Tuesday, August 30, 2011
NGC 2070, the "Tarantula Nebula", reprocessed
Since my processing technique gets better and the time of year doesn't give any support, I have reprocessed some older images. There is now star colors added and other processing is tweaked too.
The Tarantula Nebula, in Dorado
Ra 05h 38m 38s Dec -69° 05′ 07″
NGC 2070 in HST-palette
from the emission of ionized elements, R=Sulfur, G=Hydrogen and B=Oxygen.
I redid the processing and composition for this southern target. Original version, with wider field, can be seen here: http://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2010/09/ngc-2070-tarantula-nebula.html
Tarantula nebula, NGC 2070, also known as 30 Doradus, is an ionized Hydrogen region in the Large Magellanic cloud, visible in southern hemisphere. Distance from Earth is about 160.000 light years,
it's the most active and largest starburst region known in local group of galaxies.
Image is taken with a Northern Galactic groups remote telescope in Australia.
Image is taken with a Northern Galactic groups remote telescope in Australia.
Natural color composition from the emission of ionized elements, R=80%Hydrogen+20%Sulfur, G=100%Oxygen and B=85%Oxygen+15%Hydrogen to compensate otherwise missing H-beta emission.
This composition is very close to a visual spectrum.
The telescope and technical information:
16" RCOS ja Apogee U9000 camera.
LRGB combo.
H-alpha 5x1200s, Dark and artificial Flat calibrated.
2 x O-III 1200s and 5 x 900s Dark and artificial Flat calibrated.
2 x S-II 1200s, Dark and artificial Flat calibrated.
Raw data is shared with "Team Finland"
Processing workflow:
Image acquisition, MaxiDL v4.xxx
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack.
Deconvolution with a CCDSharp, 30 iterations added 50% to non convoluted data
Levels, curves and color combine in PS CS3.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Astro Anarchy gets published
The Daily Mail has used my image of NGC281, the "Pac-Man Nebula" in its article
The very same image was selected as an APOD, (Astronomy Picture of the Day) by the NASA at August 25.
Original blog post, with more images and technical details, can be seen here:
M16, the "Eagle nebula", reprocessed
Since my processing technique gets better and the time of year doesn't give any support, I have reprocessed some older images. There is now star colors added and other processing is tweaked too.
Merssier 16, in Serpens
Ra 18h 18m 48s Dec -13° 49′ 00″
M16, narrow band HST-palette and a broad band RGB-stars.
Buy a photographic print from HERE
Buy a photographic print from HERE
This is a reprocessed closeup image of the "Eagle Nebula", M16, NGC6611, in constellation Serpens.
Messier 16 is a part of a diffuse H II emission nebula region, IC 4703 at distance of about 6.500 light years.
The region is under an active star formation. The tower of gas, seen middle Right in this image, is approximately 100 trillion km long. (60 trillion miles) The longest of the "pillars" is about seven light years long.
Tips of the pillars are "stellar nurseries", there are several, recently (~one million years ago) formed young stars.
Images are taken with the Northern Galactic group's remote telescope in Australia, from Oulu, Finland. .
Natural color composition from the emission of ionized elements, R=80%Hydrogen+20%Sulfur, G=100%Oxygen and B=85%Oxygen+15%Hydrogen to compensate otherwise missing H-beta emission. This composition is very close to a visual spectrum. Broad band RGB-stars.
Buy a photographic print from HERE
Technical details
16" RCOS ja Apogee U9000 camera.
LRGB combo.
H-alpha 5x1200s, O-III 2x1200s, S-II 2x1200s . Dark and Flat calibrated.
Broad band luminance 15x300s.
RGB-colors Red 2x300s, Green 2x300s and Blue 2x300s.
Raw data is shared with Petri Kehusmaa and J-P Metsavainio
Processing workflow:
Image acquisition, MaxiDL v4.xxx
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack.
Deconvolution with a CCDSharp, 30 iterations.
Levels, curves and color combine in PS CS3.
An experimental version of M16, narrow band colors with the broad band luminance.
HST-palette colors with a Broad band luminance and RGB-Stars.
Red=S-II, Green=H-a and Blue=O-III
Buy a photographic print from HERE
Natural color narrow band composition with a Broad band luminance and RGB-Stars.
Red=70%Ha+30%S-II, Green=O-III and Blue=70%O-III+30%H-alpha.
