3-17-2009

This has to be the one of the longest period of bad weather I've delt with for a year, 2 weeks with only 2 nights worth opening the observatory, and unfortuantly one of these nights I had a problem with my C8, :( tonight is my 1st chance to image with everything in place, still using the 80MM for imaging scope I decided to attack IC2177 the Seagull Nebula, this target is one of those southern tree dodgeing targets, I was suprised to get 24x360second sub frames, and seeing was good :)

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Camera  Canon 350D w/ir/uv modifiation
Filter 2" celestron sct lpr filter
Imaging Scope - William Optic 80MM w/.8 focal reducer, inline with 7.5MM baader spacer
Guide camera -DSI II
Imaging Software -Nebulosity v2.1
Guide Software - PHD 1sec subs
Mount - Celestron CGE
Calibration frames 30x360 dark 30x .3ms sky flats
Light Frames  24x360sec  temp 32 f  8:00 pm edt - 12am edt 12-17-2009
Stacked with Deep Sky Stacker
Processed with PhotoshopCS3 and the Noel carboni AstroTools

- Target 2 for this evening M101 Pinwheel Widefeild -

Posting to Follow

CS
John

Astronight observatory

03-25-2009

Hello everyone.. This month has not be a very production month for me due to weather and work, I am glad to get a very clear night tonight I decided to go against the grain a bit and image a area not often captured due to all the much nicer targets in the area

Located only 2.25 degree west of NGC 2264 the Xmas tree cluster in the Monoceros Milkyway Region, are two faint reflection nebula with the designataion as IC 446 and IC447, these dim objects are out shadowed by the neighboring nebual complex which inlcudes the cone nebula and fox fur nebula, and xmas tree cluster withing this image, the reddish nebula to the top of the image is part of the nebula complex

Clicking on the image loads a larger version

image Details

Captured  3-24/25-09

29x360sec light 30x360 dark 30x30ms flat

Temp 40 deg steady wind at start

seeing 9/10 Yes very rare...Just make out slight milky way at zenith :) wow

• Celestron CGE
• Celseston C8 as Guide Scope
• Image camera Modified Canon 350d 
• Guide camera - dsi pro II
• image scope WO 80mm
• captured with nebulosity and guided with phd
• Stacked with DSS stacker 
• processed with Photoshop CS 3 and Noel Carboni tools

Currenly capturing data of the Leo trio with the Wide Feild

Clear Skies Continue

Evening of June 16th 2009 Ngc 7023 Iris Nebula

Desc-Wiki

The Iris Nebula, also NGC 7023 and Caldwell 4, is a bright reflection nebula and Caldwell object in the constellation Cepheus. NGC 7023 is actually the cluster within the nebula, LBN 487, and the nebula is lit by a magnitude +7 star, SAO 19158.[1] It shines at magnitude +6.8. It is located near the Mira-type variable star T Cephei, and near the bright magnitude +3.23 variable star Beta Cephei (Alphirk). It lies 1,300 light-years away and is six light-years across.

Not many chances to image lately (weather,family needs,work)  my dome finally opens to NGC 7023 the Iris nebula for the whole evening the summer months around these parts can be unforgiving for astroimaging, and this year has been one of the worst I can remember....Rain Clouds and then Crystal Clear the night of the Full Moon....lol it never fails....knowing that my dome will be dismanted for contstruction of my pier and new deck, rain agin being forcast for a over a week

for this evening imageing, finding the target was easy since I am still using the C8 and the Celestron reducerf/63

the 1200mm focal length suited this area of sky perfectly using the Canon350D,  I also had the  astronomik CLS clip in light pollution filter in....and on this target and it's bluish color,  this  filter is a perfect fit verse the red intense of the Celestron LPR...my fav filter for summer's nebula....

so this target happen to be in the right spot at the right time and I was using the right setup

i started imaging it at sunset 9pm and ending at sunrise 4am with a total of 55 6 minute frames being used for this image, I did acquire 60 frames total....

it's been 1 month since the scope seen any sky, i'm sure new dust is going to be on the optics.... so I decided to renew my sky flats for calibration, taking 30 x30ms at iso 100

 Once done with the Sky Flats, I begin the  wait till I can see enough stars in the efinders to confirm that my alingment has not changed..what are my efinders you ask>? 

they are  two video cameras with c-mounted lens attached to them one is a  stellacamI is using a  25mm lens is mounted directly on under the C8 ota and is used to rough align and point the scope from my office chair using nextremote and a wireless media center controller.. (basically like pointing with a tv remote)

the other is the stellacamII mounted to the top of the scope and it can it be either a 4MM 12MM 75MM 100MM depending on the nights target and my chioce of view

tonight i used the 75MM and could see the nebulosity (this is helpful while targeting) they are used throughtout the night to confirm that the domes slot is not covering the primary imaging ota and to monitor for clouds and other obstructions, trees, house, extreme light pollution...etc, now the Iris nebula is not the easiest target for my location I wouldn't attempt it except on the clearest of nights,and since the weather for this run would be conisder a 7.5 out of a 10 borderline for this type of target...not many other targerts worth a whole night this was 1st pick  the Iris it was,

typical processing performed Images Stack with Deep Sky Stacker, and Processed with Photoshop CS3 and my Bag of Astro Tools and Actions

