Thursday, February 9, 2017
B&W universe, part IV
As I'm using a cooled Gray scale astronomical CCD camera, I have a Black and White images from all of my photos. (For a color image, colors are made by shooting each color channel trough a filter, in my case mostly a narrow band filters.)
Nebulae of the Central Cygnus, a mosaic image project
Please, click for a large image
Eleven panels ( 2200 x 1000 pixels)
Five panels ( 2200 x 1000 pixels)
One panel
For technical details and a color versions, please, use a link under the images above.
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
B&W universe, part III
As I'm using a cooled Gray scale astronomical CCD camera, I have a Black and White images from all of my photos. (For a color image, colors are made by shooting each color channel trough a filter, in my case mostly a narrow band filters.)
I will publish few posts out of my B&W images. Sometimes I like them better as a color ones.
B&W universe part I can be found HERE and Part II from HERE
B&W universe part I can be found HERE and Part II from HERE
Dark filaments of the Pelican nebula
Please, click for a large image
A two panel mosaic
Please, click for a large image
For technical details and a color versions, please, use a link under the images above.
Monday, February 6, 2017
A new photo, Sharpless 188 (Sh2-188) in Cassiopeia
Kind of difficult target due to dim outer parts at left in my photo. I collected lights for this object couple of nights between. and 21. January 2017. This photo is also a good sample of my new imaging method VARES (Variable Resolution imaging). More info in technical details bellow.
Sharpless 188, a Planetary Nebula in Cassiopeia
Please, click for a large image
Image is in mapped colours, from the emission of ionized elements, R=Sulphur, G=Hydrogen and B=Oxygen.
Sh2-188 in visual colors
Please, click for a large image
Image is in Natural colour palette from the emission of ionized elements,
R=Hydrogen + Sulphur, G=Oxygen and B=Oxygen + ~10% Hydrogen.
Sh2-188, H-alpha emission alone
Please, click for a large image
INFO
Sh2-188 (Sharpless2 188) a planetary nebula that is moving through the Inter Stellar Medium. The nebula is considered to be one of the most extreme examples of planetary nebula and ISM interaction. The bright parts of the filamentary rim is the shock front with a faint tail of material stretching away at opposite direction. (Source, http://www.imagingdeepsky.com/Nebulae/SH188/Sh2-188.htm)
Technical details
NOTE!
A new immaging technique of mine was used for this photo. I call it VARES (Variable Resolution imaging). The data is collected by using different binning levels from 1x1 down to 6x6. High signal/noise elements, like brighter stars and more luminous parts of the nebula, are from less binned exposures. Low signal/noise elements, like very dim and featureless outer parts, are from more binned exposures, this time all the way down to bin 6x6. (Apogee Alta U16 has a 4096 x 4096 pixels CCD. At bin 6 x 6, the output image has still 682 x 682 pixels in it)
Total exposure time for H-alpha is 12h but if the effects of binning is calculated in, the signal is practically the same as from 140 hours of exposures, if all are binned 1x1!
With this method, I can have high resolution details and good S/N for dimmer, less detailed, parts of the nebula with minimal exposure time.
In near future, I will write a tutorial about the VARES method. It might take some time though.
Total exposure time for H-alpha is 12h but if the effects of binning is calculated in, the signal is practically the same as from 140 hours of exposures, if all are binned 1x1!
With this method, I can have high resolution details and good S/N for dimmer, less detailed, parts of the nebula with minimal exposure time.
In near future, I will write a tutorial about the VARES method. It might take some time though.
