.com/photos/97587627@N06/31139391496

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@N06/31079227441

__________________________________________

Technical information:

Nikon D810a camera body on Teleview 101is apochromatic refracting telescope, mounted on Astrophysics 1100GTO equatorial mount

Fifteen stacked frames; each frame:

540 mm focal length

ISO 5000; 1 minute exposure at f/5.4; unguided

(with LENR - long exposure noise reduction)

Subframes registered in RegiStar;

Stacked and processed in Photoshop CS6 (brightness, contrast, colour balance, levels)

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

This is a single simple stack of 30 subframes taken through my 130mm refractor with my deep sky camera of the whole of the Moon. I've also captured a more detailed mosaic that I will post once I have had time to process all the individual videos.

Peter

Photo Journal

Mull covered bridge in Sandusky County, Ohio.

NGC2070

I used remote observatory, iTelescope, to took this image.

The plan started at the beginning of September 2019. I acquired L, R, G, B, SII, H-alpha, OIII each 300s*1. I did LRGB, SHO, HOO color mapping, and I found out that the luminous frame is bright (or less noise), but the nebulosity is not as sharp as narrowband frames. Since the SII frame is much dimmer than others, I experimentally took single 900s SII subframe. The Hubble Palette image with S:H:O=9:3:3 still shows water blue color (bule+green) in nebulosity and, badly, very red color in star. I did some google search, notice that there might be not so many SII emission at this place. "Ok, I need to change the strategy." I talked to myself at that time.

After that, I focus on HOO composition. I took an extra nine subframes each with H-alpha and OIII filter. Finally, HOO color nebula combines with LRGB stars makes this image more nature.

The plan will be continuous...

Time: 2019/09

iTelescope T31

OTA: Planewave 20" CDK

Aperture: 510mm

Focal Length: 2259mm

F/Ratio: f/4.4

CCD: FLI-PL09000

LRGB: 300s*1 (each)

H-alpha: 300s*10

OIII: 300s*10

Data Source: iTelescope remote observatory. My friend offers me observe time, and I make the observational plan.

Young heron on the edge of our pond.

This is the first time I've attempted to image the Lagoon nebula, which from my location doesn't rise higher than 14 degrees above the horizon while visible from my garden observatory.

It was only after some recent adjustments that allow my south wall to go a little lower when open that I have been able to get one of my telescopes completely covering the target area long enough to image it.

It is a stack of nine seven-minute subframes through a Hydrogen Alpha filter, total image time 63 minutes.

Peter

Equipment used:

Atik 460EX mono CCD, 130mm trriplet APO refractor, EQ8 mount. Autoguided with Lodestar CCD and 60mm refractor.

Target: IC63 Ghost of Cassiopeia.

About 550 light-years away in the constellation of Cassiopeia lies IC 63, a fitting nebula for Halloween time.

Also known as the ghost of Cassiopeia, IC 63 is being shaped by radiation from a variable star, Gamma Cassiopeiae, which is slowly eroding away the ghostly cloud of dust and gas.

Gear:

Mount: ZWO AM5

Main Cam: ZWO ASI294MC Pro @ gain 121 and 14F

Guide Cam: ZWO ASI120MM Mini with ZWO 30mm f/4 scope

Lens: Sigma 150-600 @ 575

Filter: Antlia ALP-T 5nm Ha and Oiii

Acquisition:

Light frames: Best 60 of 84 5 minute subs totalling 5 Hr integration

Sessions: 01-Nov-23

Location: Houston Colorado County, Texas

Bortle: 5

Moon: 87%, 60degrees off target

Processing

• PI - Subframe selector, WBPP

• GraXpert background

• PI SPCC

• PI Russel Croman - BXT NXT STX

• PI Starless Edits

○ Bill Blanshan Mike Cranfield Narrowband Normalization Tool

○ GHS Stretch

○ Curves

• PI Stars Edits

○ Arcsinh Stretch

○ SCNR, Invert and SCNR

○ Curve Saturation

• PS ACR Black point, Highlights, Clarity, Dehaze

• PS Selective Colors

• PS Screen stars layer, copy stars layer/brighten it/mask in selective stars

• PS Watermark

Venice, Italy

It's getting brighter. Note the split tail.

