Astro Anarchy

Saturday, January 9, 2016

NGC 1499, the California Nebula

At the night of January 4. I was shooting exposures for the Filaments of Cygnus image. After few hours the constellation Cygnus was getting too low in the horizon and I had to select a new target for rest of the night, the NGC 1499.

Detail of the NGC 1499
Please, click for a large image

Image area spans about one degree of sky. The photo is in mapped colors from the light
emitted by an ionized elements, red=sulfur, green=hydrogen and blue=oxygen.

An older wide field photo of the NGC 1499
Please, click for a large image

A wide field image of the NGC 1499 from January 2012 was shot with a Tokina AT-X 200mm f2.8 lens, QHY9 astrocamera and Baader narrowband filter set. The white circle at lower right corner shows an apparent size of the full Moon at the same scale. (Moon has an apparent diameter of 0.5 degrees = 30 arc minutes.) This is a large target with a lowish surface brightness, total exposure time is around 30h.

INFO

The California Nebula is an emission area located in constellation Perseus. It appears to resemble outlines of State of California on long exposure photographs, like this one. It has a very low surface brightness and it's very difficult to observe visually. Distance from my hometown Oulu, Finland, is about 1000 light years.

this image spans around five degrees horizontally. The Wikipedia article states, that the angular size is about 2,5 degrees (Five full Moons side by side) but as can be seen in this image, the actual size, with a dim outer parts, is much large.

Detail of NGC 1499 at 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.

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, 5nm H-alpha

Astrodon filter, 3nm O-III

Astrodon filter, 3nm S-II

Exposure times

H-alpha, 15 x 1200s =5h

O-III, 3 x 1200s binned = 1h

S-II, 3 x 1200s binned = 1h

Total 7h

Some S-II and O-III signal is borrowed from the older wide field photo.

Thursday, January 7, 2016

My first photo for the year 2016, Filaments of Cygnus

We have had few clear nights in this year. I was able to finalice a two frame mosaic project of the central Cygnus at freezing temperature of - 27 degrees centigrade (-17 fahrenheit) Lights are from three nights between 3. - 6. january 2016. Total exposure time 15h.

Opening image for the year 2016, Filaments of Cygnus

Please, click for a large image, 1800x900 pixels and 1.7 MB

A two frame mosaic of the central Cygnus area spans about two degrees of sky. Image is in mapped colors from the light emitted by an ionized elements, red=sulfur, green=hydrogen and blue=oxygen.

Orientation in Cygnus

Area of interest is marked as a white regtangle in this older wide field image of the area.
More info about this photo can be found HERE.

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, 5nm H-alpha

Astrodon filter, 3nm O-III

Astrodon filter, 3nm S-II

Exposure times

H-alpha, 27 x 1200s =9h

O-III, 9 x 1200s binned = 3h

S-II, 9 x 1200s binned = 3h

Total 15h

A vertical composition

As many of my astronomical nature photos, this works well as horizontal or vertical composition.

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Astro Anarchy, the year 2015

HAPPY NEW YEAR
This post is about all of my astronomical photos from the year 2015

All my photos from the Spring and Autumn seasons of 2015 are taken with my new imaging setup. Celestron Edge HD 1100 with 0.7 reducer at 10-micron mount. Apogee Alta U16 camera with Astrodon filters and an active optics unit, SXV AO LF, from Starlight Xpress.

SUPPORT
My humble thanks to the supporters, they made my work possible!

ASTROSWEDEN, STARLIGHT XPRESS and CELESTRON.UK

All companies are offering the first class products and service!

Year 2015 as an image poster

Please, click for a large image, 1920 x 2800 pixels, 5MB

Individual blog posts about images in the poster with the technical details. (Up left to lower right)

Pickering's Triangle in O-III, http://www.astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2015/02/a-two-frame-mosaic-of-veil-nebula.html

Sharpless 112, http://www.astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2015/10/sharpless-112-sh2-112-in-cygnus.html

Sharpless 232, http://www.astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2015/03/sharpless-232-sh2-232-and-companions-in.html

Messier 13, http://www.astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2015/03/messier-13-great-globular-cluster-in.html

Messier 3, http://www.astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2015/04/a-globular-cluster-messier-3.html

Pickering's Triangle, http://www.astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2015/09/pickerings-triangle-my-first-light-for.html NASA APOD