In this experimental image, I have tested the method to use a clear filter luminance with a narrow band color. This is (only?*) scientifically correct method to use a luminance image with a narrow band colors, since the broad band luminance contains all the wave lengths used for color information.
I don't usually like to mix colors from a different imaging methods, like pure RGB and narrow band. In this case I have used RGB, real color, stars with an emission line image.
I don't usually like to mix colors from a different imaging methods, like pure RGB and narrow band. In this case I have used RGB, real color, stars with an emission line image.
Some astro imagers tend to use H-alpha channel as a luminance, due the higher details and better S/N than any other channel has. Even though the visual appearance might look better, other channels, O-III and S-II, has no information in H-a luminance and all details in there are lost!
(*I have to point out, I use H-a luminance with a many NB images but H-a is boosted with all the information in O-III and S-II channels used. I call this method "Tone Mapping". Step by step instructions can be found here: http://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2009/04/neaic.html )
Thursday, August 25, 2011
APOD
![[nasa-large.jpg]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnPTKmnidt6gHuVkChO_MPYTqp2lSu-Tr0If3ey1qfJxF9BJpDhG8wIWnxo86hb3vT5OYKiznVUminjBaRRat99o70A1ODvDjHEDHpKGWYCsnjn-WFYunaGVPsfXiizriH0upX9hbpNWs/s1600/nasa-large.jpg)
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My Image of the "Pac man Nebula", NGC281, was selected as an "Astronomy Picture of the Day" by the NASA.
You can see the NASA page here: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110825.html
You can see the NASA page here: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110825.html
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This was my Fourth APOD, previous ones can be seen here:
Potrait of NGC281
Original blog post, with the technical details and more images, can be seen here:
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
NGC 1499, the "California Nebula" reprocessed, ones again...
I did reprocessed this nebula since my skills are much better now, than two years ago.
All the exposures I have taken for this object are used. Total exposure time is over 20h together for all three channels, Ionized Sulfur, Hydrogen and Oxygen. Two camera lenses was used to capture the data, a Tokina AT 300mm f2.8 and a Canon EF 200mm f1.8, both lenses was used at full aperture.
NGC 1499, in Perseus
Ra 04h 03m 18s Dec +36° 25′ 18″
This object has a very large angular scale, as can be seen in a last image in this page.
It has a lowish surface brightness too, hence 20h of exposures, with fast optics, was needed.
California nebula located in constellation Perseus at distance of ~1000 light years.
California nebula located in constellation Perseus at distance of ~1000 light years.
R=Sulfur, G=Hydrogen and B=Oxygen.
Apparent scale in a sky
This is a large object, note, the size of the Moon is marked, as a scale, in all of the images above.
The Wikipedia article states, that the angular size is about 2,5 degrees (Five full Moons side by side)
but as can be seen in this image, the actual size, with a dim outer parts, is much large.
Experimental 3D-studies of NGC1499 can be found in my portfolio, in different formats.
Please, have a look here:
http://astroanarchy.zenfolio.com/f359296072
The Wikipedia article states, that the angular size is about 2,5 degrees (Five full Moons side by side)
but as can be seen in this image, the actual size, with a dim outer parts, is much large.
Experimental 3D-studies of NGC1499 can be found in my portfolio, in different formats.
Please, have a look here:
http://astroanarchy.zenfolio.com/f359296072
Previous reprocessed version can be seen here:
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Rosette Nebula, apparent scale in a sky, horizontal edition in two palettes
I have shot many targets with several focal lengths.
Due that, I will publish some of my material as an image sets, with different field of view and detail levels.
The fractal nature of our universe stands out nicely by this way and it will make the orientation more easy.
Many times, it's difficult to understand the image scale of astronomical images.
Due that, I will add a Moon circle in some of the images to show the angular scale in a sky.
The full Moon has an angular size of ~30 arc minutes, that's equal to ~0,5 degrees.
"Rosette Nebula"
Ra 06h 33m 45s Dec +04° 59′ 54″, in constellation Orion
Images are in HST-palette, (HST=Hubble Space Telescope)
from the emission of ionized elements, R=Sulfur, G=Hydrogen and B=Oxygen.
Star colors are mixed from the NB channels, Red=H-a, G=O-III and B= 85%O-III + 15%H-a.
NOTE. The size of the full Moon (0,5 degrees) is marked as a gray circle in all of the images.