Seestar S50

30 thirty-second subframes

The Heart and Soul Nebulae are two emission nebulae located in the constellation Cassiopeia, about 6,000 light-years from Earth. Together, they form a vast star-forming complex, making them fascinating objects for astronomers and stargazers alike.

This is a revisit of some older data sets from 2017 and 2018. It was originally supposed to be a 6 panel mosaic of the Heart and Soul region. Unfortunately, I had far too many gaps in the overall field of view, so the panorama project was scrapped. And with my skills and tools at the time, I had never been able to get a good result out of any of the subframes.

Fast forward a few years, and I managed to use at least 2 frames in the panorama to create this image. And with the extra experience and better tools, I was able to finally do this nebula justice!

-= Tech Data =-

-Equipment-

Imaging Scope: Esplore Scientific ED80

Mount: Celestron AVX

Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI 1600MC-Pro

Guide Camera: Orion

Guide Scope: Orion

- Acquisition -

∙ 60 x 5 minute exposures per frame.

Shot at the L&A Country Dark Sky Viewing Area near Erinsville, Ontario

NGC 2264 is the designation number of the New General Catalogue that identifies two astronomical objects as a single object: the Cone Nebula, and the Christmas Tree Cluster.

All of the objects are located in the Monoceros constellation, near Orion and are located about 2300 light-years from Earth.

-Equipment-

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

Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro at -15°C gain 101 offset 49

Guiding: ZWO OAG

Guiding camera: ZWO ASI 120MM

Mount: Skywatcher AZ-EQ6

Filter: Optolong L-eXtreme

-Acquisition-

Light : 60x300s

Total integration time 5h

Dark: 34x300s Flat-50 Bias-100

Date : 9 February 2022

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

Image Integration

Drizzle x2

Dynamic crop

-Processing

DBE master Light

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

__L__

Ez_Deconvolution

Ez_Soft Streatch

UnsharpedMask

LocalHistogramEqualization

__RGB__

Linear Fit

BackgroundNeutralization

PhotometricColorCalibration

Ez_Soft Streatch

Starnet++

CuvesTransformation with mask

SCNR star mask

Bring back stars with PixelMath

__LRGB__

LRGBCombination

Ez_Denoise

Final CurvesTransformation

DarkStructureEnhance Script

Save as jpg

Clear Skies !

Museo Novacento, Florence, Italy

Comet 45/P from this evening between 19:55 h and 20:05 h UT. Despite the fog close to surface and only seven degrees above the horizon, the comet’s tail still can be seen in a length of more than two degrees.

Sony A7s (CentralDS modded), ISO3200, no filter, Borg Apo 3.9/480mm, 40 x 15 sec, landscape from one single subframe, FOV 4.2° x 3°, EQ8 mount.

IC 443 also known as the Jellyfish Nebula is a galactic supernova remnant in the constellation Gemini, at 5000 Light years from Earth.

IC 443 may be the remains of a supernova that occurred 3,000 - 30,000 years ago.

-Equipment-

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

Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro at -25°C gain 101 offset 49

Guiding: ZWO OAG

Guiding camera: ZWO ASI 120MM

Mount: Skywatcher AZ-EQ6

Filter: Optolong L-eXtreme

-Acquisition-

Light : 124x300s

Total integration time 10h

Dark: 34x300s Flat-50 Bias-100

Date : 4 March 2022

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

Image Integration

Drizzle x2

Dynamic crop

-Processing

DBE MasterLRGB

___RGB layer___HOO

Split RGB channels to build Ha and Oiii

Ha=R Oiii= B*0.3+G*0.7

EZ_Soft Stretch

HOO combination with Foraxx formula

R=Ha

G=((Oiii*Ha)^~(Oiii*Ha))*Ha + ~((Oiii*Ha)^~(Oiii*Ha))*Oiii

B=Oiii

Starnet++ for remove stars and build a mask nebula

Color Saturation

Curves Tansformation

Saturate stars for push up stars color

SCNR star mask

Bring back the stars with PixelMath

___L layer___

Ez_Deconvolution

Ez_Soft Stretch

Local Histogram Equalization with nebula mask

UnsharpedMask with nebula mask

___LRGB___

Ez_Denoise

Final Curve Transformation

Annotation

Save as JPG

Clear skies !

