The Parrot Nebula (Gum 1, RCW 2) (January 2014)

Full resolution image here.

The Parrot Nebula is the "head" of what is also known as the Seagull Nebula.  It is item 1 in the catalog compiled by Colin Gum in the 1950s.  The coolest thing about the nebula is the dark cloud that lies in front of it and becomes the parrot's open mouth.

Part of this image was taken from the Houston Astronomical Society dark sky site under a waning but nearly-full moon.  The rest was taken from the backyard.

Telescope: Astro-Tech AT111EDT and William Optics AFR-IV (eff. at f/5.6)
Camera and Exposure: SXVF-H9 (Ha+NII:24x1200"), Alnitak Flat-man flats
Filter: Astronomik Ha+NII
Guiding: SX Lodestar and SX OAG
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: HAS dark sky site near Columbus, TX; The Woodlands, TX

M87's Jet (Jan. 11, 2014)

The huge galaxy M87 in Virgo, perhaps the largest galaxy in the Virgo supercluster of galaxies, sports a black hole at its center weighing three and a half billion solar masses.  The black hole spews a jet of material out 5,000 light years visibly, and fifty times further in other wavelengths.  I am very surprised to see this jet so easily with a camera and a telescope of 620mm focal length.  The galaxy, after all, is 55 million light years away.  The jet is additional evidence of the black hole.  We know of nothing else that could create this jet.  Measurements of the jet's speed indicate it is moving outward from the center of M87 at a significant fraction of the speed of light.  Amazing physics from the back yard!

Full resolution image here.

Telescope: Astro-Tech AT111EDT and William Optics AFR-IV (eff. at f/5.6)
Camera and Exposure: SXVF-H9 (11x420" Lum), Alnitak Flat-man flats
Filter: Astronomik CLS
Guiding: SX Lodestar and SX OAG
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX

Alnitak, Horsehead, Flame, NGC 2023 (November 2013)

Full resolution image here.

I've admired this scene many times.  I've always wanted to try this myself.  This is two nights' work.  It could easily take many more nights.  What a stunning area of the sky!  Orion holds wonders!  This image is shrunk about 25% from original.

Telescope: Astro-Tech AT65EDQ and TeleVue NPR-1073 (eff. at f/5.2)
Camera and Exposure: SXVF-H9C (26x480" & 31x420"), Alnitak Flat-man flats
Filter: IDAS LPS-P2
Guiding: Meade DSI Pro and Hutech 50mm
Mount: Takahashi EM-10
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3, Carboni Actions
Location: The Woodlands, TX  

M45, the Pleiades, again (November 29, 2013)

 Full resolution image here.

I seem to shoot this cluster every year.  It's not an obsession, though it would be easy to become obsessed with such a wonderful cluster.  You should have seen it last night in the SV80ED and the 35mm Ultrascopic eyepiece!  Wow!  I've never shot the cluster with this scope, though, for what it's worth.  This image is shrunk about 25% from original.

Telescope: Astro-Tech AT65EDQ and TeleVue NPR-1073 (eff. at f/5.2)
Camera and Exposure: SXVF-H9C (18x480"), Alnitak Flat-man flats
Filter: IDAS LPS-P2
Guiding: Meade DSI Pro and Hutech 50mm
Mount: Takahashi EM-10
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3, Carboni Actions
Location: The Woodlands, TX  

M38 and NGC 1907 (Nov. 27, 2013)

 Full resolution image here.

Here is M38 and the nearby NGC 1907.  Both are about 5,900 light years away in the constellation Auriga.  The two clusters have similar ages, but a study of their motions through the sky suggests that they are merely flying by each other.

I shot this while waiting for the Alnitak to make it over the trees; the M38 data came out well enough.  This image is shrunk about 25% from original.

Telescope: Astro-Tech AT65EDQ and TeleVue NPR-1073 (eff. at f/5.2)
Camera and Exposure: SXVF-H9C (11x240"), Alnitak Flat-man flats
Filter: IDAS LPS-P2
Guiding: Meade DSI Pro and Hutech 50mm
Mount: Takahashi EM-10
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3, Carboni Actions
Location: The Woodlands, TX  

Comet Lovejoy (a single, 2-minute sub), Nov. 20, 2013

Lovejoy was well-positioned for imaging through a break in the trees in my backyard.  Clouds were not due till 7 am.
So I set up an imaging rig: wide field, color camera, and guidescope so I could try guiding on the comet.
I took some test images late evening, got some sleep, then woke up at 2:45.  Everything looked great!
I slewed to Procyon to focus, then over to the comet's location.  The comet was bright in the "find and focus" camera mode!  I was excited!
Guide calibration took five minutes.  I punched up 35 2-minute sub-frames and hit "go!"
A few seconds later I checked the guiding program and saw ... what's that?  Trees?  Am I into the trees?  I dashed outside.
Clouds!  Not just a few puffy trailblazers.  The whole sky was full!  Aargh!
There was a small break just south of the comet.  The clouds were moving nearly straight north.  I dashed back in, re-started the 2-minute frames, then hoped the break would last long enough for one.  It did!
I have one cloudless sub-frame of Lovejoy.  That was it.  The clouds never broke after that.  Fifteen minutes later I broke down the rig and pulled everything inside.
Lots of work for a two-minute sub.
Would I do it again?  Of course.

Telescope: Astro-Tech AT65EDQ and TeleVue NPR-1073 (eff. at f/5.2)
Camera and Exposure: SXVF-H9C (1x120"), Alnitak Flat-man flats
Filter: IDAS LPS-P2
Guiding: Meade DSI Pro and Hutech 50mm
Mount: Takahashi EM-10
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX 

Melotte 15 and IC 1805's Heart, Early Fall 2013

Full resolution image here.

Here is a slightly modified Hubble palette version of the cluster Melotte 15 and the heart of IC 1805.  To the bi-color I've added Sulfur II emission.  Now SII = Red, Ha+NII = Green, and OIII = Blue, though the colors have been shifted somewhat to emphasize the contrasts between them.

Telescope: Astro-Tech AT111EDT and William Optics AFR-IV (eff. at f/5.6)
Camera and Exposure: SXVF-H9 (Ha+NII:23x1200"; OIII:17x1200"; SII:18x1200"), Alnitak Flat-man flats
Filter: Astronomik Ha+NII, OIII, SII
Guiding: SX Lodestar and SX OAG
Mount: Takahashi NJP
Software: Nebulosity, Maxim DL, Registar, Photoshop CS3
Location: The Woodlands, TX