August 9, 2008

10:30-11:30pm

The night seemed perfect, clear and cool. But as soon as the scope was set up and aligned, th clouds began to arrive.

M29

Still my favorite cluster in the night sky, lying among Cygnus's ultra-rich star fields just a few degrees from gamma Cygni (Sadr). The cluster was discovered by Charles Messier in 1764, one of his first discoveries made while comet-hunting in the skies over Paris.

This image comprises 30, 15-second sub-exposures.

M29 is often dismissed as an unimpressive object.  Personally, I find the disparagement of this fine little cluster perplexing. True, it is not as magnificent as many – not having as many stars as M52, or gleaming as brightly as the Pleiades – but is has a charm all its own. And, in many cases, my own included may be the first object an amateur stargazer spots with a telescope in the summer sky.

Despite its location near a bright star (Sadr), it's not easily located by a novice observer, which makes its final discovery all the more rewarding, especially since it stands out clearly in the otherwise crowded region.

NGC 6946

Appearing on the border of the constellations of Cepheus and Cassiopeia, this magnificent spiral galaxy was first observed by William Herschel in 1798. Herschel, of course, had no idea what he was actually seeing, noting it as another nebula. Modern astronomers have recorded nine supernova (exploding stars) in NGC 6946 since 1917 leading to NGC 6946's popular description as the “Fireworks Galaxy.” It is thought to lie about 10 million light years distant from the Milky Way galaxy.

Due to the oncoming clouds, this was a hurried image, somewhat ruined as wispy clouds obscured the object even as the last sub-exposures were taken. The above image is a stack of 44, 30-second sub-exposures.

August 8, 2008

10pm –  3am 

Finally, a night with both a clear sky and cool temperature. Unfortunately, a mote of dust had settled, unnoticed on my focal reducer's lens. It's effect – a large black spot - did not become apparent until I started to process the images the next day. The spot lies in the lower left quadrant of, I'm sad to sav, every image.

NGC 7023

Known to many astronomers as the “Iris Nebula” due to its vaguely flower-like shape, this reflection nebula located in the constellation Cepheus, is actually surrounded by a dark nebula, which obscures the background starfield. The nebula itself reflects the light of a nearby 7^th magnitude star.

This image is comprised of 50, 30-second subexposures.

NGC 7380/Sh2-142

NGC 7380 is an open star cluster with an associated nebula complex in the constellation Cepheus. It is thought to be about 7,500 light years away.

This image is a stack of about 50, 30-second sub-exposures.

NGC 7538

Located in the constellation of Cepheus, NGC 7538, an unremarkable nebula, lays claim to having the largest known proto-star (a star in the process of forming) gestating inside it. The proto-star is believed to be 300 times larger than our solar system. The nebula is located 9,100 light years distant in an area of particularly active star formation.

This image is comprised of 50, 30-second sub-exposures.

NGC 281

Dubbed the Pac Man nebula by some observers, NGC 281 features a small open cluster (IC 1590) embedded near its center. The nebula itself is a stellar nursery, with dark dust lanes obscuring areas where new stars are slowly forming. The nebula lies about 10,000 light years away in the constellation  Cassiopeia.

The following image is a stack of 50, 30 second sub-exposures.

July 31, 2008

July 31, 2008

10pm –  12am

So few nights available for imaging in the high summer months. Must take any opportunity –even if conditions are less than optimal.

IC 5146

Often referred to as the “Cocoon Nebula,” IC 5146 is an emission nebula surrounding an open star cluster in the constellation Cygnus.  It is located about 4,000 light years away. It is thought to be a stellar nursery with stars forming inside it.

This image is comprised of 50, 30-second sub-exposures.