A one owner from new car up until very recent.

Now at 36.5k, this Uno covered only a few hundred miles every year. A clean MoT history bar corroded subframes on both sides in 2013, to which it received the necessary welding.

This is two simultaneously taken views of the region around the Great Orion nebula, M42. On the left a luminance only view taken through my 80mm triplet APO refractor with a ZWO ASI174MM mono CMOS camera, to the upper left the Running Man nebula can be clearly seen.

On the right, through my 130mm triplet APO (the 80mm sits on top of it) usng an Atik460EX mono CCD and three narrowband filters, Hydrogen Alpha, Hydrogen Beta and Oxygen III to create a RGB image. The H Beta filter proved very useful for picking up the whispier parts of the nebulosity. M43 is the small bright nebula towards the top of this image. I was careful to keep individual subframe exposures short enough to stack without the bright part of the M42 nebula obscuring the Trapezium.

Peter

Hi everybody.

This is an image of M78 in Orion made with the Officina Stellare UCRC 12" f5.2 telescope during the last (2012) ATT at Sattlegger (Austria).

The picture is an LLRGB consisting of 5:3:3:3, 30min subframes (7hours total) through an LRGB Astrodon type2 filters using a FLI ML11002 CCD camera.

Thanks!

Mosaic of 8 separate images, each from a stack of 20 subframes.

It is a large file, so check the bigger viewing options.

Here it is guys! My entry into McLaren's design competition.

Performance

• Acceleration: 0-100 km/h in 2.0

• Top Speed: (electronically limited): 350km/h

• Braking: 97-0 in 2.5 seconds (in 30 meters).

• Fuel Consumption: 8.3L/100km/h

Design

Drivetrain:

• 5 liter counter-rotating flatplane twin crank V8

• Variable ratio twin screw supercharger

• 6-speed triple clutch gearbox with KERS and hybrid 500kW electric motor

Chassis:

• Carbon cockpit tub with titanium rollover frame

• Titanium trellis front subframe with inboard suspension

• Rear suspension mounted directly to engine and gearbox

• Forged magnesium wheels and airless tires with internal aluminium skeleton

Computer:

• 1.2 Billion bit solid state optical processor with braided carbon nanotube optical paths

• Honeycomb aluminium nitrogen cooling cell in center of bonnet

Specs credit goes to my good friend Kieran.

Let me know what you think!

The famous Spaghetti nebula, more properly known as Simeis 147, on the border of Auriga with Taurus is a supernova remnant of a star which exploded around 40,000 years ago. It is a large object, spanning more than 3 degrees, but also very dim. This image is a 6 panel mosaic with each panel being a stack of 300 second subframes integrating to 10 or more hours total exposure. The imaging camera was a QHY168C with an STC duo-narrowband filter. The scope was a WO Zenithstar 102. Sequence Generator Pro was used to plan the mosaic and manage the image capture. Guiding was via PHD2. The mount was a Skywatcher EQ6R Pro. All post-processing was carried out in PixInsight.

Observed from Prachinburi, Thailand.

Manufacturer: Adam Opel AG, Rüsselsheim - Germany / General Motors Company, Detroit - USA

Type: Kapitän Mk 5

Production time: September 1955 - Februari 1958

Production outlet: 92,555 (incl. 7,983 Kapitän L from May 1957)

Engine: 2473cc straight-6

Power: 75 bhp / 3.900 rpm

Torque: 173 Nm / 1.700 rpm

Drivetrain: rear wheels

Speed: 140 km/h

Curb weight: 1240 kg

Wheelbase: 108 inch

Chassis: with self-supporting steel pontoon body

Steering: worm & roller

Gearbox: three-speed manual / all synchronized from 1956 / steering column shift

Clutch: single dry plate disc

Carburettor: Opel downdraft with accelerator pump

Fuel tank: 45 liter

Electric system: Bosch 6 Volts

Ignition system: distributor and coil

Brakes front: hydraulic Duplex drums

Brakes rear: hydraulic drums

Suspension front: independent trapezoidal double wishbones, sway bar, coil springs + telescopic shock absorbers (inside standing)

Suspension rear: live axle reinforced by a subframe, cast housing with support tubes, two semi-elliptical leaf springs with 7 leaves (intermediate bearings), sway bar + telescopic shock absorbers

Rear axle: live

Differential: hypoid

Wheels: 4 1/2 J x 13

Tires: 6.40 x 13

Options: four-speed-overdrive transmission, whitewall tires

Special:

- This executive Opel (fifth generation Kapitäns) was in the base the old model with new bumpers, trim and parking lights.

