Centaurus A Galaxy (Fall 2018)

Here is the latest data from New South Wales.  This has been fun to work with, and I've learned a lot.  If you know where to look, you can see the jet from the active galactic nucleus streaming down and to the right of the center.  I was surprised to see it, but the 12.5" RC did a nice job picking it up. Of course, this galaxy can be imaged from Texas, but not well.  It is a much better target from Australia.

The Wizard Nebula and NGC 7380 (Oct. 2018)

Here is another target shot while waiting for other things to rise.  This is 11x1200" with the SXVF-H9 through the Synta-ONTC 8" and an Astronomik 6nm H-alpha filter.

Bubble Nebula, NGC 7635 (Oct. 2018)

Here is another Bubble Nebula, a target I've shot many times, but I had some time before my primary target rose, so why not?  This is 14x1200" with the SXVF-H9 through the Synta-ONTC 8" f/4.95 and an Astronomik 6nm H-alpha filter.

Comet 38P/Stephan-Oterma, 9:52:06 t0 10:18:21 UT, 11-03-2018

About the time I meant to stop imaging on Nov. 3, 2018, I noticed this comet on the SkySafari map and that Gemini, the comet's current location, was near zenith.  This is 24x60" of the comet through a CLS filter in front of the SXVF-H9. The telescope was the Synta-ONTC 8".  I could see the comet move between frames, which was pretty neat. The comet has an orbit of 38 years, so if you are >50, like I am, you may not want to miss it!

The Goosehead Nebula in IC 1848 (October 2018)

This is 11x1200" with the Synta-ONTC 8" and the SXVF-H9 through an Astronomik 6nm filter.

The Helix Nebula (Summer & Fall 2018)

This is the Helix Nebula from down under.  I have an earlier image of this, taken from an observatory north of Huntsville, TX, but I did not have enough time there.  Also, I was shooting through a lot of air, even here in Texas.  This image above, taken at nearly 3x longer focal length through less air, shows the knots in the inner part being washed away by the stellar outflow of the hot star at the center.  Showing those knots was my goal from long ago, now fulfilled in this image.  This is a bi-color image, a combination of narrowband H-alpha and OIII frames.

IC 2944 & IC 2948 (Summer 2018)

The cluster upper left of center in this image is called IC 2944, and the nebulosity surrounding it is known as IC 2948.  Bright, O-type stars in IC 2944 power the nebula, and around the cluster's bright stars sit a number of Bok globules being worn away by the ultraviolet light of the stars.  These globules in particular are known as Thackeray's Globules, after their discoverer. The objects pictured here are found deep in south Centaurus and are not visible from Houston.

The data for this image comes from New South Wales and is 27 hours of narrowband, including 10 hours of H-alpha, through the 12.5" RCOS telescope.

Here is the H-alpha data from the set.