M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, and Sixty-four Globular Clusters with the SV80ED (Nov. 30, 2011)

This image may be best observed by clicking on it, then right-clicking on the pop-up image and selecting "View Image."  You should be able to read the labels and see each individual, marked cluster.

This image of a central portion of the Andromeda Galaxy is only a combined 36 minutes of exposure (9x4').  I was testing to see what kind of exposures I will eventually need to take a real image of this amazing galaxy, the nearest major galaxy to our Milky Way.  After I calibrated and combined the images and began to stretch the histogram of the combined frame, I wondered if I might see some globular clusters around the galaxy.  I know that amateurs with large scopes often hunt them down.  Perhaps I could see a few, too?

A web search led me to Robert Gendler's amazing image of M31 in which he has labelled a bunch of globs.  I compared my image with his and found quite a few matches.  Going to the source of his labels, Paul W. Hodge's Atlas of the Andromeda Galaxy, I realized that I could see not just a few but very many.  I have not labelled all of those that I found, actually.  Some are too faint to see unless the image is blown up, and some are located near the center of the galaxy where Hodge's plates, or at least those found on the website, are too blurred or noisy to read.  But I have labelled sixty-four, many more than I thought I would find.

Not bad for 36 minutes through an 80mm scope.

Telescope: Stellarvue SV80ED NHNG f/7 w/WO ff/fr 0.8 II (so effectively at f/5.6)
Camera and Exposure: SXVF-H9C, 9x4'
Filter: IDAS-LPS2
Guiding: Borg 50mm, Meade DSI Pro, PHD
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX

M45, Pleiades, (Six of) Seven Sisters, Subaru (Nov. 27 & 28, 2011)

This cluster is about 440 light years away in the constellation Taurus.  You can see at least six (some see more) of the stars with your eyes, without optical aid.  It's a cluster I always look for when I go out.  What the eyes do not show is the nebulosity.  The young cluster is passing through a cloud of gas and dust, and the light from the bright, blue-white stars is reflected back toward us.

Thanks to Dick Locke for processing suggestions.  Here is another rendition of the same data:

Telescope: Stellarvue SV80ED NHNG f/7 w/WO ff/fr 0.8 II (so effectively at f/5.6)
Camera and Exposure: SXVF-H9C, 69x10'
Filter: IDAS-LPS2
Guiding: Borg 50mm, Meade DSI Pro, PHD
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX

M35 & NGC 2158 (Nov. 28, 2011)

Here are two open clusters in the constellation Gemini.  M35 is the apparently larger, bluer cluster.  It is younger and is relatively close.  NGC 2158 is the apparently smaller, redder group.  It is much farther away and very much older.  Its stars have passed the blue stage and moved on to the older, redder stage.  There is also some dust between us and NGC 2158 that reddens the view.  The result is a nice contrast between the two clusters.

Telescope: Stellarvue 80ED NHNG (SV80ED) f/7 w/WO ff/fr 0.8 II (so effectively at f/5.6)
Camera and Exposure: SXVF-H9C, 10x8'
Filter: IDAS-LPS2
Guiding: Borg 50mm, Meade DSI Pro, PHD
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX

SH2-261 (Nov. 3, 2011)

This nebula in Orion is also called Lower's Nebula.  Apparently Lower was a father-son team who recorded the nebula on photographic plates in 1939.  See here.  The two were accomplished amateur astronomers and innovative astrophotographers.

This is just the H-alpha data.  I'd like to gather other colors as well.  For now, though, it's interesting to see.  The Nebula covers an area larger than the apparent size of the full moon.

Telescope: Orion 120ST f/5 Achromat w/WO ff/fr 0.8 II (so effectively at f/4)
Camera & Exposure: Atik 16, 14x15'
Filter: Astronomik 12nm H-alpha
Guiding: Borg 50mm, Meade DSI Pro, PHD
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX

IC 1795 (Nov. 3, 2011)

This striking cloud of hydrogen lies in the eastern part of the constellation Cassiopeia and is part of a much larger nebula also known as IC 1805 or the Heart Nebula. This image is primarily glowing hydrogen and perhaps nitrogen.  It was taken through a filter that records only those wavelengths.  I hope to back for the glowing oxygen next week.

