COPYRIGHT, PLEASE NOTE

All the material on this website is copyrighted to J-P Metsavainio, if not otherwise stated. Any content on this website may not be reproduced without the author’s permission.

BUY A MUSEUM QUALITY POSTER

Tuesday, April 22, 2025

A Planetary Nebula Purgathofer-Weinberger 1 (PuWe1) is the Last Photo for Now

PuWe 1 is one of the largest and faintest planetary nebula known to exist. The nebula was created when a red giant star blew off its outer layers near the end of its life. The gas is energized by the remaining core of the star, which is called a white dwarf. However it is very faint due to its large size. As planetary nebulae expand they become fainter because the gas moves further from the white dwarf that energizes it. (Text credit, NOIRLab)

I spent total 36 hours of collecting 20 min. exposures for this cosmic smoke ring with narrowband filters, H-alpha, S-II and O-III. PuWe1 locates in constellation lynx at distance of about 1300 light years.

This is my last new photo for the imaging season 2024-25,  we ran out of the astronomical darkens at May 7. Deep sky imaging is possible again after the first week of September. up here 65N


PuWe1

Click for a large image, 2000 x 2000 pixels


A mapped color image from a light emitted by an ionized elements, sulfur=red, hydrogen=green and oxygen=blue. Original resolution 6500 x 6500 pixels

A Closeup

Click for a large image, 1600 x 1600 pixels


Two galaxies are visible at edge of the nebula at middle of the photo


Image in visual colors

Click for a large image, 2000 x 2000 pixels


The emission from H-alpha and S-II are seen as red, blueish tones are from an emission of ionized oxygen, O-III. This combination is very close to a visual colors of the nebula.


A size comparison between M27 and PuWe1 

Click for a large image, 2000 x 2300 pixels


Note, a size of the Full Moon is marked as a white circle as a scale.
The apparent size of the Full Moon in the sky is 30 arc minutes (0,5 degrees)

Technical details


Processing workflow

Image acquisition, MaximDL v6.5
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Deconvolution with a CCDStack2 Positive Constraint, 27 iterations, added at 50% weight
Color combine in PS
Levels and curves in PS

Imaging optics, 
Celestron EDGE 14" with 0.7 Focal reducer

Mount, 
MesuMount Mark II

Cameras, 
Imaging camera Apogee Alta U9000M and Apogee seven slot filter wheel
Guider camera, Lodestar x 2 and SXV-AO Active Optics @ 5hz

filters, 
Astrodon 5nm H-alpha, 3nm S-II and 3nm O-III

Total exposure time 36h
H-alpha, 72 x 1200 s, binned 1x1 = 24 h 
O-III, 6x 1200 s, binned 2x2 = 6h 
S-II, 6 x 1200 s. binned 2x2 = 6h 





Saturday, April 19, 2025

Soul Nebula, a Two Frame Panorama

 I published yesterday a detail picture of the Soul nebula, IC 1848.  Earlier this year I shot another long focal length photo of the IC 1848, those two photos are overlapping so I was able to make a two frame mosaic out of them, total exposure time 30h


Soul Nebula, a Two Frame Panoramic Mosaic Image

Click for a large image, 2800 x 1700 pixels

A mapped color image from a light emitted by an ionized elements, sulfur=red, hydrogen=green and oxygen=blue. Original resolution 8500 x 5000 pixels


The Soul Nebula, a Wider Filed Shot

Click for a large image, 3000 x 1700 pixels




Technical details

Processing workflow

Image acquisition, MaximDL v6.5
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Deconvolution with a CCDStack2 Positive Constraint, 27 iterations, added at 50% weight
Color combine in PS
Levels and curves in PS

Imaging optics, 
Celestron EDGE 14" with 0.7 Focal reducer

Mount, 
MesuMount Mark II

Cameras, 
Imaging camera Apogee Alta U9000M and Apogee seven slot filter wheel
Guider camera, Lodestar x 2 and SXV-AO Active Optics @ 5hz

filters, 
Astrodon 5nm H-alpha, 3nm S-II and 3nm O-III

Total exposure time 30h
H-alpha, 75 x 1200 s, binned 1x1 = 25 h 
O-III, 6x 1200 s, binned 2x2 = 5h 
S-II, 6 x 1200 s. binned 2x2 = 5h 

Friday, April 18, 2025

Part of the Soul Nebula

 Soul nebula, IC 1848, has been my target many times during the years. This time I have shot some details of the nebula with my current long focal length imaging system.


