Fuzzy Blobs

And then M67

2012-01-24T20:36:00.004Z

With the transparency starting to improve again after M44 I noticed that not far away was the more condensed open cluster M67, also in Cancer. To my surprise I found that I hadn't ever imaged this attractive group before so I was soon up and running again on another set of subs. This time the transparency held and I acquired 15 before calling time. I was thinking of another spell of aurora hunting but cloud was fast appearing and a cup of soup was very appealing. M67 contains a good number of red giants and is one of the closest older clusters. Details: Megrez 88 apo. 15 x 5 minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

M44 and auroral disappointment

2012-01-24T18:30:00.003Z

The next clear opportunity came with the intention to try for the Witchhead Nebula in Orion. This proved to be less than successful when I discovered that my current positioning of the guidescope wouldn't allow me to acquire a guide star for sufficient duration to expect a decent result. An unexpected visitor then occupied a couple of hours before I could return to any imaging. I noticed I hadn't previously tried M44 (Praesepe) with the apo so now was as good a time as any. The TV news had mentioned a chance of some auroral activity being visible so once I had started the imaging run I took myself off down the local fields where a decent north horizon was available. After 30 minutes peering at the sky with no signs of aurora I returned home to find the transparency had deteriorated a fair bit due to some washed out contrail drifting through so I stopped exposing after a dozen subs. Details: Megrez 88 apo. 12 x 5 minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

Something brighter

2012-01-20T10:38:00.004Z

While set up with the apo a look at M42 was an obvious choice. At least there are no difficulties finding the Orion showpiece as just a few seconds exposure show it clearly and hard processing is definitely not neccessary. Indeed it allows so many options that choosing a version to post is the biggest problem. I took a variety of subs from 10 seconds to 10 minutes. Details: Megrez 88 apo. 15 x various exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

Conical

2012-01-19T08:21:00.003Z

After Sh2-199 I moved on to NGC 2264 and The Cone Nebula in Monoceros. Although well away from any stray floodlight a dark sky is still required to make much of it so another subject requiring some fairly hard processing. Hubble's Variable Nebula is prominent at lower right. Details: Megrez 88 apo. 15 x 10 minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

Sh2-199 by floodlight

2012-01-17T19:32:00.005Z

Continuing with the apo I made an attempt at Sharpless 2-199 (The Soul Nebula) which is adjacent to The Heart Nebula in Cassiopeia. Although I have now lost the Christmas lights the floodlight on the church tower continues to wash across the sky at higher elevations so there seems no benefit going for my usual 10 minute subs on targets in that part of the sky. I did half the subs @ 7 minutes and then increased to 8 as the subject moved away from the worst affected area. Details: Megrez 88 apo. 8 x 7 + 8 x 8 minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

A lengthy Rosette

2012-01-16T14:13:00.002Z

Following M45 the Rosette Nebula in Monoceros had become well placed. This also fitted nicely in the field of the apo. It isn't very often my setting circles put an object precisely where needed in the field of the scope but in this case it did so I was snapping again with hardly a break after imaging the Pleiades. This ended up as one of my longer exposures as I clocked up 20 subs before deciding that a warm bed was becoming attractive. Details: Megrez 88 apo. 20 x 10 minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

M45 yet again

2012-01-15T22:09:00.002Z

With a continuing run of clear nights maintaining some good transparency I decided to give M45 another attempt. This time I went with the apo which has a nice field for The Pleiades. At last I seem to have captured a good amount of the nebulosity for which the cluster is noted. I think I might need some exceptional conditions to get much deeper under MK skies with my present equipment so quite a pleasing result for what has been a challenging target up until now. Details: Megrez 88 apo. 15 x 10 minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

Comet 78P/Gehrels

2012-01-15T08:16:00.003Z

I had noticed that Comet 78P/Gehrels was fairly close to Jupiter so might make a worthwhile early evening target despite being small and quite faint at around mag.10. It took me a while to be sure that I had found it but once underway I aquired a series of 40 x 3 minute exposures covering a period of just over 2 hours (a couple of exposures had to be dumped with guiding errors which show as small breaks in the star trails early on in the stacked image). It was the observatory roof that halted any more exposures. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 38 x 3 minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT (stacked in Nebulosity).

Quick check on an old favourite

2012-01-14T09:19:00.003Z

After IC 342 I quickly set up the Tair 300mm to check out its field with M42. I managed a few short subs before it was obscured by the observatory roof. The result encourages me to try for something deeper when the opportunity arises. Details: Tair 300mm@5.6. 5 x 2 + 5 x 4 minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

Bit of a challenge

2012-01-14T07:35:00.002Z

With the Christmas lights now extinguished and the moon rising late I thought I might try for the difficult galaxy IC 342. This large face-on spiral is only surpassed by M31 & M33 for angular dimension but at Mag.9 is very faint due to dust obscuration at its location in Camelopardalis. The transparency was a bit mediocre so I could have picked a better evening to try it but I think its definitely a target for skies somewhat better than MK can offer. It was barely detectable on the final stack and I had to push the processing very hard to make much of it. Worth a try though. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 15 x 10 minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

M78 - better luck this time

2011-12-25T08:49:00.003Z

My next session was a return to M78 in Orion, this time with better fortune getting it in the field of the scope. Patchy cloud eventually cleared and I obtained an untroubled set of subs after the CLs had been switched off. Transparency was a bit mediocre so I didn't get quite as deep as I hoped but the result was an improvement on my earlier attempt nonetheless. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 12 x 10 minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

Not a comet

2011-12-19T09:09:00.007Z

With the Christmas lights problem any serious deep sky has to be a post midnight affair. With the moon now very late rising I decided to try for M78 as my previous attempt at it was in need of improvement but getting it into the field of the scope proved very troublesome. After a fair bit of frustration I eventually discovered the declination pointer was badly out of adjustment. Not quite sure how this had happened but after rectifying the problem time had marched on so I abandoned M78 as it was getting a bit too far over. I looked for something brighter and decided on NGC 2261 (Hubble's Variable Nebula). Residing in Monoceros the comet resembling nebula was discovered in 1861. It is a reflection nebula illuminated by R Monocerotis. Its noted variable brightness is believed to be a result of dust cloud obscuration. The session ended a bit prematurely when cloud appeared and ruined the good transparency. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 8 x 7 minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

Video 2 - California transit

2011-11-30T20:14:00.003Z

A video of the California transit. It reveals how the transparency varied and eventually got worse.