Telescope: Orion 120ST f/5 Achromat w/WO ff/fr 0.8 II (so effectively at f/4)
Camera & Exposure: Atik 16, 14x15'
Filter: Astronomik 12nm H-alpha
Guiding: Borg 50mm, Meade DSI Pro, PHD
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX

Melotte 15 in IC 1805 (Oct. 28, 2011)

Melotte 15 is a cluster of young stars at the heart of a large cloud of gas and dust often called the Heart Nebula, IC 1805.  Mel 15 is the heart of the Heart.  The cloud and cluster lie in the constellation Cassiopeia.

Telescope: Orion 10" f/4.7 Newtonian and Baader RCC1
Camera and Exposure: SXVF-H9C, 20x10'
Filter: IDAS-LPS2
Guiding: SX Lodestar and SX OAG
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX

SH2-232 & PK 173+3.1 (Oct. 20, 2011)

This rather dim cloud of hydrogen is found in the constellation Auriga.  I don't know much about it, but I'm always intrigued when nature makes a more geometrical shape.  There are forces at work here!  This is the object I trained the SXVF-H9 on for the rest of the night after NGC 281, before I sent the camera off for repairs.

Smack dab in the middle of this nebula sh2-232 is another nebula, a planetary nebula called PK 173+3.1.  It is very small.  In the middle of sh2-232 are three brighter stars, two together and one just a bit a way.  The planetary is the fourth bright (but diffuse) object in the group.  It forms a triangle with the two brighter stars that are closer together.  Here is a closeup on the planetary.

Telescope: Orion 120ST f/5 Achromat w/WO ff/fr 0.8 II (so effectively at f/4)
Camera & Exposure: SXVF-H9, 15x15'
Filter: Astronomik 12nm H-alpha
Guiding: Borg 50mm, Meade DSI Pro, PHD
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX

NGC 281, the Pacman Nebula (Oct. 20, 2011)

OK, I've shot this before, but this is first light with a used SXVF-H9 camera I have obtained.  The camera has an electrical problem that sends a noise-creating current into the system, and I've sent it off for repair.  SX makes wonderful cameras, and their customer service has been top notch.  I have every hope the camera will come back in fine working order.  At any rate, this first light gives a hint at what the camera can do.  Darks and bias frames subtracted, and flats applied, and reduced in size by one-third.

Telescope: Orion 120ST f/5 Achromat w/WO ff/fr 0.8 II (so effectively at f/4)
Camera & Exposure: SXVF-H9, 18x10'
Filter: Astronomik 12nm H-alpha
Guiding: Borg 50mm, Meade DSI Pro, PHD
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX

IC 410 & NGC 1893 (Oct. 2, 2011)

This nebulous cloud of gas (IC 410) and embedded cluster of stars (NGC 1893) are found in the constellation Auriga.  They are perhaps 12,000 light years away.  As an image, the scene presents wonderful contrasts: the bright red, hydrogen emission tadpoles in the lower left; the purplish glow of ionized hydrogen and oxygen in the larger nebula; the light-deprived dust clouds in the upper part of the image; and, spread out across the scene, are the stars that have formed from the very gas in this cloud on this side facing earth---a brilliant spread of jewels on purple velvet.

This is my third observation of IC 410 and NGC 1893.  The first is here, just an h-alpha take with a smaller scope.  The second is here, a close-up on the tadpoles. 

Telescope: Orion 10" f/4.7 Newtonian and Baader RCC1
Camera and Exposure: SXVF-H9C, 20x10'
Filter: IDAS-LPS2
Guiding: SX Lodestar and SX OAG
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX

M76 (October 2, 2011)

This is M76.  It is a planetary nebula in the constellation Perseus.  It is colorful, with red emission from hydrogen and nitrogen and blue emission from oxygen.  It is a beauty!