Information about the Rosette Nebula
The Rosette Nebula (also known as Caldwell 49) is a large, circular H II region located near one end of a giant molecular cloud in the Monoceros. The open cluster NGC 2244(Caldwell 50) is closely associated with the nebulosity, the stars of the cluster having been formed from the nebula's matter. The cluster and nebula locates at a distance of about 5,200 light years from Earth. The diameter is about 130 light years.
The radiation from the young stars ionized the atoms in the nebula, causing them to emit light, typical to each element, producing the visible nebula. Stellar winds, radiation pressure, from a group of stars cause compression to the interstellar clouds, followed by star formation in the nebula. This star formation is currently still ongoing.
Natural color composition from the emission of ionized elements, R=80%Hydrogen+20%Sulfur, G=100%Oxygen and B=85%Oxygen+15%Hydrogen to compensate otherwise missing H-beta emission. This composition is very close to a visual spectrum.
NOTE. The size of the full Moon (0,5 degrees) is marked as a scale.
1. Two panel mosaic of Cone and Rosette Nebulae. Shot with a Canon EF 200mm f1.8 lens, Baader NB-filters and QHY9 cooled astronomical camera.
2. The Rosette half of the mosaic image.
3. Rosette Nebula with a Tokina AT-X 300mm f2.8 lens, Baader NB-filter set and QHY9 astro camera.
4. Rosette closeup with Meade LX200 GPS 12" 2000mm, NB-filters and QHY9 camera.
Technical details for all of the images above, can be found in my portfolio:
http://astroanarchy.zenfolio.com/
Vertical versions can be seen here:
and here:
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Bubble Nebula, apparent scale in the sky, horizontal editions
I have shot many targets with several focal lengths.
Due that, I will publish some of my material as an image sets, with different field of view and detail levels.
The fractal nature of our universe stands out nicely by this way and it will make the orientation more easy.
Many times, it's difficult to understand the image scale of astronomical images.
Due that, I will add a Moon circle in some of the images to show the angular scale in a sky.
The full Moon has an angular size of ~30 arc minutes, that's equal to ~0,5 degrees.
Sharpless 162, NGC 7635, the "Bubble Nebula"
Ra 23h 20m 48s Dec +61° 12′ 06″
Natural color composition from the emission of ionized elements, R=80%Hydrogen+20%Sulfur, G=100%Oxygen and B=85%Oxygen+15%Hydrogen to compensate otherwise missing H-beta emission. This composition is very close to a visual spectrum.
NOTE. The size of the full Moon (0,5 degrees) is marked as a scale.
NGC 7635 aka "Bubble Nebula, Sh2-162 or Caldwell11, is a Hydrogen emission nebula in constellation Cassiopeia. It locates near the open cluster M 52 at distance of about 11.000 light years from the Earth.
The bubble structure is created by a strong stellar wind, a radiation pressure, from massive hot magnitude 8,7 central star, SAO 20575, it can be seen in an image inside of the bubble, off centered at Right.
The bubble structure is created by a strong stellar wind, a radiation pressure, from massive hot magnitude 8,7 central star, SAO 20575, it can be seen in an image inside of the bubble, off centered at Right.
Bubble is an expanding shock front inside a giant molecular cloud and it has a diameter more than Six light years. The spherical formation is expanding at speed of 6500.000 km/h, due the huge scale and distance we can't see the movement easily. In a century, the bubble in this image will be only about one pixel wider, than now! ( ~1 arc second)
Strong UV-radiation from a central star ionized elements in a gas and makes them glow at typical wavelength to each element. (Hydrogen glows Red light as Sulfur, Oxygen emits Green/Blue light at visible wavelengths)
If you are interested about color schemes used in my images, I wrote a small study about them, please, have a look here: http://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2009/11/colors-in-astro-images.html
Images are in HST-palette, (HST=Hubble Space Telescope)
from the emission of ionized elements, R=Sulfur, G=Hydrogen and B=Oxygen.
Star colors are mixed from the NB channels, Red=H-a, G=O-III and B= 85%O-III + 15%H-a.
NOTE. The size of the full Moon (0,5 degrees) is marked as a gray circle in all of the images.
NOTE. The size of the full Moon (0,5 degrees) is marked as a gray circle in all of the images.
Images used in the series above from Left to Right
- A wide field mosaic from the Bubble and Sharpless 157 to the Wizard Nebula at Right. Images are taken with a Tokina AT-X 300mm camera lens.
