Astrophotography

Taken with AT111ED on Celestron CGEM mount- NGC1931 is an open cluster surrounded by a Reflection Nebula, located in the constellation Auriga a degree west of M36.  Visible in dark sky area with a 3" scope.   This is a 70 min Combined Lum. and Ha images (30x2min 2x2 Ha and 5x2min 1x1  guided images).   The cluster is in the bright area.  I will try to blend in another image on this one to show the cluster, mainly 4 bright stars.  A color image can be seen in March issue of Astronomy.  I usually find my imaging subject in Astronomy each month.

NGC 1976:    151 Ha images combined, false color, crop image, taken from Whiting, NJ,  January 5, 2010 at  00:30 am. following a night of observation and imaging of M81

It's been a very long winter (too many cold nights for this old man) and finally able to get out last night.  After setting up at 6:00 pm I went in to have a piece of Brown Derby and let the scope "cool down".  Then I went out and started taking 2 min unguided images of M81 in Ursa Major for 2 hours, followed by an unsuccessful try to use my guider.  Some images were damaged by flying objects in space, one in particular was the Space Station which flew by just prior to 8 pm (I believe that it was the SS as the STRIPE thru the image was wide and bright).  This image

Reflection and emission nebula in Cepheus. Not far from the Bubble Nebula. It is about 10,000 light  years away from Earth. It also harbors the one of the largest protostars known, about 300 times the mass of our sun. The protostar is embedded in a dense gas cloud of 1,000 solar masses.

This image is a result of exposures of 1 hour in H-alpha, 1/2 hour each in RGB. It was taken last night through a 5" refractor at f5 and a starlight express SXVH-9.

M1 early this morning at 2 AM. Photograph in visible light tricolor filter RGB from Verona NJ with an almost full moon.

30 minutes per filter, 5" f7 r efractor, starligh xpress ccd & true balance astrodon RGB filters.

The supernova remanent M1 at the tip of the horns of Taurus. The image was taken in H-alpha light through the 5" refractor. The pulsar is right in the center .  One hour exposure.

M33 the Triangulum Galaxy aka NGC589, this combined 100 min image is a combined 40 Lum, 20 R, 20 G, 20 B .  It was a very clear and "cool" evening but I stayed out until the temperature dropped to 30 degrees and a slight wind.  Color images combined in MaxIm DL/CCD.    No levels, curves, darks or any other processing done.  Orion was well on its way up when I closed at 11 pm.

The Cave Nebula, aka Sh2-155 and C9 is located in the constellation Cepheus.  This one hour 5min image appears to be a "cave entrance" thus the name of the nebula.  It is extremely large in area (15') and appears well in Ha.  There are lots of beautiful color images on the net.  Tried to get 2 hrs but had tracking problems due to mount reaching past the meridian. 

Caldwell 30 in Pegasus. Just above the right top corner star of the square (Scheat).

Pretty bright and straight overhead around 10 pm.  Shot last nigh between 8 & 10 pm. Tri-color filters through a Starlight express camera and 5" Tak refractor.

Monday night was another great, clear, windless night for imaging.  I spent 2 1/2 hours collecting 5 min images in Ha of the Pacman which is located in Cassiopeia, again while watching the S.F. Giants beat the Texas Rangers.  Tracking was right on.