Equipment used

Celestron C8 for imaging OTA
William Optics 80 MM for Guiding OTA
Guiding cam is a M3@d3 dsi pro
Mount Celestron CGE

Software used
Capture -NebulosityGuiding -PHD Guiding
Calibration Deep Sky Stacker
Processing Photoshop CS3
Scope Control Nexremote Ascom v4 Starrynight ProPlus
Shoestring adapters for Camera  and Foscus Control
2x meade 1209 focusers

I will be back in about a month....
Clear Skies  (eventually)  ---- John

September continues to be New Englands best month for weather and this year is one of the best I can remember,
after our horrible summer these clear skies have help make up some lost time and images,,

I have been soaking up the photons,

I started the month with imaging with my widefield, going after my northeast sky targerts of cygnus, cepheus and cassiopeia, I also spent some time working on the only southern milkyway target not blocked by my southern treeline, messier 16

anything south of M16 is hidden in the trees and I cannot image any of it (such is life)

so here we go

First up is, ic1805 the heart nebula in cassiopeia, this nebula contains many intresting areas including NGC896 and Melotte 15, this image I did not like since it was not too clear the night I captured it, 

still a total of 50 6Min frames (5 Hours Exposure)

The Heart Nebula,
IC 1805, lies some 7500 light years away from Earth and is located in the Perseus arm of the Galaxy in the constellation Cassiopeia. This is an emission nebula showing glowing gas and darker dust lanes. The nebula is formed by plasma of ionized hydrogen and free electrons.

The very brightest part of this nebula (the knot at the right) is separately classified as NGC 896, because it was the first part of this nebula to be discovered.

The nebula's intense red output and its configuration are driven by the radiation emanating from a small group of stars near the nebula's center. This open cluster of stars known as Melotte 15 contains a few bright stars nearly 50 times the mass of our Sun, and many more dim stars that are only a fraction of our Sun's mass. The cluster used to contain a microquasar that was expelled millions of years ago.

Desc-Wiki

Scope William Optics 80MM W/.08 FR
Camera Canon 350d
Mount Celestron CGE
Guide Camera DSI ProII
Guide Scope Celestron C8 f6.3
Filters Celstron LPR Baader IR/UV mod camera
50x360sec Lights subs 30x360darks 30x30ms twlight flat
Stacked and Calibrated with Deep Sky Stacker
Pricessed in Photoshop CS3

The Tulip Nebula, or Sharpless 101 (Sh2-101) is an emission nebula located in the constellation Cygnus.
It is so named because it appears to resemble the outline of a tulip when imaged photographically.
It was catalogued by astronomer Stewart Sharpless in his 1959 catalog of nebulae.
It lies at a distance of about 8,000 light-years (7.6×1016 km; 4.7×1016 mi) from Earth.

Scope William Optics 80MM W/.08 FR
Camera Canon 350d
Mount Celestron CGE
Guide Camera DSI ProII
Guide Scope Celestron C8 f6.3
Filters Celstron LPR Baader IR/UV mod camera
12x360sec Lights subs 30x360darks 30x30ms twlight flat
Stacked and Calibrated with Deep Sky Stacker
Processed in Photoshop CS3

The Veil Nebula, is part of the Cygnus Loop, radio source W78, or Sharpless 103.
Other parts of the loop include the 'Eastern Veil', the 'Western Veil' or 'Witch's Broom Nebula', and Pickering's Triangular Wisp.
It is a large, relatively faint supernova remnant in the constellation Cygnus.
The source supernova exploded some 5,000 to 8,000 years ago, and the remnants have since expanded to cover an area of ~3x3 degrees;
about 6 times the diameter or 36 times the area of a full moon.
The distance to the nebula is not precisely known, with estimates ranging from 1,400 to 2,600 light-years. It was discovered on 1784 September 5 by William Herschel. He described the western end of the nebula as "Extended; passes thro' 52 Cygni... near 2 degree in length." and described the eastern end as "Branching nebulosity...
The following part divides into several streams uniting again towards the south."

Scope William Optics 80MM W/.08 FR
Camera Canon 350d
Mount Celestron CGE
Guide Camera DSI ProII
Guide Scope Celestron C8 f6.3
Filters Celstron LPR Baader IR/UV mod camera
25x360sec Lights subs 30x360darks 30x30ms twlight flat
Stacked and Calibrated with Deep Sky Stacker
Processed in Photoshop CS3