Sunday, March 8, 2015
IC 417, the "Spider Nebula"
My latest photo from March 6, IC 417, an emission nebula in Auriga.
IC 417
Click for a large photo
Image is in mapped colors from an emission of the ionized elements. Golden areas
are from emission of sulfur and hydrogen, bluish hues are from ionized oxygen.
A closeup
Click for a large photo
INFO
Image in visual spectrum
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.
An experimental starless image
There is an interesting looking round formation at one o'clock position upper right.
Looks like a crater in a gas. It doesn't seem to be a planetary nebula since there is no O-III emission visible.
Image in H-alpha light alone
IC 417
Click for a large photo
are from emission of sulfur and hydrogen, bluish hues are from ionized oxygen.
A closeup
Click for a large photo
INFO
The cosmic spyder, IC 417, locates in constellation Auriga at a distance of about 10 000 light years.
A cluster of young stars around IC 417 makes elements in the gas glow and the stellar wind shapes the gas in various forms.
Image in visual spectrum
An experimental starless image
Looks like a crater in a gas. It doesn't seem to be a planetary nebula since there is no O-III emission visible.
Image in H-alpha light alone
Orientation in an older wide field photo
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 @ f7 with 0,7 focal reducer for Edge HD 1100 telescope
Cameras and filters
Imaging camera Apogee Alta U16 and Apogee seven slot filter wheel
Guider camera, Lodestar x2
Astrodon filter, 5nm H-alpha
Astrodon filter, 3nm O-III
Astrodon filter, 3nm S-II
Exposure times
H-alpha, 12 x 1200s = 4h
O-III, 4 x 1200s = 1h 20 min.
S-II, 5x1200s = 1h 40 min.
Total 7h
A single un cropped, calibrated and stretched 20 min. H-alpha frame as it comes from the camera
Thursday, March 5, 2015
IC 410 "tadpoles", a detail form a large photo
I reprocessed the photo of IC 410, I think the colors turned out better this time and overall detail level is better.
Tadpoles
A detail from IC 410 emission nebula, click for a large image.
The whole photo of IC 410, with a technical details, can be found HERE
Monday, March 2, 2015
An anaglyph Red/Cyan 3D-slideshow of my photos
You'll need Red/Cyan Glasses to be able to see images as 3D.
If you have a Red and Blue filters, you can use them! Red goes to Left eye.
NOTE
All the original 2D-images are imaged by me.
This is a personal vision about forms and shapes, based on some scientific facts, deduction and an artistic impression. A short explanation, about the method used for the 3D conversion of my astrophoto, at the end of this post.
The Slideshow
Click to start
See the slideshow in full screen by clicking the symbol in lower right corner!
All the images in this slideshow can be found from my portfolio, in large scale.
All the images in this slideshow can be found from my portfolio, in large scale.
Please, click the "slideshow" button at upper Right corner to see images in full screen.
HOW?
I have been asked many times, how my 3D-images are done, so here it goes!
All the original 2D-images are imaged by me, if not otherwise stated.
Due the huge distances, no real parallax can be imaged for a volumetric information.
I have developed a method to turn any 2D-astronomical image to a various 3D-formats. The result is always an approximation of the reality, based on some known scientific facts, deduction and an artistic impression.
What are the known facts?
By using a scientifically estimated distance of the object, I can organize right amount of stars front and behind the object. (as then we know the absolute position of the object at our Milky-way)
Stars are divided to groups by apparent brightness, that can be used as a draft distance indicator, brighter the closer. There is usually a known star cluster or a star(s) coursing the ionization and they can be placed in right relative position to the nebula itself .
Generally emission nebulae are not lit by the starlight directly but radiation from stars ionizing gases in the nebula. Hence the nebula itself is emitting its own light, at wavelength typical to each element. Due to that, and the thickness of the nebula can be estimated by its brightness, thicker = brighter. Nebulae are also more or less transparent, so we can see "both sides" at the same time.
Many other relative distances can be figured out just carefully studying the image, like dark nebulae must be front of bright ones. The local stellar wind, radiation pressure, from the star cluster, shapes the nebula, For that reason, pillar like formations must point to a cluster. ( Look previous image, above this text.) Same radiation pressure usually forms kind of cavitation, at the nebulosa, around the star cluster, by blowing away all the gas around the source of stellar wind. The ionized oxygen, O-III, emits blueish light, it requires lots of energy to ionize. Due to that, the blue glowing area locates usually near the source of ionization, at the heart of the nebula. This and many other small indicators can be found by carefully studying the image itself.
Using the known data, I can build a kind of skeleton model of the nebula. Then the artistic part is mixed to a scientific part, rest is very much like a sculpting.
WHY?
Firstly, they are great fun to do. Secondly, just because I can.
Many times images of nebulae looks like paintings on the canvas. I like to show a real nature of those distant objects as a three dimensional shapes floating in a three dimensional volume. This is a great way to show, how I personally see astronomical targets as a 3D-forms inside my head.
3D-experiments seems to increase a public interest to a subject, as you might have noticed.
I have studied my astronomical images much deeper, than ever without 3D-modeling.
3D-studies has really added a new dimension to my work as an astronomical photographer. (pun intended)
Saturday, February 21, 2015
A two frame mosaic of the Veil Nebula in light of ionized oxygen only
I started an imaging project of the Veil Nebula at 05. of November 2014. After this short period of time, clouds rolled in for about three months and my project was interrupted. Now the Veil nebula is too low in the horizon and I need to wait to next Autumn to finalize this image. In two nights, I shot 36 frames of O-III emission, 20 min. each, total 12 hours. There are two panels stitched together, exposure time for each panel is 6h.
Pickering's Triangle in O-III light alone
Part of the Veil nebula supernova remnant in Cygnus
A closeup
Click for a large photo
A horizontal version
(Click for a large photo, 1850x1000 pixels)
An older wide field photo of the veil nebula in O-III light
image is colorized
Pickering's Triangle in mapped colors
An older photo from 2012
are from emission of sulfur and hydrogen, bluish hues are from ionized oxygen.
Original blog post with the technical details can be seen HERE
An older wide field image of the Veil nebula
Image is in mapped colors from emission of ionized elements, H-a, S-II and O-III
Technical details
Processing work flow
Image acquisition, MaxiDL v5.07.
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
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
Cameras and filters
Imaging camera Apogee Alta U16 and Apogee seven slot filter wheel
Guider camera, Lodestar x2
Astrodon filter, 3m O-III
Exposure times
O-III, 36 x 1200s = 12h, 6h for each panel.
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