January 22, 2025

M46 – Open Cluster in Puppis

M46 – Open Cluster in Puppis – LX850 12” f/8 ACF

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: 44x120sec, saved as FITS

Darks: 32x120s, saved as FITS

Flats: 32x1sec, Tee shirt flats taken at dawn

Average Light Pollution: Bortle 8, very poor transparency, haze, moonlight

Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 17.5 mag/arc-sec^2

Stacking: Mean with a 2-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: Nebulosity, Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop

M46 is one of several relatively bright open clusters that grace the evening sky in winter. This particular cluster also sports a beautiful little planetary nebula (NGC 2438) in the foreground. This little nebula looks quite stunning in a modest size telescope with the rich open cluster in the background.

This image was a complete surprise. The evening was pretty rough with a thin veil of haze and bright moonlight and my primary goal was to continue a set of shake-down tests on this new scope. This was one of two images that I took to check out the stability of the optical train a low altitudes and it performed very well. Getting a fairly nice image was a bonus. I was particularly interested in getting a good look at the little planetary nebula. I’m pretty happy with how this turned out, but I’d still like to try this again when it is actually clear.

M46 is currently fairly well placed rising in the southeast around 8:30 local time.

M109 – Barred Spiral Galaxy in Ursa Major

M109 – Barred Spiral Galaxy 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: 11x240sec, 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: 18.5 mag/arc-sec^2

Stacking: Mean with a 2-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: Nebulosity, Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop

This is M109, a beautiful little spiral galaxy in Ursa Major located very near the bowl of the Big Dipper. M109 is an example of a barred galaxy, named for the bar of stars that pass through the galaxy’s core from upper left to lower right. Our own Milky Way galaxy is also believed to be a barred spiral much like M109. If you look closely you can also see two satellite galaxies of M109; UGC 6969 to the left and UGC 6940 near the bottom of this field.

M81 – Spiral Galaxy in Ursa Major

M81 – Spiral Galaxy 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: 21x240sec, 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: 18.4 mag/arc-sec^2

Stacking: Mean with a 2-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: Nebulosity, Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop

I was a bit surprised at how well this turned out. The sky conditions were very poor with a fair amount of haze and very poor seeing. The result was a soft image with very low contrast. Processing recovered more detail than I thought it would and down-sampling the image helped to sharpen it a bit. Not a bad result, though I’m looking forward to trying this again under better conditions. So much to try, so few clear nights…

M81 is a beautiful spiral galaxy that is interacting with the nearby M82. The sky conditions for imaging this delicate galaxy were far from optimal, but it is still neat to see the beautiful sweeping arms tinged with blue star forming regions resulting from a close encounter with M82.

NGC 2371/2 – Planetary Nebula in Gemini

NGC 2371/2 – Planetary 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: 22x240sec, 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

NGC 2371/2 is a fascinating little planetary nebula in northern Gemini placed midway between Castor and Pollux. When this nebula was discovered it was thought that it was actually two separate objects, hence the two New General Catalog (NGC) numbers. The core nebula shows two clearly resolved lobes with two faint outer arcs. The seeing was pretty rough when this image set was taken so I down-sampled it a bit to keep it from looking too soft. I’ll be taking another look at this nebula on an evening with better seeing.

M76 – Planetary Nebula in Perseus

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.

NGC 2392 – The Eskimo Nebula in Gemini

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.

M97 – The Owl Nebula in Ursa Major

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).

M1 – LX850 12” f/8 ACF First-Light

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.

NGC 891 – Edge-on Spiral Galaxy in Andromeda

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).

M97 – The Owl Nebula in Ursa Major

M97 – The Owl Nebula in Ursa Major

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: (12+16+36+44)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: 18.0-18.4 mag/arc-sec^2

Stacking: Mean with a 2-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: Nebulosity, Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop

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. I chose this as the last target from a series of all-night imaging runs starting on the evenings of November 6, 7, 9, and 11. The sky conditions on each of these nights were relatively poor and the source images were pretty rough, but combining a total of 119 images gave a pretty nice result.  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).