Telescope: Celestron C9.25 @ f/10, Orion Atlas EQ-G

Camera: QHY 168c, 0C

Filter: Orion Imaging Skyglow Filter

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

Exposure: 80x30sec saved as TIFFs

Darks: 32x30sec saved as TIFFs

Flats: 32×0.050sec, tee shirt flats taken at dusk

Average Light Pollution: Red zone, fair transparency, bright moonlight

Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 17.8 mag/arc-sec^2

Stacking: Mean with a 2-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: Nebulosity, Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop

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, high overhead as the sky darkens.

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

Camera: QHY 168c, -10: Deepsky Default; Gain: 4, Offset 30

Filter: Orion Imaging Skyglow Filter

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

Exposure: 17x240sec saved as FITS

Darks: 32x240sec saved as FITS

Flats: 32×0.25sec, tee shirt flats taken at dusk

Average Light Pollution: Red zone, fair 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

M20, the Trifid Nebula in Sagittarius is one of a series of nebula that grace the southern Milky Way as seen from mid northern latitudes. The red is a tenuous cloud of hydrogen set aglow by stars embedded in it, the blue is dust in the background reflecting starlight and the dark lanes are vast streamers of dust in the foreground. Being near the Milky Way this field is crowded with faint stars, accept near the nebula. This shows that the nebula is in the foreground, blocking the light from the faint distant stars in the background. Visually, I find M20 to be quite a challenge from my backyard. The bright double star at its core makes a good guidepost lying near the confluence of the dark dust lanes.

M20 rises in the southeast shortly before midnight and rises to the south during the early morning hours.

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

Camera: QHY 168c, -10: Deepsky Default; Gain: 4, Offset 30

Filter: Orion Imaging Skyglow Filter

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

Exposure: 27x240sec saved as FITS

Darks: 32x240sec saved as FITS

Flats: 32×0.25sec, tee shirt flats taken at dusk

Average Light Pollution: Red zone, 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

At the center of this field is what appears to be a small, faint, elliptical galaxy surrounded by a cluster of faint stars. However, this galaxy appears small only because of its great distance; 1.04 billion light years! This is IC 1101, one of the largest galaxies known. This supergiant lies at the center of the Abell 2029 galaxy cluster in Virgo. The faint stars that appear to form a cluster around the galaxy are actually satellite galaxies of IC 1101. The galaxy itself is approximately 420,000 light years across with a halo that spans nearly 4 million light years and is home to about 100 trillion suns. Recent studies suggest that the core of IC 1101 is relatively sparse having the been hollowed out by the galaxy’s supermassive black hole.

IC 1101 is currently low in the southeast after sunset and is high in the south by midnight.

Telescope: Astro-Tech RC8 @ f/8, Orion Atlas EQ-G

Camera: Baader modified Nikon D610, Baader Mk III MPCC

Filter: Orion Imaging Skyglow Filter

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

Exposure: 10x120sec, ISO 400, saved as RAW

Darks: Internal (Long Exposure Noise Reduction On)

Flats: 32×1/25sec, Tee shirt flats taken at dusk

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: Backyard Nikon, Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop

M64 is a beautiful spiral galaxy in Coma Berenices and is an easy target for small telescopes. It has a very soft spiral structure with a distinctive dust lane that gives it its nickname; the Black Eye Galaxy. Interestingly, the interstellar gas in the outer region of the galaxy is rotating in the opposite direction to the stars and gas in the inner regions, the scars of a collision with another galaxy a long time ago.

This target definitely needs more subs, but I lost about hald of the source images to passing clouds. I hope to get another chance yet this year, but I may have to wait until next year to try again. So much to try, so few clear nights.

M64 is currently well placed high in the northeast after sunset.

Telescope: Astro-Tech RC8 @ f/8, Orion Atlas EQ-G

Camera: Baader modified Nikon D610, Baader Mk III MPCC

Filter: Orion Imaging Skyglow Filter

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

Exposure: 26x120sec, ISO 400, saved as RAW

Darks: Internal (Long Exposure Noise Reduction On)

Flats: 32×1/25sec, Tee shirt flats taken at dusk

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: Backyard Nikon, Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop

NGC 5907, the Splinter Galaxy, is very slender edge-on spiral galaxy with a small central bulge and a pronounced dust lane. The dust lane shows some wonderful detail and tints the core a beautiful amber color. The galaxy itself is something of a giant lying 59 million light years away and is 180,000 light years across.

NGC 5907 currently well placed high in the northeast after sunset.

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

Camera: Baader modified Nikon 610

Filter: 2” Orion Imaging Skyglow Filter

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

Exposure: 18x120sec, ISO 400, saved as RAW

Darks: Internal (Long Exposure Noise Reduction On)

Flats: 32×1/50sec, 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, Nebulosity, Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop

To the upper right is NGC 4631 (The Whale) a large edge-on spiral galaxy with the much smaller dwarf elliptical galaxy NGC 4627 (The Pup) just to its north. These two galaxies form an interacting pair with the smaller galaxy distorting the disk of the larger, forming its distinctive shape. To the lower left is another distorted edge-on spiral galaxy, NGC 4656, nicknamed the Hockey Stick. Just off of the tip of the hook is an edge-on spiral far off in the background.

NGC 4631 & 4656 are currently well places high in the northeast early in the evening.

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

Camera: Baader modified Nikon 610

Filter: 2” Orion Imaging Skyglow Filter

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

Exposure: 36x60sec, ISO 400, saved as RAW

Darks: Internal (Long Exposure Noise Reduction On)

Flats: 32×1/50sec, 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, Nebulosity, Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop

M92 is the ‘other’ globular cluster in Hercules. M92 lies to the northeast of the popular M13 globular cluster in a relatively lonely patch of sky making it a bit harder to locate, but well worth the effort. Interestingly, M92 is listed as being fainter than M13 (Mv 6.4 for M92 vs. 5.8 for M13), but I find the core of M92 to be a tad brighter than M13. This is likely the result the apparent size of M13 being larger than M92 giving M13 a higher total integrated brightness.

M92 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: Baader modified Nikon 610

Filter: High Point 2” IR Blocking Filter

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

Exposure: 11x120sec, ISO 200, saved as FITS

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, haze

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

Stacking: Mean with a 2-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: Backyard Nikon, Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop

At the center of this image is four galaxies that comprise the Hickson 44 Compact Galaxy Group located just north of the beautiful binary star Algieba in Leo. From left to right these NGC 3193, NGC 3190, NGC 3187, and NGC 8185. Of these NGC 3193 is an elliptical and the others are spirals. NGC 3187 is a barred spiral with a highly warped disk. Paul Hickson cataloged 100 compact galaxy groups, most of which form interacting groups with local concentrations of dark matter.

The Hickson 44 compact galaxy group is currently well placed high in the east as the sky darkens. (Photo credit; John Graham, 3/29/2021)