Sunday, January 14, 2018
Sharpless 157 between Cassiopeia and Cepheus
We have had only two clear nights, January 7. and 8., at this month. I shot exposures for this target at both nights. This is a kind of difficult target due to large intensity variations and low surface brightness.
Sharpless 157 (Sh2-157)
Please, click for a large image
A closeup
Please, click for a large image
INFO
Sharpless 157
The night sky between the constellations Cassiopeia and Cepheus is rich with nebulae and star clusters. The nebulae visible in this image include Sharpless 157 and Lynd’s Bright Nebula 537. The star clusters include Markarian 50 and NGC 7510.
Sharpless 157 is sometimes referred to as the Lobster Claw Nebula for obvious reasons. The bright spot at upper left quarter of this photo is Lynd’s Bright Nebula (LBN) 537. Also designated at Sh 2 – 157a, it is a ring nebula around the Wolf-Rayet star WR 157.
At the lower right quarter of the image lays open star cluster NGC 7510.
An older wide field photo of the area
Please, click for a large image
The area of a new photo is marked as a white rectangle. The Bubble nebula can be seen as a bluish pearl, just half a degree North West from the Sharpless 157.
This photo is shot at 2007 with a QHY 8 astrocamera and the Baader narrowband filter set, H-a, S-II and O-III
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 filters,
5nm H-alpha 3nm S-II and 3nm O-III
5nm H-alpha 3nm S-II and 3nm O-III
Exposure times
H-alpha, 12 x 1200 s, binned 2x2 = 4 h
O-III, 10 x 1200 s, binned 4x4 = 3 h 20 min.
S-II, 9 x 1200 s. binned 4x4 = 3 h
Total 10 h 20 min
A single uncropped, calibrated and stretched 20 min. exposures, for H-alpha, S-II and O-III emissions, as they come out from the camera.
H-alpha
S-II
O-III
Saturday, January 13, 2018
IC1396, a detail image
We have had two clear nights in this month. Here is my "quickie" shot of IC1396 from night at January 07.
Just three hours of exposures with Apogee Alta U16 and Atrodon H-alpha filter 5nm. Colors are from my older wide field photo.
Just three hours of exposures with Apogee Alta U16 and Atrodon H-alpha filter 5nm. Colors are from my older wide field photo.
A detail of IC1396
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 photo covers about one square degree of sky. (The full Moon covers about 0,5 degrees of sky.)
A wider view
please, click for a large image
Area of the new photo is marked as a white rectangle to this older wide field photo of IC1396. Image is from year 2010 and it's taken with Canon EF 200 mm f1.8 camera optics, Baader narrowband filters and QHY9 astronomical camera.
Even wider view
please, click for a large image
Area of the new photo is marked as a white rectangle to this older wide field photo of IC1396. This mosaic image of ten panels is back from year 2014 and it's taken with Canon EF 200 mm f1.8 camera optics, Baader narrowband filters and QHY9 astronomical camera. More info about this photo can be seen HERE
Couple of older shots from IC1396 details
Elephant's Trunk Nebula
Another detail of IC1396
Tuesday, January 2, 2018
Sharpless 119 in Cygnus in visual colors
This mosaic image shows the Sharpless 119 (Sh2-119) in a visual spectrum. My previous post about the same target shows it in mapped colors.
Sharpless 119 as a mosaic image of six panels
You really should click for a full size photo!
Image is in Natural color palette from the emission of ionized elements, R=Hydrogen + Sulphur, G=Oxygen and B=Oxygen + 10% Hydrogen to compensate the missing H-beta emission. A mapped color version can be seen HERE.
Sharpless 119 as a two frame mosaic
Please, click for a full size photo
Published at December 13, 2017, more info HERE
The first frame I shot for the mosaic image
Please, click for a full size photo
INFO
Sh2-119, Sharpless 119, is a large complex of emission nebulosity in Cygnus constellation, about 2 degrees east of the North American Nebula. It is located just around 68 Cygni, a quite bright star of magnitude 5. (The most bright star in the photo) This target is not very commonly photographed due to a close proximity of brighter and well known targets, like North America and Pelican Nebulae.
