Astro: Select Pictures

Moon mosaic - my very first mosaic in fact. Only a little corner is missing.

2018-10-21, 8“ Newton, ASI 120MC. FireCapture, AutoStakkert 3, AutoStitch, GIMP.

N200/1000 on EQ6 with Baader solar filter, 2015-03-20.

I stored all 98 individual shots in +- the same brightness/contrast and cut them out more or less similarly. Then I opened them as layers in GIMP, where I then aligned them. Finally, I did a final crop, scaled to 25% and saved them as animated GIF. Since the shots were not taken at regular intervals, the apparent speed is not consistent throughout. The first shots were taken in difficult conditions through clouds, which is why they look rather crappy - it was only later that I had free view and could properly focus with the help of that single sunspot.

Coronado PST on LX75, ASI 120MC, 2018-06-20.

FireCapture, AutoStakkert, Registax, GIMP.

N200/1000 on EQ6, ASI120MC, 2018-06-16.

Movie captured with FireCapture, stacked with AutoStakkert, post-processed in GIMP 2.10.

The Panstarrs comet was first visible from south of the equator, but became visible (weather permitting) as of mid march 2013. On april 1st, I finally got to see it - and take this picture. N200/1000 on EQ6, EOS 400D. 2013-04-01.

In the big dipper, Comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresak. EOS450Da, 50mm lens. 30x120s f/5 ISO1600. 2017-03-25

Milky way, from Perseus (bottom) to Cygnus (top).

EOS 500D, StarAdventurer, Canon 10-18mm @10mm. 2015-06-27

Milky way, Cassiopeia (part, left) via Cygnus to Aquipla (right), including Lyra, Delphinus, Vulpecula, Sagitta, …

EOS 500D, StarAdventurer, Canon 10-18mm @10mm. 2015-06-27

Milky way, from Cygnus (top) via Aquila to Sagittarius (bottom), including Sagitta, Delphinus, Scutum,…

EOS 500D, StarAdventurer, Canon 10-18mm @17mm. 2015-06-27

Cassiopeia with milky way clouds.

EOS 500D, StarAdventurer, Canon 50mm. 2015-06-27

Milky way above Sagittarius

EOS 500D, StarAdventurer, Canon 50mm. 2015-06-27

Milky way above Sagittarius

EOS 500D, StarAdventurer, Canon 50mm. 2015-06-27

Central Milky way from Cassiopeia to Aquila

EOS 500D, StarAdventurer, Canon 10-18mm @10mm, 5x 60s 2015-07-10

Lower wing of the Swan

EOS 450Da, StarAdventurer, Canon 50mm f/1.8 @f/4, 11x 60s ISO1600. 2017-05-26

From Eagle to Lagoon nebula (via Swan, Trifid) The bright “star” to the right of the Lagoon nebula is Saturn.

EOS 450Da, StarAdventurer, Canon 50mm f/1.8 @f/4, 4x 60s ISO1600. 2017-05-26

To the left of Deneb (Cygnus) towards Lacerta and Cepheus.

EOS 450Da, StarAdventurer, Canon 50mm f/1.8 @f/4, 10x 60s ISO1600. 2017-05-26

The Scorpion, with “tentacles” coming from the Milky Way.

EOS 450Da, StarAdventurer, Canon 50mm f/1.8 @f/4, 11x 60s ISO1600. 2017-05-26

M1, the Crab nebula, is located in Taurus. This was my first attempt at picturing it.

Stacked in regim, post-processed in RawTherapee and GIMP. EOS500D, EQ6, N200/1000. 2013-

M3 is located between Arcturus (Bootes) and Cor Caroli (Canes Venatici), a bit closer to Arcturus but belonging to CVe. This image comes from a stack of 30 pictures of 30s each, cropped to M3 itself.

EOS 450D, EQ6, N200/1000. 2014-03-28.

9x 10s at ISO 1600, 1 dark. 2013-06-07

As Scorpius doesn't rise very high into our skies, I had to take this picture as M4 was not much above the horizon, in a quite visible orange haze - which is also the reason for the rather short individual exposures. Thanks to post-processing, I can offer this halfway decent picture.

2015-07-10

The Lagoon nebula is located to the upper right of Sagittarius' teapot, a brighter neighbor to the Trifid nebula.

4x 30s at ISO 800. 2013-05-27

A classic in Hercules. This target also was one of my first attempts at using the N200/1000 on the EQ6, but the result wasn't exactly satisfying at that point, this one is helped by about 9 months of experience.

91x 30s at ISO1600. 2014-06-21

A beauty in the constellation of Serpens, near Scutum and Sagittarius. The “pillars of creation” are well-known from Hubble Space Telescope pictures. So far probably my best picture.

2015-07-10

The Swan or Omega nebula is located slightly below the M16 Eagle nebula.

