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

Camera: Baader modified Nikon 610; Gain: 200

Filter: High Point 2” IR Blocking Filter

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

Exposure: 42x60sec (3/19) + 15x120s (3/20), saved as RAW

Darks: Internal (Long Exposure Noise Reduction On)

Flats: 32×1/4sec, tee shirt flats taken at dusk

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

Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 18.2 mag/arc-sec^2

Stacking: Mean with a 2-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. This field also shows several other galaxies, some of which are satellites of M101. At the bottom of the field in NGC 5474, a dwarf spiral. At the top of the field is a tiny edge-on spiral, NGC 5422.

M101 is a circumpolar object that never sets from mid-northern latitudes. It rises with the handle of the Big Dipper and is visible in the northeast in the early evening and is high overhead at midnight.

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

Camera: Baader modified Nikon 610

Filter: High Point 2” IR Blocking Filter

Guide scope: Williams Optics 50mm, ASI290MM mini, PHD2

Exposure: 35x120sec, Gain 200, saved as RAW

Darks: Internal (Long Exposure Noise Reduction On)

Flats: 32×1/4sec, tee shirt flats taken at dusk

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: Backyard Nikon, Nebulosity, Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop

Markarian’s Chain is a distinctive arc of galaxies that are within the Virgo Cluster; a cluster that is not made up of a group of stars, but a cluster of galaxies! The elliptical galaxies M84 and M86 are the most prominent members at the lower right with the other members of the Chain sweeping along an arc to the upper left ending in this field with the spiral galaxy NGC 4477. The Virgo galaxy cluster is a fascinating group that you could spend a lifetime exploring. The region is so rich the problem isn’t finding targets, it is telling one galaxy from another!

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

Camera: Baader modified Nikon 610

Filter: High Point 2” IR Blocking Filter

Guide scope: Williams Optics 50mm, ASI290MM mini, PHD2

Exposure: 14x120sec, Gain 200, saved as RAW

Darks: Internal (Long Exposure Noise Reduction On)

Flats: 32×1/4sec, tee shirt flats taken at dusk

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

Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 18.2 mag/arc-sec^2

Stacking: Mean with a 2-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

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

This is M81 (bottom) and M82 (top), two bright spiral galaxies lying about 12 million light years away in Ursa Major. At present, these two galaxies are about 150,000 light years apart, though a few hundred million years ago the two passed very close to each other. The dark dust lane slashing across M82 is one result of this close encounter with M81 as are the blue star formation regions in M81. To the lower left is NGC 3077, another spiral galaxy. Visually, M81 shows its pearly core while M82 clearly shows prominent dark lanes cutting across its silhouette.

M81 and M82 are circum polar objects and therefore never set from mid-northern latitudes. This time of year they are fairly well placed in the northeast during the late evening and are high overhead after midnight.

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

Camera: Baader modified Nikon 610

Filter: High Point 2” IR Blocking Filter

Guide scope: Williams Optics 50mm, ASI290MM mini, PHD2

Exposure: 13x60sec, Gain 200, saved as RAW

Darks: Internal (Long Exposure Noise Reduction On)

Flats: 32×1/4sec, tee shirt flats taken at dusk

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

Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 18.2 mag/arc-sec^2

Stacking: Mean with a 2-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

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

M67 is one of my favorite modest open clusters. It is located off to the east of the much larger and brighter M44 (The Beehive) and it is a bit harder to find, but worth the effort. M67 is very old for an open cluster with an estimated age of about 4 billion years. The stars in an open cluster are usually only weakly bound to the group and they slowly scatter as the cluster orbits the galaxy.

High in the southwest this time of year, M67 makes a fine target for modest telescopes and blossoms into a fine patch of stardust in large telescopes.

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

Camera: Baader modified Nikon 610; Gain: 200

Filter: High Point 2” IR Blocking Filter

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

Exposure: 20x60sec, saved as RAW

Darks: Internal (Long Exposure Noise Reduction On)

Flats: 32×1/4sec, tee shirt flats taken at dusk

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

Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 18.2 mag/arc-sec^2

Stacking: Mean with a 2-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

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

M44 is one of the nearest open clusters with a distance of only 577 light years. It is interesting that its age and proper motion is very similar to the Hyades suggesting that the two clusters share a common origin though they are now separated by hundreds of light years. M44, the Beehive, is a little over a degree across making it appear relatively sparse in large telescopes, but it makes a fine target for small telescopes and binoculars. Its large size makes it a bit of a challenge photographically as well, but the Comet Hunter and D610 did a fine job capturing the entire field.