- A Sh2-157 and Bubble Nebula part of the mosaic, Tokina AT-X 300mm
- Zoomed in version from the previous image
- A close up of the Bubble Nebula imaged with a Meade LX200 GPS 12" telescope, focal lenght ~2000mm.
- A zoomed in version of image above.
Vertical versions can be seen here:
and
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Butterfly Nebula, apparent scale in the sky, a horizontal edition
I have shot many targets with several focal lengths.
Due that, I will publish some images as an image sets, with different field of view and detail levels.
The fractal nature of our universe stands out nicely by this way and it will make the orientation more easy.
Many times, it's difficult to understand the image scale of astronomical images.
Due that, I will add a Moon circle in some of the images to show the angular scale in a sky.
The full Moon has an angular size of ~30 arc minutes, that's equal to ~0,5 degrees.
The "Butterfly Nebula"
In constellation Cygnus
NOTE. The size of the full Moon (0,5 degrees) is marked as a gray circle in all of the images.
Images are in HST-palette, (HST=Hubble Space Telescope) from the emission of ionized elements, R=Sulfur, G=Hydrogen and B=Oxygen. Star colors are mixed from the NB channels, Red=H-a, G=O-III and B= 85%O-III + 15%H-a.
Natural color composition from the emission of ionized elements, R=80%Hydrogen+20%Sulfur, G=100%Oxygen and B=85%Oxygen+15%Hydrogen to compensate otherwise missing H-beta emission. This composition is very close to a visual spectrum.
NOTE. The size of the full Moon (0,5 degrees) is marked as a scale.
A vertical version of the series above:
Images used in the series above
First image is a three panel mosaic of the "Cygnus Trio"
Second one is two panels from a mosaic.
Third is a one panel
fourth is a zoomed crob from the above image.
The mosaic wide field was shot with a Tokina AT-X 300mm f2.8 camera lens with a QHY8 astro camera and a Baader narrowband filter set
All images in this page have been part of an older mosaic, the "Cygnus Trio"
It was my very first APOD (Astronomy Picture Of Day) published by NASA.
http://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2008/11/apod.html
It was my very first APOD (Astronomy Picture Of Day) published by NASA.
http://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2008/11/apod.html
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
The "Pelican Nebula", apparent scale in a sky, second edition
I have shot many targets with several focal lengths.
Due that, I will publish some of my material as an image sets, with different field of view and detail levels.
The fractal nature of our universe stands out nicely by this way and it will make the orientation more easy.
Many times, it's difficult to understand the image scale of astronomical images.
Due that, I will add a Moon circle in some of the images to show the angular scale in a sky.
The full Moon has an angular size of ~30 arc minutes, that's equal to ~0,5 degrees.
Pelican Nebula
In constellation Cygnus
Click for a large images
HST-palette, (HST= Hubble Space Telescope)
from the emission of ionized elements, R=Sulfur, G=Hydrogen and B=Oxygen.NOTE. The size of the full Moon (0,5 degrees) is marked as a scale.
The Pelican Nebula (also known as IC5070 and IC5067) is an Hydrogen emission region associated with the North America Nebula in the constellation Cygnus. The nebula resembles a pelican in shape, hence the name. The Pelican Nebula is , close to Deneb, and divided from its brighter, larger neighbor, the North America Nebula, by a molecular cloud filled with dark dust. Distance is about 1800 light years
The Pelican Nebula (also known as IC5070 and IC5067) is an Hydrogen emission region associated with the North America Nebula in the constellation Cygnus. The nebula resembles a pelican in shape, hence the name. The Pelican Nebula is , close to Deneb, and divided from its brighter, larger neighbor, the North America Nebula, by a molecular cloud filled with dark dust. Distance is about 1800 light years
Natural color composition from the emission of ionized elements, R=80%Hydrogen+20%Sulfur, G=100%Oxygen and B=85%Oxygen+15%Hydrogen to compensate otherwise missing H-beta emission. This composition is very close to a visual spectrum.
NOTE. The size of the full Moon (0,5 degrees) is marked as a scale.
Two images are used for the series, first is a wide field shot with a Tokina AT-X 300mm f2.8 camera lens.
Second image, at the bottom, is shot with a Meade LX200 GPS 12" reduced under 2000mm.
Baader narrowband filter set was used with both images, wide field was shot with a QHY8 and closeup with QHY9 cooled astronomical cameras.
Original images with technical details
Thursday, August 4, 2011
NGC7000, the "North America Nebula", a super zoom in and the scale in a sky
I have shot many targets with several focal lengths.