Eunomia reaches California

2011-11-30T09:47:00.008Z

Anyone with an interest in astronomy, especially in Britain, gets hardened to the disappointments of significant events being clouded out. So when I looked out and saw a superbly clear sky on probably the best evening that Eunomia would be transitting The California Nebula I almost had to rub my eyes in disbelief! It was also the day when the asteroid was at opposition at magnitude 7.9....My last few posts seem to have been a rehearsal for attempting a transit image that I never really expected to get.....The only thing I changed from the last Eunomia image was the interval between taking the subs which I reduced from 10 minutes to 5 minutes, the subs themselves I kept at 5 minutes. This time I got slightly over 5 hours worth of images before the transparency became too murky to continue. Getting another full 5 hours of good sky seemed too good to be true as just one failed sub would have marred the final image. With one slight glitch the guiding remained sociable throughout and even the CLs didn't seem quite as ruinous as expected (perhaps some of them were out!). One of my more memorable sessions with a pleasing result which I'm posting at a higher resolution than usual. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

Eunomia video

2011-11-29T19:03:00.002Z

I have now made a short time-lapse video from the the Eunomia subs.

All pink and a long look at Eunomia

2011-11-28T11:33:00.011Z

With a nicely clear evening it was easy to ignore the added light pollution and attempt some images. The broadband illumination from the Christmas lights isn't that obvious to the naked eye above what is already there but the moment I start imaging it appears in all its bright pink glory!
I started by attempting M74 which for whatever reason I have somehow overlooked before. Being a fairly bright face-on galaxy I was hoping for a useable result but after taking 18 subs the final stack wasn't worth processing. Christmas lights sub enclosed shows how severe the problem (and this was a very transparent sky!). I moved on to 15 Eunomia's approach to The California Nebula which I hoped might be a more successful venture than M74 as it would be less affected by the CLs. I achieved nearly 5 hours of continual imaging of the asteroid taking 5 minute subs at intervals of 10 minutes before the guiding began to fail and the transparency deteriorated. I include two versions of the image as the trailed version doesn't give a true impression of its brightness owing to the averaging of the stacking (It was brighter than the adjacent star to its upper left). Details: 10" F4.3 Newtonian @ iso 1600.

Potential photo

2011-11-26T08:47:00.005Z

A follow up comment on my last post....It looks as though this asteroid will pass across the front of the nebula in the near future so an interesting image possible with a spread out series of subs to show the maximum trailing. Unfortunately after tonight my own chances of a decent result are much reduced by the town's Christmas lights. Worth a try if anyone out there feels like attempting it. ( P.S. Found enclosed path prediction here).

California & something unexpected

2011-11-26T01:23:00.009Z

Another surprise clear opportunity gave me a chance at The California Nebula with the 300mm. Though the transparency was very variable with thin cloud drifting through I managed to obtain 10 mediocre subs before it clouded over completely . Of interest on the final stack was an obvious trailed star which I have indicated. I include crops from the first and last subs which show the movement over approximately 100 minutes. I have now managed to identify it as Minor Planet 15 Eunomia....an unexpected bonus! Details: Tair-3S 300mm@F5.6 . 10x 8 minutes @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

Into Auriga

2011-11-23T23:46:00.003Z

A bit unexpectedly another pre- Christmas lights opportunity arose last night so I stayed with the Tair 300mm and made an attempt at these fairly bright nebulae in Auriga. To the right is IC 405 (The Flaming Star Nebula) and lower left is IC 410. The transparency varied quite considerably through the session so it was a bit of a mixture regarding quality that were stacked for the final image. Details: Tair-3S 300mm@F5.6 . 15x 10 minutes @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

300mm Pleiades

2011-11-22T18:39:00.004Z

The last few weeks have been fairly unproductive with any clear opportunities being scarce. I did make an attempt at Jupiter while the moon was around but got nothing worth posting. With the town's Christmas lights being switched on this coming weekend and a 5 week spell of broadband illumination making things difficult oncemore I made an extra effort to get an image of some sort before the festive period starts. I haven't had much success with the Pleiades so far irrespective of scope or lens so I decided to try the group with my 300mm Tair lens this time. Despite intermittent cloud the transparency remained quite good and I was able to obtain a dozen reasonable subs. I was hoping for a bit more nebulosity but better conditions and deeper exposures required it seems. Details: Tair-3S 300mm@F5.6 . 12x 10 minutes @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

Return to NGC 7822

2011-11-03T11:59:00.003Z

After NGC 7510 I moved on to another attempt on the large nebula NGC 7822. My earlier effort on this was with the apo so this time I tried for some more detail with the Newtonian. I was hoping the moon would be less of a problem by the time I took the subs for this but it was only marginally so. Mediocre transparency and severe dew problems with the guidescope prevented the deep subs needed for a good result. It is therefore only the brighter central regions that are showing. NGC 7822 is a young star forming region in Cepheus. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 14 x 8 minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

NGC 7510

2011-11-02T10:08:00.004Z

With a bright moon at first quarter washing the sky I sought out a cluster to image. I had noticed this quite unusual example on the edge of the field while imaging my last target (Sh2-156). It is open cluster NGC 7510 in Cepheus and is notable for its distinctive star chains which I find quite attractive. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 12 x 7 minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

A troublesome Sharpless

2011-10-27T16:57:00.003+01:00

Obtaining the subs for this image proved to be rather difficult as an extended period of sky clarity refused to appear. For the first time the somewhat variable subs were spread over 3 different evenings as cloud and wind conspired to cut short consecutive sessions.....At mag 8.1 Sharpless2 - 156 (IC 1470) is another small and bright nebula in Cepheus. As a result of the difficulties I decided to try and modify the observatory to reduce the problem of sudden wind gusts buffeting the scope so hopefully a sheet of plywood and my doubtful carpentry skills will have effected an improvement....time will tell! Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 14 x 7 minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

A larger Pacman

2011-10-20T13:58:00.005+01:00

With the moon now rising much later a return to deep sky was possible again. I noticed that my previous attempt at NGC 281 (The Pacman Nebula) had been with the apo so I thought I would try the Newtonian on it for a more detailed view. NGC 281 is in Cassiopeia and contains the open cluster IC 1590 and a number of Bok globules (according to Wiki). Though the transparency was good I didn't quite capture the fainter extremes so I think a darker sky away from MK would have been needed to do much better. The guiding was working well throughout the session so quite a pleasing result. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 15 x 10 minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

Plus some moons

2011-10-17T11:31:00.007+01:00

Staying with Jupiter the following evening didn't offer so much in the way of good seeing. However three of its moons were nicely placed so I went for a wider view. Left to right the moons are Europa, Ganymede & Io. The Red Spot was hiding around the back at this time. Details: 10"Newtonian F4.3, Canon 550D with EOS Camera Movie Record using 2x Barlow together with a 2x teleconverter processed in Registax, FIV & XAT.