This it the first-light image taken with my new to me modified Nikon 610. I was a bit concerned whether I could fill the large full-frame sensor, but the Comet Track shows only a tiny bit of vignetting in the corners and the star shapes are also fairly good.

High in the southwest this time of year, M44 makes a fine target for binoculars and small telescopes and it is even visible with the unaided eye under dark skies.

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: 30x240sec, saved as FITS

Darks: 32x240s, saved as FITS

Flats: 32×0.2sec, Tee shirt flats taken at dusk

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

M102 is a beautiful edge-on spiral galaxy that is nestled in between Draco, Bootes, and Ursa Major. It is almost exactly edge-on to our line of sight and shows an extremely thin profile with only a slight central bulge and a slender dust lane. M102 is one of two galaxies named the Spindle, the other being NGC 3115 in Sextans.

M102 lies off of the northeastern end of the handle of the Big Dipper. This region rises in the northeast during the early evening and it high overhead after midnight.

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: 43x240sec, saved as FITS

Darks: 32x240s, saved as FITS

Flats: 32×0.2sec, Tee shirt flats taken at dusk

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

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

NGC 4565, the Needle Galaxy, is a relatively bright edge-on spiral galaxy in Coma Berenices. Glowing at a visual magnitude 9.6 it makes a fine target for modest size telescopes. It is thought that our own Milky Way galaxy would appear similar to the Needle Galaxy when viewed edge-on. It’s neat to see how these big beautiful spirals that appear so expansive when viewed face-on are actually relatively thin when viewed edge-on. NGC 4565 also shows a prominent dust lane common to most spiral galaxies.

NGC 4565 lies near the northern fringe of the Melotte 111 star cluster, itself a beautifully rich region in binoculars and small telescopes. This region rises in the northeast during the early evening and it high overhead after midnight.

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: 27x240sec, saved as FITS

Darks: 32x240s, saved as FITS

Flats: 32×0.2sec, Tee shirt flats taken at dusk

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

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

NGC 2841 is a delicate, tightly wound spiral galaxy in western Ursa Major. Like many galaxies, only the core is readily visible from suburban skies, but even that can be quite beautiful. As I relax at the eyepiece and study the field the core takes on a soft glow resembling pearl; the combined radiance of millions of suns.

NGC is currently well placed high in the northeast during the early evening high overhead before midnight.

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: 67x120sec, saved as FITS

Darks: 32x120s, saved as FITS

Flats: 32×0.2sec, Tee shirt flats taken at dusk

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

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

This is M13, the Great Cluster in Hercules. Also in the picture is the galaxy NGC 6207 (Mv 11.6) in the upper left corner, and about halfway between NGC 6207 and M13 is the tiny galaxy IC 4617 (Mv 15.2) . If you look carefully at M13 you can see a dust lane to the lower left of the cluster. This 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 late in the evening and is high overhead at dawn.

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: 24x240sec, saved as FITS

Darks: 32x240s, saved as FITS

Flats: 32×0.2sec, Tee shirt flats taken at dusk

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

Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 18.1 mag/arc-sec^2

Stacking: Mean with a 2-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: Nebulosity, Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop

NGC 3115 is an edge-on spiral galaxy in Sextans. It’s a type S0 lenticular galaxy; a flat disk with a central bulge, but with almost no visible spiral structure such as the usual prominent spiral arms. Another feature that is notably absent is a significant dust lane. NGC 3115 has apparently consumed nearly all of its interstellar matter and star birth has come to a stop and the galaxy is composed primarily of old stars. These unique features gives the galaxy its characteristic shape and nickname; the Spindle Galaxy. NGC 3115 is one of two galaxies known as the Spindle, the other being NGC 5866 in Draco.

NGC 3115 is a relatively small, but fairly easy visible target and is currently well low in the southeast during the early evening.