A Detail of Soul Nebula

Click for a large image, 2000 x 2000 pixels


A mapped color image from a light emitted by an ionized elements, sulfur=red, hydrogen=green and oxygen=blue. Original resolution 6500 x 6500 pixels



The Soul Nebula

Click for a large image, 3000 x 1700 pixels





Technical details

Processing workflow

Image acquisition, MaximDL v6.5
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Deconvolution with a CCDStack2 Positive Constraint, 27 iterations, added at 50% weight
Color combine in PS
Levels and curves in PS

Imaging optics, 
Celestron EDGE 14" with 0.7 Focal reducer

Mount, 
MesuMount Mark II

Cameras, 
Imaging camera Apogee Alta U9000M and Apogee seven slot filter wheel
Guider camera, Lodestar x 2 and SXV-AO Active Optics @ 5hz

filters, 
Astrodon 5nm H-alpha, 3nm S-II and 3nm O-III

Total exposure time 9h
H-alpha, 51 x 1200 s, binned 1x1 = 5 h 
O-III, 6x 1200 s, binned 2x2 = 2h 
S-II, 6 x 1200 s. binned 2x2 = 2h 

Thursday, April 10, 2025

Sharpless 155, the Cave Nebula

This is one of the targets I’ve been imaging for decades using various equipment—from camera lenses (150–300mm) to large reflecting telescopes ranging from 11" to 14". (My older photos can be seen at end of this blog post)

This time, I used new imaging setup to capture a high-resolution image of Sh2-155.
The seeing conditions weren’t ideal, but I’m fairly happy with the results.




Sharpless 155 (Sh2-155), the Cave Nebula

Click for a large image, 2000 x 1900 pixels

A mapped color image from a light emitted by an ionized elements, sulfur=red, hydrogen=green and oxygen=blue. Original resolution 6500 x 5500 pixels




Sharpless 155 in Visual Palette

Click for a large image, 2000 x 1900 pixels

Visual color version of Sh2-155 glows mostly in red from a light emitted by an ionized elements,
sulfur=red, hydrogen=red and oxygen=blue, this combination is very close to a natural color palette.




Info

Sh2-155—also known as Caldwell 9, Sharpless 155, S155, or LBN 529—is a diffuse nebula located in the constellation Cepheus. It lies within a larger nebula complex that includes emission, reflection, and dark nebulosity. It’s widely known as the Cave Nebula. (Note: The reflection component is not visible in my narrowband image.)

The nebula is approximately 2,400 light-years away. This photo covers an area of about 0.7 × 0.7 degrees of the sky—for reference, the full Moon has a diameter of 0.5 degrees, or 30 arcminutes.




Technical details

Processing workflow

Image acquisition, MaximDL v6.5
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Deconvolution with a CCDStack2 Positive Constraint, 27 iterations, added at 50% weight
Color combine in PS
Levels and curves in PS

Imaging optics, 
Celestron EDGE 14" with 0.7 Focal reducer

Mount, 
MesuMount Mark II

Cameras, 
Imaging camera Apogee Alta U9000M and Apogee seven slot filter wheel
Guider camera, Lodestar x 2 and SXV-AO Active Optics @ 5hz

filters, 
Astrodon 5nm H-alpha, 3nm S-II and 3nm O-III

Total exposure time 21h
H-alpha, 51 x 1200 s, binned 1x1 = 17 h 
O-III, 6x 1200 s, binned 2x2 = 2h 
S-II, 6 x 1200 s. binned 2x2 = 2h 










Tuesday, April 8, 2025

A two Frame Panorama of IC 1805, the Heart Nebula

I just published an image of the unnamed pillar-like formation inside the Heart Nebula.
I've created a two-frame mosaic from the new photo, showing its relation to Melotte 15 at the center of the Heart Nebula.

As is usually the case, these pillar-like formations point toward the source of ionization. When radiation pressure (solar wind) push gas and dust away from a newborn star cluster, denser regions of gas can resist this force and begin to collapse. This process leads to the formation of the pillar-like structures. The tips of these pillars can become the birthplace of a second generation of stars within the nebula.


A Hidden Pillar and Melotte 15 in IC 1805, the Heart Nebula


Click for a large image, 3000 x 1700 pixels.


