Monday, February 8, 2021
Cygnus mosaic in visual colors
I have published this image in mapped colors at December 2020, it can be seen here, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/12/cygnus-project-grande-finale-for-now.html
I have started this imaging project back at 2010. My aim was to make a high resolution mosaic covering the constellation Cygnus. Work like that takes time and patience, especially since I have worked so, that many of the individual sub mosaics or frames have been published as an individual artworks. Here is a poster format presentation about all of longer focal length images used for this mosaic beside wide field panels, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2018/11/treasures-of-swan.html
As a result I have now a huge 37 panel (And 58 long focal length sub-panel) mosaic panorama covering 28 x 18 degrees of sky. I have collected photons way over 400 hours during past ten years for this photo. The full size mosaic image has a size of about 25.000 x 15.000 pixels.
A photo of five million stars*
Great Mosaic of Cygnus (2010-2020)
28x18 degrees, 97 panels and over 400 hours of exposure time
The full size photo is worth to see! (2700 x 1700 pixels)
An apparent size of the Moon is marked as a scale at bottom left of the picture frame.
This is a large area of sky! (28 x 18 degrees) Image is in visual colours, from the emission of ionized elements in the area.
* I actually counted the stars and in this field of view there are little over five million individual stars!
Orientation
Three supernova remnants, two Wolf Rayet stars and a black hole
Please, click the image for full resolution
Three supernova remnants, two Wolf Rayet stars and a black hole
Please, click the image for full resolution
In the orientation image above, there are three large supernova remnants visible, first the Cygnus Shell W63 , bluish ring at upper left quarter, secondly the large SNR G65.3+5.7 at utmost right and finally the third is a brighter SNR, the Veil nebula just outside of field of view at bottom center. (Image is partly overlapping with large mosaic but I didn't want to include it yet due to artistic composition.)
Beside three supernova remnants there are two Wolf Rayet stars with outer shell formations. NGC 6888, the Crescent Nebula at center of the image and the WR 134, it can be seen as a blue arch just right from the Crescent Nebula, near the Tulip nebula.
Next to the Tulip Nebula lays a Black hole Cygnus X-1, it's marked in small closeup image of the Tulip Neula at center right in orientation image above.
Constellation Cygnus is an endless source of celestial wonders, both scientifically and aesthetically. For me, as an visual artist, this are of night sky is very inspiring There are endless amount of amazing shapes and structures, I can spend rest of my life just shooting images from this treasury.
Beside three supernova remnants there are two Wolf Rayet stars with outer shell formations. NGC 6888, the Crescent Nebula at center of the image and the WR 134, it can be seen as a blue arch just right from the Crescent Nebula, near the Tulip nebula.
Next to the Tulip Nebula lays a Black hole Cygnus X-1, it's marked in small closeup image of the Tulip Neula at center right in orientation image above.
Constellation Cygnus is an endless source of celestial wonders, both scientifically and aesthetically. For me, as an visual artist, this are of night sky is very inspiring There are endless amount of amazing shapes and structures, I can spend rest of my life just shooting images from this treasury.
THE MOSAIC
Evolution of the mosaic between 2010 and 2020
Click for a large image
Mosaic panels in chronological order
Click for a large image
There are 37 base panels with shorter focal length tools (300mm f2.8 Tokina and 200mm f1.8 Canon) There is also 59 sub-panels used, they are shot with my old 12" Meade and 11" Celestron Edge scopes.
NOTE I recalculated the total exposure time and it's actually way over 600 hours.
Here is a poster format presentation and a list all of longer focal length images used for this mosaic beside the actual panels, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2018/11/treasures-of-swan.html
I have used several optical configurations for this mosaic image during the years. Up to 2014 I was using an old Meade LX200 GPS 12" scope, QHY9 astrocam, Canon EF 200mm f1.8 camera optics and baader narrowband filter set. After 2014 I have had 10-micron 1000 equatorial mount, Apogee Alta U16 astro camera, Tokina AT-x 200mm f2.8 camera lens and the Astrodon 50mm square narrowband filter set. I have shot many details with a longer focal length, before 2014 by using Meade 12" scope with reducer and after 2014 Celestron EDGE 11" and reducer. Quider camera has been Lodestar and Lodestar II.
Here is a poster format presentation and a list all of longer focal length images used for this mosaic beside the actual panels, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2018/11/treasures-of-swan.html
Equipments used
Couple of close ups to show the resolution
Click for a large image
North america & pelican nebula region
Supernova remnant G65.3+5.7
Cirrus of Western Cygnus
Twit twit
You can follow my work as an astronomical photographer in twitter too!
