NGC2070 Tarantula Nebula and Surrounds 29th November 2021

Huge star forming region in The Large Magellanic Cloud approximately 180 000 Light Years distant.
A combination of 8 x 120 Second images.

Equipment:Vixen ED80 and Modified Canon 550D, SkyWatcher EQ6 Mount.

Acquisition Software:Cart Du Ciel, PHD2 and APT.

Post Propcessing in Nebulosity and Photoshop with Astro Panel

Rosette NGC2237 iTelescope RGBHaOiii Data

Processing Astro Pixel Processor, Light Room, Windows Editor and Nebulosity
 

Galaxy M33 using precalibrated/preintegrated data from Eric Coles TAIC

Eric Cole TAIC 

Image processed in AstroPixelProcessor

NGC7293 Helix (Planetary) Nebula iTelescope Data

This Planetary (Emission) Nebula was crreated when the white dwarf star (centre) in it's former phase as a Red Giant Star underwent core collapse when it ran out of fuel to power it's nuclear fusion.   Very large red dwarfs that undergo core collapse turn into neutron stars or black holes but this particular example had only enough mass to compress the remaining components to a densly packed object consisting of carbon, oxygen and helium all held together with electron degeneracy which counters and stops the inward gravitional push.  It's the same force that holds our bodies together without which the atmospheric pressure and gravitional pull of earth would just squash us.  During the process the outer layers are ejected into space to form the surrounding nebula.  While it's the final chapter of a dead star it is also a picturesque reminder of the laws of physics that makes our existence possible in this universe.

 24 Frames taken by iTelescope (6 Red, 6 Green, 6 Blue and 6 Luminance) Preprocessed, Stacked and combined in Astro Pixel Processor with cosmetic touch ups in Photoeshop and Nebulosity.

Large Magellanic Cloud (Using LRGB Image Set from AstroPixelProcessor Tutorial for Image Processing)

 https://www.astropixelprocessor.com/complete-lrgb-tutorial-of-ngc292-the-small-magellanic-cloud-by-christian-sasse-itelescope-net-new-version-app-1-081/

I have rediscovered Astro Pixel Processor after about a year ago when I was exerimenting with a couple of 30 day free trials for this, Astro Pixel Processor(APP), and Pix Insight.   At the time I opted to go for Pix Insight but have found it inaccessable especially without hours and hours spare to get in and learn how to use it.  I still intend to develop skill with Pix Insight but in the meantime with the advent of free monthly downloads of image sets and a series of post processing online tutorials using APP at iTelescope I have revisted this software and feel like I have made some small progress.

 

Omega Centauri and 47 Tucanae 19th March and 1st September 2021

47 Tucanae

Omega Centauri and 47 Tucanae (above) Globular Clusters are the brightest examples of such in the southern hemispere skies and are amongst the most ancient relics (cosmically speaking) that can be easily located and observed with the naked eye and small to larger aperture backyard telescopes.  On average globular clusters are aged by their coolest white dwarf stars to around 12 billion years old.  Incidentally at relatively younger age of around 8 billion years our own sun will itself become a white dwarf.   Shedding it's outer layer it will leave a dense but hot core of materials behind including what remants of our Earth are left assuming it hasn't been consumed by the previous and much larger red giant phase of our sun.

Omega Centuari has a  notably bright spherical ball like appearance and contains, as it's appearance suggests, millions of stars. Originally and mistakenly it was named for being the 24th cataloged star in the constellation of Centaurus (The Centaur).  In this same constellation the brightest star,  so named 'Alpha' Centuari (one of the two pointers to the Southern Cross), consists of a triple star system (the closest to our solar system) , a mere(cosmically speaking) and aproximate 4 light years distant or in every day terms 40 trillion kilometres hence.  Omega Centauri sits 17000 light years away above the Sagittarius Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy.  It is a wopping 272 light years wide a similar distance from Earth to Beta Centauri (The other Pointer Star).  

Like Omega Centauri, 47 Tucanae, in past centuries, it was thought to be a star and was cataloged 47th in the constellation of Tucanae (The Toucan).  Its lies 13500 light years away below the Sagittarius Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy.  It is measured at a smaller 120 lightyears in width.   In comparison to Omega Centauri, 47 Tucanae has a notably denser central core but petering out into the blackness of space with a less dense appearance on the periphery. 

You can make sense of the relative positions in the sky of these two globular clusters, one above and one below the  plain of the galaxy when we see the southern portion of the Milky Way, containing the Southern Cross and many other stars, nebulae etc, intersecting between the two objects.   

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega_Centauri

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globular_cluster

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/47_Tucanae

Sky Safari Pro 6 App Object Info

Omega Centauri 

Image captured 19th March 2021, 10x60 Second Exposure, ISO 1600, Modified Canon 450D and  Skywatcher EQ6 Mount.   Autogided PHD Meade DSI2 Colour and 50mm GuideScope.  Processed Nebulosity and Photoshop 31st August 2021.

 

M16 The Eagle Nebula 10th July 2021

 

6x  2 Minute Frames(12 Minutes total) taken withCanon 450D, Modified, Skywatcher ED80 and EQ6 Mount(Belt Modified), Multistar Guiding with PHD with Meade DSI2C and 50mm guidescope.  cked and processed with  Astro Pixel Processor and Photoshop

Below is a previous process of the same raw frames using Nebulosity and Photoshop

Below is an RGB Image processed from frames taken from a 20 Inch Telescope and a SBIG that I downloaded as part of a Astro Pixel Processor (Image Post Processing Software) Online Seminar. The signal and colour contrast compared to my One Shot Colour 80mm refractor image above is quite striking!