A mapped color image from a light emitted by an ionized elements, sulfur=red, hydrogen=green and oxygen=blue. Original resolution 12.000 x 6500 pixels

Area in Large Content

Click for a large image, 2500 x 3200 pixels.



Photos used for this panorama

Melotte 15


Technical Details and other info can be seen in this blog post


Unnamed Pillar Formation


Technical Details and other info can be seen in this blog post





Strange Pillar like Formation in IC 1805, The Heart Nebula

This is an object in the Heart Nebula that I have captured from time to time. My previous photo was taken in 2012.
This new photo reveals more details, even though the exposure time for H-alpha light was only 5 hours.

The pillar-like formations are typically pointing toward a source of ionization, in this case, the more famous Melotte 15.

I haven't been able to find a name for this beautiful object


A Hidden Pillar in IC 1805, the Heart Nebula


Click for a large image, 2000 x 2000 pixels.


A mapped color image from a light emitted by an ionized elements, sulfur=red, hydrogen=green and oxygen=blue. Original resolution 6500 x 6500 pixels


A close up

Click for a full size detail, 1600 x 1600 pixels.




Orientation in IC 1805

Click for a large image, 2000 x 2500 pixels.




Technical details

Processing workflow

Image acquisition, MaximDL v6.5
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Deconvolution with a CCDStack2 Positive Constraint, 27 iterations, added at 50% weight
Color combine in PS
Levels and curves in PS

Imaging optics, 
Celestron EDGE 14" with 0.7 Focal reducer

Mount, 
MesuMount Mark II

Cameras, 
Imaging camera Apogee Alta U9000M and Apogee seven slot filter wheel
Guider camera, Lodestar x 2 and SXV-AO Active Optics @ 5hz

filters, 
Astrodon 5nm H-alpha, 3nm S-II and 3nm O-III

Total exposure time 9h
H-alpha, 15 x 1200 s, binned 1x1 = 5 h 
O-III, 6x 1200 s, binned 2x2 = 2h 
S-II, 6 x 1200 s. binned 2x2 = 2h 





Sunday, March 30, 2025

A Fossil Footprint Nebula, NGC 1491

 I have shot this emission nebula in Perseus several times during the years and every time felt that I got more out of it.

I have wide field and mosaic images including the NGC 1491 as well as longer focal length photos with various reflecting telescopes. Some of them are included in the blog post as an example



NGC 1491, the Fossil Footprint Nebula
Click for a large image, 1800 x 2000 pixels

In Visual Colors

Photo in visual palette from the emission of an ionized elements


In Mapped Colors

A mapped color image from a light emitted by an ionized elements, 
sulfur=red, hydrogen=green and oxygen=blue



A Closeup






INFO

NGC 1491, also known as LBN 704, SH2-206 or the Fossil Footprint Nebula, is an emission type bright nebula located about 9,800 light years away from Earth in the constellation of Perseus. The nebula gets its deep red coloration due to many massive stars (such as BD+50 866) embedded within NGC 1491 producing large amounts of ultraviolet radiation ionizing the elements in Nebula and making them glow light that can be seen in this image




Wide Field shots of the Area
Click for a much large image


Area of interest is marked as a white rectangle



Wider view
Click for a much large image

Area of interest is marked as a white rectangle




Older Long Focal Length Photos of NGC 1491

2015
Blog post with technical details HERE


2013
Blog post with technical details HERE




Technical details

Processing workflow

Image acquisition, MaximDL v6.5
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Deconvolution with a CCDStack2 Positive Constraint, 27 iterations, added at 50% weight
Color combine in PS
Levels and curves in PS

Imaging optics, 
Celestron EDGE 14" with 0.7 Focal reducer

Mount, 
MesuMount Mark II

Cameras, 
Imaging camera Apogee Alta U9000M and Apogee seven slot filter wheel
Guider camera, Lodestar x 2 and SXV-AO Active Optics @ 5hz

filters, 
Astrodon 5nm H-alpha, 3nm S-II and 3nm O-III

Total exposure time 12h
H-alpha, 24 x 1200 s, binned 1x1 = 8 h 
O-III, 6x 1200 s, binned 2x2 = 2h 
S-II, 6 x 1200 s. binned 2x2 = 2h 

 

Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Soul Nebula, IC1848

This is a new photo of this beautiful emission area in Cassiopeia. I'm using a long focal length telescope, Celestron EDGE HD 14" at the moment for a high resolution imaging work. This tool together with a second hand Apogee Alta U 9000M camera with a 12 micron pixels delivers deep images with lots of details.