Sometimes, everything works.  The night of October 2 was clear and cool.  The air was still.  I had taken my camera and off-axis guider apart and put them back together in a better way.  I had tightened everything down.  M76 is a fairly bright target.  What you see here is probably near the resolution limit of this scope and camera.  If I can, I would like to get another three or four hours on this lovely object and see if I can make the extended lobes brighter and more defined.

The image above is a wide field and will not be viewed at 100% if you click on it.  Here is a 100% view:

Telescope: Orion 10" f/4.7 Newtonian and Baader RCC1
Camera and Exposure: SXVF-H9C, 14x10'
Filter: IDAS-LPS2
Guiding: SX Lodestar and SX OAG
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX

Iris Nebula & M1: Promising But Need More Time (September 24, 2011)

These two images are beginnings.  At the observatory last week, one friend suggested I image the Iris.  I took several frames.  The air was turbulent and guiding was difficult.  I decided to switch over to the Helix Nebula.  After the Helix set, another friend suggested M1, which was rising above Orion in the constellation Taurus.  Both of these objects, the Iris and M1, could use several more hours exposure, but these images are promising.  This is my first observation of the Iris and my second of M1.  I would have taken more subs of M1 but my light-pollution filter dewed up (just about my only optical surface in danger from dew).

The Iris Nebula:

Telescope: Orion 10" f/4.7 Newtonian and Baader RCC1
Camera and Exposure: SXVF-H9C, 5x10'
Filter: IDAS-LPS2
Guiding: SX Lodestar and SX OAG
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: SHSU Observatory, Huntsville, TX

And M1, sometimes called the Crab Nebula:

Telescope: Orion 10" f/4.7 Newtonian and Baader RCC1
Camera and Exposure: SXVF-H9C, 2x10'
Filter: IDAS-LPS2
Guiding: SX Lodestar and SX OAG
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: SHSU Observatory, Huntsville, TX

The Helix Nebula (September 24, 2011)

The Helix Nebula is relatively near, roughly 650-700 light years distant.  We see it in the constellation Aquarius.  At that distance, it is probably about 3 light years across, and it appears to take up about half the diameter of the full moon.  Because it is wide and diffuse, it is faint.  I've seen it with 20x80 binoculars from the desert near Reno, NV, and later with a C8 from south of Rexburg, Idaho.  It was much more obvious with the binoculars.  In fact, I came across it while scanning the sky with the 20x80s.  I had to figure out what I was seeing.  In the C8, I had to search for it with charts!  It seemed extremely faint.

On the night this image was taken, seeing was lousy.  That means that the air was boiling with heat turbulence, like the air just above a hot highway; well, probably not quite that much, but it's the same thing happening.  That means the resolution of my imaging system was decreased.  It's harder to pick up fine details in a long exposure when the air is moving around.  I wanted to catch some of the red knots in the blue circle.  Can you see some?  I was surprised how many galaxies appeared, even shining through the nebula.

Here is a sharper version.  For reference, here's an image clearly showing the knots (in that image the blue signal is strong enough to make the knots look mostly white).  Thanks to Jim Wood for processing tips.

Telescope: Orion 10" f/4.7 Newtonian and Baader RCC1
Camera and Exposure: SXVF-H9C, 20x10'
Filter: IDAS-LPS2
Guiding: SX Lodestar and SX OAG
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: SHSU Observatory, Huntsville, TX

IC 63 (9-23-2011)

IC 63 is a cloud of gas and dust next to the star Gamma Cassiopeia.  Gamma Cas's radiation and perhaps an outflow of gas from the star itself are causing IC 63 to glow.  The star and nebula are relatively close to us.  The star is not in this image, but the direction of its location is obvious.

Telescope: Orion 10" f/4.7 Newtonian and Baader RCC1
Camera and Exposure: SXVF-H9C, 20x10'
Filter: IDAS-LPS2
Guiding: SX Lodestar and SX OAG
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX

M2 (9-23-2011)

M2 is a globular cluster found in the constellation Aquarius.  In my little SV80ED, I see perhaps one star and a fuzzy, round blob.  The 10" and camera resolve it into hundreds of stars.  This image has been shrunk to 74% of its original size.  Thanks to Jim Wood for processing tips.