Filaments of Cygnus, http://www.astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2015/10/filaments-of-western-cygnus.html

Witch Broom Nebula, http://www.astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2015/10/a-new-image-witchs-broom-nebula.html

Monkey Head nebula, http://www.astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2015/03/ngc-2174-monkey-head-nebula-project.html

IC 410, http://www.astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2015/02/new-photo-ic-410-in-auriga.html

IC 443, http://www.astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2015/01/jellyfish-nebula-ic-443-supernova.html

Filaments of Cygnus, http://www.astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2015/10/filaments-of-cygnus-project-continues.html

NGC 1491, http://www.astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2015/04/ngc-1491.html

IC 417, http://www.astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2015/03/ic-417-spider-nebula.html

Melotte 15, http://www.astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2015/04/melotte-15-new-revision.html

Sharpless 114, http://www.astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2015/11/sharpless-114-sh2-114-flying-dragon.html

Filaments of Cygnus, http://www.astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2015/11/more-filaments-of-cygnus-and-couple-of.html

Elephant's Trunk Nebula, http://www.astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2015/10/elephants-trunk-nebula-in-ic-1396.html

CTB1, http://www.astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2015/02/abell-85-ctb1-dim-galactic-supernova.html

Ring of Fire, http://www.astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2015/10/filaments-of-cygnus-ring-of-fire.html

IC 1805, http://www.astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2015/04/my-last-imaging-project-for-this-winter.html

IC 1795, http://www.astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2015/03/ic-1795-in-heart-nebula.html

Flaming Star Nebula, http://www.astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2015/02/ic-405-flaming-star-nebula.html

Filaments of Cygnus, http://www.astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2015/11/filaments-of-cygnus.html

Filaments of Cygnus, http://www.astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2015/10/filaments-of-western-cygnus.html

IC 1396, http://www.astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2015/11/ic-1936-closeup.html

A short video out of my 2015 photos
(I tested some morphing algorithm, duration 2:58)

Portfolio: http://astroanarchy.zenfolio.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jp.metsavainio

Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/astroanarchy/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCivFr6kAAYZqMVE2doG9uDQ/videos
Astrobin: http://www.astrobin.com/users/Metsavainio/

As usually, I made my experimental 3d-studies out of my astrophotos. Here is a collection out of them.

A deep deep space
A HD video, ~11 min.

Original movie is in HD 1080p resolution. Please, click the Youtube logo at lower right to see this video in Youtube. Click the Gear symbol, at lower right in Youtube window, and select the Quality to 1080p.

Then watch the video in full screen for the best viewing experience.

More info about technique used, http://www.astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2015/08/a-large-collection-of-my-experimental.html

Some highlights of the year 2015

In reversed chronological order

The apophenia of nebulae, Astro Anarchy gets published by CNET

An art exhibition in Oulu, Finland

I was a speaker in Opticfestival, Skara, Sweden

http://www.astrosweden.se/

A gallery exhibition in Galleria Kajaste, Oulu, Finland

Cooperation with Eric Recurt

This is a broadband LRGB image of the Rosette Nebula from a remote observatory in Tenerife.

Cooperation with the Deep Sky west (DSW)

APOD by NASA (Astronomy Picture of the Day)

Cooperation with David Lane

This photo get published by WIRED and CNET

I was a one of the speakers in Panhellenic Conference of Astronomy in Sparta, Greece

Dr.Ioannis - Hugh Seiradakis Professor of the Physics Department of AUTH
J-P Metsavainio Finnish astrophotographer

The Dr.Fiori Anastasia Metallinou is an associate of the Institute of Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing of the National Observatory of Athens.

Dr.Kosmas gauze is Lecturer of the Department of Astrophysics, Astronomy and Mechanics, University of Athens

A gallery exhibition in Helsinki, Finland, Galleria Kajaste

An art exhibition in Oulu, Finland

Concert, thousand year old vocal music with my astronomical photos

Two concerts with two vocal ensemble Cappella pro Vocale from Oulu and Punctum from Rovaniemi. Thousand year old vocal music with my astronomical photos turned to be a timeless combination.

My imageshow was matched with music and it was projected on the walls and ceiling with four power projectors. Concert took place in two places, first one was in Oulu, Finland at the Church of St Thomas, the second one took place in Rovaniemi in Northern Finland at the Chapel of Korkalovaara.