Jupiter for a change

2011-10-16T10:08:00.010+01:00

With Jupiter now well placed and a bright moon preventing serious deep sky I thought I would have another try at some planetary imaging and getting to grips with the Registax software. As usual the seeing looked quite poor but after a bit of patience a calmer spell arrived around 2am which coincided with the Red Spot being nicely placed. It was good to see both equatorial belts have returned to normal since I last attempted an image of the planet. Although my fast Newtonian is hardly the ideal planetary instrument it does seem capable of yielding a reasonable result at times. This is a stack of the best 800 frames taken from a 2000 frame video. Details: 10"Newtonian F4.3, Canon 550D with EOS Camera Movie Record using 2x Barlow together with a 2x teleconverter processed in Registax, FIV & XAT.

Something different

2011-10-11T11:28:00.001+01:00

A bit of a surprise while viewing the moon with the Newtonian.

A wider M 33

2011-10-03T09:18:00.003+01:00

Following NGC 7789 I continued with another widefield galaxy view. There aren't many galaxies large enough to be worth imaging with 300mm after M 31. The Pinwheel Galaxy (M 33) in Triangulum is one exception. This large face-on spiral is claimed to be a naked eye object but I have never been able to detect it. Details: Tair-3S 300mm@F5.6 . 12x 10 minutes @ iso1600 (full field) with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT

NGC 7789

2011-10-01T14:03:00.003+01:00

With a run of clear nights continuing I carried on with the 300mm and aimed at NGC 7789. This attractive dense cluster lies in the rich star fields of Cassiopeia. Details: Tair-3S 300mm@F5.6 . 10x 7 minutes @ iso1600 (full field) with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT

A wider Andromeda

2011-09-30T09:50:00.008+01:00

After the bubble area I moved on to the Andromeda galaxy (M.31) which was in a more favourable part of the sky and allowed some deeper subs to be obtained. I explored some new avenues while processing this and am quite satisfied with the result. The 300mm field gives a pleasing view of this spectacular subject. Transparency remained good throughout the session. Details: Tair-3S 300mm@F5.6 . 15x 10 minutes @ iso1600 (full field) with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT

Wider but floodlit

2011-09-30T00:40:00.006+01:00

The next opportunity I returned to the 300mm for some wider views of familiar objects. I selected the area centered on The Bubble Nebula but found that the spill from the the church tower floodlight was at its worst in this area of sky so the subs were badly washed out despite an otherwise decently transparent sky. The resulting image is therefore lacking in depth but shows the cluster M 52 quite well. Details: Tair-3S 300mm@F5.6 . 12x 8 minutes @ iso1600 (full field) with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT

A group of Sharplesses

2011-09-23T08:28:00.004+01:00

At last an evening with uninterrupted good transparency and no moon arrives, though it was well past 10pm before the cloud finally relented. I had noticed this pair of small bright nebula in Cepheus some time ago and decided to image them with the Newtonian when conditions were right. The group comprises of Sh2-147, 148, 149, 152 & 153 the two brighter components being 152 & 148 (Sh2-152 at top). The very faint Sh2-147 is just detectable at lower right. They are all components of the same giant molecular cloud. It made a welcome change to obtain a good set of subs without any problems. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 15 x 8 minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

Another in Lacerta

2011-09-17T00:33:00.006+01:00

What looked to be a clear sky tempted me to a session on returning from the MKAS meeting. With a bright moon still much in evidence I decided to try for another of Lacerta's clusters. The target was NGC 7209 but constant patches of cloud arrived to prevent a run of decent subs and I had to settle for only 10 of very variable quality before the clarity disappeared completely. A hint of the Cocoon Nebula can just be detected towards the upper right which would have been far more obvious under better conditions. Details: Tair-3S 300mm@F8 . 10x 4 minutes @ iso1600 (full field) with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT

A pair of clusters

2011-09-13T23:03:00.010+01:00

The next clear evening seemed a long time coming and when it did the moon was prominent and only just past full. Under the conditions I decided to add a couple more clusters to my collection. M 39 (Cygnus) & NGC 7243 (Lacerta) were suitably placed so became the targets for the session. Neither are very spectacular as clusters go and are barely noticeable at the centre of each image being in such rich star fields. I continued using the 300mm Tair lens which has a nice field for this type of subject. I am finding its performance very pleasing both for astronomy & normal photography....M 39 is at top. Transparency was good and both are full field images. Details (for both) : Tair-3S 300mm@F5.6 . 20x 2 minutes @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT

Another attempt at 300mm

2011-09-02T08:17:00.008+01:00

The next clear opportunity suffered from poor transparency so my next attempt with the Tair 300mm wasn't expected to be very exciting. I went for the very large IC 1396 nebula in Cepheus which more than filled the field of the lens so perhaps more suited to the field of a 200mm. The lack of transparency resulted in the processing being pushed hard with only the brighter regions showing well including the well known Elephant's Trunk Nebula and Herschel's Garnet Star at the top. Details: Tair-3S 300mm@F5.6 . 12 x 8 minutes @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

A Russian addition

2011-08-26T23:35:00.014+01:00

After acquiring my 200mm Takumar which is giving pleasing results I began looking for a decent cheap 300mm prime lens that might be suited to astro work. Research led me to the Russian Tair-3 which got favourable reports from several users. After seeing some quite impressive examples of photos taken with the lens I decided to visit eBay and found a good example in the Ukraine which I duly purchased and received in 7 days. The lens is built like a tank and is very heavy given its aperture of F 4.5. It has some unusual features including being part of a system that was mounted like a rifle using a gun trigger to fire the shutter....It came complete with the gunlike attachments though I would feel a bit conspicuous using it in that way!.... Keen to try it on the stars I gave it a go under abysmal conditions with continuous patches of cloud and poor transparency. I was only able to obtain half a dozen murky subs of around 5 minutes which have little depth but were sufficient to reveal how well the lens performs. It produces very little CA and is nicely coma free round the edges so I'm looking forward to trying it more seriously. This image is just a random area in Cygnus a bit above Deneb. Details: Tair 3s 300mm F5.6 6 x 5 minutes @ iso1600 (full field) with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

A Lacerta planetary

2011-08-22T21:11:00.003+01:00

After imaging Collinder 433 the sky remained nicely transparent so I moved on to attempt Abell 80 which is a fairly faint planetary nebula in Lacerta. The rising moon began to affect the later subs but probably not enough to make much difference to the final result. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 12 x 10 minutes @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

A Cygnus cluster

2011-08-22T10:42:00.005+01:00

With the moon now rising much later a darker sky is available oncemore. I had noticed this attractive faint cluster in Cygnus not far from the North American Nebula. It was difficult to find its ID but I eventually located it on the Collinder list as Collinder 433 / NGC 7044 (Collinder's list can be found here). It seems to contain a high percentage of reddish stars. The transparency was good though it was a bit frustrating waiting for persistent patches of cloud to clear. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 14 x 5 minute @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