- With increased compression, 82 bhp / 4.000 rpm, and the all synchronized gearbox with overdrive, it was a nice “travel car”.

Manufacturer: Daimler-Benz AG, Stuttgart - Germany

Type: 300 SE Coupé Typ W 112.021

Production time: February 1962 - December 1967

Production outlet: 2,419

Engine: 2996cc straight-6 M 189 VI / 189.987 SOHC big block

Power: 185 bhp / 5.200 rpm

Torque: 278 Nm / 4.000 rpm

Drivetrain: rear wheels

Speed: 195 km/h

Curb weight: 1570 kg

Wheelbase: 108.3 inch

Chassis: X-frame chassis with auxiliary front subframe for receiving suspension with motor-gear unit and steel unibody (frame-floor unit with body welded)

Steering: DB servo recirculating ball with damper

Gearbox: four-speed automatic transmission / steering column shift

Clutch: not applicable

Fuel system: mechanical Bosch fuel injection:

Fuel tank: 65 liter

Electric system: 12 Volts

Ignition system: electronic

Brakes front: ATE T 50/26 brake assist hydrauliic 9.96 inch Dunlop discs

Brakes rear: ATE T 50/26 brake assist hydraulic 10.04 inch Dunlop discs with anti-dive

Suspension front: independent self-leveling air suspension, double trapezoidal wishbones, sway bar, rubber auxiliary springs + hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers

Suspension rear: swing axle with low pivot point and sliding struts, self-leveling air suspension, sway bar/torsionsstabllisator, rubber auxiliary springs + hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers

Rear axle: live

Differential: hypoid

Wheels: 5½JK x 13 B

Tires: 7.50 H 13 Nylon Sport

Options: four-speed manual gearbox, ZF five-speed manual gearbox

Special:

- The new “fin tail” body style was designed by Friedrich Geiger and at first shown at the 1959 Frankfurt Auto Show.

- The 300 SE Series was available as this 2-door Coupé, as 2-door Convertible W 112.23 (1962-1967: 708 units built), as 4-door Limousine W 112.014 (1961-1965: 5,202 units built) and as 4-door Limousine SE lang W 112.015 (1963-1965: 1,546 units built and often wrongly referred to as the 300 SEL, a designation not used until 1966 - Typ W 109), all assembled (hand-built) in Stuttgart Untertürkheim - Germany.

Manufacturer: Pontiac Division of General Motors, Detroit, Michigan - USA

Type: Firebird 326 Series 22400 / model 22437 Hardtop Sport Coupé

Production time: February 1967 - mid-year 1968

Production outlet: 67,032

Engine: 5342cc Pontiac L30 326 V-8 overhead valve

Power: 250 bhp / 4.600 rpm

Torque: 452 Nm / 2.800 rpm

Drivetrain: rear wheels

Speed: 185 km/h

Curb weight: 1500 kg

Wheelbase: 108 inch

Chassis: GM F-body platform with front subframe and semi-unibody (by Fisher)

Steering: Saginaw recirculating ball

Gearbox: three-speed manual / all synchromesh / floor shift

Clutch: 10 13/32 inch single dry plate disc

Carburettor: Rochester dual downdraft

Fuel tank: 70 liter

Electric system: 12 Volts 53 Ah

Ignition system: distributor and coil

Brakes front: 9.5 inch hydraulic self-adjusting drums

Brakes rear: 9.5 inch hydraulic self-adjusting drums

Suspension front: independent ball joint, unequal length trapezoidal wishbones, sway bar, coil springs + hydraulic telescopic dampers

Suspension rear: beam axle, radius arms, longitudinal semi-elliptic leaf springs + hydraulic telescopic dampers

Rear axle: live semi-floating type

Differential: hypoid 3.23:1

Wheels: 6 x 14 inch steel discs

Tires: E70 x 14

Options: four-speed manual gearbox (by Muncie), two-speed automatic transmission, three-speed automatic transmission, Ram Air package (functional hood scoops, higher flow heads with stronger valve springs and a different camshaft), Delco-Moraine power brakes, Delco-Moraine front disc brakes, heavy-duty coil springs, heavy-duty version shock absorbers, power windows, Saginaw power steering, adjustable steering column, speed control device, air conditioning, radio, different axle ratios

Special:

- "What Chevrolet can do, we can too," Pontiac thought, when Chevrolet released their Camaro, designed by Pontiac Motor Division General Manager John DeLorean.