Detail of my Soul
Click for a large image, 2000 x 2000 pixels


A mapped color image from a light emitted by an ionized elements, 
sulfur=red, hydrogen=green and oxygen=blue



A Closeup
Click for a large image, 2000 x 2300 pixels






Soul nebula from 2014





A wide field mosaic image of the Milky Way
Click for a large image, 4600 x 2000 pixels

Hearth and Soul Nebulae at upper right corner


INFO

Soul Nebula, (Sh2-199, LBN 667) is an emission nebula in constellation Cassiopeia. IC 1848 is a cluster inside Soul Nebula. Distance is about 7.500 light years. This complex is a Eastern neighbor of IC 1805, the "Heart Nebula" and they are often mentioned together as Heart and Soul.



An alternative framing
Click for a large image, 2000 x 1600 pixels

This alternative framing shows the area more dynamic way





Technical details

Processing workflow

Image acquisition, MaximDL v6.5
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Deconvolution with a CCDStack2 Positive Constraint, 27 iterations, added at 50% weight
Color combine in PS
Levels and curves in PS

Imaging optics, 
Celestron EDGE 14" with 0.7 Focal reducer

Mount, 
MesuMount Mark II

Cameras, 
Imaging camera Apogee Alta U9000M and Apogee seven slot filter wheel
Guider camera, Lodestar x 2 and SXV-AO Active Optics @ 5hz

filters, 
Astrodon 5nm H-alpha, 3nm S-II and 3nm O-III

Total exposure time 12h
H-alpha, 24 x 1200 s, binned 1x1 = 8 h 
O-III, 6x 1200 s, binned 2x2 = 2h 
S-II, 6 x 1200 s. binned 2x2 = 2h 


Monday, March 24, 2025

Melotte 15 in heart nebula, IC 1805

 I shot material for this new photo back in February, 10 hours of exposures total for three narrowband color channels. (H-alpha, O-III and S-II)


MELOTTE 15
Click for a large image, 2000 x 2000 pixels

A mapped color image from a light emitted by an ionized elements, 
sulfur=red, hydrogen=green and oxygen=blue



A Closeup
Click for a large image, 2000 x 2000 pixels







Melotte 15 in the Heart Nebula
Click for a large image, 2500 x 3200 pixels

A very large high resolution mosaic photo of IC 1805



Technical details

Processing workflow

Image acquisition, MaximDL v6.5
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Deconvolution with a CCDStack2 Positive Constraint, 27 iterations, added at 50% weight
Color combine in PS
Levels and curves in PS

Imaging optics, 
Celestron EDGE 14" with 0.7 Focal reducer

Mount, 
MesuMount Mark II

Cameras, 
Imaging camera Apogee Alta U9000M and Apogee seven slot filter wheel
Guider camera, Lodestar x 2 and SXV-AO Active Optics @ 5hz

filters, 
Astrodon 5nm H-alpha, 3nm S-II and 3nm O-III

Total exposure time 10h
H-alpha, 18 x 1200 s, binned 1x1 = 6 h 
O-III, 6x 1200 s, binned 2x2 = 2h 
S-II, 6 x 1200 s. binned 2x2 = 2h 












Monday, March 17, 2025

HFG1, a Planetary Nebula in Cassiopeia

I managed to get 17 hours of H-alpha light for the HFG1 and now I'm able to do color photo out of it.

This is a difficult target, very diffused and large, I tried to keep my processing kind of modest to bring out delectate nature of an old and dim planetary Nebula.

Total exposure time is 37 hours and signal wasn't the best possible but I'm happy with this result.

HFG1 (Heckathorn-Fesen-Gull 1)
Click for a large image, 2000x2000 pixels

A bicolor image, the light from an ionized oxygen, O-III can be seen as blueish hues, light from an ionized hydrogen, H-alpha, emits deep red light.



Closeup






HFG1 in O-III light only
Click for a large image, 2000x2000 pixels


HFG1 in the light emitted by an ionized oxygen, O-III



INFO

Planetary nebulae have nothing to do with planets. The name of planetary nebulae originated in the 18th century due to the visual similarity between some circular planetary nebulae and the planets Uranus and Neptune when viewed through small optical telescopes, the name has remained although they are not planets.

