Archives for February 2021

Telescope: Meade SN6 Comet Tracker at f/3.6, Orion Atlas EQ-G

Camera: Full Spectrum Modified Nikon D5300, Baader Mk III MPCC

Filter: 2” Radian Triad Ultra Hb, OIII, Ha, SII filter

Guide scope: Orion 50mm, ZWO ASI120MM mini

Exposure: 18x120sec, ISO 200, saved as RAW

Darks: Internal (Long Exposure Noise Reduction On)

Flats: 32x60sec, LED tracing tablet covered with 3 layers of muslin

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

Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 17.0 mag/arc-sec^2

Stacking: Mean with a 2-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

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

NGC 2359 (Thor’s Helmet) is similar to the Bubble Nebula in Cassiopeia (NGC 7635) in that it is a bubble blown out in the interstellar medium from the fierce solar wind of a Wolf-Rayet star, an extremely massive pre-supernova giant. These stars are very rare, extremely hot (45,000 – 90,000F), and expel their outer layers at very high speeds. The spherical shell is the shock-front formed as the expanding gas pushes against the surrounding emission nebula.

NGC 2359 is currently well placed rising in the southeast during the early evening.

Telescope: Meade SN6 Comet Tracker at f/3.6, Orion Atlas EQ-G

Camera: Full Spectrum Modified Nikon D5300, Baader Mk III MPCC

Filter: Orion Imaging Skyglow Filter

Guide scope: Orion 50mm, ZWO ASI120MM mini

Exposure: 15x60sec, ISO 200, saved as RAW

Darks: Internal (Long Exposure Noise Reduction On)

Flats: 32×1/10sec, Tee shirt flats taken at dusk

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

Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 18.0 mag/arc-sec^2

Stacking: Mean with a 2-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

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

M38 is the westernmost of three relatively bright open clusters in Auriga, the others being M36 and M37. M38 is the largest of the three and is a wonderful object in small telescopes. Just to the south is the smaller and fainter open cluster NGC 1907.

M38 is currently well placed high in the northeast during the early evening.

Telescope: Meade SN6 Comet Tracker at f/3.6, Orion Atlas EQ-G

Camera: Full Spectrum Modified Nikon D5300, Baader Mk III MPCC

Filter: Orion Imaging Skyglow Filter

Guide scope: Orion 50mm, ZWO ASI120MM mini

Exposure: 16x60sec, ISO 200, saved as RAW

Darks: Internal (Long Exposure Noise Reduction On)

Flats: 32×1/10sec, Tee shirt flats taken at dusk

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

Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 18.0 mag/arc-sec^2

Stacking: Mean with a 2-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

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

M37 is the easternmost of three relatively bright open clusters in Auriga, the others being M36 and M38. M37 is the richest of the three and appears as a nice patch of stardust in small telescopes. In larger telescopes it blossoms in to a grand sight.

M37 is currently well placed high in the northeast during the early evening.

Telescope: Meade SN6 Comet Tracker at f/3.6, Orion Atlas EQ-G

Camera: Full Spectrum Modified Nikon D5300, Baader Mk III MPCC

Filter: Orion Imaging Skyglow Filter

Guide scope: Orion 50mm, ZWO ASI120MM mini

Exposure: 17x60sec, ISO 200, saved as RAW

Darks: Internal (Long Exposure Noise Reduction On)

Flats: 32×1/10sec, Tee shirt flats taken at dusk

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

Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 18.0 mag/arc-sec^2

Stacking: Mean with a 2-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

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

M36 is one of three relatively bright open clusters in Auriga, nestled in between M37 to the east and M38 to the west. M36 is the smallest of the three and is a tad sparse, but it does very well in small telescopes and is one of my favorite stops with my little ETX-60. If you look closely you will see a little puff of nebula on the right edge of this field; a beautiful, small, red emission nebula, NGC 1931.

M36 is currently well placed high in the northeast during the early evening.

Telescope: Meade SN6 Comet Tracker at f/3.6, Orion Atlas EQ-G

Camera: Full Spectrum Modified Nikon D5300, Baader Mk III MPCC

Filter: Orion Imaging Skyglow Filter

Guide scope: Orion 50mm, ZWO ASI120MM mini

Exposure: 70x60sec, ISO 200, saved as RAW

Darks: Internal (Long Exposure Noise Reduction On)

Flats: 32×1/10sec, Tee shirt flats taken at dusk

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: Backyard Nikon, Deep Sky Stacker, Nebulosity, 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). Globular clusters are relics of the ancient universe and M13 is no exception with an estimated age of 12 billion years. Their great age is an indication of their unusual stability. One consequence of this stability is that any heavy elements that their stars have made remains buried in their cores and the cluster itself has little, if any, interstellar dust. M13 is one of the few globular clusters with a dust-like feature that can be seen as a dark lane extending to the lower left of the core. It is possible that this dust lane is not really associated with M13, but instead is an independent object that just happens to be in front of the cluster.