Telescope: Orion 10" f/4.7 Newtonian and Baader RCC1
Camera and Exposure: SXVF-H9C, 10x3'
Filter: IDAS-LPS2
Guiding: SX Lodestar and SX OAG
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX

Double Star Observing, SV80ED (September 19, 2011)

Tonight I viewed most of the fine "Double Stars of Autumn" identified by James Mullaney in the October S&T.  I carried the SV80ED and Vixen Polaris into the backyard (in one trip) and stayed out for about 90 minutes.  Here are my notes of the double stars (and a few deep sky objects close by): 61 Cygni (underwhelming); Gamma Andromedae (always nice); Beta Lyrae (visual double; a very nice sight); M57 (a fully resolved ring at 112x, looks ghostly); Gamma Delphini & Struve 2725 (in the same view at 56x, and Gamma Delphini has a nice color contrast: light yellow and light green); Zeta Aquarii (my favorite of this list, just 2.2" apart, and nearly even in brightness, at 112x like headlights blasting through the heavens); Struve 3053 in Cassiopeia (underwhelming, easily split but far apart at 112x, and the secondary dim enough not to show much color); Epsilon Lyrae (cleanly split at 112x; one component similar to Zeta Aquarii); Eta Cassiopeiae (nice color contrast); M2 (cute but at 112x maybe just one star on the edge of being resolved; this is an object for the big dob).

IC349, Merope (August 26, 2011)

The little clump of gas just to the right of the bright star Merope (and below the diffraction spike) is being pushed away and scattered by the star's intense ultraviolet radiation.  Merope is one of the Pleiades (or Subaru, or Seven Sisters, or the stars in M45 in Messier's list).  The clump of gas that is IC349 is lit up because it reflects the light of Merope.  The broader nebulosity around the star is also a reflection of Merope's light.  My favorite image of IC349 is Roland Christian's, here.

Telescope: Orion 10" f/4.7 Newtonian and Baader RCC1
Camera and Exposure: SXVF-H9C, 3x10'
Filter: IDAS-LPS2
Guiding: SX Lodestar and SX OAG
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX

NGC 891 (August 26, 2011)

This galaxy in Andromeda is interesting primarily because we see it nearly edge-on.  The combined light of the stars across the disk make the galaxy bright to us, and the dust lane cutting through the disk is prominent.   NGC 891 is between 14 and 41.1 million light years away, though most non-redshift estimates cluster around 32-39 million light years.  My favorite image of this object is Adam Block's (here).

Telescope: Orion 10" f/4.7 Newtonian and Baader RCC1
Camera and Exposure: SXVF-H9C, 16x10'
Filter: IDAS-LPS2
Guiding: SX Lodestar and SX OAG
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX

Another M27, still not perfect (8-4-2011)

Here's yet another M27.  It looks fine except for a small amount of guiding error.  It's been a while since I have guided through the 10", and I was very tired, so I worked with the guiding for a while.  About the time I solved the problem (or came to believe I had solved it---everything was finally working well), the sky clouded over.  By that time, I had 88 minutes of M27, most of it showing slight signs of the guiding problem.

Telescope: Orion 10" f/4.7 Newtonian and Baader RCC1
Camera and Exposure: SXVF-H9C, 11x8'
Filter: IDAS-LPS2
Guiding: SX Lodestar and SX OAG
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX

NGC7331 & "Companions" (7-30-2011)

This is NGC7331, a galaxy found in the constellation Pegasus.  NGC 7331 is between 21 and 52 million light years away.  The center of the galaxy is very bright; it can be seen with moderate-sized telescopes from the backyard.  I have seen it in an 8" reflector from my backyard.  I've always wanted a good image of it, though.  I took a minimal monochrome image of it two years ago that actually is a little deeper than this one (here), but this one was color and actually is about twice the exposure time at the same focal ration (f/5).  The small galaxies around NGC 7331 are sometimes called the Deer Lick group.  They are much further away--perhaps 300 million light years, very roughly (I overstated this distance in my earlier post).