HFG1 was created by the central star V664 Cas. This is not a single star, but a dense binary star system consisting of a white dwarf and a sun-like star, which are only a few million kilometers apart and orbit every 14 hours.
 
Because the binary system V664 Cas moves very fast at 29 to 59 kilometers per second and ploughs through the interstellar medium together with the nebula, a bluish arc shock occurs. HFG1 leaves behind a long, red trace of approx. 10,000 year old gas.



Technical details

Processing workflow

Image acquisition, MaximDL 6.5
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Deconvolution with a CCDStack2 Positive Constraint, 27 iterations, added at 50% weight
Color combine in PotoShop
Levels and curves in PotoShop.

Imaging optics, 
Celestron EDGE 14" with 0.7 Focal reducer

Mount, 
Mesu Mount Mark II

Cameras, 
Imaging camera Apogee Alta U9000M and Apogee seven slot filter wheel
Guider camera, Lodestar x 2 and SXV-AO Active Optics @ 5hz

filters, 
Astrodon 5nm H-alpha, 3nm S-II and 3nm O-III

O-III, 60 x 1200 s = 20h 
H-alpha, 51 x 1200 s = 17h

Saturday, March 8, 2025

NGC 281, a New Revision

 I made a new composition out of my new NGC 281 material, the original composition and technical details can be seen here: https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2025/01/new-photo-of-ngc-281.html

This new poster format composition brings out the dynamic nature of this target better.


NGC 281
Click for a large image, 2000x2600 pixels

A mapped color image from a light emitted by an ionized elements, 
sulfur=red, hydrogen=green and oxygen=blue


A Closeup







Thursday, March 6, 2025

A Very Deep View to my Soul, IC1848

This is a new photo of the Soul Nebula in Cassiopeia.

A total of 20 hours of H-alpha exposure, along with 6 hours of S-II and O-III combined, allows me to capture intricate details of this relatively bright astronomical cloud of gas and dust.



A Detail of IC1848, the Soul Nebula
Click for a large image, 2100x2300 pixels 

A mapped color image from a light emitted by an ionized elements, 
sulfur=red, hydrogen=green and oxygen=blue



Full Resolution Details
Click for a full size, 2100x2300 pixels

New photo shows some great details with 26 hours of narrowband exposures. Especially this picture shows details that I have never captured nor seen before out of this, usually kind of featureless, part of the Soul nebula, IC1848




Pillar like formations are pointing to a open cluster IC1848 




Older photos of the Soul Nebula

The area of the new photo is marked as a white rectangle, photo from 2014, Celestron EDGE 11"


The Heart and Soul Nebulae in a same field of view, photo from 2010, Tokina AT-x 300mm f2.8

Technical details

Processing workflow

Image acquisition, MaximDL v5.07.
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Deconvolution with a CCDStack2 Positive Constraint, 27 iterations, added at 50% weight
Color combine in PS
Levels and curves in PS

Imaging optics, 
Celestron EDGE 14" with 0.7 Focal reducer

Mount, 
MesuMount Mark II

Cameras, 
Imaging camera Apogee Alta U9000M and Apogee seven slot filter wheel
Guider camera, Lodestar x 2 and SXV-AO Active Optics @ 5hz

filters, 
Astrodon 5nm H-alpha, 3nm S-II and 3nm O-III

Total exposure time 30h
H-alpha, 60 x 1200 s, binned 1x1 = 20 h 
O-III,21x 1200 s, binned 2x2 = 3h 
S-II, 15 x 1200 s. binned 2x2 = 3h 



A single calibrated 20 min exposure of 
H-alpha, Bin 1x1
 Click for a full size image.






Tuesday, March 4, 2025

HFG1, a Challenging Planetary in Cassiopeia

 I have planning to shoot this dim, diffused and large planetary nebula for a long time. The imaging season up here 65N is over in few weeks since we'll loose astronomical darkness for six months due to high latitude.

So far I have collected about 20 hours of exposures of light emitted by a triple ionized oxygen, O-III
I think it's very beautiful as it now but I'll add H-alpha light  when ever weather allows.


