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: 32x240sec, saved as FITS

Darks: 32x240s, saved as FITS

Flats: 32×0.02sec, Tee shirt flats taken at dusk

Average Light Pollution: Bortle 8, poor transparency, haze, good seeing

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

M51 is a large, beautiful face-on spiral galaxy in Canes Venatici. Visually from urban skies you will usually see only the cores of the two galaxies, but from dark skies the spiral structure of M51 becomes visible. The spiral arm that appears to connect M51 to the nearby companion (NGC 5195) is a bit of an illusion. The companion actually lies behind M51, and if you look closely you can see that the spiral arm is silhouetted against the background galaxy. Modern observations with radio telescope and computer modeling suggest that the companion has made at least two passes through the main disk of M51. During the first, it approached M51 from behind, passed through M51, swung around in an orbit that took it in front of M51, then back through the disk where it lies now behind M51. These passes set off bursts of star formation that gives the arms of M51 their beautiful blue color.

M57 is located below the handle of the Big Dipper and rises late in the evening. It is high overhead in the early morning. This the first evening that I have been able to use my 12” LX850 with reasonably good seeing. The detail in the core and spiral arms of M57 hints at what this telescope is capable of.

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: 20x180s, saved as FITS

Darks: 32x180s, 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 mag/arc-sec^2

Stacking: Mean with a 2-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: Nebulosity, Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop

NGC 654 is a beautiful little open cluster in Cassiopeia. A bit faint for small telescopes, but nicely condensed in modest size telescopes. I first spotted this little gem while star-hopping Cassiopeia with an 8” SCT.

NGC 654 is currently well placed high overhead after sunset. (Photo credit: John Graham, 11-12-2020)

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: 17x120s, saved as FITS

Darks: 32x120s, 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: 18.3 mag/arc-sec^2

Stacking: Mean with a 2-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: Nebulosity, Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop

NGC457 is one of my favorite open clusters in just about any size telescope. It makes a fine target for binoculars and small telescopes and becomes a very rich field in larger scopes. The two bright distinctive foreground stars makes it fairly easy to locate. In a small telescope it is worth taking some time with this field. At first your eye may only see the two bright foreground stars and a few of the brighter stars of the cluster. As your eyes relax you may start to see some of the fainter background stars and the cluster will begin to blossom into a beautiful field of stardust.

NGC 457 is located high overhead after sunset.

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: 16x60s, saved as FITS

Darks: 32x60s, 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: 18.3 mag/arc-sec^2

Stacking: Mean with a 2-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: Nebulosity, Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop

NGC 7686 is a nice open cluster in Andromeda that hosts two nice foreground stars.

NGC 7686 is located high overhead after sunset.

Close examination of the field centered on M32 showed that it also included several globular clusters associated with M31. M32 itself has no known globular clusters, while M31 has over 400. The Milky Way has 120 known globular clusters. The 7 globular clusters identified in this field are all in the range of Mv 15-16.

Neat stuff!

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

Camera: ZWO ASI071MC Pro, -10C, Gain 200

Filter: 2” Orion Imaging Skyglow Filter

Guide scope: Astro-Tech 60mm, Meade DSI Pro II, PHD

Exposure: 22x240sec, saved as FITS

Darks: 32x240s, saved as FITS

Flats: 32×0.2sec, sky 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: Nebulosity, Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop

M32 is the smaller and brighter of two prominent satellite galaxies of M31. If you look closely you can see the outskirts of M31 to the upper right of M32. M32 is a typical small elliptical galaxy composed primarily of older red and yellow stars and does not exhibit any significant star formation regions or dust. Interestingly, M32 may have originally have been a small spiral galaxy, but lost most of its stars to M31 as it passed through the disk of the larger galaxy. M31 and M32 also host super massive black holes in their cores; a 500 million solar mass hole occupies the core of M31 and a 100 million solar mass black hole lies at the center of M32. M32 is currently speeding back towards M31 at about 100 km/sec.

M32 along with M31 is currently well placed high overhead in the early evening. M32 is fairly easy to spot in the same field as M31 and in a small telescope it may appear as an out of focus star.

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

Camera: ZWO ASI294MC Pro, -10C, Gain 200

Filter: 2” Orion Imaging Skyglow Filter

Guide scope: Astro-Tech 60mm, Meade DSI Pro II, PHD

Exposure: 22x240sec, saved as FITS

Darks: 32x240s, saved as FITS

Flats: 32x1sec, sky flats taken at dusk

Average Light Pollution: Red zone, Bortle 8, fair 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

M110 is the larger and fainter of two prominent satellite galaxies of M31. If you look closely you can see the outskirts of M31 in the lower left corner of this field. M110 is fairly unique in that it shows some hints of structure and dust clouds near its core. Most elliptical galaxies tend to be relatively featureless. Visually M110 is relatively faint and diffuse, lying on the opposite side of M31 from the smaller and brighter M32 and a bit farther out.

M110 along with M31 and M32 are currently well placed high overhead in the early evening.

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: 26x120sec, saved as FITS

Darks: 32x120s, saved as FITS

Flats: 32x1sec, Tee shirt flats taken at dawn

Average Light Pollution: Bortle 8, poor transparency, bright 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

NGC 1245 is a relatively faint but rich open cluster in central Perseus. It may be a tad faint for small telescopes, but blossoms into a fine patch of stardust in larger telescopes.

NGC 1245 is currently well placed high in the northeast as the sky darkens.

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: 37x240sec, saved as FITS

Darks: 32x240s, saved as FITS

Flats: 32x1sec, Tee shirt flats taken at dawn

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

Lensed Sky Quality Meter: 17.1 mag/arc-sec^2

Stacking: Mean with a 2-sigma clip.

White Balance: Nebulosity Automatic

Software: Nebulosity, Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop

M79 is one of the few globular clusters in the northern hemisphere’s winter sky. Although relatively bright (Mv 7.7), M79 can be a bit of a challenge for backyard observers as it hides low in the south and is often obscured by skyglow. Interestingly, there is some speculation that M79, along with NGC 1851, 2298, and 2808, may not be a native of the Milky Way, but may be associated with the Canis Major dwarf galaxy which is currently passing very close to our galaxy.

This was the next to last test image taken with this new scope and was taken primarily to examine how well the telescope held collimation and guiding near the southern horizon, a location that is particularly challenging for my equipment. The telescope showed a little bit of focus shift after slewing to this location, but remained stable once it was reset. The collimation also remained stable showing no changes after slewing. Guiding also remained spot-on. In fact, it is guiding so well that I might introduce a bit of dithering between images, but that’s for next year. 🙂

M79 is currently well placed in the evening rising in the southeast as the sky darkens. The cluster is located in southern Lepus, about halfway between the ‘feet’ of Orion and the horizon.