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Monday, March 4, 2019

Simeis 147 closeup, my last photo for the Spring season 2019



This is my last photo for ongoing season. Well served Celestron Edge 11" telescope went back the Celestron seller. They borrowed it to me back in 2014 and make possible to me to continue my imaging work. It was a great instrument, especially equipped with the Celestron 0.7 reducer for the Edge telescope. This system was able to cover the large CCD in Apogee alta U16 camera. The field of view was about one square degree and the image scale was optimal to my conditions, about 1 arc second per pixel. I'll publish later a collection of images taken with this combo.
With this setup, I got three APOD images published by NASA.

Now I need to find a new scope for the next season. One possible way to go is buying a second hand medium format camera lens. In medium format lens the image circle is large enough to cover the large CCD-shell in Apogee Alta U16 camera. Also I need a tool for a longer focal length work. 


Simeis 147, a supernova remnant in Taurus
Please, click for a large image

Natural color scheme from the emission of an ionized elements, H-a, S-II and O-III. This is a very dim and diffused nebula, this image spans vertically about one degrees (= two full Moons side by side in a sky.)


An experimental starless view
Please, click for a large image

The shapes and details in actual nebula are much easier to study in this starless version.


INFO

Simeis 147 (sharpless 240), is a very faint and very large supernova remnant in constellation Taurus at distance of ~3000 light years. It's constantly expanding at speed of 1000 km/second but due the size of it, we can't see any movement in it. This SN spans over 160 light years and the apparent scale in the sky is about three degrees (Moon has an apparent size of 30" = 0,5 degrees).  Explosion took place approximately 30.000 years ago  and left behind a  pulsar (Neutron star). The pulsar has recently identified.


An older wide field photo of the Simeis 147 SNR
Please, click for a large image
An area of the new photo is marked as a white rectangle. The actual remnant is much large as can be seen in this photo from 2011. photo is taken with a Canon EF 200mm f1.8 lens, baader narrowband filters and the QHY9 strocam. More info HERE


 Technical details

Processing workflow

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 filters,
5nm H-alpha 3nm S-II and 3nm O-III

Exposure times

H-alpha, 33 x 1200 s, binned 2x2 = 11 h
O-III, 15 x 1200 s, binned 4x4 = 5 h.
S-II, 9 x 1200 s. binned 4x4 = 3 h
Total exposure time, 19h


Single 20 min. calibrated and stretched exposures 
Please, click for a large image

H-alpha
2x2 binned H-alpha frame is divided with a bias corrected master flat and subtracted with a master dark. 

S-II

4x4 binned S-II frame is divided with a bias corrected master flat and subtracted with a master dark. 

O-III

4x4 binned O-III frame is divided with a bias corrected master flat and subtracted with a master dark. Even after a heavy stretching, very little can be seen in this single 20 min. 4x4 binned  light frame.


www.tips-fb.com Posted by J-P Metsavainio at 1:45 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Sharpless 132 (Sh2-132)


My first photo for the Spring season 2019, Sharpless 132 in Kefeus.
Generally the start of the year 2019 has been very cloudy up here 65N. This four panel mosaic image has been taken between 1.1. and 11.2. 2019. Total exposure time is around 30h.


Sharpless 132 in Kefeus
Please, click for a large image

Image is in mapped colours, from the emission of ionized elements, R=Sulphur, G=Hydrogen and B=Oxygen. The signal for ionized oxygen,.
An experimental starless version
Please, click for a large image

When stars are removed, the actual shape of the nebula is easier to see.


A closeup
Please, click for a large image

Closeup of the central region of Sharpless 132.


 INFO
Sharpless 132 is a very faint emission nebula, it locates at the border of Cepheus and Lacerta. Distance is about 10.000 lightyears. My photo covers about four square degrees of the sky. The blue color in the image is from the emission of an ionized Oxygen (O-III).


Technical details

Processing workflow

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 filters,
5nm H-alpha 3nm S-II and 3nm O-III

Total exposure time for all of the four panels

H-alpha, 48 x 1200 s, binned 2x2 = 16 h
O-III, 24 x 1200 s, binned 4x4 = 8 h.
S-II, 18 x 1200 s. binned 4x4 = 6 h


www.tips-fb.com Posted by J-P Metsavainio at 12:15 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Astro Anarchy gets published




I have been chosen to receive a recognition in astrophotography by the Universo Mágico / Magical Universe, www.universomágico.com



www.tips-fb.com Posted by J-P Metsavainio at 11:58 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, January 2, 2019

All my photos from the year 2018


A poster format collection of my photos from the year 2018. The Spring season 2018 was very cloudy, the Autumn season 2018 was kind of good and I was able to finalize couple of long imaging projects.

All my photos are taken with my current setup, the main instrument is an excellent imaging scope Celestron EDGE HD 1100 with a 0.7 focal reducer from Celestron. That's simply a best reducer I have ever used!  (Some optical testing can be seen HERE)
The mount from 10-micron is a top performer too. All images are taken with Apogee Alta U16 astronomical camera and Astrodon narrowband filter set, H-alpha 5nm, S-II 3nm and O-III 3nm.

I do purely narrow band imaging since my observatory is located at downtown of the City Oulu.
So far the light pollution has been massive in this industrial city with about 200 000 inhabitants but it used to be mostly from narrowband light sources, like old sodium and mercury lamps. Now the most of the light sources have been updated to LED-technology and it makes the light pollution much worse, since LEDs are emitting light at full spectrum. The broad band light from LEDs is practically impossible to filter out. I need to find a new location to my observatory during the Summer season 2019.

All my photos from the year 2018
Click for a full size image it's worth it (3000 x 5500 pixels)



Image details

  1. Dark nebulae of NGC 7000, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2018/11/dark-dust-in-cygnus.html
  2. Bow Tie of LBN 251, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2018/10/this-new-photos-shows-lbn-251-and.html
  3. Gian Cosmic Squid, Au4, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2018/12/the-giant-cosmic-squid-nebula-au4-new.html
  4. Clouds of Swan, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2018/10/clouds-of-swan.html
  5. The Cygnus Shell, W63, NASA APOD, a supernova remnant, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2018/10/a-very-rare-photo-cygnus-shell.html
  6. LBN 239 and 243, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2018/11/lbn-239-and-243.html
  7. Clouds of Cygnus, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2018/11/clouds-of-cygnus.html
  8. North America and the Pelican nebula, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2018/11/deep-photo-of-north-america-pelican.html
  9. LBN 243, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2018/11/lbn-243.html
  10. The Sky on Fire, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2018/11/the-sky-on-fire-filaments-of-western.html
  11. Sharpless 224, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2016/12/extremely-dim-supernova-remnant-in.html
  12. A detail of IC 1396, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2018/01/ic1396-detail-image.html
  13. Sharpless 157, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2018/02/sharpless-157-in-cassiopeia-project.html
  14. Sharpless 188, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2017/02/a-new-photo-sharpless-188-sh2-188-in.html






www.tips-fb.com Posted by J-P Metsavainio at 12:50 PM 4 comments
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