This is still not the image I am hoping to take.  I'd like to use a longer focal length.  Maybe soon.  This group of galaxies in in season.  My favorite image of this group is Ken Crawford's, here.

Telescope: Orion 6" Imaging Newtonian and no coma corrector
Camera and Exposure: SXVF-H9C, 26x7'
Filter: IDAS-LPS2
Guiding: Borg 50mm, Meade DSI Pro, PHD
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX

M27, H-alpha & color (July 2011)

This image is just 16 minutes (2x8') of H-alpha, taken with the Atik 16, combined with 160 minutes (20x6') of color from the SXVF-H9C.  The Orion ST120 was used to take the H-alpha, and the SV80ED the color.  The stacked H-alpha and color frames were then registered in Registax and combined in Photoshop.

Cocoon Nebula, IC 5146, SH2-125, Caldwell 19 (July 22 & 23, 2011)

This intriguing object features both emission nebula (red) and reflection nebula (blue or gray-brown).  The cluster of stars in the nebula is very young, and is just pushing the gas away from itself with ultraviolet light.  The blue-white stars' light is also reflected on the gas, but you may have to turn out the lights to see it.  The reflection nebula here is close in color to the light pollution near my house, and in order to control the light pollution I had to tone down the blue.  Most estimates put the Cocoon Nebula at about 4,000 light years.

Telescope: Stellarvue 80ED NHNG f/7 w/WO ff/fr 0.8 II (so effectively at f/5.6)
Camera and Exposure: SXVF-H9C, 56x8'
Filter: IDAS-LPS2
Guiding: Borg 50mm, Meade DSI Pro, PHD
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX

IC1318B, near Sadr (7-1-2011)

This is another section of the nebula near Gamma Cygni, or Sadr.  I was looking for a last target before sunrise and was able to collect 72 minutes of decent data.

Telescope: Orion 120ST f/5 Achromat w/WO ff/fr 0.8 II (so effectively at f/4)
Camera & Exposure: Atik 16, 9x8'
Filter: Astronomik Profi 6nm H-alpha
Guiding: Borg 50mm, Meade DSI Pro, PHD
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX

NGC 7000, Texas and Mexico from the North America Nebula (7-7-2011)

This image was taken between 3 and 5:30 am.  Water vapor was gathering in the sky, and thin clouds of it passed overhead while I was taking the seventeen sub-frames that make up this picture.  As a result, every frame's histogram was unique.  Notwithstanding, the colors turned out ok, and there is enough light here to post (especially in a smaller format), though I'd prefer a deeper image.  This is my second image with the SV80ED.

Telescope: Stellarvue 80ED NHNG (SV80ED) f/7 w/WO ff/fr 0.8 II (so effectively at f/5.6)
Camera and Exposure: SXVF-H9C, 17x8'
Filter: IDAS-LPS2
Guiding: Borg 50mm, Meade DSI Pro, PHD
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX

M17, first light with the SV80ED (July 7, 2011)

Here is the bright nebula M17.  This is my first image of it and first light with the SV80ED.

Telescope: Stellarvue 80ED NHNG f/7 w/WO ff/fr 0.8 II (so effectively at f/5.6)
Camera and Exposure: SXVF-H9C, 18x8'
Filter: IDAS-LPS2
Guiding: Borg 50mm, Meade DSI Pro, PHD
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX

First Light, Stellarvue SV80ED NGNH Deluxe (7-7-2011)

I have never owned a Stellarvue scope before, but this beautiful instrument was offered used about a month ago.  It came standard with a Feathertouch focuser that I can use on most of my other scopes.  And my electric Feathertouch can  be swapped in easily on this scope.  Plus, the SV has a lovely blue finish.  Of course, the sine qua non of a good telescope is the glass.  The scope performed admirably in its first photograph test!  I've been looking for a scope to carry out of doors.  This scope is an excellent fit for me.  I'm looking forward to using it for many years.