Melotte 15 in the Heart Nebula for no reason whatsoever.
Monday, February 1, 2021
This gigapixel mosaic has about 1000 exposure hours between 2010 - 2021
Over a ten years and about 1000 hours of exposures, the image spans 82 x 20 degrees of sky at resolution of 17.000 x 72.000 pixels (Over a gigapixel)
Individual frames are shot between 2010 and 2021, there are total 168 images stitched together! There are more than ten million stars visible in this mosaic image!
From Perseus to Cygnus
Click for a large image (6000 x 1500 pixels)
Image in mapped colors from the light emitted by an ionized elements, hydrogen = green, sulfur = red and oxygen = blue. NOTE, the apparent size of the Moon in a lower left corner.
The Cassiopeia side of the mosaic, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2021/01/mosaic-image-gets-large-400-hours-and.html
The Cygnus side of the mosaic, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/12/cygnus-project-grande-finale-for-now.html
Orientation in the sky
Orientation in the sky
Click for a large image
Details
Click for a large image
Click for a large image
Evolution of the grande mosaic shot between 2010 and 2021
Click for a large image
Imaging info
Tools
The Central Cygnus
Original size in mosaic image is 5000 x 2500 pixels
The supernova remnant G65.3+5.7
The tulip nebula area
It took over a ten years to finalize this mosaic image. The reason for a long time period is naturally the size of the mosaic and the fact, that image is very deep. Another reason is that I have soht most of the mosaic frames as an individual compositions and publish them as independent artworks. That leads to a kind of complex image set witch is partly overlapping with a lots of unimaged areas between and around frames. I have shot the missing data now and then during the years and last year I was able to publish sub mosaic images as I got them ready first.
My processing workflow is very constant so very little tweaking was needed between the mosaic frames. Total exposure time is way over 900 hours. Some of the frames has more exposure time, than others. There are some extremely dim objects clearly visible in this composition, like a extremely dim supernova remnant W63, the Cygnus Shell. It lays about six degrees up from North America nebula and it can be seen as a pale blue ring. I spent about 100 hours for this SNR alone. An other large and faint supernova remnant in Cygnus can be seen at near right edge of the image. G65.5+5.7 is as large as more famous Veil nebula. There are over 60 exposure hours for this SNR alone. (Veil SNR is just outside of the mosaic area but can be seen in "Detail" image above.)
My processing workflow is very constant so very little tweaking was needed between the mosaic frames. Total exposure time is way over 900 hours. Some of the frames has more exposure time, than others. There are some extremely dim objects clearly visible in this composition, like a extremely dim supernova remnant W63, the Cygnus Shell. It lays about six degrees up from North America nebula and it can be seen as a pale blue ring. I spent about 100 hours for this SNR alone. An other large and faint supernova remnant in Cygnus can be seen at near right edge of the image. G65.5+5.7 is as large as more famous Veil nebula. There are over 60 exposure hours for this SNR alone. (Veil SNR is just outside of the mosaic area but can be seen in "Detail" image above.)
Frames used for the large mosaic
Click for a large image
I have used several optical configurations for this mosaic image during the years. Up to 2014 I was using an old Meade LX200 GPS 12" scope, QHY9 astrocam, Canon EF 200mm f1.8 camera optics and baader narrowband filter set. After 2014 I have had 10-micron 1000 equatorial mount, Apogee Alta U16 astro camera, Tokina AT-x 200mm f2.8 camera lens and the Astrodon 50mm square narrowband filter set. I have shot many details with a longer focal length, before 2014 by using Meade 12" scope with reducer and after 2014 Celestron EDGE 11" and reducer. Quider camera has been Lodestar and Lodestar II.
Details from the large mosaic to show the resolution
(Images are reduced for a web usage)
Click for a large image!
North America and the Pelican Nebula
NOTE, image is reduced to 2000 x 1300 pixels from 6000 x 4000 pixels.