91x 30s at ISO1600. 2014-06-25

The trifid nebula is a beautiful blue/red right next to Sagittarius, in close proximity to the lagoon nebula.

N200/1000 on EQ6, EOS 500D. 14x 30s at ISO 1600, 2 dark frames. 2013-06-07

This picture actually got taken the very first time I've located M27 at all. I've been quite impressed with the result, of course helped by previous experience with other objects. For next tries, I'll probably experiment with a Barlow lens and OIII filters, and of course a longer series.

This is a single shot at the Andromeda galaxy (M31 in the Andromeda constellation), an early try. The EQ6 mount was imperfectly aligned, as it was only my 2nd attempt at using it. EOS 400D, N200/1000, 2012-09-07.

By contrast, a shot using an newly acquired, if used, ED80, aided by some experience:

2015-07-10

More progress with the ED80 2018-08-18

Orion nebula, M42 in the Orion constellation.

This is a stack of a number of raw pictures incl. 2-3 dark frames, post-processed using regim and rawtherapee. The EQ6 mount was aligned via pole finder, Canon EOS 400D and N200/1000. 2013-03-13.

Praesepe, open cluster M44 in the Cancer constellation.

Stack of several raw pictures, post-processed in regim and rawtherapee. EOS 400D, EQ6, N200/1000. 2013-03-13.

Pleiades, M45 in the Taurus constellation.

Stack of several raw pictures. Post-processing with regim and rawtherapee, making sure one could see a bit of the nebulas around the main stars. EOS 400D, EQ6, N200/1000. 2013-03-13.

M46 open cluster in Puppis, including the planetary nebula NGC2438. N200/1000, NEQ6, EOS450Da. 6x600s ISO400. 2017-01-21

Site: Beidweiler Donatus chapel.

The Whirlpool galaxy is actually a combination of two galaxies, M51a (aka NGC 5194) and NGC 5195. N200/1000 on EQ6, EOS 400D. 2013-04-01.

Whirlpool galaxy, near the handle of the big dipper. Single shot of 600s at ISO1600, ED80 + TV0.8 + EOS450Da + MGEN. 2017-04-29

M52 is a star cluster above the right arm of Cassiopeia's W. N200/1000 on NEQ6, EOS450Da, MPCC III. 2015-12-04. 16x 120s ISO1600, regim, GIMP 2.9.

This is a stack of a few JPG images of the ring nebula (M57, a planetary nebula in the Lyra constellation). EOS 400D, EQ6, N200/1000. It would need more focal length to appear larger in the picture, which of course would need better mount orientation etc. 2012-10-22.

3x 30s at ISO 800, cropped. N200/1000 on EQ6, EOS 500D.

2013-05-27

Needs work on the color end…

3x 30s at ISO1600, cropped. N200/1000 on EQ6, EOS450D, Baader MPCC coma corrector. 2014-07-03. Compared to the previous picture, you see the difference a year of experience with post-processing can make, of course helped by a doubled ISO value and the fact the EOS450D is astro-modded. Note that this is not even a properly done picture, but a very few simple test shots.

Sunflower galaxy in Canes Venatici. N200/1000, EQ6, EOS450Da, MGEN. 16x480s ISO800. 2017-04-20

Site: Ielwen

M64 black eye galaxy, Coma Berenices. 9x 600s ISO1600, ED80 + TV0.8 + EOS450Da + MGEN, 2017-04-29

Site: between Eschdorf and Merscheed.

M65 and M66, locate near the hind leg of Leo. This is a stack of 30 pictures à 20 seconds, 5 dark frames. N200/1000 on EQ6, EOS 400D. 2013-04-14.

15x 30s at ISO 800, 3 dark frames. N200/1000 on EQ6, EOS 400D. 2013-05-27

This pictures shows the need for flat frames - they help computing out the vignetting effect which is very clearly seen here.

4x 30s at ISO 1600. N200/1000 on EQ6, EOS 500D. 2013-06-07

While searching for the Dumbbell nebula, I also discoverd this cluster. So after being done with the series of the Dumbbell nebula, I went for a few pictures of this one. Sagitta being located smack in the Milky Way, this makes for an impressive starry background.

15x 30s at ISO 1600, 3 dark frames. N200/1000 on EQ6, EOS 500D. 2013-06-07

My first attempt at taking a picture of these two was helped by previous experience, I'm happy enough with the result. Of course, for further attempts, I'll take a longer series of pictures. I may also experiment with filters.

A picture from 2017-01-16 using the N200/1000 on NEQ6, EOS450Da. 21x180s ISO400. Site: my back yard.

A nova 2014J has appeared in the Cigar galaxy mid-january 2014, here it is (not properly color-corrected).

