NGC 6193 and 6188 in Ara (Spring & Summer 2018)

Here is a beautiful region of the constellation Ara in the southern hemisphere.  Near the top is star cluster NGC 6193.  The cluster is dominated by what look like two bright stars.  The lower star is HD 150135, an O-type star that burns very hot and is much larger than our sun.  The upper, brighter star of the two, however, HD 150136, is special.  HD 150136 is a triple system of O-type stars with masses of 62.6 ± 10, 39.5 ± 6.3, and 33 ± 12 solar masses, for a total of 102 ± 16 solar masses.  Source.  That's a big star.  Moreover, the two larger components are in a close orbit of 2.67454 days.  Same source.  That's so close the stars must be almost touching.  It's no wonder they generate fireworks, including X-rays.  The system generates enough UV radiation to light up this cloud, NGC 6188, including the ionization front shown in this image.

Data for this image comes from the 12.5 RCOS system in New South Wales.

Eta Carinae and Neighbors (Spring 2018)

This is such a fascinating field.  In the center shines the star Eta Carinae, a giant luminous blue variable star and its companion that together partly power up all the emission nebulae you see here.  In the upper left is cluster Trumpler 15, upper center Trumpler 14, and around and down from Eta Carinae the large cluster Trumpler 16.  Sprinkled throughout the field are Bok globules and globulettes.  In a few places, such as just to the left of Trumpler 14, you can find Herbig-Haro objects. I've studied the field quite a bit, and I'm still learning.  I recommend the entries on this area in Kanipe and Webb's Annals of the Deep Sky.

This image was constructed with excellent data gathered by my friend Martin Pugh at New South Wales, Australia.  See his website here.  The telescope is a 12.5" RCOS, the camera a SBIG 11000M, and data for this image is in narrowband as follows: 13x1800" + 3x1200" (Ha); 14x1800" (OIII); 14x1800" (SII).

Omega Centauri (Spring 2018)

Here is the Milky Way's largest star cluster: 10,000,000 or so stars and maybe a black hole (or not, a later study says), and perhaps the whole thing is the stripped core of a small galaxy.  It's also quite close, just 15,800 light years away.  The cluster is around 90 light years wide.  It is one of most amazing things I've ever seen in a telescope.  I observed it with a 15" f/5 Newtonian reflector from the HAS dark sky site in Columbus.  It is ablaze with stars!

I'm pleased that this image shows so many stars.  It gives some idea of the vastness one senses through the telescope.  This image is an LRGB= 5;6;6;8x600" with a SBIG 11000M camera through a 12.5" RCOS telescope in rural New South Wales.  Data was gathered by Martin Pugh who hosts an observatory there (details at https://www.martinpughastrophotography.space/remote-imaging-and-telescope-hosting).