Processing work flow
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
Celestron Edge HD 1100 @ f10 with 0,7 focal reducer for Edge HD 1100 telescope
Mount
10-micron 1000
Cameras and filters
Imaging camera Apogee Alta U16 and Apogee seven slot filter wheel
Guider camera, Lodestar x 2 and SXV-AOL
Astrodon filter, 5nm H-alpha
Astrodon filter, 3nm O-III
Astrodon filter, 3nm S-II
Exposure times
H-alpha, 6x 1200s, binned 1x1 = 2h
H-alpha, 21x 1200s, binned 2x2 = 7h
H-alpha, 9x 1200s, binned 6x6 = 3h
H-alpha, 21x 1200s, binned 2x2 = 7h
H-alpha, 9x 1200s, binned 6x6 = 3h
O-III, 3 x 1200s binned 6x6 = 1h
S-II, 3 x 1200s binned 6x6 = 1h
Total 14h
Friday, January 27, 2017
B&W universe, part II
As I'm using a cooled Gray scale astronomical CCD camera, I have a Black and White images from all of my photos. (For a color image, colors are made by shooting each color channel trough a filter, in my case mostly a narrow band filters.)
I will publish few posts out of my B&W images. Sometimes I like them better as a color ones.
B&W universe part I can be found HERE
B&W universe part I can be found HERE
Veil nebula, a supernova remnant in Cygnus
Please, click for a large image
Eastern Veil, as a two panel mosaic
Please, click for a large image
Eastern Veil, as a two panel mosaic, ionized oxygen alone
Please, click for a large image
Filaments of Veil
Please, click for a large image
Filaments of Veil as a two frame mosaic
Please, click for a large image
A large mosaic of the central Veil nebula
Please, click for a large image
A four panel mosaic of the central Veil nebula, a color version can be seen HERE
The whole Veil nebula supernova remnant
Please, click for a large image
This older wide field photos shows the whole nebula.
The whole Veil nebula supernova remnant
Please, click for a large image
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
A quick one, Sharpless 140 in Cepheus
I have worked with an imaging project and the target is kind of dim. Many nights are needed for final photo. Every night I need to wait couple of hours to have this dim target in good position.
This new image is shot during couple of mandatory waiting periods. Nothing spectacular but I kind of like the result.
This new image is shot during couple of mandatory waiting periods. Nothing spectacular but I kind of like the result.
Sharpless 140, (Sh2-140)
Please, click for a large image
H-alpha emission alone
Please, click for a large image
Sh2-140 is an HII emission nebula on the southwest edge of the Lynds 1204 darn nebula. It is also on the edge the Cephus Ring, a ring of molecular gas and dust. Invisible in this image, there are about fifty young stars deeply embedded in the dark gas in the lower-left corner of the image.
Source, National Optical Astronomy Observatory, NOAO
Orientation in Cepheus
Please, click for a large image (2900 x 1700 pixels)
Technical details
Processing work flow
Image acquisition, MaxiDL v5.07.
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Deconvolution with a CCDStack2 Positive Constraint, 21 iterations, added at 25% weight
Color combine in PS CS3
Levels and curves in PS CS3.
Imaging optics
Celestron Edge HD 1100 @ f7 with 0,7 focal reducer for Edge HD 1100 telescope
Canon EF 200mm f1.8 camera optics (For S-II and O-III channels)
Mount
10-micron 1000
Meade LX200 GPS 12" (For S-II and O-III channels)
Cameras and filters
Imaging camera Apogee Alta U16 and Apogee seven slot filter wheel
Guider camera, Lodestar x2 and SXV-AOL
QHY9 (For S-II and O-III channels)
QHY9 (For S-II and O-III channels)
Astrodon filter, 5 nm H-alpha
Astrodon filter, 3 nm O-III
Exposure times
H-alpha, 6 x 1200 s binned 2x2
O-III, 2 x 1200 s binned 4x4 =
Thursday, January 19, 2017
B&W universe, part I
As I'm using a cooled Gray scale astronomical CCD camera, I have a Black and White images from all of my photos. (For a color image, colors are made by shooting each color channel trough a filter, in my case mostly a narrow band filters.)
I will publish few posts out of my B&W images. Sometimes I like them better as a color ones.
North America Nebula, a detail
Please, click for a large image
A two frame mosaic
Please, click for a large image
Three frames stitched together
Please, click for a large image
For technical details and a color versions, please, use a link under the images above.