The supernova remnant G65.3+5.7
More info about this image here, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/11/g65357-large-supernova-remnant-in_22.html
A closeup from the supernova remnant G65.3+5.7
The noise is not a noise, just a massive amount of stars
A closeup from the supernova remnant G65.3+5.7
The noise is not a noise, just a massive amount of stars
The starfield in this part of Milky Way is extremely dense, blog post about this SNR can be seen here, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/11/a-supernova-remnant-in-cygnus-g65357-snr.html
The whole Cassiopeia
The Tulip Nebula, Sh2-101, can be seen at center right, there is also a black hole Cygnus X-1
The blog post with technical details can be seen here, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-tulip-nebula-in-cygnus-sh2-101.html
Cirrus of Cygnus and the supernova remnant W63
Blog post about this photo, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/12/cirrus-of-cygnus-and-supernova-remnant.html
The blog post with technical details can be seen here, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-tulip-nebula-in-cygnus-sh2-101.html
Cirrus of Cygnus and the supernova remnant W63
Sharpless 124
Sharpless 132
IC 1396
From Bubble to Cave Nebula
Monday, January 25, 2021
Lower's Nebula
I originally shot this data at february 2016, this is a reprocessed version. Lower's Nebula is also known as Sharpless 261 (Sh2-261) and it located in constellation Orion at an estimated distance of about 3300 light years, This is not a bright object, especially the O-III signal is very weak. Seeing wasn't very good at the time.
Lower's Nebula (Sh2-261)
Click for a large image
Image is in mapped colors from an emission of the ionized elements. Golden areas are from emission of sulfur and hydrogen, S-II and H-alpha, blueish areas are from ionized oxygen, O-III.
Image in visual spectrum
Click for a large image
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
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
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, 6 x 1200s binned 4x4 = 2h min.
S-II, 6 x 1200s binned 4x4 = 2h min.
Total 9h
Thursday, January 21, 2021
Mosaic image gets large, 400 hours and 41 panels
Nine years and over 350 hours of exposures, 41 panels and 31 high resolution sub-panels stitched together seamlessly. This mosaic image spans about 45 x 18 degrees of sky, the original resolution is 14.000 x 41.000 pixels.
Previous version of this mosaic image can be seen here, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/12/from-cassiopeia-to-cepheus-eight-years.html
From cassiopeia to Cepheus
Click for a full size image, it's really worth it! (3700 x 1400 pixels)
Image is in mapped colors from a light from the ionized elements, hydrogen = green, sulfur = red and oxygen = blue. NOTE, there is an image of the Moon at the same scale in lower left corner.
The heart and Soul nebulae are at upper left corner and the IC 1396 with the Elephant's Trunk Nebula at center right. There are many well known objects in this massive mosaic image including the Bubble and Cave Nebulae at just a little right from the center. There are about six million stars in this composition.
Orientation
Click for a full size image
Evolution of the mosaic image shot between 2012 - 2021
Click for a full size image
Click for a full size image
Equipments
Some reduced size details from the full size mosaic image
Sharpless 132
IC 1396
Supernova remnant CTB1
Sharpless 124
From Bubble to Cave Nebula
Monday, January 11, 2021
First new photo for the Year 2021
Between Cygnus and Cepheus, near the constellation Lacerta, locates the Sharpless 124 (Sh2-124)
This emission nebula is kind of large and has a brighter formation at middle of it. There is some very dim O-III emission too, generally this emission nebula is not a very easy target for imagers.
There are very few good phoptos of it around.
My wide field setup covers enough sky to capture both, the Cocoon Nebula (Sh2-125) and the Sharpless-124 in a same field of view. Data for the photo was shot at December 2020
Sharpless 124 and the Cocoon Nebula
Click for a large image
Click for a large image
Cocoon Nebula can be seen at lower left corner, Sh2-124 at center. Photo in mapped colors, from the emission of ionized elements,R=Sulfur, G=Hydrogen and B=Oxygen. (Known as Hubble Palette)
NOTE, an apparent size of the Moon as a scale
A closeup
Click for a large image
An older longer focal length photo
Click for a large image
Technical details, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/11/sharpless-124-sh2-124.html
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
Tokina AT-x 300mm f2.8 camera lens
Mount
10-micron 1000
Cameras and filters
Imaging camera Apogee Alta U16 and Apogee seven slot filter wheel
Guider camera, Lodestar x 2 and an old spotting scope of Meade LX200
Astrodon filters,
5nm H-alpha 3nm S-II and 3nm O-III
5nm H-alpha 3nm S-II and 3nm O-III
Total exposure time
H-alpha, 6 x 1200 s, binned 1x1 = 2 h
O-III, 3x 1200 s, binned 2x2 = 1h
S-II, 3x1200 s, binned 2x2 = 1h
O-III, 3x 1200 s, binned 2x2 = 1h
S-II, 3x1200 s, binned 2x2 = 1h
H-alpha channel alone (Two hours)
Click for a large image
Click for a large image
Thursday, December 31, 2020
All my photos from year 2020
The year 2020 has been interesting since I'm between the scopes at the moment. I converted my old Tokina At-x 300 mm f2.8 camera optics and paired it with the Apogee Alta U16 astro camera.
