Lunar 8 Days Old Waxing Gibbous 65% Full

Canon 30D, Vixen ED80 Refractor, Skywather EQ6 German Equatorial Mount,  61 x 1/800th Second Exposures at 200 ISO, Stacked and Enhanced in Nebulosity.

NGC 3293 (Gem Cluster) and Surrounds

Just adjacent of NGC3372 (Eta Caraine Nebula)(image center),lies this compact open star cluster, The Gem Cluster (NGC3293) and surrounding nebulosity, .  The bright tear shaped nebulosity towards the left and top of the image is NGC3324.  Both objects are 7600 Light Years distant and about 2400 Light Years in the foreground compared to the much larger aforementioned Eta Carinae Nebula.

Image acquired 26th May 2020 and consists of 21 x 5 minute frames integrated/stacked/processed in Deep Sky Stacker, Nebulosity and PhotoShop.  Taken with Modified Canon 450D, Vixen ED80 Refractor on EQ6 German Equatorial Mount.

Running Chicken Nebula IC2948

Running Chicken Nebula (IC2948) Bright Emmision Nebula,390 Light Years Distant and 8.5 Light Years wide(diameter). This nebula's field of view enevelopes IC2944  the Lamba Centaur Open Star Cluster which is much further distant at 5900 Light Years.

The bright star, Lambda Centuari, sits behind the nebula at 420 Light Years.

21 x 5 minute frames, (1 hour and 45 Minutes Integration)

Imaged 26th May 2020 with Skywatcher ED80 Refractor and Modified(Filter Removed) Canon 550D, EQ6 German Equatorial Mount.

Capture Software Cart DuCiel, PHD2 and Astro Photography Tool.

Post Processed in Deep Sky Stacker, Nebulosity and Photoshop.

Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae

Lagoon Nebula (Emmission Nebula), lower right NGC 6523/ Messier 8 containing star cluster NGC6530.  

4300 light years distant and approx 114 light years wide(diameter).

Trifid Nebula, top left NGC 6514/Messier 20.

2700 light years distant and apporx 21 light years wide(diameter)

The Trifid consists of an Emission Nebula(Red Nebulosity), a Reflection Nebula(Blue Nebulosity), a Dark Nebula(dividing the Emission Nebula into three) and also an Open Star Cluster.

15 x 5 Minute Frames ( 1 Hour 15 and Minutes Integration)

Imaged 26th May 2020 with Skywatcher ED80 Refractor and Modified Canon 550D(Filter Removed) and, EQ6 German Equatorial Mount.

Capture Software Cart DuCiel, PHD2 and Astro Photography Tool.

Post Processed in Deep Sky Stacker, Nebulosity and Photoshop.

NGC's (3576, 3579,3603) then 3590 and 3572

NGC's(3576,3579,3603) The area of larger nebulosity left of middle.

NGC3590 Small Open Star Cluster middle just right of the dark patch.

NGC 3572 The smaller nebulosity to the right

Canon 450D(Modified), Vixen ED80 Refractor and Skywatcher EQ6 Mount

Stacked and processes Nebulosity and Photoshop

 

19 Frame (Usually do 6) Eta Carinae Nebula NGC 3372 15th and 16th May 2020

The more frames you take you don't necesarily inclrease the brightness but when combined the brighter parts of the image can be enhanced without enhancing the background noise in the image making it easier to produce a clearer and more vibrant appearance.  I have up to now mostly just taken 6 shots and combined them and carried out to reasonably heavy nois e reduction in post processing.  The nineteen frames (of 24 taken over 2 nights) required on very minimal noise reduction and the nebula required much less contrast and colour enhancement.

 

Taking 'Pot Shots' between the clouds! 4th May Waxing Gibbous Moon, Eta Carinae and Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae

All three images taken with Vixen ED80 and modified Canon 450D

Waxing Gibbous Moon 

20 frames stacked and enhanced in Nebulosity

Eta Carina NGC3372

30x2 minute frames stacked and enhanced in Nebulosity

 

Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae

4x2 minute frames stacked and enhanced in Nebulosity

Clouds prevented more imaging.

Wide Field Galaxy(s) Messier 101 (Pinwheel Galaxy) iTelescope T20 New Mexico

M101, The Pinwheel Galaxy, in the constellation of Ursa Major and isn't visible in southern hemisphere skies.It  is almost 21 million light years distant, 85000 light years wide and with around  1 trillion stars.

If you zoom into the surrounding space you will see a number of more distant and fainter galaxies.

T20 is a 106mm aperture refracting telescope.  Image consistes of 6 X 5 minute exposures (Filters used- 3 Luminance and  1 each Red, Green and Blue) combined and processed with Nebulosity and Photoshop (with Astropanel).

Coma Star Cluster / Melotte 111

Loose open star cluster in Coma Berenices 288 light years distant. 

Visible in both southern and northern hemispere skies but as it's 60 degrees above the horizon at 

New Mexico and only around 20 degrees at Siding Spring it's easier to image from a more northerly position.

Black and white image (could't quite get the colour frames to combine in an appealing way)

made up of 4 frames, 12 Mins 30 sec of exposure total.

Taken with Telescope 14, iTelescope, New Mexico a 106mm aperture refracting telescope.