Saturday, December 29, 2012

M1 Crab Nebula


The Crab Nebula is a supernova remnant in the constellation of Taurus. The nebula was observed by John Bevis in 1731; it corresponds to a bright supernova recorded by Arab, Chinese and Japanese astronomers in 1054. Total of 18.5 hour exposure taken through emission line filters.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

IC434


Optics:  Deep Sky Instruments RC10C
Mount:  Astro-Physics AP900GTO
Camera:   SBIG ST2K XM
Guiding Camera:  SBIG ST-i
Filters Astrodon  S2, Ha & O3
Location:  Deerlick Astronomy Village & Roswell Georgia

Exposure Details
S2 = 660 Minutes (mapped to red)
Ha = 405 Minutes (mapped to green)
O3 = 210 Minutes (mapped to blue)
All sub-exposures were 15 Minutes.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

NGC7000



After raking the fall leaves as a small boy I use to spend time daydreaming and looking at the clouds - forming familiar shapes of animals and objects - usually from the books that I was reading or from places we visited.  The same way I use to daydream as a child – I find myself “night” dreaming while at the telescope.  This one reminds me of a palm tree bending in the oceans breezes.  As an “older” boy now it is nice to remember those younger days. 

This photograph is a small 22 x 30 arc minute view of the North America Nebula.  NGC7000 is a  emission nebula located in the constellation Cygnus close to the star Deneb and about 1800 light years distance.   This dim nebula is quite large covering an area larger than four full moons and was discovered by William Herschell on October 24, 1786.  



Optics:  Deep Sky Instruments RC10C
Mount:  Astro-Physics AP900GTO
Camera:   SBIG ST2K XM
Guiding Camera:  SBIG ST-i
Filters Astrodon  S2, Ha & O3
Location:  Deerlick Astronomy Village & Roswell, Georgia

Two Part Mosaic Total Exposure Details
S2 = 1440 Minutes (mapped to red)
Ha = 300 Minutes (mapped to green)
O3 = 1050 Minutes (mapped to blue)
All sub-exposures were 15 Minutes.
Total Exposure Time 46.5 Hours

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

NGC 6888


It was wonderful to see the stars the last few nights. The air was calm, cool with low humidity, the skies steady – perfect weather for imaging!

The Crescent Nebula (also known as NGC 6888, Caldwell 27, Sharpless 105) is an emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus, about 5000 light years away from our home planet. .

Optics:  Deep Sky Instruments RC10C
Mount:  Astro-Physics AP900GTO
Camera:   SBIG ST2K XM
Guiding Camera:  SBIG ST-i
Filters Astrodon  Ha and O3
Location:  Roswell, Georgia

Exposure Details:
Ha = 330 Minutes (mapped to red)
O3 = 480 Minutes (mapped to blue & green)

Friday, July 20, 2012

NGC4725



As the weather continues to be “Stormy” along the southeast, my hopes of finishing this picture are dwindling.  Looks like I’ll add it to the list of shots to complete on the spring next year.   NGC 4725 is an intermediate barred spiral galaxy about 40 million light-years away from our home planet in the constellation Coma Berenices.
Optics:  Deep Sky Instruments RC10C
Mount:  Astro-Physics AP900GTO
Camera:   SBIG ST2K XM
Guiding Camera:  SBIG ST-i
Filters Astrodon  Ha & Luminance
Location:  Deerlick Astronomy Village & Roswell, Georgia

Exposure Details
Ha = 840 Minutes
Luminance= 210 Minutes 


Larger version below:



Thursday, July 5, 2012

NGC6992



The eastern portion (NGC 6992) of the Veil Nebula is a cloud of heated and ionized gas and dust in the constellation Cygnus.  This four picture mosaic only represents a small portion of this wonderful area of the sky.
Optics:  Deep Sky Instruments RC10C
Mount:  Astro-Physics AP900GTO
Camera:   SBIG ST2K XM
Guiding Camera:  SBIG ST-i
Filters Astrodon  Ha and O3
Location:  Roswell, Georgia

Exposure Details:
Four part mosaic - Total exposure time of 27.5hrs
Ha = (mapped to red)
O3 = (mapped to blue & green)

Thursday, April 26, 2012

M51


M51 (Whirlpool Galaxy) and its companion NGC5195 galaxy are located 23 million light years away in the constellation Canes Venatici.  The red/pink areas of the galaxy are star forming HII regions.


Optics:  Deep Sky Instruments RC10C
Mount:  Astro-Physics AP900GTO
Camera:   SBIG ST2K XM
Guiding Camera:  SBIG ST-i
Filters Astrodon  S2, Ha & O3
Location:  Deerlick Astronomy Village & Roswell Georgia

Exposure Details
Ha = 435 Minutes (mapped to red)
L = 310 Minutes
RGB = 200 Minutes Bin 2x2

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

M16


Lots of wind and cold weather at DAV this weekend, but I was finally able to get enough data to finish M16.

Young star cluster M16 is surrounded by clouds of cosmic dust and glowing gas also known as The Eagle Nebula.  The Eagle Nebula is part of a diffuse emission nebula, or H II region, which is catalogued as IC 4703. This region of active current star formation is about 6,500 light-years distant in the Constellation Serpens.