Thursday, January 12, 2017
Bright nebulae of the central Cygnus, eleven panel mosaic in visual spectrum
My first photo session for the year 2017 was at January fourth. As a result, I was able to finalize my mosaic image of the central Cygnus. It has now eleven panels stitched together seamlessly. I have made two versions, as usually. This one is in visual colors and another version in mapped color can be seen HERE..
Mosaic images can be highly work intensive but the final resolution is great. They are very suitable for extreme large prints. Original resolution is around 20.000 x 9000 pixels.
Bright nebulae of the central Cygnus, eleven panels
Please, click for a large image, 2100 x 1000 pixels
R=Hydrogen + Sulphur, G=Oxygen and B=Oxygen + ~10% Hydrogen. A mosaic image with seven panels. Original image has a resolution of about 20.000 x 9000 pixels. Image spans about five degrees of sky horizontally.
Sub images taken for the mosaic in chronological order
Please, click for a large images
Three panels, January 7. 2016
One panel, December 27 2016
Five panels, January 1. 2017
Eight panels, January 1. 2017
The final four panels, January 4. 2017
Orientation
Please, click for a large image
Technical details
Processing work flow
Image acquisition, MaxiDL v5.07.
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Deconvolution with a CCDStack2 Positive Constraint, 21 iterations, added at 25% weight
Color combine in PS CS3
Levels and curves in PS CS3.
Imaging optics
Celestron Edge HD 1100 @ f7 with 0,7 focal reducer for Edge HD 1100 telescope
Canon EF 200mm f1.8 camera optics (For S-II and O-III channels)
Mount
10-micron 1000
Meade LX200 GPS 12" (For S-II and O-III channels)
Cameras and filters
Imaging camera Apogee Alta U16 and Apogee seven slot filter wheel
Guider camera, Lodestar x2 and SXV-AOL
QHY9 (For S-II and O-III channels)
QHY9 (For S-II and O-III channels)
Astrodon filter, 5 nm H-alpha
Baader filter, 8,5 nm O-III
Baader filter, 8 nm S-II
Exposure times for all seven panels
H-alpha, 39 x 1200 s binned 2x2
O-III, 22 x 1200 s binned 4x4 =
S-II, 22 x 1200 s binned 4x4 =
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
The ghost of Christmas past, IC 63
I have shot this target many times at this time of year. Every time I have a different result due to seeing conditions, exposure times used and different optical configurations. Naturally I am more experienced to process astronomical images now, that few years back.
IC 59 and IC 63
Please, click for a large image!
The blue color in the photo is not a reflection component but weak O-III emission.
Hydrogen emission only (H-alpha)
Please, click for a large image!
INFO
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.
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.
C 63 is a combination of emission and reflection nebulae. Since this is a narrow band image, reflection component is not get captured due to a broad band nature of it. Instead there is an ionized Oxygen, O-III, in this image and it can be seen as a Blue.
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.
Technical details
Processing work flow
Image acquisition, MaxiDL v5.07.
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Deconvolution with a CCDStack2 Positive Constraint, 21 iterations, added at 25% weight
Color combine in PS CS3
Levels and curves in PS CS3.
Imaging optics
Celestron Edge HD 1100 @ f7 with 0,7 focal reducer for Edge HD 1100 telescope
Canon EF 200mm f1.8 camera optics (For S-II and O-III channels)
Mount
10-micron 1000
Meade LX200 GPS 12" (For S-II and O-III channels)
Cameras and filters
Imaging camera Apogee Alta U16 and Apogee seven slot filter wheel
Guider camera, Lodestar x2 and SXV-AOL
QHY9 (For S-II and O-III channels)
QHY9 (For S-II and O-III channels)
Astrodon filter, 5 nm H-alpha
Baader filter, 8,5 nm O-III
Baader filter, 8 nm S-II
Exposure times
H-alpha, 21 x 1200 s binned 2x2
O-III, 6 x 1200 s binned 4x4 =
Variable Star of Mira Cet type, an animation
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.
