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M76 – Planetary Nebula in Perseus

December 16, 2020 by
M76 – Planetary Nebula in Perseus

Telescope: Meade 12” LX850 ACF @ f/8, Orion Atlas EQ-G

Camera: ZWO ASI071 MC Pro, -10C, Gain 200

Filter: Orion Imaging Skyglow Filter

Guide scope: Astro-Tech 60mm, ASI290MM Mini, PHD2

Exposure: 31x240sec, saved as FITS

Darks: 32x240s, saved as FITS

Flats: 32x1sec, Tee shirt flats taken at dawn

Average Light Pollution: Red zone, Bortle 8, poor transparency

Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 18.3 mag/arc-sec^2

Stacking: Mean with a 2-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: Nebulosity, Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop

M76 is a modest size planetary nebula in Perseus. This type of nebula forms near the end of a star’s life when the core collapses, setting off an explosion that blows off the star’s outer shell forming a bubble that can take the form of a great variety of shapes. In this example the central bar is thought to be a ring seen nearly edge-on and this relatively bright bar is the only part that is readily visible in a modest size telescope. Visually, the central bar shows two lobes that appear similar to M27, the Dumbbell Nebula in Vulpecula, and M76 is often referred to as the Little Dumbbell.

Filed Under: Deepsky Imaging

Safely Moving Heavy Gear

December 15, 2020 by
Moving an Atlas with the help of a two-wheel cart.
Setting heavy gear next to the mount.

A two-wheel cart is a handy accessory to help move heavy gear safely and comfortably. The large pneumatic tires roll well over any surface, including grass. A rope or strap holds the gear firmly in place when moving across uneven ground or over stoops.

Filed Under: Equipment

NGC 2392 – The Eskimo Nebula in Gemini

December 15, 2020 by
NGC 2392 – The Eskimo Nebula in Gemini

Telescope: Meade 12” LX850 ACF @ f/8, Orion Atlas EQ-G

Camera: ZWO ASI071 MC Pro, -10C, Gain 200

Filter: Orion Imaging Skyglow Filter

Guide scope: Astro-Tech 60mm, ASI290MM Mini, PHD2

Exposure: 74x60sec, saved as FITS

Darks: 32x60s, saved as FITS

Flats: 32x1sec, Tee shirt flats taken at dawn

Average Light Pollution: Red zone, Bortle 8, fair transparency

Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 18.6 mag/arc-sec^2

Stacking: Mean with a 2-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: Nebulosity, Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop

NGC 2392, Eskimo Nebula, is a wonderful little planetary nebula Gemini. Visually this nebula looks much like its nickname, even in a small telescope. Planetary nebulas are formed when a star sheds its outer shell as it nears the end of its life. The core collapses into a fiercely bright white dwarf whose intense radiation sets the gas aglow, often with a beautiful blue/green color. The structure of this nebula shows that it experienced several shedding events.

Filed Under: Deepsky Imaging

M97 – The Owl Nebula in Ursa Major

December 14, 2020 by
M97 – The Owl Nebula in Ursa Major

M97 – The Owl Nebula in Ursa Major

Telescope: Meade 12” LX850 ACF @ f/8, Orion Atlas EQ-G

Camera: ZWO ASI071 MC Pro, -10C, Gain 200

Filter: Orion Imaging Skyglow Filter

Guide scope: Astro-Tech 60mm, ASI290MM Mini, PHD2

Exposure: 47x240sec, saved as FITS

Darks: 32x240s, saved as FITS

Flats: 32x1sec, Tee shirt flats taken at dawn

Average Light Pollution: Red zone, Bortle 8, fair transparency

Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 18.6 mag/arc-sec^2

Stacking: Mean with a 2-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: Nebulosity, Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop

This is the 3rd of 4 first-light image taken with my new to me Meade 12” f/8 ACF from LX850 production. The sky conditions weren’t the best with only fair transparency after being poor earlier, poor seeing, and a bit of a breeze, but I wanted to assess how well my Atlas would carry this scope and how well it would guide. To keep the weight down I removed the Starlock mount from the telescope and mounted a 50mm Orion mini guider under the Losmandy rail. However, the guiding seemed to be struggling a bit, so I replaced the 50mm mini with an Astro-Tech 60mm guidescope. I found out later that this whacked the balance of the scope in both RA and dec, but it still guided fairly well. There’s a few issues with the star shapes in this image, but follow-on testing with the telescope properly balanced was excellent. Soooo, although it pushes the Atlas to its limits, this combination seems to work quite well.

