The Fall Sky

Cooler autumn nights usually make for better imaging -- assuming the sky is clear, of course. This offers an excellent opportunity to capture the gems of the Fall and Winter (after midnight) skies.

M1 - The Crab Nebula

This supernova remnant shines relatively brightly in Taurus. It can be seen as a small smudge of light in even modest telescopes. Long-exposure imaging brings out the filamentary structure. But it looks nothing like a crab.

This image is composed of  20, 180-second images taken through the Ha filter and 10, 180-second exposures taken through the R, G and B filters, using the ASI1600 and the 72ED.  I'm a little surprised the image came out so well using the 72mm scope. In coming weeks, I will re-image this target with the 127mm scope, which seems like a much better match to M1's apparent size.

M45 - The Pleiades

No fall can go by without taking the opportunity to image the Seven Sisters. This cluster in Taurus immediately draws the eye as soon as it rises and is an irresistible target for binoculars or small scopes.

The above image comprises 12, 300-second sub-exposures shot through the R, G and B filters for a total exposure time of three hours.

NGC 891 - Silver Sliver Galaxy

This is a spiral galaxy, probably much like our own Milky Way, seen edge-on. It appears in the constellation Andromeda and is estimated to be about 27 million light years distant.

This image is composed of 11, 180-second sub-exposures taken with R, G and B filters through the ASI1600 and the 127mm refractor.

M31 - The Andromeda Galaxy

Like the Pleiades, M31 is almost an obligatory image to take every year. That does nothing to diminish the majesty of the magnificent spiral galaxy just 2.3 million light years away. M31 is now thought to be a truly massive galaxy, roughly twice the size of our Milky Way with a diameter of more than 200,000 light years (compared to 100,000 for the Milky Way) and home to a trillion stars.

This image is composed of 45 minutes of exposures shot through the L, R, G and B filters using the ASI1600 and 72ED. Total exposure time is three hours.

IC405 - The Flaming Star Nebula

This colorful emission and reflection nebula complex, which surrounds a blue-colored star in Auriga, always makes for a dramatic image.

Taken through the 127mm scope, this image combines 10, 180-second sub-exposures taken through the Ha, R, G and B filters. The total exposure time is two hours.

IC 405 and IC 410

IC 405 (above) appears in the sky close to IC 410, though the two are not really close together. IC 405 is estimated to be about 1,500 light years distant, while IC 410 is much farther away at about 12,000 light years. Nevertheless, the two nebula look fantastic when imaged in the same field of view.

This is a two panel mosaic taken through the 72mm scope with the ASI1600. Each panel is an HaRGB image with a total exposure time of about two hours.