To see images I have taken with the SV80ED, search for "SV80ED" in the box at upper left.

NGC 6559, the other end of the Lagoon (7-1-2011)

Visually, this nebula does not appear to be linked to the Lagoon, but in deeper images the connection is pretty obvious.  This is more or less the other end of the same cloud.  Anyway, I like it for the nobbiness, the brighter slice of glowing gas at left, and the prominent dark river.

Telescope: Orion 120ST f/5 Achromat w/WO ff/fr 0.8 II (so effectively at f/4)
Camera & Exposure: Atik 16, 10x8'
Filter: Astronomik Profi 6nm H-alpha
Guiding: Borg 50mm, Meade DSI Pro, PHD
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX

M8, the Lagoon, in H-alpha

This popular target in Sagittarius shines primarily in the glow of ionized hydrogen.  I've seen many versions of this nebula with similar filters and always wanted to try it.  Compare it to my first M8, here, four years ago.  M8 is nearly in our line of sight as we look at the center of the Milky Way galaxy.

Telescope: Orion 120ST f/5 Achromat w/WO ff/fr 0.8 II (so effectively at f/4)
Camera & Exposure: Atik 16, 10x8'
Filter: Astronomik Profi 6nm H-alpha
Guiding: Borg 50mm, Meade DSI Pro, PHD
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX

M27, Why the Dumbbell Nebula Is Partly Red (6-30-2011)

Of course, M27 is also blue, but that wouldn't show up through this H-alpha filter.  H-alpha radiation, which falls in the red part of the spectrum, shines very brightly from this planetary nebula.  This image is only 16 minutes of exposure, just two subframes.  Note the spikes coming from the lemon.  Longer exposures show more structure outside of what is here.  I was testing, however.  I'd like to return to this object with the 10" Newt.


Telescope: Orion 120ST f/5 Achromat w/WO ff/fr 0.8 II (so effectively at f/4)
Camera & Exposure: Atik 16, 2x8'
Filter: Astronomik Profi 6nm H-alpha
Guiding: Borg 50mm, Meade DSI Pro, PHD
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX

The Eastern Veil, NGC 6992/95, 6-30-2011

The Veil Nebula complex in Cygnus is so large that I can only get a part of a segment in the field of view of the Atik 16. But this is one of the better parts!

Telescope: Orion 120ST f/5 Achromat w/WO ff/fr 0.8 II (so effectively at f/4)
Camera & Exposure: Atik 16, 20x8'
Filter: Astronomik Profi 6nm H-alpha
Guiding: Borg 50mm, Meade DSI Pro, PHD
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX

IC1318A, near Sadr (6-30-2011)

This brighter part of the emission nebula surrounding the star Sadr in Cygnus is a new one for me.

Telescope: Orion 120ST f/5 Achromat w/WO ff/fr 0.8 II (so effectively at f/4)

Camera & Exposure: Atik 16, 16x8'

Filter: Astronomik Profi 6nm H-alpha

Guiding: Borg 50mm, Meade DSI Pro, PHD

Mount: Takahashi NJP

Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3

Location: The Woodlands, TX

Tulip Nebula, Sh2-101 (6-1-2011)

This nebula is a brighter part of a larger field of glowing gas and dust in the constellation Cygnus.  I was able to catch this nebula as it came out of the neighbor's pine tree and take exposures until around 5 am.  The NJP tracked right through the meridian.  The cloud of which this nebula is part contains a great deal more interesting material, as any wide field image will show.  I would like to go back for more.  My favorite version of the Tulip Nebula is from Neil Fleming.