M97 is a wonderful little planetary located just below the bowl of the Big Dipper. It is easy to locate, but a challenge to see from my light polluted backyard. If you look closely there are tiny galaxies scattered across the field. For example, to the lower left of the nebula is PGC 34279 (Mv 16.0) and above the nebula are PGC 2490291 (Mv 17.6) and 2490640 (Mv 17.3).

Filed Under: Deepsky Imaging

De-forking a Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope

December 13, 2020 by
A vintage Celestron C8 tripod adapter.

Interestingly, de-forking SCTs has been around as long as the SCT itself! The original owner’s manual for the 1970s vintage Celestron C8 describes how to do it and you could even buy a ‘tripod adapter’ for the C8. Nearly 50 years later the procedure is nearly the same. Briefly, you need to support the telescope so nothing falls as it comes apart. I place mine on a sturdy table covered with a towel. Start with the telescope on its base with the clutches loose. Before you start, gently scribe where the fork arm that has the dec clutch attaches to the base; this is so you can re-align this arm in case you ever re-fork the scope. On the LX200, remove the plastic cover from the bottom of the fork arm that has the dec clutch. This will give you access to the 4 bolts that hold the arm to the base. Using an Allen wrench slightly loosen these 4 bolts. You may need an extension to crack these bolts loose. Once cracked loose, snug them so the arm doesn’t move before you’re ready. Gently lean the telescope forward over the control panel and allow the telescope to pivot on the dec axis until the front of the scope and its dust cover are firmly supported on the table. Now loosen the 6 bolts (3 on each side) that hold the telescope to the fork trunnions. The middle bolt may be hard to reach and you may need to file down an Allen wrench to fit between the fork and the bolt head. Once all 6 bolts are loose, loosen the 4 bolts that hold the fork arm to the base by several turns; this will allow you to open the forks enough to slide it up and off the scope without scratching the tube. While supporting the forks to keep them from falling, carefully remove the 2 outer trunnion bolts from each side. Loosen the 3rd until it is almost out. Once this 3rd bolt comes out you’ll need to hold the mount to keep it from falling, so be careful! Carefully remove the 3rd bolt from each side while supporting the forks and then lift the fork up and off the scope. Installation is the reverse of this procedure.

Very important! Do NOT put the trunnion bolts back in the scope! They may be long enough to bear on the mirror. Instead, place them in a labeled bag and store them with the mount. Purchase a set of shorter bolts from a hardware store to plug the holes on the telescope.

The first time you de-fork a Schmidt Cassegrain can be a bit tricky, but once you’ve seen how it is done it is fairly easy. However, please proceed with caution.

Filed Under: Equipment

A 12” f/8 Meade ACF from LX850 Production

December 12, 2020 by
A 12” f/8 Meade ACF from LX850 Production
Shown with the dew shields installed

This is my new-to-me 12” f/8 Meade ACF from LX850 production after two solid nights of imaging shown with and without the dew shields installed. The weather was pretty rough and really not well suited for serious work, but I wanted to determine whether the Atlas could handle the weight of the 12”. To save weight I removed the Starlock mount from the top of the telescope and mounted a 50mm mini guider under the scope. I also used a Lepus 0.62x focal reducer to make the guiding a little more forgiving. However, I wasn’t thrilled with the initial results, so I replaced the small guider with a larger 60mm Astro-Tech guide scope and removed the focal reducer. I knew that this would shift the balance and I later found out that it was whacko off, but it still performed very well. Before starting the second night of work I reset the balance and it performed brilliantly. So, question answered; yes, the Atlas can manage the weight of the 12” if you pay close attention to the balance. The next step is to add a Reflectix insulation jacket to slow the response of the telescope to temperature changes during the night. This should reduce how fast the focus shifts as the telescope cools and shrinks. The devil is always in the details!