Due that, I will publish some of my material as an image sets, with different field of view and detail levels.
The fractal nature of our universe stands out nicely by this way and it will make the orientation more easy.
Many times, it's difficult to understand the image scale of astronomical images.
Due that, I will add a Moon circle in some of the images to show the angular scale in a sky.
The full Moon has an angular size of ~30 arc minutes, that's equal to ~0,5 degrees.
NGC 7000, the "North America Nebula", new version
In constellation Cygnus
Click for the large image.
NGC 7000 in HST-palette from the emission of ionized elements, R=Sulfur, G=Hydrogen and B=Oxygen.
NOTE. The size of the full Moon (0,5 degrees) is marked as a gray circle in all of the images.
Natural color composition from the emission of ionized elements, R=80%Hydrogen+20%Sulfur, G=100%Oxygen and B=85%Oxygen+15%Hydrogen to compensate otherwise missing H-beta emission. This composition is very close to a visual spectrum.
NOTE. The size of the full Moon (0,5 degrees) is marked as a scale.
This is a second, more monitor friendly, version of the NGC7000 scale study.
Older, vertical, version can be found here:
1. Wide field shot:
The "Heart Nebula", IC 1805, reprocessed
Since my processing technique gets better and the time of year doesn't give any support, I have reprocessed some older images. There is now star colors added and other processing is tweaked too.
Wide field shot of IC1805 with the "Soull Nebula", IC1848
HST-palette, (HST=Hubble Space Telescope)
from the emission of ionized elements, R=Sulfur, G=Hydrogen and B=Oxygen.
Natural color composition from the emission of ionized elements, R=80%Hydrogen+20%Sulfur, G=100%Oxygen and B=85%Oxygen+15%Hydrogen to compensate otherwise missing H-beta emission. This composition is very close to a visual spectrum.
IC 1805, Sharpless 190 (Sh2-190) in Cassiopeia
Ra 02h 32m 36s Dec +61° 29′ 2″
HST-palette, (HST=Hubble Space Telescope)
from the emission of ionized elements, R=Sulfur, G=Hydrogen and B=Oxygen.
The "Heart Nebula", IC1805 locates about 7500 light years away in constellation Cassiopeia. This is an emission nebula showing glow of ionized elements in a gas cloud and some darker dust lanes.
In a very center of the nebula, lays Melotte 15, it contains few very bright stars, nearly 50 times mass of our Sun, and many dim ones. The solar wind, a radiation pressure, from massive stars makes the gas twist to a various shapes.
Natural color composition from the emission of ionized elements, R=80%Hydrogen+20%Sulfur, G=100%Oxygen and B=85%Oxygen+15%Hydrogen to compensate otherwise missing H-beta emission. This composition is very close to a visual spectrum.
The "Heart of the Heart, Melotte 15
HST-palette, (HST=Hubble Space Telescope)
from the emission of ionized elements, R=Sulfur, G=Hydrogen and B=Oxygen.
Natural color composition from the emission of ionized elements, R=80%Hydrogen+20%Sulfur, G=100%Oxygen and B=85%Oxygen+15%Hydrogen to compensate otherwise missing H-beta emission. This composition is very close to a visual spectrum.
The scale in a sky, a zoom in series
NOTE. The size of the full Moon (0,5 degrees) is marked as a gray circle in all of the images.
Images used in the series above from top to bottom
A wide field image from 2008. with a Canon FD 200mm f2.8 camera lens and a QHY8, a cooled astronomical camera with a H-alpha and UHC-s filters. Total exposure time ~2,5h
A wide field image of the area, covering about 5 degrees, ~300', of the sky. (Ten full Moons side by side)
IC 1805, the "Heart Nebula", locates at upper Right and IC 1848 can be seen at lower Left. Image is shot with a Canon EF 200mm f1.8 camera lens and a QHY9, a cooled astronomical camera.
Baader narrowband filter set, total exposure time was ~1,5 hours (A very fast lens was used!).
A medium wide field shot with a Sky Watcher 80ED f7.5 telescope and QHY8 astronomical camera + UHC-s filter. Total exposure time ~3,5h
Last image was shot with a Meade LX200 GPS 12" telescope @ f6,5 and a QHY8, a cooled astronomical camera with a H-alpha and UHC-s filters. Total exposure time ~7h.
Technical details
and here:
I have used some material from my wider field images for colors and some dimmer details.
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