- They (heavily) shared the same coach work (the F-body platform), but with detailed changes, such as grille (twin grilles of a bumper-integral design), chrome trim strips, three vertical air slots on the front edge of the rear body panels and vent windows in the front.

- Unfortunately the Camaro outsold the Firebird two to one in the beginning.

- The Camaro and the Firebird were at the forefront of America's muscle car generation.

- A Firebird was the 1967 Pace Car of the Daytona International Speedway.

- In the period that Pontiac released the Firebird, the demand for convertibles dropped, like the Mustangs and the Camaros. The average American would rather buy a draft-free coupe with air conditioning.

- This first generation Firebird Series 22400 (1967-1969), with its characteristic Coke bottle styling, was available as this 2-door Sport Coupé and as 22467 2-door Convertible (15,528 units built).

- The were assembled in Lordstown (Ohio), Norwood (Ohio: from 1969 on) and in Van Nuys (California).

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

Photographed from mid-town Toronto, Canada, at 21.05 EST (Moon altitude: 61° | Sun 42° below the horizon)

* Temperature -10° C.

The weather has been so bad in southern Ontario for the last almost two months that tonight was the first time since Nov. 22 that I have had the telescope out under a clear sky!

The Moon, in its waxing gibbous phase and 78% sunlit, was riding high over Toronto tonight, just four nights before the total eclipse of the Moon this coming Sunday night. It was quite cold, but there was no wind to blow the telescope around, so I was able to get very clear, high resolution base images from which to make this image.

______________________________________________

Nikon Z7 camera body on Explore Scientific 152 mm (6") apochromatic refracting telescope, mounted on Sky-Watcher AZ-EQ6 SynScan mount.

Best nine of twelve identical stacked frames - each frame:

● 1253 mm focal length

● ISO 100, 1/250 sec. exposure, f/8

Subframes stacked in Registax

Processed in Photoshop CS6

(cropping, brightness, contrast, colour desaturation)

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

Manufacturer: Volkswagen AG (VAG), Wolfsburg - Germany

Type: Typ 3 1500S Stufenheck / Notchback

Production time: 1963 - 1965

Production time: 1961 - 1973 (all Typ 3's)

Production outlet: 1,202,483 (all 1500/1600/Variant models)

Production outlet: 2,583,015 (all Typ 3's / all models)

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

Power: 54 bhp / 4.200 rpm

Torque: 106 Nm / 2.600 rpm

Drivetrain: rear wheels

Speed: 135 km/h

Curb weight: 880 kg

Wheelbase: 94.5 inch

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

Steering: worm & roller with hydraulic damper

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

Clutch: dry plate disc

Carburettor: twin Solex 32 PDSIT downdraft

Fuel tank: 40 liter

Electric system: 6 Volts 77 Ah

Ignition system: distributor and coil

Brakes front: hydraulic drums

Brakes rear: hydraulic drums

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

Suspension rear: double jointed CV joint trailing arms, transverse torsion bars + hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers

Rear axle: live swing type

Differential: spiral bevel

Wheels: 4½J x 15 safety rim wheels

Tires: 6.00 x 15 Bias 6 Ply

Options: Fichtel & Sachs Saxomat semi-automatic four speed transmission (an electromagnetic clutch with a centrifugal clutch used for idle), fog lamps, Air Conditioning (USA)

Special:

- Typ 3 (Projekt EA 142: 1961-1973), introduced at the 1961 Frankfurt Motor Show, was the first "big Volkswagen" and the last Volkswagen with the air-cooled rear mounted boxer engine (411/412).

- It shared the Beetles gearbox, rear axle and the engine mounted in the back (into a subframe which contained the complete rear suspension) and almost half of the total production were Variants (43 %).

