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).