31 Cygni group

2011-08-20T09:30:00.006+01:00

Continuing with the star theme this group in Cygnus is another delight through the eyepiece or binoculars with its contrasting colours. Situated between Deneb & Rukh the brightest components are 30 & 31 Cygni with 31 Cygni dominating. This is itself a spectroscopic binary of type K0 @ 4th magnitude. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 20 x various exposures (up to 3 minutes) @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

A famous summer double

2011-08-16T23:45:00.006+01:00

While the moonlight dominates I decided to carry on with some star imaging so an obvious target to attempt had to be the colourful double star Albireo in Cygnus. Unfortunately large patches of cloud made obtaining subs a tedious affair and I gave up after obtaining a dozen of various lengths as I had done with the Garnet. I always find Albireo a wonderful sight through an eyepiece with such a spectacular colour contrast between its component stars (spectral types K3 & B8). I was hoping the contrast would be more obvious on the final image which I again have kept flat with no boosting. It does help reveal just how intense the colour of the Garnet Star is. In 1976 it was discovered that the brighter component of Albireo is itself a binary star. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 12 x various exposures @ iso800 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

Portrait of a beauty

2011-08-13T23:59:00.005+01:00

With a clear opportunity but a bright moon in the sky any serious deep sky imaging wasn't worth considering. However the red star I noted on my recent post of Sh2-104 reminded me that Herschel's famous "Garnet Star" was well placed in my imaging window so I thought it a worthy target in the conditions. I took 20 subs of varying length between 30 seconds & 3 minutes @ iso800 which I hoped would give the strongest colour rendition when stacked together. The final image is flat and hasn't received any saturation boost so the star's amazing colour hasn't been enhanced in any way. Mu Cephei (The Garnet Star) is a red supergiant in Cepheus and is one of the largest and most luminous stars in the Milky Way with the spectral class M21a. ( Wiki states it is 1,650 times the sun's solar radius). Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 20 x various exposures @ iso800 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

A summer galaxy

2011-08-10T11:08:00.005+01:00

The next opportunity found the moon's brightness much more of a problem. Transparency was also quite poor so finding a target worth bothering with under the conditions was a bit difficult. Although galaxies are few in the summer sky compared to the abundance during spring there are some to be found. Close to the Veil Nebula in Cygnus is NGC 7013 which has a fairly bright core so I thought it worth an attempt. The result was much as expected under the conditions with the outer arms not visible and some hard processing required to get much of an image at all. Another one for a better night. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 12 x 7minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

Another Cygnus Sharpless

2011-08-09T18:53:00.005+01:00

Although the moon is now past first quarter its low elevation makes the brightness less of a problem to imaging so with an unexpected clear sky I targeted Sh2-104 which lies in central Cygnus not far from The Crescent Nebula. It is described as "About 450 solar masses of gas forming a shell around the ionising O6V star in this HII region located in the outer galaxy". Of note is the intensely red star to its upper right. With wind blowing throughout much of the session transparency remained good. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 17x 8minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

Comet 2011 P1 Garradd

2011-08-08T09:37:00.019+01:00

With my somewhat limited imaging sky the chances of a bright comet appearing in a good enough position to use my Newtonian are severely reduced. With Comet 2011 P1 Garradd being amenable to my situation it was good to have the opportunity to acquire a fairly high resolution image of this welcome visitor. The first of the 30 x 4minute sub exposures was taken around midnight on 7/8/11 with transparency being quite good throughout the untroubled session. Lying near the Pegasus/Delphinus border the comet is at mag 8.6. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 30x 4minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT. (a video of the comet's movement during the exposures can be found below)

Cygnus Central

2011-08-04T10:39:00.005+01:00

The next clear evening offered some better transparency so I decided to continue with the Takumar 200mm and try for a fairly deep image of the central Cygnus region. The Crescent Nebula shows well and M 29 looks like a mini Pleiades lower left of centre. A few patches of cloud interfered during the session but the transparency remained quite good throughout. Details: Takumar 200mm @ f5.6 (full field) 16x 8minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

A wider view

2011-07-31T19:56:00.005+01:00

The next imaging opportunity suffered from poor transparency but having recently acquired a vintage 200mm Takumar lens I was interested to test its astro performance. I selected The Veil Nebula in Cygnus as a target which fitted easily into the field of the lens. The result wasn't very spectacular due to the lack of transparency but the lens seems to be nicely sharp with a flat field so I look forward to trying it again under better conditions. Details: Takumar 200mm @ f5.6 (full field) 20x 5minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

Some ambitious young stars

2011-07-25T14:04:00.002+01:00

The next clear evening I decided to try for something a bit more ambitious than the Crescent. This target was a bit optimistic for my situation & equipment so much processing required to make much of it. Located in Vulpecula it contains IC 4954 & IC 4955 which are star forming regions amid a cluster of young stars known as Rosalund 4...... Transparency was again quite good. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 14x 10minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

Return to NGC 6888

2011-07-24T11:26:00.005+01:00

A depressingly long spell of cloudy evenings at last came to an end during this fairly dismal summer we are experiencing. Now the solstice is receding the evenings are beginning to darken so a longer run of decent subs is possible again. I decided to revisit NGC 6888 (The Crescent Nebula) which is a distinctive object in the nebulous fields of Cygnus to try for a deeper image..... Wikipedia says " It is formed by the fast stellar wind from the Wolf-Rayet star WR 136 (HD 192163) colliding with and energizing the slower moving wind ejected by the star when it became a red giant around 400,000 years ago. The result of the collision is a shell and two shock waves, one moving outward and one moving inward "..... The transparency was good throughout the session. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 15x 10minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

A Vulpecula Sharpless

2011-07-09T09:42:00.007+01:00

I have been a bit slow posting this image which was taken 27/6/11. The sky never seems to get really dark around the solstice so the subs for it looked a bit washed-out despite the transparency being quite good. With the moon now back in the sky it might be a while before another serious attempt can be made at this distinctive target. It is designated Sharpless 2-86 and includes emission nebula NGC 6820 and the cluster NGC 6823 but is best known for the pillar of dust that dominates the subject. Situated in Vulpecula it is quite close to M 27. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 12x 8minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

A Cygnus Sharpless

2011-06-20T10:06:00.006+01:00

Given the washed-out conditions with the moon present I thought it might be worth attempting this very bright and compact patch of nebulosity in Cygnus. . It is Sharpless 2-106 and was thought to be a planetary due to its unusual appearance but is now accepted as an emission nebula. Surprisingly the brightest part was detectable on a short 30 second test exposure but the conditions weren't good enough for imaging the fainter outer areas. Despite a large number of subs they remained invisible so worth another attempt in a darker sky with some deeper exposures. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 20x 7minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