- Typ 3 Series was available as this 2-door Stufenheck , as 3-door Variant “Squareback” and as 3-door Variant Delivery Van.

- This first Typ 3 1500 Series was assembled in Wolfsburg - Germany.

- Cars built in Brasil (nicknamed “Zé do Caixão” (meaning "Coffin Joe") and Argentina could be delivered with 4 doors.

- Type 3 output continued in Clayton (Australia) until 1974 and in São Bernardo do Campo (Brazil) until 1982.

This is a combination of 26 subs, one set from April 2020, of 10 x 10 minutes duration and another set of 16 x 5 minutes duration from 2018. All at ISO400. Taken with my 480mm f/6 refractor on a modified Canon 80D.

Technical card for 2020 session is in my Backyard Astrophotography Album.

I’ve not cropped this, so some background galaxies can be seen in the corners.

M81 is a large spiral galaxy in Ursa Major that is reasonably local to us at 12 million light years. Its companion, M82 has been disrupted by an encounter with M81 in the past.

M82 is a starburst galaxy with intense star formation triggered by the gravitational influence of M81. The red fan-like filaments at right angles to the axis of the galaxy are formed by a "superwind". The intense star formation has resulted in multiple supernovae explosions occurring about once every 10 years - the explosions power the super wind. The filaments are expanding outwards at about 600 miles a second and glow brightly in hydrogen alpha (red). They are also a very strong source of radio emission, listed as 3C 231 in the 3rd Cambridge catalogue of radio sources.

NGC3077 lies top left. It’s classified as a peculiar galaxy and may have interacted with M81 in the past and become disrupted. Some radial dust bands are just visible in this image - couldn’t see this detail before so nice to pick up in this longer integration.

The faint galaxy Holmberg IX lies just above M81, seen here as a faint triangular smudge contained in a trapezoid set of stars. It seems to be a companion dwarf galaxy to M81, a bit like our Magellanic Clouds.

The small galaxies bottom left and right are PGC28563 and PGC28225 respectively.

Image scale: 1.59 arcsecond/pixel

Field-of-view: 1d 37' 34.0" x 1d 9' 3.6"

Image centred on:

RA: 9hr 55min 25.931s

DEC: +67d 10min 05.69s

I tried a few new things in PixInsight processing to try and get the best integrated image. I used a custom expression in SubFrame Selector and graded all the subs based on that expression (using Eccentricity, SNR and FWHM). The integration then used the weighted images (via a FITS keyword) so that the best made the most contribution and the worst, least.

Seestar S50

Polar alignment. 180 thirty-second subframes

Manufacturer: Alvis Car and Engineering Company Ltd, Coventry - UK

Type: 12/50 SB Tourer

Production time: 1923 - 1929

Production outlet: 3,616 (all models)

Engine: 1496cc straight-4 overhead-valve I-head

Power: 51 bhp / 4.000 rpm

Torque: unknown

Drivetrain: rear wheels

Speed: 97 km/h

Curb weight: 1030 kg

Wheelbase: 112.5 inch

Chassis: ladder frame with a bolted subframe and separate body (most likely by Cross & Ellis, Coventry)

Steering: Maries steering

Gearbox: four-speed manual / non-synchromesh / floor shift

Clutch: cone type

Carburettor: Solex

Fuel tank: 51 liter

Electric system: Lucas 6 Volts

Ignition system: magneto

Brakes front: non

Brakes rear: cable controlled mechanical drums

Suspension front: live axle, longitudinal semi-elliptic leaf springs

Suspension rear: live axle, longitudinal semi-elliptic leaf springs

Rear axle: beam

Differential: hypoid 4.30:1

Wheels: 19 inch Artillery Type

Tires: 5.50 x 19

Options: cycle wings, front wheel brakes (standard from 1926)

Special:

- Some have suggested that De Freville proposed the name Alvis as a compound of the words "aluminium" and "vis" (meaning "strong" in Latin) although De Freville himself vigorously denied this theory. Perhaps the name was derived from the Norse mythological weaponsmith, Alvíss, but the true origin is unknown.