M13 is currently a morning object, rising in the northeast after midnight and is high overhead at dawn.

Telescope: Meade SN6 Comet Tracker at f/3.6, Orion Atlas EQ-G

Camera: Full Spectrum Modified Nikon D5300, Baader Mk III MPCC

Filter: Orion Imaging Skyglow Filter

Guide scope: Orion 50mm, ZWO ASI120MM mini

Exposure: 95x60sec, ISO 200, saved as RAW

Darks: Internal (Long Exposure Noise Reduction On)

Flats: 32×1/10sec, Tee shirt flats taken at dusk

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

Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 18.0 mag/arc-sec^2

Stacking: Mean with a 2-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

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

M65 (right) and M66 (left) along with NGC 3628 (top) form a group known as the Leo Trio. These three actually form a gravitationally bound subgroup of the Leo I galaxy cluster. The warped shape of NGC 3628 is a result of interactions with M65 and 66. Visually, M65 and M66 are fairly easy to spot in modest sized telescopes, while NGC 3628 is much fainter due to the dust lying along the galactic plane. With a larger scope NGC 3628’s dust lane shows some wonderful detail.

The Leo Trio rises in the northeast a hour or so after sunset and is high overhead after midnight.

Telescope: Meade SN6 Comet Tracker at f/3.6, Orion Atlas EQ-G

Camera: Full Spectrum Modified Nikon D5300, Baader Mk III MPCC

Filter: Orion Imaging Skyglow Filter

Guide scope: Orion 50mm, ZWO ASI120MM mini

Exposure: 50x60sec, ISO 200, saved as RAW

Darks: Internal (Long Exposure Noise Reduction On)

Flats: 32×1/10sec, Tee shirt flats taken at dusk

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

Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 18.0 mag/arc-sec^2

Stacking: Mean with a 2-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

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

M46 (left) and M47 (right) are two relatively bright open clusters located to the east of Canis Major in the constellation of Puppis. M47 is the brighter and closer of the pair at a distance of 1,600 light years as compared to M46 at 5,400 light years. M46 is fainter and richer than M47 and also sports a beautiful little planetary nebula (NGC 2438). Although the distance to the nebula is uncertain, it known that it is not physically associated with the cluster and is likely in the foreground. At the upper right edge of this field is a small, relatively sparse open cluster NGC 2423.

Telescope: Meade SN6 Comet Tracker at f/3.6, Orion Atlas EQ-G

Camera: Full Spectrum Modified Nikon D5300, Baader Mk III MPCC

Filter: Orion Imaging Skyglow Filter

Guide scope: Orion 50mm, ZWO ASI120MM mini

Exposure: 36x60sec, ISO 200, saved as RAW

Darks: Internal (Long Exposure Noise Reduction On)

Flats: 32×1/10sec, Tee shirt flats taken at dusk

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

Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 17.7 mag/arc-sec^2

Stacking: Mean with a 2-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

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

This is a very busy region of the sky near Alnitak, the eastern star in the belt of Orion. Alnitak is the brilliant star at the top of this field. NGC 2024 (the Flame Nebula) is to the left and the beautiful red emission nebula IC 434 drapes down the center of the field with the iconic Horsehead Nebula (Barnard 33) silhouetted against it. To the left are the reflection nebula NGC 2023 and the tiny IC 435. To the lower right is Sigma Orionis, a wonderful complex of stars that is a fine target for binoculars and small telescopes. In larger scopes it resolves into a wonderful group of double and triple stars.

This was another ‘just for the heck of it’ image taken under very poor conditions just to see what I could see. I was particularly interested in whether I would see a Schmidt Ghost (a reflection off of the Schmidt corrector) from Alnitak. As it turns out there was a small reflection that was easy to clone out, but there are a couple of faint blue arcs on the right side of this field from Alnitak and Alnilam, the middle star in Orion’s Belt. This bodes well for trying this again using a narrowband filter. As it is I love how soft and subtle the nebula turned out in this image.