Dodging the clouds....NGC 6819

2011-06-09T01:21:00.005+01:00

With the moon once again on the increase I targeted the open cluster NGC 6819 in Cygnus. With constant patches of cloud passing through it was another session requiring some patience as I tried to grab some useable subs from the clear moments. I eventually had to settle for only 8 before admitting defeat when the cloud increased. I find this quite an attractive cluster....It was discovered by Caroline Herschel in 1784. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 8x 4minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

Sh2-90

2011-06-08T12:17:00.006+01:00

After imaging M 51 and with a desire to see if the improved guiding was maintained when imaging my more usual area of sky I found this patch of bright nebulosity in Vulpecula. It is Sharpless 2-90 and I was able to obtain a dozen subs before the sky was noticeably beginning to lighten at 2.30am revealing how short the available imaging period is at this time of year. It was pleasing to see the guiding maintained the improved performance with the scope at its more usual balance setting. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 12x 10minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

Sn2011dh & a change of guide camera

2011-06-08T10:27:00.007+01:00

When the cloud eventually cleared I had more success with the M 51 supernova than I expected. A rebalance of my system to favour post-meridian tracking and a change of guiding camera worked well and I was able to obtain more subs than I thought possible before M 51 disappeared behind the observatory roof....Changing the guiding webcam appears to have been a very positive step with an immediate improvement in guiding accuracy. Some time ago I purchased a Logitech Pro 9000 for general webcam work noting it offered a resolution of 1600x1200 pixels. As a normal webcam the quality was very good and I pondered how good it might be converted for astronomic use. When I came across this helpful site I took the plunge and once more found myself at Maplins buying the neccessary bits to make the conversion. Though a bit more testing is needed it already looks as though my old faithful Philips cam is facing retirement. Details for sn2011dh: 10" f4.3 Newt. 10x 5minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

Supernova

2011-06-05T09:02:00.004+01:00

John has kindly informed me that a new supernova was discovered in M 51 on June 2nd. It would be pleasing to get an image of it. However the weather forecast is looking unfavourable and M 51 is around the meridian by the time the sky is dark enough for photography so the chances of a decent quality result with my system aren't good. If the opportunity for an attempt arises it won't be for lack of trying!

NGC 6140

2011-06-05T00:15:00.003+01:00

A transparent sky still didn't allow much of a result with the faint and irregular spiral arms of NGC 6140 and I had to push the processing hard to get an image worth posting. Probably one that needs something better than MK has to offer. NGC 6140 is a barred spiral in Draco and at mag.12 would have benefited from a few more subs I guess. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 10x 10minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

Little brother in Hercules

2011-06-03T10:11:00.005+01:00

What initially looked to be a doubtful sky, courtesy of the abundance of lingering contrails, eventually improved as darkness increased and by midnight the transparency had become very good. As Hercules is now well placed in my imaging sky I decided to try and snare globular cluster NGC 6229. Though eclipsed by its much larger brothers in the constellation M 13 & M 92 it is still a worthwhile target. At mag. 9.4 it was discovered by William Herschel in 1787 who mistook it for a planetary nebula as a result of its condensed core. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 18x 7minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

NGC 6015

2011-06-01T10:12:00.004+01:00

A few cloudy evenings intervened before the next imaging opportunity. My guiding issues look to have arisen from the clutch on the RA axis beginning to slip so hopefully a bit of tightening will remedy things. As we approach the solstice it is now getting quite late before dark enough subs can be acquired so I don't start imaging much before 11.30pm at present. I keep finding more galaxies as the spring sky disappears and this time I attempted NGC 6015 which lies in Draco at mag.11.2. The transparency was good throughout the session. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 12x 10minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

Yet another....NGC 5987

2011-05-25T09:57:00.004+01:00

Clear again! Perhaps the weather Gods are trying to make up for some of the lengthy downtime we suffered earlier in the year. Next on the galaxy list was NGC 5987. At magnitude.12.7 and with quite pronounced dust lanes it is another of Draco's selection. The transparency remained very good as I took the subs though after a dozen the guiding inexplicably fell apart which curtailed the session prematurely....something requiring investigation. The final image shows the dust lanes quite well so a few more subs might have made little difference. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 12x 10minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

The challenge of a tadpole

2011-05-24T19:01:00.006+01:00

With the run of clear evenings continuing and the windy conditions producing some decent transparency I decided to attempt something a bit more ambitious for MK skies....In Draco PGC 57129 is known as "The Tadpole Galaxy" and its bizarre appearance is believed to have arisen from an encounter with another galaxy at some time. It is one more that produces very little on a Google image search apart from many examples of a superbly detailed view from Hubble. I didn't feel very optimistic as I started taking the subs but with the good transparency and the guiding working well my hopes grew as the session progressed. Getting the tail to reveal itself was the prime objective. Though the individual subs showed no evidence of it I hoped the stacking might detect it and it was very satisfying to see it albeit faintly on the stacked result. The 4 other obvious galaxies are (top to bottom) PGC 57087, PGC 2503300, PGC 57108 & PGC 57109. Of all my images thus far this is one of the most pleasing. When I returned to astrophotography I would never have imagined these more exotic objects were going to be reachable with my equipment and situation. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 15x 10minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

A windy NGC 5965

2011-05-23T09:55:00.002+01:00

The next imaging opportunity was a bit short-lived when cloud moved in. I did manage to obtain 10 subs first though and for half of them the transparency was exceptionally good due to the windy conditions (fortunately the direction wasn't affecting the scope very much). I'm still finding fresh galaxies to target and NGC 5965 is a nice edge-on galaxy in Draco. To its left is NGC 5963 which has very irregular arms barely detectable on my image. The other fainter galaxies are NGC 5971 (at top) and NGC 5969 (centre left). Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 10x 10minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

Elusive lobes

2011-05-21T21:00:00.006+01:00

I had noticed the peculiar lobed galaxy NGC 5945 on a sky survey plate a while ago and thought I would attempt it sometime. Whenever I select a target I usually do a search on Google images first to see what results other imagers have already obtained. Very few images of NGC 5945 turned up so it seemed obvious that it wasn't an easy object especially in capturing its distinctive lobes. When the run of clear nights continued with a noticeably more transparent sky than the preceding two had been I thought it worth a try. I managed to obtain 18 subs before the usual post meridian guiding problems arose but the transparency wasn't as good as it first appeared and they were a bit variable. Despite pushing the processing very hard the lobes escaped me and confirmed it would require some excellent transparency and deeper subs to stand any chance of capturing them. NGC 5945 lies amid a rich field of galaxies in Bootes. Left to right these are UGC 09873, PGC 055238, NGC 5947, NGC 5943 with NGC 5945 lower right. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 18x 10minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