Telescope: Orion 120ST f/5 Achromat w/WO ff/fr 0.8 II (so effectively at f/4)
Camera & Exposure: Atik 16, 31x8'
Filter: Astronomik Profi 6nm H-alpha
Guiding: Borg 50mm, Meade DSI Pro, PHD
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX

Trifid Nebula, M20 (6-3-2011)

In order to obtain an image of this nebula, which sits in the southern part of the sky near the center of the Milky Way, I have to begin exposures just as the nebula emerges from one neighbor's pine tree and continue until the nebula falls into another neighbor's palm tree.  That's what I did last night.  I literally saw the last pine bough disappear from the "frame and focus" shot a few minutes before beginning actual exposures.  This was really fun, actually.

Telescope: Orion 120ST f/5 Achromat w/WO ff/fr 0.8 II (so effectively at f/4)
Camera & Exposure: Atik 16, 16x8'
Filter: Astronomik Profi 6nm H-alpha
Guiding: Borg 50mm, Meade DSI Pro, PHD
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX

The Cocoon Nebula, IC 5146/Sh2-125 (6-3-2011)

This nebula was just in the right place this morning for the two hours of darkness I had left.  This narrowband H-alpha image shows the emission part of the nebula.  Though the image is monochrome, this part of the spectrum is visible as red light.  In full spectrum images, reflected starlight also shows in blue on the dust and gas of this stellar nursery.

Telescope: Orion 120ST f/5 Achromat w/WO ff/fr 0.8x II (so effectively at f/4)
Camera & Exposure: Atik 16, 15x8'
Filter: Astronomik Profi 6nm H-alpha
Guiding: Borg 50mm, Meade DSI Pro, PHD
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX

NGC 1275 - Hubble Legacy Archive

One of the most interesting galaxies in the sky is NGC 1275.  It lies near the heart of a supercluster of galaxies in the constellation Perseus, and is roughly 230 million light years away.  Obviously, something is happening here.  I have read that one mass in front is moving toward a large galaxy behind but has not reached it yet.  The chaotic spewing (in red) of glowing hydogen and nitrogen comes from the large galaxy behind, but the spewing's origin and energy is something of a mystery.

At that great distance, it's difficult to get much detail with an amateur scope.  I've tried and will try again to catch the filaments or the dark parts of the galaxy image.  But this Hubble data is freely available from the Hubble Legacy Archive (linked at right).  It's relatively easy, and kind of fun, to download and process.  Here is my version for now.

The Very Red Stars of M13 (5-27-2011)

Last night I set up to image in H-alpha.  While waiting for my intended target to clear the trees, I took 4x8' of M13 in H-alpha.  This monochrome image records only a very narrow band of the deep red part of the spectrum.  I had no idea M13 was so red.  Half of the galaxy NGC 6207 can be seen in the upper right.  It, too, is apparently very red.

The camera was the Atik 16 and the filter is an Astronomik 6nm Profi H-alpha.  It is installed right next to the camera chip.  This image was taken with the Orion ST120 w/WO 0.8 ff/fr II, at f/4.

In Praise of the Newtonian - First Light with the 6" f/8

Last night for the first time I took the newly finished 6" f/8 out for a spin in the backyard.

This began as a project scope.  Here is a picture of what I started with: a Meade 6" f/8 set of optics, tube, spider, and primary mirror holder.  The tube was pretty beat up and full of holes.  I took these pictures when I was testing an added focuser.

My idea was to fix up the tube and use this for a visual scope.  After I took these pictures, I dissassembled the scope and put the optics and other parts in a box for safekeeping.

Then I began work on the tube.  I first of all sanded it down and filled all the holes with wood putty.  Then I added two coats of shellac.  This took a long time to dry, and it smelled terrible, but shellac sealed the tube and hardened it.  Of course, it also made the tube shiny.  Shellac is pretty high gloss.

That's ok.  On the inside, I installed flocking from Scopestuff.  Here is the inside of the scope half-flocked.  The improvement is pretty obvious compared with the shellac, but the flocking is much better even than the flat black paint that was there before.

After flocking the tube, I sealed the ends and remaining holes and spray-painted several coats of oil-based blue metallic paint, followed by a high gloss sealer.  The tube shines blue now.  I also built some tube rings of pine, painted flat black, and installed them around grey foam rubber.

The tube looks great, now.

