IC5134 ,
B29 (Updated Nov. 3, 2024)
M20![]() |
NGC6888![]() |
NGC1999![]() |
Designation: M20 Alternate Name: Trifid Nebula Constellation: Sagittarius Imaging Date: August 25, 2014 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 78 frames@20sec ~ 26.0min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 28' Comment: Compare this with my first attempt here. Obviously better focus using my trusty Bahtinov mask! Also, this is the first time that I saw a distinct improvement using dark frames, resulting in a noticeable enhancement in the extended darker rifts of the nebula. In the past, I would simply ignore the dark frames and enhance to get a comparable result. However, in this case, the extended nebulosity (with the frames) seemed to make the subtle dark rifts just jump out more readily. |
Designation: NGC6888 Alternate Name: Crescent Nebula Constellation: Cygnus Imaging Date: September 22, 2014 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 79 frames@20sec ~ 26.3min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 18' x 12' Comment: This is an emission nebula, illuminated by a massive, hot Wolf-Rayet star at its center. The complex structure is thought to be the result of a collision between the star's prodigious stellar wind and material ejected from an earlier phase in its evolution. It's expected to ultimately end in a spectacular supernova explosion. |
Designation: NGC1999 Alternate Name: T e 13t Pearl Nebula Constellation: Orion Imaging Date: February 18, 2018 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 79 frames@20sec ~ 26.3min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 1.5' x 1.5' Comment: This reflection nebula is located about 1500 light years away in Orion and is illuminated by V380 Orionis. It contains a dark T-shaped object was once thought to be a Bok globule - a cold cloud of gas, molecules and cosmic dust, that is so dense it blocks all of the light behind it. However, recent infrared images indicate the shape is likely a hole blown through the nebula itself by energetic young stars. The patch looks black not because it is an extremely dense pocket of gas, but because it is truly empty. The nebula is famous in astronomical history because the first Herbig-Haro object was discovered immediately adjacent to it. Herbig-Haro objects are now known to be jets of gas ejected from very young stars. |
NGC1977![]() |
IC434![]() |
B26,B27,B28,vdB31![]() |
Designation: NGC1977 Alternate Name: Running Man Nebula Constellation: Orion Imaging Date: January 13, 2018 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 79 frames@20sec ~ 26.3min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 20' x 20' Comment: This is a diffuse reflection nebula, found along the sword of Orion just north of M42, and is located some 1,460 light-years away. Herbig-Haro 45, an area of protostar formation is visible bottom center, and the main center area is divided by darker lanes of red glowing ionized hydrogen gas which resembles a man or ghost. Most of the scattered blue light is caused by several bright young stars – one of them the bright star 42 Ori - and each only 2 to 4 million years old. |
Designation: IC434 Alternate Name: Horse ead Nebula Constellation: Orion Imaging Date: December 25, 2012 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 87 frames@30sec ~ 43.5min Gain Setting: ISO 3200 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: Comment: I've wanted to photograph this object for over 30 years, ever since seeing it in Burhnam's Celestial Handbook oh so many years ago. I remember naively looking for it on cold winter nights with what was then my new 8 inch Edmund telescope - always defeated, but never daunted by this wondrous enigmatic object. So here it finally is. Only the Horsehead itself is visible here - even *with* a focal reducer this was the largest FOV I could get. This image consists of a grand total of 43.5 minutes exposure over 3 different nights (the last on Christmas night). Not nearly enough, but I was losing patience with the weather lately and decided to put them all together to get this! I am still not done with it - not by a long shot. |
Designation: B26,B27,B28,vdB31 Alternate Name: Dark Nebulae Constellation: Auriga Imaging Date: January 8, 2021 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 241 frames@180sec ~ 12.1hrs Gain Setting: 100 Imaging Device: ZWO ASI2600 Optics: Classic LX200 12" SCT Focal Reducer: Meade Series 4000 f/6.3 Filter: none Apparent Size: 30' x 17' Comment: This is my very first dark nebula! With over 12 hours of exposure time using my new cooled ASI2600 camera, it's no wonder I hadn't tackled this object before. This is also my first time processing one in Pixinsight - it was especially important to get the DBE to work right. For that I also incorporated flats for the first time into my workflow to try to limit the vignetting and its effect on the DBE process. I'm still struggling with star halos, but hey, making progress. I even used StarNet for the first time to try processing a starless version of this nebula, then adding the stars back in. The result wasn't bad for a my first time...you can get access to that version here. This is actually a set of three dark nebula: B26, B27 and B28, from Edward E. Barnard's 1919 catalog of dark nebulae. The dark nebulae are all due to the extensive interstellar dust clouds in this region of the sky, which stand out nicely against the background star field. The beautiful blue and yellow reflection nebula is vdB 31, the 31st object in Sidney van den Bergh's 1966 catalog, surrounding the stars AB and SU Aurigae. The hot blue star AB Aurigae is around 470 light years away, which Hubble has shown to be surrounded by a disk of material in the middle of planet formation! |
M8![]() |
NGC6960![]() |
M17![]() |
Designation: M8 Alternate Name: Lagoon Nebula Constellation: Sagittarius Imaging Date: June 26, 2015 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 68 frames@20sec ~ 22.7min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 90' x 40' Comment: My hue was off slightly after processing, but I liked the more bluish, purplish look, so I left the nebula that way. This a beautiful expanse, rivaling the Orion nebula. I was able to get more subtle detail in this image as compared to last time. Progress! |
Designation: NGC6960 Alternate Name: Western Veil Nebula Constellation: Cygnus Imaging Date: June 15, 2012 Imaging Location: Nantucket Exposure Time: 18 frames@30sec ~ 9.0min Gain Setting: ISO 3200 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: Comment: I was surprised how easily you can see the Veil...ok maybe not *that* easily, but still...It is so beautiful to see with your own eyes. A deep sky filter especially pulls it right out! |
Designation: M17 Alternate Name: Omega Nebula Constellation: Sagittarius Imaging Date: August 16, 2012 Imaging Location: Gleasondale Exposure Time: 17 frames@30sec ~ 8.5min Gain Setting: ISO 3200 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel T3i Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: Comment: This really *does* look like a swan! |
M42![]() |
Designation: M42 Alternate Name: Orion Nebula Constellation: Orion Imaging Date: January 28, 2012 Imaging Location: Concord Exposure Time: 30 frames@20sec ~ 10.0min Gain Setting: ISO 1600 Imaging Device: Canon Rebel XS Optics: LX200R 10" SCT Focal Reducer: Optec Lepus 0.62X Filter: none Apparent Size: 65' x 60' Comment: I used to be so proud of this image...my first long exposure deep sky object! My images and technique have improved considerably since then, but it does go to show you how much you can do with almost zero experience and JPG images for stacking! My most recent attemptis somewhat improved. |
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Last Updated: Nov. 12, 2024 |
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