A reluctant NGC 5676

2011-05-20T08:59:00.007+01:00

After imaging NGC 5585 the following evening also looked clear enough to attempt something although the transparency was varying considerably as I went for NGC 5676 and it took over 3 hours to accumulate a dozen useable subs. At least any effect from the moon was minimal compared to the previous evening. Spiral galaxy NGC 5676 is mag 12.3 in Bootes and is noted for an unusually intense area of star formation in one of its arms. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 12x 8minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

NGC 5585

2011-05-19T09:26:00.003+01:00

Although the moon is just past full it is quite low down and late rising so a clear(ish) sky tempted me to try for another galaxy before the nebulous targets of the summer sky replace the more distant realms of spring. NGC 5585 is in Ursa Major and part of the M 101 group. It is irregular and described as "flocculent" due to its broken appearance. The transparency was mediocre and the moon increasingly affected the subs as I took them so poor conditions for such a relatively faint target. Not a very exciting result so another one to try again in a better sky. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 14x 8minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

A more local NGC

2011-05-13T17:36:00.007+01:00

Though the moon was too bright for galaxies a need to check some adjustments to the collimation had me searching for any well-placed star clusters worth attempting. NGC 5466 seemed to fill the bill. At mag.9.2 it is a relatively faint globular in Bootes which was discovered by William Herschel in 1784. After a few false starts as patches of cloud kept appearing I was eventually able to obtain a set of decent subs in reasonable transparency. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 15x 5minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

Some more in CV

2011-05-10T21:33:00.008+01:00

With a brightening moon high in the sky again I decided to try and bag this group of galaxies before conditions become too light for serious imaging. Close to the Hickson 68 group in Canes Venatici these four galaxies surround another red star HD 120950 which shines at mag. 7.5. The galaxies are IC 4336 (top right), NGC 5326 (lower right), NGC 5337 (top left) & NGC 5346 (lower left). With the moon affecting things there was no gain in taking longer than 7 minute subs of which I obtained 14 in quite good transparency. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 14x 7minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

NGC 5879....only just

2011-05-06T10:03:00.005+01:00

Having resolved to spend the next clear evening experimenting with some different settings on the guiding and tweaking the Newtonian's collimation I didn't initially intend to do any serious imaging. However it seemed a waste not to take advantage of the opportunity and image something. The transparency was quite poor compared to the previous couple of sessions so I wasn't expecting much of a result especially as NGC 5879 isn't one of the more notable targets on the amateur's agenda. In that respect it didn't disappoint as the final result is notably unspectacular! The galaxy is in Draco and was discovered by William Herschel in 1788. Definitely one for optimum conditions. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 12x 10minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

5371 mark II

2011-05-05T21:18:00.003+01:00

Another attempt at processing NGC 5371. I think this is more what I intended first time round!

Hickson 68

2011-05-05T10:38:00.005+01:00

After NGC 5371 the following evening was also clear with good transparency so I decided to target the main part of the attractive Hickson 68 group which is alongside 5371 and also in Canes Venatici. The face-on galaxy is NGC 5350. The two other brighter galaxies are NGC 5353 & NGC 5354. The less bright galaxies to the left are NGC 5355 & NGC 5358. The red star id is HD 121197 at mag. 6.5. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 15x 10minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

NGC 5371

2011-05-04T10:14:00.004+01:00

What started as a windy evening gave the promise of some decent transparency so I expected some problems from the telescope being buffeted by sudden gusts. Fortunately, by the time I started imaging, it had abated considerably and I was able to get an untroubled run of subs in very clear conditions. NGC 5371 is in Canes Venatici and part of the Big Lick Galaxy Group. I was a bit disappointed not to get a bit more detail in the processing of this nice face-on target so I might try again some time. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 17x 10minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

A bit of organisation

2011-05-02T10:56:00.002+01:00

Now that I have accumulated quite a number of images since starting this blog I thought it about time that I attempt to catalogue them in some way. To this end I have started to list them (with links to their relevant post) at the bottom of the right-hand column. In cases where there has been more than one version of an image it is the better examples that are listed.

Ornithological pair

2011-05-02T07:20:00.003+01:00

The next clear opportunity was one of mediocre and somewhat variable transparency. I made an attempt at the interacting galaxies NGC 5395 & NGC 5394 in Canes Venatici. For obvious reasons the pair are known as "The Heron"(Arp 84). The larger galaxy NGC 5395 was the site of a supernova in 2000. Given the conditions I was quite pleased with the final image. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 15x 10minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

NGC 5377 and a bit of a Ferrari

2011-04-29T09:13:00.005+01:00

A bright moon and the complications of upgrading to a faster computer are my excuses for not being very productive of late. Having overcome most of the problems getting all of my most used software up and running again the first clear evening found me attempting NGC 5377 in Canes Venatici. Not a very spectacular target my main interest was in seeing whether the faint outer halo of its outer arms would be possible to image. Despite the transparency being good and 15 x 10 minute sub exposures only a hint revealed itself. The new computer proved to be a huge improvement speedwise with the processing, especially in Deep Sky Stacker where all 4 cores of the new processor were used. What once gave me time to make a cup of coffee and drink it now only allows time to fill the kettle and switch it on!.... Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 15x 10minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

Return to M 88

2011-04-08T18:50:00.005+01:00

The next imaging opportunity had me returning to M 88 which I had aborted a few evenings ago when the guiding was troublesome. This time I was able to get a good set of subs in a sky that was continually improving as the session progressed. By the time I finished the transparency was very good and probably the best I had seen it in a long time. In Coma Berenices M 88 is quite a bright galaxy compared to others in the region, (just visible to the left is PGC 169494). Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 15x 10minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

NGC 5033

2011-04-04T22:34:00.005+01:00

It was pouring with rain as I left the house to attend a music session so I wasn't anticipating the clear sky that met me on returning home. Although it was late the transparency looked too good to waste so I found myself embarking on a post midnight spell of imaging. The selected target was NGC 5033 in Canes Venatici. Though it has a bright center the outer arms are relatively faint so I opted for 10 minute subs and was able to obtain 15 with no trouble from the guiding this time. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 15x 10minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

Faststone Image Viewer upgraded

2011-04-04T12:35:00.004+01:00

My most essential piece of photography software is the Faststone Image Viewer. This has recently been upgraded and is now capable of several functions that previously required Photoshop so it now has more input on my processing than before. For a freebie this is an excellent programme that is well worth installing. It can be found here.

