Showing posts with label Images with Active Optics (SXV-AO). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Images with Active Optics (SXV-AO). Show all posts
Saturday, January 12, 2013
A heavenly velvet, IC 405
A new image from the night of 10.01.
IC 405, the Flaming Star Nebula
In constellation Auriga
This is a first time when I used two optics and the cameras at the same time.
H-a is shot with my old Meade LX200 12", Baader H-alpha filter and a cooled gray scale astrocamera, QHY9.
Colors are shot at the same time by using a Tokina AT-X 300mm camera lens, Baader UHC-s filter and the cooled single shot color astrocam, QHY8. Tokina system was at back of the Meade telescope.
Image with Tokina AT-X 300mm camera lens, Baader UHC-s filter and QHY8 cooled color camera.
This image was shot at the same time as narrower field H-alpha shot with Meade LX200 12" and QHY9 astro camera.
INFO
IC 405 locates in constellation Auriga and it's an emission/reflection nebula. Reflection component can't be seen in my image, since I'm shooting only narrowband data and reflection part is broadband target.
Distance from Oulu, Finland, is about 1500 light years. Nebula is about 5 light years across.
IC 405, mapped colors in HST-palette
Click for a large image.
Orientation
In a wider field image
The area of interest is marked with a white rectangle.
Wide field images of the area
A twelve panel mosaic of the constellation Auriga in HST-mapped colors.
Note. a largish image, 2.75MB and 2000x1100 pixels.
A blog post about this image, with technical details, can be seen here: http://astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2012/03/auriga-panorama-gets-bigger-12-panels.html
A central portion of the mosaic above.
Technical details:
Processing work flow:
Image acquisition, MaxiDL v5.07.
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Levels, curves and color combine in PS CS3.
Optics, Meade LX200 GPS 12" @ f5
Camera, QHY9
Guiding, SXV-AO, an active optics unit, and Lodestar guide camera 5Hz
Image Scale, ~0,8 arc-seconds/pixel
12 x 1200s exposures for the H-alpha, emission of ionized Hydrogen = 4h
Optics and exposures used for colors
Tokina AT-X 300mm at f2.8
QHY8, a cooled single shot color camera
Baader UHC-s filter
36x300s = 3h
Optics and exposures used for colors
Tokina AT-X 300mm at f2.8
QHY8, a cooled single shot color camera
Baader UHC-s filter
36x300s = 3h
Color channels for HST-palette image, O-III and S-II, are from an older wide field image.
Friday, January 11, 2013
NGC 1491, the project finalized
I was able to finalize this imaging project since I found an older wide field color image of mine from this area.
I used colors from this wider field image and it seems to work fine. naturally the resolution is much lower in other than H-alpha channel but it doesn't harm the image too much since there are not much details in O-III and S-II channels in this case.
NGC 1491
in constellation Perseus
Colors are mapped to a HST-palette, R=Sulfur, G=Hydrogen and B=Oxygen
Click for a large image.
INFO
NGC 1491 is an emission nebula, in the constellation Perseus, at the distance of about 10700 light years. The ultraviolet light from the newly born stars makes elements in the nebula glow. There is an an 11th magnitude star in its center. The solar wind, a radiation pressure, from the central star is blowing a bubble in the gas surrounding it. This is a dim one, seven hours of exposures was barely enough to reveal it.
A closeup
NGC 1491 in natural colors
Combined from the emission lines of H-a, S-II and O-III
A wide field image
Shot at Spring 2012
The large nebula at center is Sharpless 205 (Sh2-205), NGC 1491 can be seen at upper left corner..
Some info about the wide field image
This Sharpless object is very dim and difficult to shoot (as they usually are). The bright, peanut shape, area at middle is known as Sh2-205, bright nebula, at top left, is NGC 1491. Image spans about 5,5 degrees horizontally, that's 11 full Moons side by side. There are very few images around out of this object. Total exposure time, with a fast 200mm f1.8 optics, is 12h from three nights between 28.01 - 02.02. 2012.
Technical details:
Processing work flow:
Image acquisition, MaxiDL v5.07.
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Levels, curves and color combine in PS CS3.