And after all that, how are the views?  Superb!  Best views of Saturn I have ever seen.  Admitted, I am not a planet guy, but at 240x everything snapped to.  In moments of clear seeing, I could see the sharp black line of the ring's shadow on the planet's face, the dark cloud band opposite the rings (and the texture and shape of the cloud band), three moons clearly (Titan, Dione, and Rhea), and maybe four (I was not sure what that was, though I did see something where Tethys was, just coming around the pole of the planet).  I missed Enceladus, but our own moon was just a few degrees away, washing out the sky.  The whole thing looked just like the photos, only snappier, three-dimensional, and more real.   Bravo!  I look forward to many nights with this scope, viewing for myself and showing the view to others at public star parties.

M106, a Target for Next Year (4-27-2011)

I tried twice to capture this galaxy this year.  On my first outing in January I had guiding problems.  I had better success in April.  The galaxy's outer arms are very faint, and I'll need a lot more time to get through the light pollution.  This is just 13x10' from The Woodlands.

Telescope: Orion 10" f/4.7 Newtonian
Camera & Exposure: SXVF-H9C, 13x10'
Coma Corrector: Baader RCC I
Filter: IDAS-LPS2
Guiding: Orion Deluxe OAG, Meade DSI Pro, PHD
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX

NGC 6910 (5-3-2011)

This lovely cluster illustrates the work I did on the telescope two days ago.  Previously, my stars were out of round, and I wasn't sure why.  I made three changes that day:  (1) I squared the focuser with the tube.  This is something I should have done earlier.  (2) I flocked the tube across from the focuser.  I was worried that light from the back of the secondary mirror was bouncing around inside the tube.  That will stop it.  (3) I blackened the back and sides of the secondary mirror with flat black paint.  I had an epiphany after I flocked the tube.  I looked down the eyepiece tube and saw ... the reflection off the side of the secondary, shining brightly right into the eyepiece.  I immediately knew the source of my out-of-round stars.  Time to get out the paint.  Now the stars are round.  They are beautiful.  The scope is doing what it's supposed to do now.

This picturesque cluster is just north of Sadr, or Gamma Cygni.  I was going to image something else, in the south, but my guiding was off because cables were catching on the mount.  Anyway, it was about 4 am, and I was too tired to diagnose the problem (I figured it out the next morning).  So, I thought, I'll try something near the zenith that I can actually catch in an hour.  An open cluster!  Sure.  Well, I caught the cluster, but this cluster is surrounded by nebulosity (of course, next to Sadr).  The time was too short to catch much of the nebulosity.  I guess an hour was too short.  I don't make my best decisions at 4 am.

Telescope: Orion 10" f/4.7 Newtonian
Camera & Exposure: SXVF-H9C, 13x5'
Coma Corrector: Baader RCC I
Filter: IDAS-LPS2
Guiding: Orion Deluxe OAG, Meade DSI Pro, PHD
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX

Here is a small gray-scale showing some of the nebulosity.

M101 (5-3-2011)

I've imaged this mammoth galaxy before, here.  But at only, roughly, 23 million light years away and stretching approximately 170,000 light years from side to side, this face-on spiral giant is always a welcome sight.  This is partly why I wanted to use the 10": the scope is big enough to hint at galactic details.  M101 is always a challenging target, though.  The dynamic range is massive.  The galaxy in fact has other spiral arms that I have not pictured here.  Because the image was taken from the suburbs, light pollution washes out the fainter parts.  Just for comparison, I have included below a version with the light pollution left in.  Also, this is just 14x10', not enough time to pick up these fainter portions even if I was at a darker site.  Even my earlier image of M101 is a bit deeper.  It was over 50% longer exposure time from the same site with the same camera at about the same focal ratio.

Telescope: Orion 10" f/4.7 Newtonian
Camera & Exposure: SXVF-H9C, 14x10'
Coma Corrector: Baader RCC I
Filter: IDAS-LPS2
Guiding: Orion Deluxe OAG, Meade DSI Pro, PHD
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX