Telescope: Meade 10” LX850 ACF @ f/8, Orion Atlas EQ-G

Camera: Canon EOS Ra

Filter: GSO IR Blocking Filter

Guide scope: Orion 50mm, ASI120MM Mini, PHD2

Exposure: 59x30sec, ISO 1600, saved as Raw

Darks: Internal (Long Exposure Noise Reduction On)

Flats: 32x1sec, Tee shirt flats taken at dusk

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

Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 18.0

Stacking: Mean with a 1-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: Backyard EOS, Deep Sky Stacker, Nebulosity, Photoshop

M11 is a bright and wonderfully rich open cluster just off the tail of Aquila. It is an easy binocular object that just gets keeps getting better in large telescopes. The cluster lies approximately 6000 light years away and contains an estimated 2900 stars in a volume of space about 20 light years across. The average distance between the stars in the cluster is about 1 light year, making this a very crowded neighborhood!

M11 is currently well placed in the southeast as the sky darkens.

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

Camera: Full Spectrum Modified Nikon D810, Baader Mk III MPCC

Filter: GSO IR Blocking Filter

Guide scope: Astro-Tech 60mm, ZWO ASI120MM mini, PHD2

Exposure: 11x120sec, ISO 200, saved as RAW

Darks: Internal (Long Exposure Noise Reduction On)

Flats: 32×1/2sec, Tee shirt flats taken at dusk

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

Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 18.0

Stacking: Mean with a 1-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: Backyard Nikon, Nebulosity, Photoshop

NGC 5694 is a tiny globular cluster on the border between Hydra and Libra and it never gets very high above the southern horizon from mid northern latitudes. This little globular is an interesting target for a couple of reasons. First, it is quite distant; 113,000 light years from the sun and 95,000 light years from the galactic center. Second, it is traveling and an amazing speed; 170 miles/second relative to the galactic core. At this speed the cluster is not gravitationally bound to the Milky Way and is on a hyperbolic path that will take it out into intergalactic space. Also, the chemical composition of its stars suggest that it did not originate in the galactic halo, marking NGC 5694 as an intergalactic wanderer making its one and only pass through the Milky Way.

NGC 5694 is currently low in the southwest at dusk.

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

Camera: Full Spectrum Modified Nikon D810, Baader Mk III MPCC

Filter: GSO IR Blocking Filter

Guide scope: Astro-Tech 60mm, ZWO ASI120MM mini, PHD2

Exposure: 50x60sec, ISO 200, saved as RAW

Darks: Internal (Long Exposure Noise Reduction On)

Flats: 32×1/20sec, Tee shirt flats taken at dusk

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

Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 18.4

Stacking: Mean with a 1-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: Backyard Nikon, Nebulosity, Photoshop

Like many globular clusters M5 is a relic of the early universe with an estimated age of 13 billion years. It is also one of the largest known globular clusters home to as many as 500,000 stars in a region 165 light years across. Its large size has been a major factor in its longevity. Globulars near the galactic plane slowly disperse as they lose stars to the Milky Way. However, M5 is so large that it has been able to hold on to most of its stars. At magnitude 5.7 M5 is an excellent target for small telescopes.

M5 is currently well placed high in the south at dusk. (Photo credit: John Graham, 5–30-2022)

Telescope: Meade SN10 at f/4, Orion Atlas EQ-G

Camera: Full Spectrum Modified Nikon D810

Filter: GSO IR Blocking Filter

Guide scope: Williams Optics 50mm, ASI290MM mini, PHD

Exposure: 94x30sec, ISO 200, saved as RAW

Darks: Internal (Long Exposure Noise Reduction)

Flats: 32×1/50sec, tee shirt flats taken at dusk

Average Light Pollution: Red zone, poor transparency

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

Stacking: Mean with a 1-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: Backyard Nikon, Nebulosity, Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop

M101 is a wonderful face-on spiral just north of the handle of the Big Dipper. It is also something of a monster, nearly twice the size of the Milky Way, making it one of the largest spirals known.

M101 is located high overhead at dusk.

Telescope: Unitron 155 4” f/15 refractor, Atlas EQ-G

Camera: Canon EOS Ra full frame DSLR

Filter: 2” GSO IR Cut Filter

Guide scope: Orion 50mm Guidescope, ASI120MM, PHD, Dithered every 4 subs

Exposure: 26x120sec, ISO 800, saved as RAW

Darks: Internal (Long Exposure Noise Reduction)

Flats: 32×1/80s tee shirt flats taken at dusk

Average Light Pollution: Bortle 8, poor transparency, haze

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

Stacking: Mean with a 1-sigma clip

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: Backyard EOS, Deepsky Stacker, Nebulosity, Photoshop

This is M13, the Great Cluster in Hercules. If you look carefully you can glimpse the tiny galaxy NGC 6207 (Mv 11.6) in the upper left corner as well as a dust lane to the lower left of the cluster. The dust lane is a very unusual feature for globular clusters and it is not clear if this is actually associated with M13 or simply lies in the line of sight with the cluster.