Filed Under: Equipment

M1 – LX850 12” f/8 ACF First-Light

December 12, 2020 by
M1 – LX850 12” f/8 ACF First-Light

Telescope: Meade 12” LX850 ACF @ f/8, Orion Atlas EQ-G

Camera: ZWO ASI071 MC Pro, -10C, Gain 200

Filter: Orion Imaging Skyglow Filter

Guide scope: Astro-Tech 60mm, ASI290MM Mini, PHD2

Exposure: (38 + 14)x240sec, saved as FITS

Darks: 32x240s, saved as FITS

Flats: 32x1sec, Tee shirt flats taken at dawn

Average Light Pollution: Red zone, Bortle 8, poor transparency

Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 18.3-18.5 mag/arc-sec^2

Stacking: Mean with a 2-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: Nebulosity, Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop

This is the first-light image taken with my new to me Meade 12” f/8 ACF from LX850 production. The sky conditions were pretty rough with poor transparency, poor seeing, and a bit of a breeze, but I wanted to assess how well my Atlas would carry this scope and how well it would guide. The source images were taken over two consecutive evenings; 38 on the 9th and 14 on the 10th. To keep the weight down I removed the Starlock mount from the telescope and mounted a 50mm Orion mini guider under the Losmandy rail. However, the guiding seemed to be struggling a bit, so I replaced the 50mm mini with an Astrotech 60mm guidescope. I found out later that this whacked the balance of the scope in both RA and dec, but it still guided quite well. Follow-on testing with the telescope properly balanced was excellent. Soooo, although it pushes the Atlas to its limits, this combination seems to work quite well.

M1, the Crab Nebula in Taurus, is a supernova remnant; the remains of a star that ended its life in one of the most violent events in nature. This particular supernova erupted in 1054 and the star became so bright that it was visible in broad daylight for 23 days. The resulting nebula is expanding so fast that the motion can be detected in images taken a few years apart. At the heart of the nebula is a pulsar; a neutron star spinning at over 30 revolutions per second.

Filed Under: Deepsky Imaging

Waning Crescent Moon – 12/9/2020, 6h30m EST

December 11, 2020 by
Waning Crescent Moon – 12/9/2020, 6h30m EST

Telescope: Meade 12” LX850 ACF @ f/8, Orion Atlas EQ-G

Camera: ZWO ASI071 MC Pro, -10C, Gain 200

Filter: Orion Imaging Skyglow Filter

Exposure: 2x(64×0.015sec), saved as FITS

Seeing: poor, 2/5

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: Nebulosity, Registax, Photoshop, Panorama Maker

This is a 2-panel mosaic taken of the waning crescent as dawn brought an end to my first night of imaging with this new to me Meade 12” f/8 LX850 ACF.  The seeing conditions were pretty rough and there was a bit of haze, but I am very happy with the result. Merging the two panels of the mosaic showed that this telescope produces a remarkable flat field providing a uniformly sharp field with almost no distortion. This is a large, fairly heavy telescope that pushes the Atlas to the edge, but it performed brilliantly all night long.

Filed Under: Solar System Imaging

NGC 891 – Edge-on Spiral Galaxy in Andromeda

December 7, 2020 by
NGC 891 – Edge-on Spiral Galaxy in Andromeda

Telescope: Astro-Tech 8” f/8 Ritchey-Chretien, Orion Atlas EQ-G

Camera: ZWO ASI071MC Pro, -10C, Gain 200, Baader Mk III MPCC

Filter: Orion Imaging Skyglow Filter

Guide scope: Astro-Tech 60mm, Meade DSI Pro II, PHD

Exposure: (38+21)x240s, saved as FITS

Darks: 32x240s, saved as FITS

Flats: 32×0.2s, sky flats taken at dusk

Average Light Pollution: Red zone, Bortle 8, poor transparency

Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 18.4-18.5 mag/arc-sec^2

Stacking: Mean with a 2-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: Nebulosity, Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop

This is NGC 891, a fairly large edge-on spiral galaxy in Andromeda. This object is difficult to see visually, but knowing what it shows photographically makes it worth the effort. The dark lane cutting across the galaxy is a band of dust and gas that tends to collect in the plane of spiral galaxy arms. The source images for this field were collected on the evenings of November 6th (38) and the 11th (21).

Filed Under: Deepsky Imaging

MVAS Celestron C11 Edge

December 7, 2020 by
MVAS Celestron C11 Edge

The club’s C11 Edge HD is now mounted on our new CGX-L mount located in the roll-off roof observatory on the grounds of the John Bryan State Park Observatory and is ready for use by our members. Please contact Qualifcations@MVAS.Org for information.

Filed Under: Equipment
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