Optics, Meade LX200 GPS 12" @ f5
Camera, QHY9
Guiding, SXV-AO, an active optics unit, and Lodestar guide camera 5Hz
Image Scale, ~0,8 arc-seconds/pixel
21 x 1200s exposures for the H-alpha, emission of ionized Hydrogen = 7h
Color channels for O-III and S-II are from an older wide field image.
Ps.
A popular shape in our local universe
While processing the image, I noticed a familiar shape in the center portion of the image.
It seems to repeat itself in various targets. My guess is, that it's coursed by the solar wind from the open cluster usually locates in center of the emission nebula of this type.
A collection of targets with same type of shapes as can be seen in center of the this new image.
The top most two images are from NGC 1491.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
An emission nebula NGC 1491
A start of the new imaging project.
I'll shoot other two emission channels, needed for a color image, as soon as the weather allows.
NGC 1491
in constellation Perseus
NGC 1491 in H-alpha emission light
INFO
A closeup
A detail from the center of the image above
A popular shape in our local universe
While processing the image, I noticed a familiar shape in the center portion of the image.
It seems to repeat itself in various targets. My guess is, that it's coursed by the solar wind from the open cluster usually locates in center of the emission nebula of this type.
A collection of targets with same type of shapes as can be seen in center of the this new image.
The top most two images are from NGC 1491.
Technical details:
Processing work flow:
Image acquisition, MaxiDL v5.07.
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Levels, curves and color combine in PS CS3.
Optics, Meade LX200 GPS 12" @ f5
Camera, QHY9
Guiding, SXV-AO, an active optics unit, and Lodestar guide camera 5Hz
Image Scale, ~0,8 arc-seconds/pixel
21 x 1200s exposures for the H-alpha, emission of ionized Hydrogen = 7h
An experimental starless image
A starless image to show only the actual nebula
Sunday, December 30, 2012
The Autumn season 2012
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
The year 2012 is about to end and the weather doesn't allow any imaging up here. In this blog post I'm publishing a collection of my new images from this Autumn season 2012.
A poster format collection of my images
Autumn season 2012, be sure to click the image to see it in full glory!
Note. Image size 1600x2400 pixels and 3.4MB
This collection can be found in my portfolio:
http://astroanarchy.zenfolio.com/p999549908
You can start the slide show from an upper right corner of the page!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
And many thanks to all followers of Astro Anarchy blog.
Ps.
My personal Favorite, Melotte 15
A blog post about the target can be seen here:
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
The ghost of Christmas past, IC 63
I shot new data for this object at the night of 24.12 to dig out some dimmer components. It was really freezing night, the temperature drops down to -24 centigrade (-11.2 Fahrenheit) and it was windy too.
IC 59 and IC 63
in constellation Cassiopeia
Colors are mapped to a HST-palette, R=Sulfur, G=Hydrogen and B=Oxygen
Click for a large image.
IC 59 and IC 63 at the distance of about 600 light years in the constellation Cassiopeia.
Image spans about 0,8 degrees vertically, that's about ten light years at its estimated distance.
IC 59 is at left edge of the image and IC 63 at middle. Nebulae are ionized from the ultraviolet radiation of hot, luminous star gamma Cas at upper right it locates only three to four light years from the nebulae.
Nebula is next to the Gamma Cassiopeiae, a bright, mag. 2.47, star in middle of the "W" asterism in constellation Cassiopeia.
Orientation in Cassiopeia
The area of interest can be seen at the middle of the image.
Click for a large image.
A closeup of IC 63
Click for a large image.
Image in visual colors
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. Click for a large image.
Variable Star of Mira Cet type
00 59 34.72 60 43 21.9
A variable star can be seen at center right, it's much brighter at 2010 image.
Click for a large image.
While I was combining data from 2010 to a new data, I noticed a difference between images.