A wider field image of the area with the Canon 200mm f1.8 lens
Please, click for a full size image
Sharpless 119 can be seen at lower left corner. The white rectangle shows the location of my new mosaic photo. Sh2-119 spans about three degrees of sky horizontally. (The full Moon spans about 0,5 degrees of sky.)
This photo was taken with the Canon EF 200mm f1.8 lens and the QHY9 astrocam, Baader narrowband filter set at winter season 2012.
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
Exposure times
H-alpha, 60x 1200s, binned 2x2 = 20h
O-III and S-II channels are borrowed form my older wide field photos.
Sunday, December 31, 2017
Happy new year!
HAPPY NEW YEAR
This post is about all of my astronomical photos from the year 2017
SUPPORT
My humble thanks to the supporters, they made my work possible!
All companies are offering the first class products and service!
Please, click for a large image, 2400 x 3500 pixels, 6MB
Individual blog posts about images in the poster with the technical details. (Up left to lower right)
Year 2017
This post is about all of my astronomical photos from the year 2017
All my photos from the Spring and Autumn seasons of 2017 are taken with my imaging setup. Celestron Edge HD 1100 with 0.7 reducer at 10-micron mount. Apogee Alta U16 camera with Astrodon narrowband filters and an active optics unit, SXV AO LF, from Starlight Xpress.
My humble thanks to the supporters, they made my work possible!
All companies are offering the first class products and service!
Year 2017 as an image poster
Individual blog posts about images in the poster with the technical details. (Up left to lower right)
- A six panel mosaic of the Sharpless 119, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2017/12/sharpless-119-in-cygnus-project.html
- A detail of Sharpless 119, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2017/11/sharpless-119-in-cygnus-project.html
- WR 134, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2017/11/first-light-for-autumn-season-2017.html
- Sharpless 188, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2017/02/a-new-photo-sharpless-188-sh2-188-in.html
- IC 63, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2017/01/the-ghost-of-christmas-past-ic-63.html
- Sharpless 140, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2017/01/a-quick-one-sharpless-140-in-cepheus.html
- A detail of Sharpless 119, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2017/11/sharpless-119-sh2-119-in-cygnus.html
- A detail of Southern Cygnus, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2017/11/an-other-detail-from-southern-cygnus.html
- A 12 panel mosaic of the Central Cygnus, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.fi/2017/01/bright-nebulae-of-central-cygnus-eleven.html
Year 2017
Overall the year 2017 was very cloudy up here 65N. Due to very high latitude we have only six months of usable astronomical darkness. Light pollution is increasing year after year. My observatory locates at roof top of the building in very centre of the city of Oulu. I can shoot only narrowband data from my location due to intense light pollution. In pas years the old mercury and sodium lamps has been replaced with new LED-lamps. The light from old lamps, yellowish glow, has kind of narrow band width and my 3 nm filters easily filter it out. The new LED-based lightning system emits light at very wide spectrum and even photos taken with 3 nm filters shows some artefacts from light pollution. At the same time the total amount of light power has grown year after year. That means a very bright future to us children of night.
Monday, December 25, 2017
-Sharpless 119 in Cygnus, project finalized
I have published three photo posts about my Sharpless 119 (Sh2-119) imaging project so far.
The first one was this photo at November 8, IMAGE LINK
The second one was a two frame mosaic, IMAGE LINK
The third one was a two frame mosaic in visual colors, IMAGE LINK
We have had very few clear nights at this Autumn season. I have managed to use them all so I was able to have enough data to finalize this six panel mosaic image of Sharpless 119.
Sharpless 119 as a six panel mosaic
You really should click for a full size photo!
A very high resolution photo of Sharpless 119, original resolution is about 12.000 x 8000 pixels.
Image is in mapped colours, from the emission of ionized elements, R=Sulphur, G=Hydrogen and B=Oxygen. The photo covers about six square degrees of sky. (The full Moon spans about 0,5 degrees of sky.)