Dodgy guiding & NGC 5053

2011-04-03T19:29:00.008+01:00

The next clear evening I made an attempt at galaxy M 88 but it turned out to be a session that produced more problems than results. Transparency was quite poor so I wasn't optimistic about getting good subs but after the first couple of exposures it was obvious the guiding was far from happy. The previous sessions were notable for the accuracy of the guiding so the sudden decline in performance was a surprise. Unusually the problem seemed to be more in declination than RA which most often is a balance issue on my system when it does occur. I abandoned any imaging and spent the next hour and a half making adjustments to the balance all to no avail. I decided to give up for the evening but as I was shutting everything down I noticed the declination potentiometer on my control paddle had somehow got knocked out of adjustment. To make sure everything was still OK I restarted the session from scratch and re-calibrated the guider. By now it was getting very late so I quickly searched for a target to do a check on. I found NGC 5053 which is a tight group of various coloured stars only a degree or so from M 53 in Coma Berenices. Some deeper subs would have done this dense cluster more justice but bed was beginning to feel very attractive! Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 10x 5minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, FIV, CS2 & XAT.

M 85 & company

2011-04-02T20:00:00.003+01:00

It makes a change to be getting some clear opportunities while the moon isn't a factor. Once again I was able to fit some imaging in after returning from the MKAS meeting. I made my first attempt at M 85 in Coma Berenices. Not very spectacular but quite bright it has NGC 4394 for company to the left and the much less conspicuous IC 3292 to the right. Transparency was quite good throughout the session. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 15x 8minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, CS2 & XAT.

NGC 4244....another struggle

2011-04-01T09:49:00.006+01:00

What started as a reasonably good sky soon started to deteriorate after I started imaging this galaxy. The transparency became very poor and of the 10 subs I obtained most were heavily "pinked". Just as it looked that conditions might improve cloud moved in and finished the session. (It was more disappointing because the guiding was working better than normal). Much processing required to produce an image worth posting. NGC 4244 is in Canes Venatici and is part of the M 94 group. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 10x 8minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, CS2 & XAT.

NGC 3184

2011-03-24T22:47:00.005Z

With the moon now rising very late the next clear opportunity gave me a chance at another of Ursa Major's notable face-on galaxies before the sky began to lighten. NGC 3184 lies at a distance of 40 million light years. I managed to obtain 14 subs though the transparency was a bit variable throughout. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 14x 8minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, CS2 & XAT.

How quickly things can change

2011-03-12T14:11:00.006Z

Having struggled getting subs for 2841 and the time being after midnight I was starting to close up the observatory when I noticed the sky had suddenly become clearer than it had been anytime during the previous 4 hours. With the moon having now become less of a factor it seemed foolish not to continue imaging so I quickly tried to find another target. NGC 3938 seemed well placed so I started on a fresh set of subs and obtained 15 with no trouble whatsoever in a nicely transparent sky....A bit late to bed but worth staying up! ....3938 is a nice face on spiral also in Ursa Major. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 15x 8minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, CS2 & XAT.

NGC 2841

2011-03-11T23:19:00.006Z

This one proved to be hard work....With an increasing moon getting ever higher in the sky I felt obliged to take advantage of any opportunity before things get too bright. A clear sky early on tempted me to try for NGC 2841 despite some moonlight being present. Just after I started imaging annoying small patches of cloud began drifting through and it took over 4 hours and a fair bit of swearing to accumulate 8 very washed out looking 8 minute subs. It is quite a bright galaxy that should produce a reasonable image but despite much fiddling the end result leaves much to be desired. NGC 2841 is in Ursa Major with a number of faint galaxies just visible in the field....Another one in need of a return visit. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 8x 8minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, CS2 & XAT.

NGC 3198

2011-03-09T01:04:00.003Z

After 2683 I moved on to spiral galaxy NGC 3198 which is in Ursa Major. This is a fairly faint object but the ongoing clear sky allowed me to get a good number of subs for it. The bright star just to the right of the galaxy is a very close double. The two brighter stars in diagonal corners form a pleasing symmetry. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 14x 10 minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, CS2 & XAT.

NGC 2683

2011-03-08T16:36:00.003Z

At last an evening with guaranteed clarity allowed me to go galaxy imaging again though my sky is still compromised by the spill from the church tower floodlighting which becomes an increasing problem as the declination goes above about +25 degrees. The subs for NGC 2683 were affected to some extent though the transparency was quite good which helped minimise the effect of the stray light. Discovered by William Herschel in 1788 the galaxy resides in Lynx. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 10x 8 minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, CS2 & XAT.

NGC 3190 & friends

2011-03-05T13:47:00.004Z

Not far from NGC 2903 is this small group of four galaxies in Leo. Central and brightest is NGC 3190, the others being NGCs 3193, 3187 & 3185. The transparency could have been better which might have allowed a bit deeper image so it might be worth another attempt. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 10x 8 minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, CS2 & XAT.

Back to galaxies

2011-02-27T23:46:00.004Z

After the the Cone I went looking for another target. With the winter nebulae now moving out of my imaging sky I am back once more to the realms of the springtime galaxies so I homed in on NGC 2903 which is a barred spiral in Leo at a distance of 30 million miles. The transparency was deteriorating as I took the subs but I managed to get 8 that were usable. I was hoping to get a bit more of the faint outer arms. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 8x 10 minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, CS2 & XAT.

Ditto

2011-02-27T13:33:00.005Z

On the heels of my last post another clear evening occurred, this time with better transparency. I decided to make another attempt on the Cone and NGC 2264 while it remains well placed in my situation. I was able to get a good series of better subs than before. The resulting image is noticeably more detailed and deeper especially around the blue reflection area. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 14x 10 minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, CS2 & XAT.

Conical return

2011-02-24T23:23:00.003Z

A long awaited milder day got me in the mood to wash the primary mirror on the Newtonian which had got a bit speckled and was losing its sparkle. Having re-assembled the scope it was looking as though there was a chance of a clear sky later after a very cloudy period so I decided to have another try at The Cone Nebula. Patches of thin cloud ruined the transparency so getting usable subs was a bit frustrating. Eventually I got six before the sky became impossible. The collimation was a bit out on the scope after servicing the mirror but not enough to show badly on the image though I must get it adjusted ASAP. The cone is at the extremity of NGC 2264 in Monoceros which is well known as The Christmas Tree Cluster. Needs another try on a better evening. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 6x 10 minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, CS2 & XAT.

Sumo Paint

2011-02-18T22:22:00.004Z

Not much DS astronomy at the moment with cloudy skies and a bright moon. However I recently came across this online graphics editor which has some impressive facilities with layers and much else. Not quite Photoshop but having been developed using Adobe air technology it feels a bit "Photoshoppy" and quite capable of editing astro images to a high standard....not bad for a freebie!

