Astro Anarchy: September 2020

Sunday, September 27, 2020

First light for the Autumn season 2020

First light for the season is always a big thing for me personally. I have had really bad troubles to have a imaging telescope. Lots of promises but nothing happens so i'm out of real tools. I do have a kind of working imaging platform built around an old Tokina AT-x 300mm f2.8 camera lens, here is some info about this toolset, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-frankenstein-monster-my-current.html

I have an imaging plan but for the first light I selected something more "easy" to test my system after a six months pause due to nightless nights up here near to polar circle. A supernova remnant Veil Nebula in constellation cygnus is a beautiful and large target with some really dim parts and background nebulae.

I have shot the Veil nebula many times during the years with a different optical configurations and it's always shows something new and different, what a fascinating target!

Veil Nebula
Please, click for a large image, it's worth it

Image is in natural colors combined from the narrowband channels. H-alpha = Red, O-III = Green and O-III + 20% H-alpha = Blue.

A closeup
click for a large image

A full resolution closeup, the camera lens draws beautifully when well collimated and focused.
lots of stars there, star colors are combined from narrowband channels H-alpha and O-III.

An experimental starless image
click for a large image

The starless version of Veil Nebula makes easier to see very faint details in nebulae otherwise buried under the dense starfield of the Milky Way.

Veil nebula in a light from an ionized hydrogen, H-alpha
click for a large image

INFO

Veil Nebula locates in a constellation Cygnus at distance of about 2400 ly. It's a cloud of ionized gas and dust, leftovers from an exploded star. The star went off some 5000-8000 years ago at distance of about 1470 light years. This, relatively faint target, is difficult to image due to the large angular diameter, about three degrees, and a dense star field. I have shot this target so many times over the years and i never get tired to it, ther is always something new to find in it, Here is a collection my photos from this fascinating target, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/search?q=Veil+nebula
Just click "Next Post" at end of the page to see more!

Technical details

Processing workflow

Image acquisition, MaxiDL v5.07.

Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.

Deconvolution with a CCDStack2 Positive Constraint, 33 iterations, added at 50% weight

Color combine in PS CS3

Levels and curves in PS CS3.

Imaging optics

Tokina AT-x 300mm f2.8 camera lens

Mount

10-micron 1000

Cameras, filters and guiding

Imaging camera Apogee Alta U16 and Apogee seven slot filter wheel

Guider camera, Lodestar x 2 and an old spotting scope of Meade LX200

Astrodon filters,

5nm H-alpha 3nm S-II and 3nm O-III

Total exposure time

H-alpha, 12 x 1200 s, binned 1x1 = 4 h

O-III, 6 x 1200 s, binned 1x1 = 2 h
S-II, 3 x 1200s, binned 1x1 = 1h

Friday, September 25, 2020

Cosmic Clouds 3D is published now!

Cosmic Clouds 3D
Where Stars Are Born

At September 23. we had a live broadcast with Brian May, David J Eicher and me.
It was hosted by Alison Boyle from the Science Museum of London, many thanks!

From top left, Science Museum Keeper of Science Collections Alison Boyle, Artist and astrophotographer J-P Metsavainio, Astronomy Magazine editor David J. Eicher and the legendary Queen guitarist and astrophysicist Brian May.

You can see a recording from the live broadcast from here,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6HMMYNKPag&feature=youtu.be

You can buy the book from the London Stereoscopic company,
https://shop.londonstereo.com/cosmic-clouds-3-d.html