IC1318 The Sadr Region /Gamma Cygni Nebula in Cygnus T68 and T20 iTelescope New Mexico 16th June 2021 (The Northern (reminiscent of) NGC3372 Eta Carinae)

 

Wide Field Carinae NGC3372 NGC3324 and Gem Cluster T8 iTelescope Siding Spring 16th May 2021

 

The Trifid and Lagoon Nebulae in the Constellation Sagittarius 12th May 2021

These remarkable nebulae are close together both within a field of view of 2 degrees and in distance from Earth (4300 light years for the Lagoon Nebula bottom right and 5200 light years for the Trifid Nebula, top left.  Both are bright enough to be directly observed through the eyepiece but long exposure astrophotography and the accompanying post processing techniques make them stand out especially with the varied colour of the smaller Trifid Nebula.    

 

The image is made up of 14 x 2 minute exposures taken with a  modified (for astrophotography) Canon 450D Camera and Skywatcher  ED80(mm) Refractor Telescope.  Image processing with Deep Sky Stacker, Nebulosty, Photoshop CC and Astropanel.

IC 2948 The Running Chicken in Hubble Pallette Colours with further processing in Astro Pixel Processor

Second Process with  preprocessing and stacking  in Asto Pixel Processor and star reduction in Photoshop.

Second Process with  preprocessing and stacking  in Asto Pixel Processor and star removal in Photoshop.

First process with stacking in Nebulosity and combination in Photoshop

Running Chicken. T8 at Coonabarabran.  Takahashi FSQ ED 106mm Refractor and FLI  Monochrome Camera plus filters for Hubble Colour Pallette(HA Hydrogen Alpha, OIII Oxygen 3 and SIII Sulphur 3)

NGC 6231 and IC 4628 in Scorpius

Combined shot each IC4628(Nebula lower left) and NGC6231(Open Star Cluster upper right) taken with a Skywatcher ED80 and modified Canon 450D on an EQ6 mount.

2 Images each consisting of 6 x 120 second frames stacked in Nebulosity and merged and further processing in Photoshop.

Below a wide field image of the Tail of Scorpius taken with Canon 1100D with a 50mm lens.  NGC6231 and IC4628 are situated at the top and centre.
 

Macquarie Heads Tasmania 7th April 2021

Early Evening with The Emu Rising Left and the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds Right.  30 Seconds Canon760D and Tokina 11-16mm Lens, Canon DPP and Photoshop.

1169 30 Second Frames Canon760D and Tokina 11-16mm Lens, Canon DPP and Virtual Dub

Crux and CoalSack.  5x 60 seconds (5 Minutes) Canon1100D and 50mm Lens, tracking Vixen Polaire.  Nebulosity and Photoshop.

Crux and Pointers.  5x 60 seconds (5 Minutes) Canon1100D and 50mm Lens, tracking Vixen Polaire.  Nebulosity and Photoshop.

Sagittarius. 5x 60 seconds (5 Minutes) Canon1100D and 50mm Lens, tracking Vixen Polaire.  Nebulosity and Photoshop.

Sagittarius.  5x 60 seconds (5 Minutes) Canon1100D and 50mm Lens, tracking Vixen Polaire.  Nebulosity and Photoshop.

Sagittarius.  5x 60 seconds (5 Minutes) Canon1100D and 50mm Lens, tracking Vixen Polaire.  Nebulosity and Photoshop.

Scorpius.  5x 60 seconds (5 Minutes) Canon1100D and 50mm Lens, tracking Vixen Polaire.  Nebulosity and Photoshop.  Trailing from Epsilon Scorpii (Wei),  the yellow star top left, to top centre Mu1 Scorpii, top right Zeta 1 Scorpii and the star Cluster Ngc6231 and Nebula IC4628.  Trailing further down the right side the yellow Eta Scorpii and then the bright white Sargas(Origins of this name now lost in time).  The bottom four from right to left, Iota Scorpii,  Girtab and the finally the 'Stinger' Shaula and Lasath.   Girtab and Shaula form a triangle with the Globular Cluster Ngc6441.  Finally two bright open star Clusters, one bottom centre Messier 7 or the Ptolemy Cluster and bottom left Messier 6 or the Butterfly Cluster.  Canon 1100D with 50mm Lens.  Image is a stacked combination of 5 x 1 Minute exposures tracking on  a Vixen Polaire.

 

Eta Carinae Test Shot Quick Process - Post Belt Modification EQ6

 NGC 3372 (2 X 5min exposures) Canon 450D(Mod) Processed in Nebulosity. The  Mount is an old black Skywatcher EQ6 Modified a few years back for Goto and now this year a Belt Drive Modification.

Eta Carinae and Tarantula Nebulae and The Sprinter Cluster Tuesday 17th March

Canon 450D and Vixen ED80 on SW EQ6 Mount

 each around 20 x 120 Sec  Stacked in Nebulosity and enhanced in Photoshop

  

M42 Orion Imaged Friday 19th March

Great Orion and  Running Man Nebulae Canon 450D and Vixen ED80 on SW EQ6 Mount

20 x 5 Sec(for Trapezium Stars) and 20 x 120 Sec  Stacked in Nebulosity and combined in Photoshop

 

M16 The Eagle Nebula from 20th August 2020

Canon 30D Multiple 2 minute exposures stacked/combined and processed in Nebulosity and further enhancement with Astropanel in Photoshop.