HFG1
Click for a large image, 2000x2000 pixels

HFG1 in O-III light only



Technical details

Processing workflow

Image acquisition, MaximDL 6
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Deconvolution with a CCDStack2 Positive Constraint, 27 iterations, added at 50% weight
Color combine in PotoShop
Levels and curves in PotoShop.

Imaging optics, 
Celestron EDGE 14" with 0.7 Focal reducer

Mount, 
Mesu Mount Mark II

Cameras, 
Imaging camera Apogee Alta U9000M and Apogee seven slot filter wheel
Guider camera, Lodestar x 2 and SXV-AO Active Optics @ 5hz

filters, 
Astrodon 5nm H-alpha, 3nm S-II and 3nm O-III

O-III, 60 x 1200 s = 20h 

Sunday, February 16, 2025

New Tool, a Powerful Dell Precision 7875 Workstation

Workstation computers from Dell are really well-built and come with excellent next-business-day onsite service. I have been using them for a couple of decades for my work. My previous workstation served me well for almost nine years—these kinds of computers do not age as fast as normal consumer PCs.

My old Dell workstation has two ten-core Xeon processors, 128GB of memory, and a decent graphics card. Since I work with 4K and 8K videos, 3D graphics, and run AI locally, my old workstation has become far too slow. It goes to my observatory computer, little overkill for telescope and camera control but works well there.

The new Dell Precision 7875 Workstation features a 96-core AMD Threadripper Pro processor (3.2 – 5.1 GHz), 512GB of RAM, and a 20GB NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada graphics card. It comes with a standard three-year next-business-day onsite service in case anything goes wrong.

My new display is also from Dell—a 40-inch 21:9 curved Thunderbolt hub monitor with a stunning 5K resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. The curve in the monitor is perfect for correcting perspective distortion, ensuring that straight lines remain visually straight.

I also use an Ergotron monitor arm, so no desk space is wasted, allowing me to position the large display at the optimal distance and orientation with ease


New Workstation and Display



Thursday, February 6, 2025

Pickering's Triangle, Resurrection

This is not exactly a new image of Pickering's Triangle, but it is a completely new revision of it. I have photographed this complex-looking region of the Veil Nebula supernova remnant in Cygnus multiple times over the decades. In this latest revision, I have gathered all my exposures of the target and combined them into a new, most detailed version yet.


PICKERING'S TRIANGLE RESURRECTION
Click for a full size, 2700x2300 pixels

A mapped color image from a light emitted by an ionized elements, 
sulfur=red, hydrogen=green and oxygen=blue



A Full Resolution Detail
Click for a full size, 2000x2000 pixels






Pickering's Triangle in Visual Colors
Click for a full size, 2000x2000 pixels


Visual color version of Sh2-115 glows mostly in red from a light emitted by an ionized elements,
sulfur=red, hydrogen=red and oxygen=blue, this combination is very close to a natural color palette





Pickering's Triangle in a Large Context
Click for a full size, 2500x2500 pixels

The Pickering's Triangle can be seen at upper left.






Pickering's Triangle even a Large Context in Cygnus
Click for a full size, 4000x5000 pixels (27Mb)

This massive mosaic, composed of over 300 panels and around 700 hours of exposure time, showcases the entire constellation of Cygnus, the Swan. The Veil Nebula supernova remnant, including Pickering's Triangle, is visible in the lower right area, slightly off-center. Additionally, two more supernova remnants appear in the image: G65.2+5.7 SNR in the upper right corner and W63, located slightly left of center, seen as a bluish ring formation.
Link to the my blog post about this massive photo:
https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2021/12/cygnus-mosaic-gets-large.html

Technical Info

This new revision of Pickering's Triangle has a cumulative exposure time of approximately 70 hours. I have compiled all the long focal length data I captured over the years into this single deep image. Various optical configurations and focal lengths were used during this time.

Some of the data was captured using my old MEADE LX200 GPS with a 0.63 focal reducer, a QHY9 camera, and a Baader narrowband filter set. Data from 2015 to 2023 was acquired with a Celestron EDGE HD 11" telescope, an Apogee Alta U16 camera, and an Astrodon narrowband filter set. The most recent data, captured in 2024, was taken with a Celestron EDGE HD 14" telescope, an Apogee Alta U9000M camera, and an Astrodon narrowband filter set. There is also some dimm background data shot with Tokina AT-x 300mm f2.8 camera optics.