Friday, November 3, 2017
WR 134, Ring Nebula area as a mosaic image.
While shooting my first light photo for the Autumn season 2017, I shot some frames frames around it for a mosaic image.
A mosaic image of WR 134 area in Cygnus
Click for a large image.
The Wolf-Rayet shell, WR 134, can be seen as an oval shape at center up. There is a strong emission from ionized oxygen, O-III, it can be seen as blue color.
Image is in mapped colours, from the emission of ionized elements, R=Sulphur, G=Hydrogen and B=Oxygen.
A large six panel version of the mosaic image
Orientation in Cygnus
Click for a large image.
Info about this large mosaic image can be seen HERE
INFO
This image shows a ring-like nebula traced by the glow of ionized hydrogen and oxygen gas. Embedded in the region's interstellar clouds of gas and dust, the complex, glowing arcs are sections of bubbles or shells of material swept up by the wind from Wolf-Rayet star WR 134, brightest star near the center of the frame. Distance estimates put WR 134 about 6,000 light-years away, making the frame over 100 light-years across. Shedding their outer envelopes in powerful stellar winds, massive Wolf-Rayet stars have burned through their nuclear fuel at a prodigious rate and end this final phase of massive star evolution in a spectacular supernova explosion. The stellar winds and final supernovae enrich the interstellar material with heavy elements to be incorporated in future generations of stars. (Source, NASA APOD, https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120621.html )
Technical details
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, 51x 1200s, binned 2x2 = 17h
O-III, 9 x 1200s binned 4x4 = 8h
S-II, 9 x 1200s binned 4x4 = 8h
Total 33h
Thursday, November 2, 2017
First light for the Autumn season 2017, finally!
This Autumn season has been the most cloudy one, I have never publish my first light so late.
We have had only one clear night plus two nights with opening at clouds for few hours.
My first light for the Autumn season 2017 shows a rare and exotic target at Cygnus. It's a largely unknown Wolf-Rayet shell around the star WR 134.
I noticed this formation at first time in my large 18-panels mosaic of Cygnus. It's clearly visible, specially at Ionised oxygen channel (O-III)
A three frame mosaic of WR 134
Click for a large image.
The Wolf-Rayet shell can be seen as an oval shape at center up. There is a strong emission from ionized oxygen, O-III, it can be seen as blue color.
Image is in mapped colours, from the emission of ionized elements, R=Sulphur, G=Hydrogen and B=Oxygen.
WR 134
A starless version
Click for a large image.
The structure and shapes in ionized gas are easier to see in this experimental starless version.
(Note. the straight line at seven o'clock is not an artefact but a real shape.)Click for a large image.
Info about this large mosaic image can be seen HERE
INFO
This image covers a field of view about one square degree in the constellation Cygnus. It highlights the bright edge of a ring-like nebula traced by the glow of ionized hydrogen and oxygen gas. Embedded in the region's interstellar clouds of gas and dust, the complex, glowing arcs are sections of bubbles or shells of material swept up by the wind from Wolf-Rayet star WR 134, brightest star near the center of the frame. Distance estimates put WR 134 about 6,000 light-years away, making the frame over 100 light-years across. Shedding their outer envelopes in powerful stellar winds, massive Wolf-Rayet stars have burned through their nuclear fuel at a prodigious rate and end this final phase of massive star evolution in a spectacular supernova explosion. The stellar winds and final supernovae enrich the interstellar material with heavy elements to be incorporated in future generations of stars. (Source, NASA APOD, https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120621.html )
Technical details
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, 21x 1200s, binned 2x2 = 7h
O-III, 9 x 1200s binned 4x4 = 3h
S-II, 9 x 1200s binned 4x4 = 3h
Total 13h
Uncropped, calibrated and stretched single 20 min. H-alpha frame as it comes from the camera
Uncropped, calibrated and stretched single 20 min. O-III frame as it comes from the camera
Friday, March 3, 2017
The central Cygnus as a cinemascope format image set
I have worked with a cinemascope format movie from my photos for a movie theatre presentation. This is an extra wide ~21:9 format used in theatres. The actual film is not ready yet but I have some of my images converted to this ultra wide format. I think they will look great at a large movie screen! I'll publish some of individual panoramic format photos here,
Central Cygnus image set
Be sure to click for a full resolution image, ~2600 x 1200 pixels
Image details can be seen HERE
Image details can be seen HERE
Image details can be seen HERE
Previously published sets of my cinemascope format astro images
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.
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