December 3, 2013

Alnitak, Horsehead, Flame, NGC 2023 (November 2013)

I've admired this scene many times.  I've always wanted to try this myself.  This is two nights' work.  It could easily take many more nights.  What a stunning area of the sky!  Orion holds wonders!  This image is shrunk about 25% from original.

Telescope: Astro-Tech AT65EDQ and TeleVue NPR-1073 (eff. at f/5.2)
Camera and Exposure: SXVF-H9C (26x480" & 31x420"), Alnitak Flat-man flats
Filter: IDAS LPS-P2
Guiding: Meade DSI Pro and Hutech 50mm
Mount: Takahashi EM-10
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3, Carboni Actions
Location: The Woodlands, TX  

M45, the Pleiades, again (November 29, 2013)

I seem to shoot this cluster every year.  It's not an obsession, though it would be easy to become obsessed with such a wonderful cluster.  You should have seen it last night in the SV80ED and the 35mm Ultrascopic eyepiece!  Wow!  I've never shot the cluster with this scope, though, for what it's worth.  This image is shrunk about 25% from original.

Telescope: Astro-Tech AT65EDQ and TeleVue NPR-1073 (eff. at f/5.2)
Camera and Exposure: SXVF-H9C (18x480"), Alnitak Flat-man flats
Filter: IDAS LPS-P2
Guiding: Meade DSI Pro and Hutech 50mm
Mount: Takahashi EM-10
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3, Carboni Actions
Location: The Woodlands, TX  

December 2, 2013

M38 and NGC 1907 (Nov. 27, 2013)


Here is M38 and the nearby NGC 1907.  Both are about 5,900 light years away in the constellation Auriga.  The two clusters have similar ages, but a study of their motions through the sky suggests that they are merely flying by each other.

I shot this while waiting for the Alnitak to make it over the trees; the M38 data came out well enough.  This image is shrunk about 25% from original.

Telescope: Astro-Tech AT65EDQ and TeleVue NPR-1073 (eff. at f/5.2)
Camera and Exposure: SXVF-H9C (11x240"), Alnitak Flat-man flats
Filter: IDAS LPS-P2
Guiding: Meade DSI Pro and Hutech 50mm
Mount: Takahashi EM-10
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3, Carboni Actions
Location: The Woodlands, TX