There was a bright star in image from 02.10.2010, the same star in new image set from 24.12.2012 was much dimmer. I did use a Simbad astronomical database and it gave me a report of an variable star.
with radius arcmin
Distance to the center arcsec: 6.34
Other object types: Mi* () , V* (V*,AN,AAVSO) , * (CSI,[I81]) , IR (2MASS,MSX5C)
ICRS coord. (ep=J2000) : 00 59 34.00 +60 43 18.4 ( Infrared ) [ 70 60 0 ] B 2003yCat.2246....0C
FK5 coord. (ep=J2000 eq=2000) : 00 59 34.00 +60 43 18.4 ( Infrared ) [ 70 60 0 ] B 2003yCat.2246....0C
FK4 coord. (ep=B1950 eq=1950) : 00 56 30.55 +60 27 08.4 ( Infrared ) [ 70 60 0 ] B 2003yCat.2246....0C
Gal coord. (ep=J2000) : 123.9263 -02.1343 ( Infrared ) [ 70 60 0 ] B 2003yCat.2246....0C
Spectral type: M8 C ~
Fluxes (4) :
B 13.5 [~] E 2003AstL...29..468S
J 7.136 [0.020] C 2003yCat.2246....0C
H 6.170 [0.026] C 2003yCat.2246....0C
K 5.670 [0.020] C 2003yCat.2246....0C
Technical data
Processing work flow:
Image acquisition, MaxiDL v5.07.
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Levels, curves and color combine in PS CS3.
Optics, Meade LX200 GPS 12" @ f5
Camera, QHY9
Guiding, SXV-AO, an active optics unit, and Lodestar guide camera 8Hz
Image Scale, ~0,8 arc-seconds/pixel
Exposures from 02.10.2010
H-alpha 6x1200s, binned 1x1
O-III 1x1200s, binned 3x3
S-II 2x1200s, binned 3x3
Exposures from 24.12.2012
H-alpha 12x1200s, binned 1x1
Total exposre time 7h
A single unprocessed 20 min. H-apha exposure
The image is just calibrated, linearly stretched and scaled down.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
A detail from the Heart nebula
Have planned to shoot this detail for years. A pillar like formation at the North East corner of the IC 1805, the Heart Nebula. This is a very dim target, there is 8h of h-alpha emission captured and it's at a limit to be enough to show this object.
An unnamed object in IC 1805
Ra 02h 39m 43s Dec +61° 54′ 04″ Image is shot at 21.12.2012
Colors are mapped to a HST-palette, R=Sulfur, G=Hydrogen and B=Oxygen
An experimental starless image
This image shows just the nebulosity
Image in visual colors
Orientation in IC 1805
A two frame mosaic
This target was partly overlapping with my previous imaging project in IC 1805,
the Melotte 15, so I was able to build a two frame mosaic.
Technical details
Processing work flow:
Image acquisition, MaxiDL v5.07.
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Levels, curves and color combine in PS CS3.
Optics, Meade LX200 GPS 12" @ f5
Camera, QHY9
Guiding, SXV-AO, an active optics unit, and Lodestar guide camera 8Hz
Image Scale, ~0,8 arc-seconds/pixel
24 x 1200s exposures for the H-alpha, emission of ionized Hydrogen = 8h
Narrowband cahnnels for ionized Oxygen and Sulfur are taken from an older wide field image.
A single 20 min. exposure
Image is just calibrated, linearly stretched and scaled down.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Messier 27, the Dumbbell Nebula
I reprocessed this image since weather doesn't support imaging up here and my processing work flow is somehow different now. My new work flow produces softer images with high details.
Messier 27, the "Dumbbell Nebula"
Ra 19h 59m 36.340s Dec +22° 43′ 16.09″
M27 in mapped colors, from the emission of ionized elements,
R=Sulfur, G=Hydrogen and B=Oxygen.
Click for a large image.
The Dumbbell Nebula (also known as a Messier 27, M 27, or NGC 6853) is a planetary nebula in the constellation Vulpecula, at a distance of about 1360 light years. It has a large angular diameter as a planetary nebula, about 8 x 5,6 arc minutes. (Rarely imaged outer halo is not included, it can be seen in my image. With an outer shell, the diameter is over 15'' (more than a size of the half a Moon)
Planetary nebulae are shells of gas shed by stars late in their life cycles after using up all of their nuclear fuel. The star then ejects a gaseous shell, which is illuminated by its extremely hot central star, a core left from the original star. n this image, the central star is clearly visible at very center of the nebula.