At first it looked like an impossible task since the back focus distance of Tokina lens was way too short for the camera. After some heavy handed modifications (including an angle grinder) I managed to marry those too junks of metal, glass and silicon together. Kind of Frankenstein's monster but worked!
Tokina 300mm f2.8 and Apogee Alta U16
After many years shooting with a long focal length instrument it was like a fresh air to work with wide field tool.
All my photos from the year 2020
Click for a full size poster (2000 x 2800 pixels)
NOTE, images are not in scale to each other
There are some very rarely imaged objects in the the poster
Photo 11, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/04/two-ways-to-go-in-same-field-of-view.html
Supernova remnant Sh2-221 and a planetary nebula Sh2-216. There are very few images out of them, I haven't seen any other three band NB images from Sh2-221
43 hours of exposures was needed to reveal targets in full glory. There are very few images out there from Sh2-205 and even less from LBN 696.
Photo 12, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/11/a-supernova-remnant-in-cygnus-g65357-snr.html
Photo 12, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/11/a-supernova-remnant-in-cygnus-g65357-snr.html
This is a very large dim and diffused supernova remnant in Cygnus, The dense starfield almost buries faint filament structures. Extremely few photos out there showing the whole SNR.
This SNR is part of the Cygnus mosaic (Image 21).
Photo 21, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/01/deep-in-to-my-heart-ic-1805-in-mapped.html
This SNR is part of the Cygnus mosaic (Image 21).
Photo 21, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/01/deep-in-to-my-heart-ic-1805-in-mapped.html
A very commonly imaged target but this deep exposure reveals a very dim supernova remnant just above the "Tip of the Heart". SNR can be seen at eight o'clock position in the photo.
Two massive panorama mosaics
This year I got ready two very large narrowband mosaic images.
Material for them was collected during past ten years.
The Great Mosaic of Cygnus covers now the whole constellation.
Second as large mosaic spans sky from Cassiopeia to Cepheus.
Exposure time for both of then is over 800 Hours.
Cygnus 
Cassiopeia to Cepheus
https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/12/from-cassiopeia-to-cepheus-eight-years.html
THE BOOK
At 2020 we published a book about nebulae, "Cosmic Clouds 3D" We = Brian May, David J Eicher and Me. It was a pleasure to work with talented people. The idea for the book came from Brian may, the legendary Queen guitarist and astrophysicist. At the moment the book is practically sold out.
IMAGE INFO
- Sh2-124, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/11/sharpless-124-sh2-124.html
- Sh2--124 wide field
- Clouds of Cassiopeia, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/11/cassiopeia-mosaic-gets-larger.html
- SNR CTB1, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/02/ctb1-supernova-remnant-in-cassiopeia.html
- Simeis 147, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-birth-of-venus.html
- Tulip nebula area, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-tulip-nebula-in-cygnus-sh2-101.html
- Sh2-205, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/03/a-rare-image-sharpless-205-and-ngc-1491.html
- NGC 1499, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/01/a-deep-view-to-california-nebula-in.html
- Sh2-132, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/11/a-new-photo-of-sharpless-132-sh2-132.html
- Sh2-126, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/10/new-photo-sharpless-126-in-lacerta.html
- Sh2-216 & 221, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/04/two-ways-to-go-in-same-field-of-view.html
- SNR G65.3+5,7,https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/11/a-supernova-remnant-in-cygnus-g65357-snr.html
- IC 63 & NGC281, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/03/ic-63-and-ngc-281.html
- SNR IC443, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/03/supernova-remnant-ic-443-wide-field.html
- Bubble to Cave, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/03/from-bubble-to-cave-nebula-area.html
- Cygnus, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/12/cygnus-project-grande-finale-for-now.html
- Sh2-114, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/12/sharpless-114-flying-dragon-nebula.html
- IC 405 & 410, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/03/new-photo-deep-in-to-darkness.html
- Cederblad 214,https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/02/new-photo-of-cederblad-214-cosmic.html
- From CTB1 to Cave,https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/03/from-cassiopeia-to-cepheus.html
- IC 1805, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/01/deep-in-to-my-heart-ic-1805-in-mapped.html
- IC 1396, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/01/ic-1396-wide-field-reprocessed.html
- Cassiopeia to Cepheus, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/12/from-cassiopeia-to-cepheus-eight-years.html
- Bubble to cave, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/03/from-bubble-to-cave-round-ii.html
- Sh2-205 & LBN 696, https://astroanarchy.blogspot.com/2020/03/a-two-frame-mosaic-photo-of-sharpless.html
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