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.

December 1, 2011

M42 - The Great Orion Nebula

One of the few deep sky objects that can be seen with the naked eye, M42 shimmers in Orion's Sword, it's fuzzy, cloud-like appearance in small telescopes and binocular concealing a small star cluster called the Trapezium. The nebula is estimated at 24 light years across and roughly 1,300 light years distant. Inside it's bright red and pink heart, new stars are forming.

The above image had a total exposure time of 74 minutes.

Summer 2011

The summer of 2011 in the Northeastern U.S. was hardly auspicious for stargazing or astro-imaging. Humid, hazy days turned into humid, hazy nights and the bane of hungry misquitos was unending. Still, a few half hearted images were obtained during the few relatively clear, moonless nights.

M8 - The Lagoon Nebula

The sprawling stellar nursery in Sagittarius.



The above image, a twenty minute exposure, was taken on June 30.

NGC5146 - The Coccoon Nebula

Located about 4,000 light years distant, the Coccoon Nebula is a shell of hydrogen gas surrounding the open star cluster, NGC 5146.

The above image, a one hour exposure, was taken on June 30.

M17 - The Swan Nebula

Located in Sagittarius, the Swan Nebula (also called the Omega Nebula) spans 15 light years in diameter. At about 5,500 light years distant, it is one of the summer's gems, visible on a dark night in small telescopes and even binoculars.

The above image, a 50 minute exposure, was taken on July 2.

NGC 5070 - The Pelican Nebula

A sprawling emission nebula in Cygnus, the Pelican Nebula lies near the even larger North American Nebula (NGC7000), about 1,800 light years distant.

The above image, which captures only part of the nebula, a 20 minute exposure, was taken on July 2.

May 28, 2011

M13

The great globular cluster in Hercules, comprising about 300,000 stars packed into a rough sphere about 160 light years across. The cluster, the largest visible globular cluster in the Northern Sky is about 25,000 light years distant.


A 21 minute exposure. Note the small galaxy (IC4617) at the very top of the image. The galaxy is, of course, millions of light years distant.


M27 - The Dumbbell Nebula

A jewel of the summer sky, M27 is a planetary nebula easily identifiable due to its hourglass shape in the constellation Vulpecula (south of Cygnus).

The above image is a 30 minute exposure.

March & April 2011

The above image is a three hour exposure of the spiral galaxy M81 (sometimes called Bode's Galaxy, left) and the irregular galaxy M82 in Ursa Major.

The above image is a two hour exposure of the large spiral galaxy M101 (sometimes called the Pinwheel Galaxy) also in Ursa Major.

The above image is a combination of several images of M101, for a total exposure time of about four hours.

The Whirlpool Galaxy, M51. Total exposure time of three hours.

January 20, 2010

NGC 2244 - Rossette Nebula

Appearing in the constellation of Monoceros (the Unicorn), the Rossette Nebula (NGC 2237, 2238, 2239 & 2246) is a large, circular complex of pinkish nebulosity surrounding the open star cluster NGC 2244. The swirling waves of gas and dust in the nebula give it the appearance - and hence the name - of an open rose with glittering diamonds at its center. The nebula and cluster are about 5,200 light years away.

The above image combines exposures captured in December 2009 with additional exposures captured in December 2010 to create an image with a total exposure time of 227 minutes (almost four hours).

This image, taken on December 8, 2010, comprised 13, 240-second subexposures for a total exposure time of 52 minutes.

NGC 1499 - California Nebula

This is a large emission nebula appearing in the constellation Perseus. The nebula's unique shape suggests the outline of the state of California to many observers. NGC 1499 is about 1,000 light years distant.

The above image was composed from 14, 240-second subexposures, for a total exposure time of 56 minutes.

IC 434 - The Horsehead and Flame Nebulas

The famous horsehead nebula, appearing just south of Alnitak, the eastern-most star in Orion's belt, is one of the most recognized objects in the night sky (when seen in long exposure photography, of course). The horsehead itself is actually a jet of sooty dust that happens to appear in front of an cloud of ionized hydrogen gas (the pink glow). The orange-colored nebula that appears beneath the bright star in the images below is the Flame Nebula. This nebula is the result if ultraviolet light from the star Alnitak striking a nearby cloud of hydrogen gas and dust.

The above image combines subexposures taken in September, November and December 2009 and December 2010 to produce a image with a total exposure time of three hours and twenty one minutes (193 minutes).

This image was taken on December 9, 2010, and was composed of 12, 240-second subexposures, for a total exposure time of 48 minutes.

December 4, 2010

Some images from the last two months:

M42 - The Great Orion Nebula

The brightest nebula in the northern sky, easily visible to the naked eye as the "fuzzy star" in Orion's Sword, this vast emission nebula is actually a massive stellar nursery, and merely a blister on a larger cloud of gas that extends for thousands of light years across the constellation of Orion. The nebula's wispy structure results from hydrogen gas being scuplted by stellar winds coming from stars within the nebula itself. M42 spans 24 light years in diameter and is located about 1,300 light years away.

The above image comprises 35, 180-second subexposures taken on December 3, 2010, for a total exposure time of 105 minutes.

M1 - The Crab Nebula

This fame nebula in the constellation Taurus is all that remains of a star that went supernova. The light from the blast was observed by Chinese astronomers in 1054 AD. The nebula is located about 6,500 light years from Earth.

The above image is a crop of the larger image below.

This image was comprised of 50, 300-second subexposures taken in September, October and November for a total exposure time of over four hours.

M33 - The Triangulum Galaxy

Appearing in the constellation Triangulum, M33 is a large spiral galaxy seen face on. Part of the local group of galaxies, it is thought to be much smaller than either the Andromeda Galaxy or the Milky Way Galaxy, both of which have hundreds of billions of stars. M33 is thought to have less than 100 billion resident stars. Though large, the galaxy has a low surface brightness and is consequently difficult to see with telescopes.

This image was composed of 59, 300-second subexposures taken in August, September, October and November. Total exposure time was almost five hours.

NGC884 & NGC869 - The Double Cluster

These two bright open clusters have been known to skywatchers since antiquity, noted by ancient Greek astronomers. They can be seen with the naked eye on clear, dark nights in the constellation of Perseus, appearing as a fuzzy double star. A pair of binoculars or a small telescope will resolve the clusters into hundreds of stars. The clusters are believed to lie relatively close together about 7,000 light years away.

This image comprises 13, 300-second subexposures taken on October 2, for a total exposure time of over one hour.