Optics:  Deep Sky Instruments RC10C
Mount:  Astro-Physics AP900GTO
Camera:   SBIG ST2K XM
Guiding Camera:  SBIG ST-i
Filters Astrodon  S2, Ha & O3
Location:  Deerlick Astronomy Village

Exposure Details
S2 = 240 Minutes (mapped to red)
Ha = 195 Minutes (mapped to green)
O3 = 165 Minutes (mapped to blue)
All sub-exposures were 15 Minutes.

Friday, April 20, 2012

NGC2237



Radiation from young stars in NGC2237 makes the nebula shine by exciting its atoms to emit radiation. The dark nebula, consisting of cooler gases and dust, is highlighted against this glowing background.  This picture is a small 22’x16’ arc minute view of a portion of the Rosette Nebula located 5,200 light years away from our home in the Constellation Monoceros. 

Optics:  Deep Sky Instruments RC10C
Mount:  Astro-Physics AP900GTO
Camera:   SBIG ST2K XM
Guiding Camera:  SBIG ST-i
Filters Astrodon  S2, Ha & O3
Location:  Roswell, Georgia

Exposure Details
S2 = 345 Minutes (mapped to red)
Ha = 180 Minutes (mapped to green)
O3 = 180 Minutes (mapped to blue)
All sub-exposures were 15 Minutes.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

M76



The Little Dumbbell Nebula, also known as Messier 76, is a planetary nebula located 2,500 light years away in the constellation Perseus.

Optics:  Deep Sky Instruments RC10C
Mount:  Astro-Physics AP900GTO
Camera:   SBIG ST2K XM
Guiding Camera:  SBIG ST-i
Filters Astrodon  Ha, O3, Red, Green and Blue
Location:  Roswell, Georgia

Exposure Details
Ha = 510 Minutes (mapped to green)
O3 = 360 Minutes (mapped to blue)
RGB = 30 Minutes for Star Color

Friday, April 6, 2012

M82



Messier 82 (also known as NGC 3034, Cigar Galaxy or M82) is a nearby starburst galaxy about 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major.

Optics:  Deep Sky Instruments RC10C
Mount:  Astro-Physics AP900GTO
Camera:   SBIG ST2K XM
Guiding Camera:  SBIG ST-i
Filters Astrodon:  Luminance, Red, Green and Blue
Location:  Deerlick Astronomy Village

Exposure Details
L = 210 Minutes
RGB = 240 Minutes Bin 2x2
Ha = 540 Minutes (mapped to red

Friday, March 30, 2012

M13



M13 is a Globular Cluster of about 300,000 stars located in the constellation Hercules.

Optics:  Deep Sky Instruments RC10C
Mount:  Astro-Physics AP900GTO
Camera:   SBIG ST2K XM
Guiding Camera:  SBIG ST-i
Filters Astrodon:  Luminance, Red, Green and Blue
Location:  Deerlick Astronomy Village

Exposure Details
L = 210 Minutes
RGB = 260 Minutes Bin 2x2
All sub-exposures were 10 Minutes.

Monday, March 5, 2012

IC443



IC443 is a super nova remnant located about 5,000 light years away in the constellation Gemini. 

Optics:  Deep Sky Instruments RC10C
Mount:  Astro-Physics AP900GTO
Camera:   SBIG ST2K XM
Guiding Camera:  SBIG ST-i
Filters Astrodon  S2, Ha & O3
Location:  Roswell, Georgia

Exposure Details
S2 = 240 Minutes (mapped to red)
Ha = 345 Minutes (mapped to green)
O3 = 360 Minutes (mapped to blue)
All sub-exposures were 15 Minutes.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

SH2-252



SH2-252 is an emission nebula located about 6,350 light years away in the constellation Orion. 

Optics:  Deep Sky Instruments RC10C
Mount:  Astro-Physics AP900GTO
Camera:   SBIG ST2K XM
Guiding Camera:  SBIG ST-i
Filters Astrodon  S2, Ha & O3
Location:  Roswell, Georgia

Exposure Details
S2 = 420 Minutes (mapped to red)
Ha = 270 Minutes (mapped to green)
O3 = 255 Minutes (mapped to blue)
All sub-exposures were 15 Minutes.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

M97



M97 also known as the “Owl Nebula” is a planetary nebula located in the constellation Ursa Major.  


Optics:  Deep Sky Instruments RC10C
Mount:  Astro-Physics AP900GTO
Camera:   SBIG ST2K XM
Guiding Camera:  SBIG ST-i
Filters Astrodon  Ha & O3
Location:  Roswell, Georgia

Exposure Details
Ha = 240 Minutes (mapped to red)
O3 = 195 Minutes (mapped to blue and green)

Thursday, January 5, 2012

M81



A work in progress!

Optics:  Deep Sky Instruments RC10C
Mount:  Astro-Physics AP900GTO
Camera:   SBIG ST2K XM
Guiding Camera:  SBIG ST-i
Filters Astrodon  Ha
Location:  Roswell, Georgia

Exposure Details
Ha = 555 Minutes (15 min sub frames)