September 2017

Summer's humidity and haze still lingers despite the calendar, but there have been a solid number of good nights this month. The following images were taken with the new Orion 6" f/4 Astrograph (with a GSO Coma Corrector) and the modified T2i camera.

NGC 6992

The most prominent segment of the eastern side of the Veil Nebula, this supernova remnant, stretches for 90 light years or more and is about 1,500 to 1,900 light years distant.

This image comprises 61, 60-second sub-exposures for just over an hour of total exposure.

NGC6960

The western segment of the Veil, and possibly it's most beautiful and ephemeral slice as a major filament appears to pass near a relatively bright star.

This image comprises 66, 60-second sub-exposures for a total exposure time of one hour and six minutes.

M31 - The Andromeda Galaxy

One of the most famous objects in the night sky and visible to the naked eye. Located about 2.5 million light years away and possibly twice the size of our own Milky Way galaxy, containing as many as a trillion stars.

This image comprises 79, 60-second sub-exposures for almost an hour and twenty minutes of total exposure time.

M33 - The Triangulum

Relatively bright, but notoriously difficult to image, this galaxy appears in Triangulum, near Aries and Pegasus and visually not far from M31. The galaxy is actually 2.3 million to 3.1 million light years away and is part of the Local Group along with the Milky Way and M31, but is the smaller of the three at just 60,000 light years across and containing perhaps 40 billion stars.

This image is composed of 25, 300-second sub-exposures for a total exposure time of two hours and five minutes.

NGC7830

Sometimes referred to as the Wizard Nebula, this emission nebula surround a small cluster of stars was first identified by Caroline Herschel in 1787. It is about 7,000 light years distant and appears in the constellation Cepheus.

This image comprises 22, 300-second sub-exposures for a total exposure time of two hours and fifty minutes.

April 17, 2017

 

Only two good nights so far this April. Still, I did manage to squeeze in some imaging.

 

M57 - The Ring Nebula

 

A preview of summer's attractions. The Ring is easily visible in small telescopes in the constellation Lyra. Formed as a dying star expelled gas, this planetary nebula is located about 2,300 light years away. Larger scopes can show the white dwarf star at its center.

 

This image comprises just 44 30-second subs taken with the T2i through the 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain for a total exposure time of 22 minutes.

M51 - The Whirlpool Galaxy

Appearing close to the Big Dipper, but actually inside the boundary of the constellation of Canes Venatici (the Hunting Dogs), this was the first spiral galaxy to be so classed. It is actually two galaxies: a large spiral interacting with an Seyfert galaxy nucleus. M51 is estimated to be about 23 million light years distant.

This image comprises 196 30-second subs taken on April 8 and April 14 taken with the T2i through the 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain at f/10 for a total exposure time of 98 minutes.

M13 - Globular Cluster in Hercules

Considered the brightest globular cluster in the northern sky, M13 is easily seen in binoculars and small telescopes, though larger apertures are need to resolve its stars. Several hundred thousand stars are packed into a ball about 145 light years in diameter. M13 is estimated to be more than 25,000 light years distant.

 This image is comprised of 37 30-second subs taken with the T2i through the 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain at f/10 for a total exposure time of 18 minutes and 30 seconds.

Winter 2016-2017

Moving toward using the modified T2i as the primary imaging camera. This comes largely after figuring out how to take flats properly using BackyardEOS, which makes the resulting images much more satisfying.

M97 - The Owl Nebula

The famed planetary nebula in Ursa Major, first identified in 1781. Located just over 2,000 light years away.

This image comprises 184 30-second sub-exposures taken with the T2i through the 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain at f/10. Total exposure time: 92 minutes.

M81 - Spiral Galaxy in Ursa Major

Located about 12 million light years away. Generally considered one of the finest spiral galaxies for observing

This image was made from 162 30-second sub-exposures with the T2i through the 8: Schmidt-Cassegrain. Total exposure time: 81 minutes. Would have liked to get more exposure time on this object, but the weather was not compliant.

M109 -- Spiral Galaxy in Ursa Major

Another splendid spiral in the Big Dipper. Estimated to be about 83 million light years distant.

 

This image was created from 117 30-second sub-exposures taken with the T2i through the 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain at f/10 for a total exposure time of 58 minutes and 30 seconds. Much more exposure time is needed to draw out details, but the weather did not afford many clear nights this winter.