An experimental starless version
Please, click for a full size photo
In this starless version the shapes in gas and dust stands out nicely
A large resolution detail from the full resolution original
INFO
Sh2-119, Sharpless 119, is a large complex of emission nebulosity in Cygnus constellation, about 2 degrees east of the North American Nebula. It is located just around 68 Cygni, a quite bright star of magnitude 5. (The most bright star in the photo) This target is not very commonly photographed due to a close proximity of brighter and well known targets, like North America and Pelican Nebulae.
A wider field image of the area with the Canon 200mm f1.8 lens
Please, click for a full size image
Sharpless 119 can be seen at lower left corner. The white rectangle shows the location of my new mosaic photo. Sh2-119 spans about three degrees of sky horizontally. (The full Moon spans about 0,5 degrees of sky.)
This photo was taken with the Canon EF 200mm f1.8 lens and the QHY9 astrocam, Baader narrowband filter set at 2012.
An older wide field shot of Sh2-119 with the Tokina AT 300mm f2.8 lens
Please, click for a full size image
More info about this photo HERE
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
Exposure times
H-alpha, 60x 1200s, binned 2x2 = 20h
O-III and S-II channels are borrowed form my older wide field photos.
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
Sharpless 119 in Cygnus, visual spectrum version
Since beginning of September we have had three clear nights. This Autumn season has been the worst in twenty years.
I made a visual color version out of my two frame mosaics of Sharpless 119 (Sh2-119). You can find a mapped color version from HERE. My aim is to make a six panel mosaic of the whole area of the Sharpless 119. At the moment it's not possible due to weather up here.
Sharpless 119 as a two frame mosaic
Please, click for a full size photo
An experimental starless version
Please, click for a full size photo
INFO
A wider field image of the area, Canon 200mm f1.8 lens
Please, click for a full size image
An other wide field shot, Tokina AT 300mm f2.8 lens
Please, click for a full size image
Area of the two frame mossaic is marked as a white rectangle. More info about this photo HERE
Technical details
H-alpha, 30x 1200s, binned 2x2 = 10h
O-III and S-II channels are borrowed form my older wide field photos.
Sh2-119, Sharpless 119, is a large complex of emission nebulosity in Cygnus constellation, about 2 degrees east of the North American Nebula. It is located just around 68 Cygni, a quite bright star of magnitude 5. (The most bright star in the photo)
A wider field image of the area, Canon 200mm f1.8 lens
Please, click for a full size image
Sharpless 119 can be seen at lower left corner. The white rectangle shows the location of the new photo. It spans about a square degree of sky. (The full Moon spans about 0,5 degrees of sky.)
This photo was taken with the Canon EF 200mm f1.8 lens and the QHY9 astrocam, Baader narrowband filter set at 2012.
An other wide field shot, Tokina AT 300mm f2.8 lens
Please, click for a full size image
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
Exposure times
H-alpha, 30x 1200s, binned 2x2 = 10h
O-III and S-II channels are borrowed form my older wide field photos.
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Sharpless 119 in Cygnus, project continues
I have published first photo out of Sharpless 119 at 8.11. 2017, since then we have had a full cloud cover. Yesterdat we had about three hours of clear skies and I was able to shoot an other frame next to first one. My target is to make a six panel mosaic image out of the whole Sharpless 119.
Sharpless 119 as a two frame mosaic
Please, click for a full size photo
Image is in mapped colours, from the emission of ionized elements, R=Sulphur, G=Hydrogen and B=Oxygen. The photo covers about two square degrees of sky. (The full Moon spans about 0,5 degrees of sky.)
An experimental starless version
Please, click for a full size photo
INFO
Sh2-119, Sharpless 119, is a large complex of emission nebulosity in Cygnus constellation, about 2 degrees east of the North American Nebula. It is located just around 68 Cygni, a quite bright star of magnitude 5. (The most bright star in the photo)
A wider field image of the area, Canon 200mm f1.8 lens
Please, click for a full size image
Sharpless 119 can be seen at lower left corner. The white rectangle shows the location of the new photo. It spans about a square degree of sky. (The full Moon spans about 0,5 degrees of sky.)
This photo was taken with the Canon EF 200mm f1.8 lens and the QHY9 astrocam, Baader narrowband filter set at 2012.