M27's central star has a magnitude of 13.5 and is an extremely hot blueish dwarf with a temperature of about 85,000 K. Our own star, the Sun, is expected to undergo the same process in a couple of billion years.
A closeup from the image center,
the central star shines at magnitude 13,5
M27 in visual colors
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.
Click for a large image.
Closeup
A mapped color closeup with a different orientation.
Technical details:
Processing work flow:
Image acquisition, MaxiDL v5.07.
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack.
Deconvolution with a CCDSharp, 30 iterations.
Levels, curves and color combine in PS CS3.
Telescope, Meade LX200 GPS 12" @ f5
Camera, QHY9 Guiding, SXV-AO @ 6,5Hz
Image Scale, 0,75 arcseconds/pixel
Exposures H-alpha 14x1200s, binned 1x1
2 x S-II 1x600s, binned 3x3
6 x O-III 1x600s, binned 2x2
A single 20 min. H-alpha light frame
Calibrated with Bias corrected flat and Dark masters in CCDStack
1200 seconds of light from the ionized Hydrogen with Meade LX200 12" @ f5, Baader 7nm H-a filter and a cooled astrocam QHY9. Image is scale down ~50% from the original.
At the time of imaging, the seeing was kind of good, FWHM around 2,5.
At the time of imaging, the seeing was kind of good, FWHM around 2,5.
Original version, from 2009, of Messier 27 can be seen here
Thursday, December 13, 2012
The Pelican Nebula reprocessed
I reprocessed this image since weather doesn't support imaging up here and my processing work flow is somehow different now. My new work flow produces much softer images, I think.
The "Pelican Nebula"
Ra 20h 50m 48s Dec +44° 20′ 60"
R=Sulfur, G=Hydrogen and B=Oxygen.
A closeup
Info
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.
Orientation
The area of interest is marked with a white rectangle. This image shows a large portion of constellation Cygnus, North America Nebula, NGC 7000 at right and Pelican Nebula at left. This image is a small part of very large mosaic image of the Cygnus.
Image showing a light emitted by the ionized Hydrogen, H-alpha
Technical details
Processing work flow:
Image acquisition, MaxiDL v5.07.
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack.
Deconvolution with a CCDSharp, 30 iterations.
Levels, curves and color combine in PS CS3.
Camera QHY9,
Optics Meade LX200 GPS 12" forced to @ f4.65
Guiding with SXV-AO active optics unit 11Hz
Filters
Baader H-alpha 7nm, 6h, 20 min subs
Baader O-III 8,5nm 1h, 10 min. subs binned 3x3
S-II 1,40h, 10 min subs binned 3x3
Original processing can be seen here:
Ps.
A study about an apparent size in the sky
More info in here:
The size of the Moon (0.5 degrees) is marked at first image in the series.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
The Wizard Nebula reprocessed
I reprocessed this image since weather doesn't support imaging up here and my processing work flow is somehow different now. My new work flow produces much softer images, I think.
NGC 7380, Sh2-1142, the "Wizard Nebula", in Cepheus
Ra 22h 47m 0s Dec +58° 06′ 00″
R=Sulfur, G=Hydrogen and B=Oxygen.
A closeup
Info
NGC 7380 is a catalog number of the open star cluster inside Wizard nebula, SH2-142.
Nebula locates in constellation Cepheus, about 7000 light years from my home.
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.
An experimental starless version
This image shows just the gas formation, without stars interfering.
Previous version
same raw data is used here
Technical details:
Processing work flow:
Image acquisition, MaxiDL v5.07.
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack.
Deconvolution with a CCDSharp, 30 iterations.
Levels, curves and color combine in PS CS3.
Telescope, Meade LX200 GPS 12" @ f5
Camera, QHY9 Guiding, SXV-AO @ 6,5Hz
Image Scale, 0,75 arcseconds/pixel
Exposures H-alpha 15x1200s, binned 1x1
S-II 1x1200s, binned 4x4
O-III 1x1200s, binned 4x4
Beside data here, a color information from an older wide field image is used.
Image can be seen here: http://astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2011/02/sh2-142-wizard-nebula-wide-field.html
A study about an apparent scale in a sky
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