NGC 2419 (3-2-10)

This globular cluster is so distant from the Milky Way that it was once thought to be unconnected to any galaxy. But it is bound to ours after all. NGC 2419 is about 300,000 light years away, not nearly as far as Palomar 4 at 360,000. The furthest globular out that we know of is AM 1, which is nearly 400,000 light years away. NGC 2419 is the 5th most distant from the sun. Source.

NGC 2419 is close enough and large enough to look like a globular through my little scope and camera, however. My little scope goes pretty deep, actually. Here is the same image blown up:
And here is the blown-up image labeled with a few magnitude numbers:
As you can see (well, you might have to turn the lights off to see some of those little stars), my little image actually shows many stars from the cluster. I have determined that the dimmest individual star I can pinpoint in my image is magnitude 19. Of course, some very dim stars register differently in my equipment than in the survey used for magnitude measurements found at Sky-Map.org. And it's possible that a variable star was brighter on the night I took my image. Still, mag 18 stars aren't bad for two hours with an 80mm scope from the suburbs and the 90% full moon rising roughly 90 degrees away. A good comparison image (and the best image I know of NGC 2419) is here. Also worthy of mention (prettier but smaller).

The slightly odd star shapes in the image are caused by flex in the optical path. I have found the problem now, I believe.

Imaging Scope: TMB80CF (80/504)
Imager: Atik 16
Exposure: 36x200" (the top image) & 26x200" (the enlargements)
Filter(s): Astrodon Gen II L
Capture Software: Nebulosity 2
Mount: Takahashi EM-10
Guiding Camera: DSI Pro
Guiding Software: PHD
Guiding Scope: AT66ED
Date: March 2, 2010
Location: The Woodlands, TX
Processed with Nebulosity 2, Maxim DL, & PSCS3

Clouds and Old Data

Another cloudy night. Or, it seems, if it's clear, I'm working late. I'm starting to chew on old data. Here's a re-process of just seven minutes of M31 taken last summer as a test. Anxious to try this again when I hit dark skies in the Rocky Mountains again in August. Taken with the Canon XTi through the AT66ED. The image has been shrunken considerably to hide the poor signal to noise ratio. We can't expect too much out of just seven minutes.

M37

Tonight I arrived home late. The sky was wonderfully clear. It was too late to set up for imaging. I took the 6" achromat out and wandered through Auriga and southern Gemini. Conclusion: It's hard to describe how beautiful M37 is. The other local clusters---M38, M36, M35---don't hold a candle to it. Yes, M38 has NGC 1907 nearby, and M35 has NGC 2158, but M37 doesn't need these crutches. It is stunning on its own in the 6" at 35x, where it fills the middle half of the view with sparkling gemstones on purple velvet. Whoa!

NGC 2362, the Tau Canis Majoris Cluster

I have been enamoured of this cluster ever since I spotted it through binoculars from a dry lake bed east of Reno, Nevada, many years ago. The striking thing about it, in a telescope, is the bright star in the center, Tau Canis Majoris, and the sparkling lights huddling around it. I've tried my best to capture the romance of it, but nothing is quite so striking as the real thing.

Imaging Scope: AT66ED (f/6)
Imager: Atik 16
Exposure: L: 21x1', R: 10x1', G: 11x1', B: 12x1'
Filter(s): Astrodon Gen II LRGB
Capture Software: Nebulosity 2
Mount: Takahashi EM-10, unguided
Date: February 6, 2010
Location: The Woodlands, TX
Processed with Nebulosity 2, Maxim DL, & PSCS3

Here is the luminance frame alone:

Christmas Tree & Cone Nebulas

This is a fresh attempt at the Cone Nebula. My first attempt was rather pathetic (here), and this is a big improvement.

Imaging Scope: TMB80CF (80/504)
Imager: Atik 16
Exposure: 21x8'
Filter(s): Astronomik Ha (+NII)
Capture Software: Nebulosity 2
Mount: Takahashi EM-10
Guiding Camera: DSI Pro
Guiding Software: PHD
Guiding Scope: AT66ED
Date: January 24, 2010
Location: The Woodlands, TX
Processed with Nebulosity 2 & PSCS3 & false color version with PS Elements 7 and Carboni actions

Another Horsehead

This image is real first light with the TMB80CF. (The earlier Horsehead in such lousy conditions was just a practice run.) The false color version shows more detail in the nebula, I think.

Imaging Scope: TMB80CF (80/504)
Imager: Atik 16
Exposure: 13x8'
Filter(s): Astronomik Ha (+NII)
Capture Software: Nebulosity 2
Mount: Takahashi EM-10
Guiding Camera: DSI Pro
Guiding Software: PHD
Guiding Scope: AT66ED
Date: January 24, 2010
Location: The Woodlands, TX
Processed with Nebulosity 2 & PSCS3 & the false color version done in PS Elements 7 with Carboni actions

Horsehead Again Under Lousy Conditions

Haze mocked my attempts to record faint hydrogen emissions.