V* AV Cas -- Variable Star of Mira Cet type
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
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
Monday, January 9, 2017
Bright nebulae of the central Cygnus, eleven panel mosaic finalized
My first photo session for the year 2017 was at January fourth. As a result, I was able to finalize my mosaic image of the central Cygnus. It has now eleven panels stitched together seamlessly. I have made two versions, as usually. This one is in mapped colors and another, yet unpublished, in visual spectrum.
Mosaic images can be highly work intensive but the final resolution is great. They are very suitable for extreme large prints. Original resolution is around 20.000 x 9000 pixels.
Please, click for a large image, 2100 x 1000 pixels
red=sulphur, green=hydrogen and blue=oxygen. A mosaic image with seven panels. Original image has a resolution of about 20.000 x 9000 pixels. Image spans about five degrees of sky horizontally.
Sub images taken for the mosaic in chronological orderPlease, click for a large images
Three panels, January 7. 2016
One panel, December 27 2016
Four panels combined, December 27 2016
Five panels, January 1. 2017
Eight panels, January 1. 2017
The final four panels, January 4. 2017
Orientation
Please, click for a large image
Technical details
Processing work flow
Image acquisition, MaxiDL v5.07.
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Deconvolution with a CCDStack2 Positive Constraint, 21 iterations, added at 25% weight
Color combine in PS CS3
Levels and curves in PS CS3.
Imaging optics
Celestron Edge HD 1100 @ f7 with 0,7 focal reducer for Edge HD 1100 telescope
Canon EF 200mm f1.8 camera optics (For S-II and O-III channels)
Mount
10-micron 1000
Meade LX200 GPS 12" (For S-II and O-III channels)
Cameras and filters
Imaging camera Apogee Alta U16 and Apogee seven slot filter wheel
Guider camera, Lodestar x2 and SXV-AOL
QHY9 (For S-II and O-III channels)
QHY9 (For S-II and O-III channels)
Astrodon filter, 5 nm H-alpha
Baader filter, 8,5 nm O-III
Baader filter, 8 nm S-II
Exposure times for all seven panels
H-alpha, 39 x 1200 s binned 2x2
O-III, 22 x 1200 s binned 4x4 =
S-II, 22 x 1200 s binned 4x4 =
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
The Sky on Fire, Mosaic of the central Cygnus
A three panel mosaic in visual palette, combined from narrowband channels, shows a three degrees patch of the central Cygnus gas formations. I have published a mapped color version few days ago, it can be seen HERE.
The Sky on Fire
Please, click for a large image, ~2200 x 1030 pixels
Image is in Natural colour palette from the emission of ionized elements, R=Hydrogen + Sulphur, G=Oxygen and B=Oxygen + 10% Hydrogen to compensate the missing H-beta emission..Orientation in Cygnus
Please, click for a full size photo
An older wide field photo with the Canon EF 200mm f1.8 camera lens and Baader narrowband filters. Area of interest is marked as a white rectangle.
Technical details
Processing work flow
Image acquisition, MaxiDL v5.07.
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Deconvolution with a CCDStack2 Positive Constraint, 21 iterations, added at 25% weight
Color combine in PS CS3
Levels and curves in PS CS3.
Imaging optics
Celestron Edge HD 1100 @ f7 with 0,7 focal reducer for Edge HD 1100 telescope
Mount
10-micron 1000
Cameras and filters
Imaging camera Apogee Alta U16 and Apogee seven slot filter wheel
Guider camera, Lodestar x2 and SXV-AOL
Astrodon filter, 5 nm H-alpha
Baader filter, 8,5 nm O-III
Baader filter, 8 nm S-II
Exposure times for all seven panels
H-alpha, 21 x 1200 s binned 2x2
O-III, 18 x 1200 s binned 4x4
S-II, 18 x 1200 s binned 4x4
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