- The Alvis 12/50 was designed by Chief Draughtsman W.M. Dunn and its engine was a recontructed and improved engine (original designed in 1920 for the 10/30 model) by Geoffrey de Freville) by Chief Engineer and Works Manager Captain G.T. Smith-Clark.

- Engineering companies of the time, Alvis did not produce their own coachwork. They only assembled the rolling chassis. Customers choose their own coach builder, like Carbodies Limited in Coventry, Charlesworth Bodies Limited in Coventry, Cross & Ellis in Coventry, Hooper & Co. in Westminster London, Mulliners Limited in Birmingham, Tickford Limited in Newport Pagnell, Vanden Plas Belgium/UK, etc.

- The 12/50 Series was available as this Tourer, as Drophead Coupé, as 2 seat Sports Tourer, Raodster and as Sportsman’s Saloon.

- The Models FA, FB, FD and FE (1928-1931) had front wheel drive!!, with Roots Supercharger power 75bhp/5.000rpm, 155 units built in total, including prototypes and racers and 14 known survivors / 35 survivors from other sources!!).

Canon 500N & ef 28-80mm, Fomapan 400 in xtol1:1

passer-by records a street music band on her mobile phone

I took this photo with a Sony A7III camera, attached to an Orion 80mm ED doublet refractor, and mounted on a Celestron CGX-L.

I only took 8 subframes for stacking. More is usually better.

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

Manufacturer: Società Anonima Fratelli Innocenti, Lambretta / Milan - Italy

Type: Mini Cooper 1300 MK 4 Minimatic

Production time: mid-year 1971 - mid-year 1975

Production outlet: unknown

Engine: 1275cc straight-4 BMC Austin A-series 1275

Power: 76 bhp / 5.800 rpm

Torque: 108 Nm / 3.200 rpm

Drivetrain: front wheels

Speed: 157 km/h

Curb weight: 649 kg

Wheelbase: 80 inch

Chassis: front and rear subframes with all-steel unibody

Steering: rack & pinion

Gearbox: semi-automatic (clutchless) manual four-speed transmission / II, III and IV synchronized / floor shifter

Clutch: not relevant / single dry plate spring spacer on manual gearbox

Carburettor: twin SU HS2

Fuel tank: 36 liter

Electric system: 12 Volts

Ignition system: distributor and coil

Brakes front: powered Lockheed hydraulic discs

Brakes rear: Lockheed hydraulic drums

Suspension front: independent double wishbones with composite suspension (hydrolastic) with rubber spring cushion, damping valve controlled by connecting liquid, torsion bars for the longitudinal and transverse stabilization + telescopic shock absorbers

Suspension rear: trailing arms with composite suspension (hydrolastic) with rubber spring cushion, damping valve controlled by connecting liquid, torsion bars for the longitudinal and transverse stabilization + telescopic shock absorbers

Rear axle: live

Differential: spiral bevel

Wheels: 3J-10 inch

Tires: 145 SR 10

Options: four-speed manual gearbox

Special:

- The Mini (ADO15) was designed by Sir Alec Issigonis (who also designed the Morris Minor over 10 years earlier) and is generally considered one of the most important milestones in automotive history.

- Based on the 2-door Mini John Cooper (racecar constructor of Formula 500, Formula 3 and Formula 1 cars and a friend of Sir Alec Issigonis) developed a sporty model: the Mini Cooper.

- In Italy in the years 60-70 it often was too expensive, due to high import duties, to purchase an imported car, so that most Italians opted for an Italian car. BMC England signed an agreement with Innocenti Milan (famous for the production of Lambretta) and from 1965 Innocenti was allowed to built the Mini 850 for the Italian market. Since 1971, the Mini Cooper was also built under license.

- It is equipped with a unique "Hydrolastic" shock absorption system, invented by famous British rubber engineer Alex Moulton, in which the various fluid-filled shock absorbers, by means of conduits, are in communication with each other.

- The Innocenti was faster and more luxurious (interior with more accessories and better finished) than the British Mini and nowadays very popular in the USA, Canada and Europe.

- Many details of internal and external were produced by Italian brands (IPRA for the radiators, Carello and Altissimo for the headlights), so especially for the Innocenti Mini Cooper 1300 spare parts are hard to find.

The iron railing of the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge frames beautiful downtown Austin, Texas.