Another Sharpless in Orion

2011-02-08T22:17:00.007Z

With the moon becoming a factor again the opportunities for any serious imaging of the winter constellations from my location are now disappearing. A clear spell allowed me to get 7 subs of another nebula from the Sharpless catalogue before cloud returned. Known as "The Lowers Nebula" Sh2-261 is a large and fairly dim emission nebula high in Orion and quite close to IC 2162 which I recently imaged. Moonlight prevented the subs being very deep and I had to push the processing quite hard to reveal the brighter central area. A target more suited to the apo perhaps but some better conditions required to reveal its true size. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 7x 10 minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, CS2 & XAT.

Crabbing again

2011-01-29T11:29:00.003Z

With clear skies reluctant to appear once more I was a bit surprised when I looked out and saw a starry view that hadn't been forecast. M1 was in prime position so I decided to try for a deeper image than I had achieved with previous attempts at this fascinating object. After taking 10 subs of The Crab without problems and good transparency I moved on to the Cone Nebula but had to abandon when cloud moved in after only a couple of subs so I will have to wait for another opportunity to try again. Details for M1: 10" f4.3 Newt. 10x 8 minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, CS2 & XAT.

IC 2162

2011-01-09T13:04:00.008Z

At last a clear evening good enough to attempt some imaging after a long wait through the Christmas period and some extreme weather. The festive illuminations had disappeared meanwhile so conditions were more agreeable for photography again before the moon gets too bright. Last year I had noted these small patches of emission nebulae high in Orion near the border of Gemini so thought they would make a suitable target for the Newtonian. Though the group seems to be generally identified as IC 2162 it contains Sh2-254, 255, 257 & 258. Despite the guiding being a bit troublesome and transparency not perfect it was pleasing to be able to produce an image once more after the lengthy downtime. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 14x 8 minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, CS2 & XAT.

The current set-up

2010-12-12T11:04:00.006Z

As things progress my system is often subjected to changes in pursuit of improvements. Obtaining a good balance is essential for the auto-guiding to perform consistently so my scopes have been tried in a variety of positions. This is the current set-up which seems to work quite well. The guide-scope has now been moved under the Newtonian's tube to improve the balance when working at high declinations past or near the zenith. Both the guide-scope and the apo have been fitted with longer shields to help alleviate dewing that is sometimes a problem.

M45 against the odds (again)

2010-12-10T08:37:00.007Z

A slightly milder evening defrosted the observatory roof so before the moon becomes a factor again I decided to try and make something of what appeared to be a reasonably transparent sky. Jupiter was my initial target but this soon revealed that the seeing was awful and unlikely to improve so once again I returned to M45 which unfortunately transits my optimum piece of sky during the five weeks of Christmas illuminations (at a reasonable hour that is!). Looking back at my post of 15/12/09 I noticed I've been down this road before so this is pretty well a repeat performance albeit with the addition of some extra church tower floodlighting and different exposure parameters. Cloud cut the session short after only 4 subs. For the sake of trying to post something here is the result. More of the nebulosity is recorded when compared to last year's attempt but is the result of longer exposures and higher iso settings. The low number of subs meant a noisy image which needed some heavy processing. Once again I include a sub to show the extreme "pinking" introduced by the festive illuminations. Details: WO Megrez 88 apo. 4x 8minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, CS2 & XAT.

Cold

2010-12-03T08:50:00.004Z

With the Christmas lights now switched on I was intending to give Jupiter some attention but I am ashamed to say the temptation to stay in the warm has taken control during this unusually early cold spell. The observatory roof has been frozen shut for a few days now so quite when astrophotography will return to the agenda remains to be seen.

Sharpless Catalogue

2010-11-19T12:56:00.004Z

After the woeful failure to name some of my recent targets John's identifying of Sh2-168 prompted me to try and locate a decent reference for the Sharpless Catalogue in which many lesser known objects reside. I eventually came across this which is an excellent resource for location and identification (92 megabyte download).

NGC 7419

2010-11-11T14:56:00.007Z

While searching around for nebulous targets I came across this attractive tight cluster of mainly red stars in Cepheus. It is NGC 7419 and contains the highest number of type Herbig Be stars known in any galactic cluster. The image would have benefited from some deeper subs as this attempt doesn't quite reveal the fainter members of the group. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 10x 5 minute exposures @ iso800 with CLS in DSS, CS2 & XAT.

Back to deep sky

2010-11-11T09:29:00.012Z

Before some forecast rain and gales arrived a clear spell allowed me to get some subs for this small nebula in Cassiopeia. The object is another of the targets in this area of sky that I have yet to find an identity for (it is at RA 23.53 DEC +60.28). It seems a while since I did any deep sky and this was confirmed by my taking 4 subs and wondering why they were overly green in colour. Eventually I realised I had just wasted 40 minutes with the wrong white balance on the camera! It was pleasing to only lose one other sub as the scope went through the meridian when the guiding becomes unreliable. Details: 10" f4.3 Newt. 12x 10 minute exposures @ iso1600 with CLS in DSS, CS2 & XAT.
(John has now identified this as Sharpless2-168)

A change of colour.

2010-10-31T08:57:00.005Z

Another attempt at Jupiter with the Red Spot in similar position to my previous effort. The seeing was still barely adequate for any serious imaging but I need more practice with the software. This time I set the camera white balance to 5200K which gives a result more akin to the colour balance achieved by the practiced planetary imagers (though I must admit I quite liked the orangy look!). The image is from about 350 frames in Registax, CS2 & XAT.

Turn Canon EOS (with liveview) into webcam

2010-10-31T08:05:00.003Z

While trying to find a way of downloading the video from my 550D directly onto my computer without having to use a card in the camera I came across this piece of free software which will effectively turn any EOS camera with liveview into a webcam that records AVI files. It works very well and I used it to capture the frames for the Jupiter images on the previous post. I think the frame rate you get is dependent on your CPU. On my machine while monitoring the live image the rate is around 9 fps. If I turn off the live image the rate jumps to nearly 30 fps. The only other issue I found with it is that it keeps losing connection with the camera after about 6 minutes unless the camera's power saving function is turned off.

Some planetary attempts

2010-10-24T09:41:00.010+01:00

With the moon high and bright I thought I would take a look at Jupiter with my Canon 550D on the Newtonian again. Though the seeing was far from perfect it was good enough to try for some images. With the Red Spot nicely on view the first image was with a 2x teleconverter attached to the camera and the second was with the further addition of a 2x Barlow as well. Both images are from around 400 frames stacked in Registax though I have much to learn about using the software. With Jupiter well placed I will be making some further attempts when deep sky is difficult....With Christmas lights appearing in a month's time it will probably get a lot of attention for a few weeks (if the clouds stay away!)