An other wide field shot, Tokina AT 300mm f2.8 lens
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
Exposure times
H-alpha, 30x 1200s, binned 2x2 = 10h
O-III and S-II channels are borrowed form my older wide field photos.
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
An other detail from the Southern Cygnus
This has been the most cloudy Autumn season in twenty years.
I'm still processing material from couple of clear nights we had this Autumn. I made another individual image out of the material, I shot for the WR 134 mosaic image.
An other nameless detail from the Southern Cygnus
Please, click for a full size photo
Image in visual spectrum
Please, click for a full size photo
The mosaic image
Please, click for a full size photo
The location in Cygnus
Please, click for a full size photo
The area of the mosaic image above is marked as a white rectangle.
Info about this large mosaic image can be seen HERE
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, 21 x 1200s, binned 2x2 = 7h
O-III, 6 x 1200s binned 4x4 = 2h
S-II, 6 x 1200s binned 4x4 = 2h
Total 11h
Monday, November 13, 2017
A miss shot
Now and then something goes wrong... Especially when the target is very dim, it's very easy to miss the whole target while aiming to it.
I was shooting my first light for the Autumn season 2017 and I thought that my telescope was centred to the WR 134. It was not, instead I shot some dim filaments of gas and lots of stars next to actual target.
Not much a photo but I didn't want to waste three hours of exposures so I made this image out of them. Color data is borrowed from my older mosaic image of the area.
Please, click for a full resolution photoI was shooting my first light for the Autumn season 2017 and I thought that my telescope was centred to the WR 134. It was not, instead I shot some dim filaments of gas and lots of stars next to actual target.
Not much a photo but I didn't want to waste three hours of exposures so I made this image out of them. Color data is borrowed from my older mosaic image of the area.
A miss shot
A large image of the area
Please, click for a full resolution photo
Sunday, November 12, 2017
WR 134, Ring Nebula in visual colors
I have published a mapped color version of WR 134 in Cygnus. Now I have made a visual color composition out of the narrow band channels, H-alpha, O-III and S-II. This composition is very close to a visual spectrum. The most powerful emission is from ionzed hydrogen, H-alpha. It emits light at red wavelength as well as ionized sulfur, S-II. Ionized oxygen, O-III, can be seen as blue color. There are very few photos out of this object. There are total 33 hours of exposures in this composition.
Please, click for a large image.
A closer look
Please, click for a large image.
A vertical composition
Please, click for a large image.
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
Wednesday, November 8, 2017
Sharpless 119 (Sh2-119) in Cygnus
This is my second light for the Autumn season 2017. This is a detail of the large emission area just couple of degrees from the North America nebula. It's very overlooked due to its low surface brightness and a close proximity of brighter and more famous emission targets.
I have plans to shoot the whole nebula as a mosaic of six image panels, when ever the weather permits.
Sharpless 119 in Cygnus (Sh2-119)
Please, click for a full size image
Image is in mapped colours, from the emission of ionized elements, R=Sulphur, G=Hydrogen and B=Oxygen. The photo spans about a square degree of sky. (The full Moon spans about 0,5 degrees of sky.)
An experimental starless version
Image in visual spectrum
Please, click for a full size photo
A wider field image of the area, Canon 200mm f1.8 lens
Please, click for a full size image
Sharpless 119 can be seen at lower left corner. The white rectangle shows the location of the new photo. It spans about a square degree of sky. (The full Moon spans about 0,5 degrees of sky.)
This photo was taken with the Canon EF 200mm f1.8 lens and the QHY9 astrocam, Baader narrowband filter set at 2012.
An other wide field shot, Tokina AT 300mm f2.8 lens
INFO
Sh2-119, Sharpless 119, is a large complex of emission nebulosity in Cygnus constellation, about 2 degrees east of the North American Nebula. It is located just around 68 Cygni, a quite bright star of magnitude 5. (The most bright star in the 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 @ 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
Exposure times
H-alpha, 21x 1200s, binned 2x2 = 7h
O-III and S-II channels are borrowed form my older wide field photos.
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