M13 currently rises in the northeast during the early evening.

Telescope: Unitron 155 4” f/15 refractor, Atlas EQ-G

Camera: Canon EOS Ra full frame DSLR

Filter: 2” GSO IR Cut Filter

Guide scope: Orion 50mm Guidescope, ASI120MM, PHD, Dithered every 4 subs

Exposure: 26x120sec, ISO 800, saved as RAW

Darks: Internal (Long Exposure Noise Reduction)

Flats: 32×1/80s tee shirt flats taken at dusk

Average Light Pollution: Bortle 8, poor transparency, haze

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

Stacking: Mean with a 1-sigma clip

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: Backyard EOS, Deepsky Stacker, Nebulosity, Photoshop

This is the first test image taken with my Unitron 155 on my Atlas EQ-G. One thing that impressed me about the 155 was the exceptionally flat field and nearly perfect star shapes across the entire field even with a full-frame camera. The shows a lot of potential for deepsky imaging as well as other tasks such as photometry and astrometry.

M3 is a beautiful example of a globular cluster in a relatively lonely stretch of sky. The cluster is a member of the galactic halo and spends much of its time orbiting well outside the plane of the galaxy. It is presently 33,000 light years away from us, 40,000 light years from the galactic core, and 33,000 light years ‘above’ the galactic plane. Home to about 500,000 stars, M3 is relatively young as globular clusters go with an estimated age of 8 billion years.

M3 is currently well placed rising in the northeast during the early evening.

Telescope: Unitron 142 3” f/15 Refractor

Camera: ZWO ASI294MC (uncooled)

Filter: Meade IR Cut Filter

Guide scope: None

Exposure: 32x10sec, Gain 200, saved as PNG

Darks: None

Flats: Synthetic

Average Light Pollution: Red zone, poor transparency, haze, low altitude

Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 18.2

Stacking: Mean with a 1-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: SharpCap Pro, Nebulosity, Photoshop

M46 is one of several relatively bright open clusters that grace the evening sky in winter and early spring. This 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. I was pleasantly surprised to see that I could capture the nebula with a 3” f/15 refractor using only 10 second subs.

M46 currently lies in the southeast during the early evening.

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

Camera: Canon EOS Ra, Baader Mk III MPCC

Filter: Orion Imaging Skyglow Filter

Guide scope: Astro-Tech 60mm, Starlight Xpress Super Star, PHD2

Exposure: 17x120sec, ISO 800, saved as RAW

Darks: Internal (Long Exposure Noise Reduction On)

Flats: 32×1/2sec, Tee shirt flats taken at dusk

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

Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 18.4

Stacking: Mean with a 1-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: Backyard EOS, Deep Sky Stacker, Nebulosity, Photoshop

M77 is the closest and brightest example of a Seyfert Galaxy. These galaxies are characterized by a bright stellar core and very strong radio emissions. It is now known that these arise from a super massive black hole at the galaxy’s core. At the core of M77 lies a black hole with an estimated mass of 11 million suns. As a radio source M77 is known as Cetus A. M77 lies about 1 degree east of the 4^th magnitude star delta Cetus making it fairly easy to locate. Through a telescope the bright core of M77 is easy to spot, but the spiral arms are quite faint.

M77 is currently located in the southern sky during the early evening.

Telescope: ES DHL Comet Hunter MN6 at f/4.8, Orion Atlas EQ-G

Camera: Baader modified Nikon D610

Filter: Orion Imaging Skyglow Filter

Guide scope: Williams Optics 50mm, ASI290MM mini, PHD

Exposure: 16x60sec, ISO 400, saved as RAW

Darks: Internal (Long Exposure Noise Reduction On)

Flats: 32×1/250sec, tee shirt flats taken at dusk

Average Light Pollution: Red zone, poor transparency

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

Stacking: Mean with a 1-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: Backyard Nikon, Nebulosity, Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop

This is a quick patrol images taken as part of a series exploring open clusters in Cassiopeia. In the center of this field is the rich open cluster NGC 663. Above and to the right is the smaller NGC 654, and to the lower right is the tiny NGC 659. The 6^th and 7^th magnitude stars to the lower right of NGC 659 make a good marker for the southern edge of this field.

NGC 654, 659, and 663 are currently high in the northeast as the sky darkens.