M101 Pinwheel galaxy. ED80, NEQ6, EOS450Da, MGEN. 8x480s ISO800. 2017-03-25

19x 20s at ISO 1600, 3 dark frames. N200/1000 on EQ6, EOS 500D. 2013-06-02

This is my first attempt at the Sombrero galaxy, from Limpach. Conditions were not entirely optimal, also I didn't get the focus 100%. For the second try, I had lights (of Ielwen) shining into Virgo / Corvus, thus no point even trying to picture this one.

4x 600s at ISO 1600. ED80 on EQ6 with TeleVue 0.8 reducer/flattener, EOS 450Da, MGEN autoguider. 2017-04-29

Site: between Eschdorf and Merscheit. The sky was comparatively dark, the individual exposure of 10 minutes at ISO1600 was exceptional - and at the limit for an object this low over the horizon.

California nebula (NGC 1499) in Perseus. Stacked in regim, post-processed in GIMP. Astro-modded EOS 450D, EQ6, FH80/400. 2014-

Flame nebula (NGC 2024) to the left, Horsehead nebula (Barnard 33, IC 434) to the right. Both are located in the Orion constellation, next to the left star (Alnitak) of Orion's belt.

This is a stack of several raw pictures incl. a couple of dark frames, post-processed using regim and rawtherapee. EOS 400D, EQ6, N200/1000. 2013-03-13.

Open Cluster NGC 2244 surrounded by the Rosette nebula, in Monoceros (to the lower right of Gemini, on a line from Betelgeuse to Procyon).

Stacked in regim, post-processed in GIMP. EOS 450D, EQ6, FH80/400. 2014-

NGC 2359 Thor's Helmet in Canis Major. N200/1000, NEQ6, EOS450Da. 18x120s ISO1600. 2017-01-21

Site: Beidweiler Donatus chapel

NGC6888 Crescent nebula in Cygnus. N200/1000, NEQ6, EOS 450Da, MGEN. 20x300s ISO800. 2017-06-19 First real use of “random displacement” of the MGEN.

NGC 6946 in Cepheus. This one recently had a supernova. Single shot 480s ISO1600, N200/1000, EOS450Da. 2017-05-26

Site: Beidweiler Donatus chapel

NGC 6960 Western Veil nebula, in the lower wing of Cygnus.

Stacked in regim, post-processed in GIMP. EOS 450D, EQ6, N200/1000. 2015-06-27

Stacked in regim, post-processed with fitswork and GIMP. 26x 120s ISO1600, EOS 450D, EQ6, Televue 0.8 reducer, ED80. 2015-07-17

Western Veil NGC 6960 (top), Eastern Veil NGC 6992 (bottom), Pickering's Triangle (middle). Stacked in DeepSkyStacker, post-processed with GIMP and fitswork. Narrowband processed as bicolor. ASI 1600 MMPro, Canon 200mm f/2.8, NEQ6. 2019-07-25.

North America nebula NGC 7000 and Pelican nebula next to Deneb in Cygnus. Canon EOS 6D with Canon 200mm f/2.8 on SkyWatcher StarAdventurer. Stacked using siril, post-processing with fitswork and GIMP. 122x 1min.

NGC 7023 Iris nebula, in Cepheus. This is the very first time I tried for this object.

Single shot 480s ISO800. EOS 450Da, NEQ6, N200/1000. 2017-05-26

Site: Donatus chapel, Beidweiler

Flaming Star (IC 405) nebula in Auriga.

Stacked in regim, post-processed in GIMP. EOS 450D, EQ6, N200/1000. 2014-

Horsehead nebula (Barnard 33, IC 434).

Stack of several raw images, post-processed in rawtherapee. EOS 400D, EQ6, N200/1000. 2013-03-03.

Stacked in regim, post-processed with fitswork and GIMP. 4x 120s ISO1600 f/2.8, EOS 450Da, EQ6, 200mm f/2.8 L. 2015-07-17

Stacked in regim, post-processed with fitswork and GIMP. 43x 120s ISO1600, EOS 450Da, EQ6, ED80/600 with TeleVue 0.8 reducer/flattener. 8 darks, 12 flats. 2015-08-21

ED80, TV0.8 flattener/reducer, MGEN II, EOS 450Da.

Stacked in regim, post-processed with fitswork and GIMP 2.9.

10x600s @ISO800 + 1x300s @ISO1600, darks, flats, bias. 2016-10-05

N200/1000 on NEQ6, MPCC III, EOS 450Da.

Stacked in DeepSkyStacker, post-processed with fitswork and GIMP. 67x 2min. 2019-08-23

4x 15s at ISO 1600, 1 dark frame. N200/1000 on EQ6, EOS 500D. 2013-06-07

I'm not entirely happy with the colors, but you do notice the difference between the reddish Albireo A and the blue-green Albireo B.

5x 30s at ISO 1600. N200/1000 on EQ6, EOS 500D. 2013-06-07

Here I tried for (part of) the nebula next to Deneb, but I'm quite happy with this star field too. Deneb is the bright one to the upper right.