Final Images 2014

In December, Orion rises high in the sky, filled with splendid nebula, while the cluster-rich star-fields of Auriga and Taurus soar overhead.

IC 434 -- The Horsehead Nebula

One of the most iconic images in the sky, a dark jet of sooty material highlighted by an emission nebula in the background bears an uncanny resemblance to a horse's head. The nebula is only visible in long-exposure photos next to the eastern-most star in Orion's belt.

This image is composed from 28, 200-second sub-exposures taken with the Starshoot Pro through the 6" Newt, for a total exposure time of just over 93 minutes.

M42 -- Great Orion Nebula

The fuzzy patch in Orion's sword is actually a massive stellar nursery.

45, 120-second sub-exposures taken with the Starshoot Pro through the 6" Newt were stacked for his image.

M45 -- the Pleiades

Known to the ancient world as "the seven sisters," this is the most visible star cluster in the sky.

63, 120-second sub-exposures were taken with the modified T2i through a 250mm lens.

IC 405 -- The Flaming Star Nebula

Emission and reflection nebula gleam close to a relatively bright star.

This image comprises 25, 200-second and 21, 180-second sub-exposures for a total exposure time of almost 146 minutes.

Fall 2014

In late October, I sent the T2i to Gary Honis to have its stock IR filter removed and replaced with clear Astrodon glass. This leaves the camera sensor open to receive the full spectrum of light, making it much more sensitive to the pink glow of hydrogen gas in interstellar space.

I also continued to use the Starshoot Pro in combination with the T2i, but mostly stuck with the 6" Newt, except where noted.

NGC 891

A spiral galaxy in Andromeda, seen edge-on.

This image is comprised of 32, 120-second sub-exposures taken through the 6" Newt with the T2i (an adapter allows it to connected directly to the scope through the focuser.

NGC 7635 -- The Bubble Nebula 

26, 120-second sub-exposures taken with the DSLR through the 6" Newt were stacked to create this image.

NGC 7789

This is a large open cluster in Cassiopeia.

14, 120-second exposures taken with the unmodified T2i through the 6" Newt were stacked to create this image.

M103

Another, smaller open star cluster in Cassiopeia.

18, 120-second exposures taken through the 6" Newt with the unmodified T2i.

M52

A larger open star cluster in Cassiopeia.

16, 120-second sub-exposures were taken with the unmodified T2i through the 6" Newt to make this image.

M1 -- The Crab Nebula

The remnants of a supernova that occurred more than 1,000 years ago in the constellation Taurus.

This image is composed of 17, 180-second sub-exposures taken through the 8" SCT with the Starshoot Pro.

NGC 1499 -- The California Nebula

So called because of its shape, which resembles the Golden State.

63, 120-second sub-exposures taken with the modified T2i through a 250mm lens were stacked for this image.

Summer 2014

During the summer, I began to experiment with a Canon EOS Rebel T2i, which I had purchased more than a year before. I had always planned to use the T2i for astro-imaging, but didn't get around to it until this summer. 

The following images were taken with the 6" Newt, the 8" SCT or a telephoto lens, using either the Starshoot Pro or T2i. 

M27 -- Dumbbell Nebula

13, 300-second sub-exposures taken with the Starshoot Pro through the 8" SCT were stacked to create the 65 minute total exposure.

M57 -- Ring Nebula 

This image is composed of 13, 300-second sub exposures taken through the 8" SCT with the Starshoot Pro.

M13

12, 300-second sub-exposures taken with the Starshoot Pro through the 8" SCT were stacked to create this hour-long exposure.

M51 -- The Whirlpool Galaxy

A parting shot at the spring sky. This image is composed of 17, 300-second subs taken with the Starshoot Pro through the 8" SCT.

HX Cluster (NGC 884 & HGC 869)

Four 120-second sub-exposures taken with the T2i through a 100mm telephoto lens were stacked to produce this image.

NGC 7000 -- The North America Nebula

27, 180-second sub-exposures taken with the T2i through a 135mm lens were stacked to create these images (with red hues enhanced via Photoshop in the second image).

M31 -- The Andromeda Galaxy

 76, 180-second and 300-second sub-exposures taken with the T2i through a 250mm lens were stacked to create this image.

Spring 2014

After a lengthy spell away from astronomy, I resumed imaging earlier this year. Between 2011 and early 2013, I replaced the 6" Newtonian's mount and acquired an 8" Meade SCT, also on a LXD-75 mount.

All of the following images were taken with the StarShoot Pro through the 8" SCT at f/6.3.

M63 -- The Sunflower Galaxy

This image is comprised of 46 sub-exposures of 300 seconds each, obtained over several nights in March and April 2014.

M109

A beautiful barred-spiral galaxy in Canis Major.

I combined 34, 300-second sub-exposures to create this image with a total expire time of 170 minutes.

M51 - The Whirlpool Galaxy

A perennial favorite. 

This image is composed of 14, 300-second sub-exposures.


M3

This was one of my first targets using the new 8" SCT. M3 is a globular cluster containing about half a million stars, appearing in the constellation Canes Venatici. The cluster was discovered more than two hundred years ago by Charles Messier and is estimated to be about 38,000 light years distant.

This image is comprised of 7, 120-second sub exposures using the StarShoot Pro and the 0.63 focal reducer.