Thursday, December 27, 2012
The Best Astronomy Images of 2012 , Astro Anarchy gets published
The astronomer Phil Plait collected an annual list of the best astronomical images for the year 2012.
My special image of IC 1396 was selected to this list.
The Best Astronomy Images of 2012
by an astronomer Phil Plait
THE LIST
click to see the content.
My image is a sixth from the top.
Here is a blog post about the selected image
http://astroanarchy.blogspot.fr/2012/10/an-experimental-3d-animation-from-my.html
An experimental 3D-study of IC 1396.
Click for a large image.
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.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Caldwell 49, the "Rosette Nebula", reprocessed
Images are reprocessed with my new method. This new technique will provide better color handling, softer look and high details at the same time. I collected here my Rosette Nebula images, they form a kind of zoom in series, since I have shot this target with various instruments and different focal lengths .
Be sure to click the images to see them at a full glory.
"Rosette Nebula"
Ra 06h 33m 45s Dec +04° 59′ 54″, shot with a 200mm camera lens
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.
Image is shot with a Canon EF 200mm f1.8 lens, Baader narrowband filters and the QHY9, a cooled astronomical camera. Lens full open, exposure time ~4h
Closer look
Shot with a 300mm camera lens
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.
Image is shot with a Tokina AT-X 300mm f2.8 lens, Baader narrowband filters and the QHY9, a cooled astronomical camera. Lens full open, exposure time ~6h
Even closer look
Shot with a Meade LX200 12" telescope
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.
Image is shot with a Meade LX200 12" SC-telescope, Baader narrowband filters and the QHY9, a cooled astronomical camera, exposure time ~6h
INFO
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.
Images in mapped colors
Colors are mapped to a HST-palette, R=Sulfur, G=Hydrogen and B=Oxygen
Be sure to click the images to see them at a full glory.
A two panel mosaic
Rosette in wider context
This image shows the Rosette nebula in wider field, the Cone Nebula and the Christmas Tree Cluster can be seen at left. Image is in mapped colors.
A study about the scale in the sky, compared to a full Moon
Technical details
All technical details can be found from my portfolio:
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