vdB 4 & NGC 225 (Sailboat Cluster)

Although there are several objects in this dust rich image, I decided to name it most prominent object first and that is the reflection nebula vdB 4 named after Dutch astronomer Sidney van den Bergh. It has a blue-white tint and is located 2,000 light-years away in Cassiopeia. In addition to being relatively bright, it shows a lot of sharp detail.

NGC 225, also known as the Sailboat Cluster, is an open cluster approximately 2,200 LY away and is approximately 100 to 150 million years old. The cluster is in the center of the image just below vdB 4 and made up of mostly blue stars although there is a fair number of yellow stars. The outline of the Sailboat is hard to see in my image as it is obscured a bit by the dust, however, the 'hull' is oriented about 30 degrees from horizontal and part of vdB 4 making the 'sail'.

Other goodies in this image are the dark nebula LDN 1291 to the left of vdB 4, LBN 1302 just below vdB 4, and the dusty stringers that appear to be raining down from the cluster. I did not crop this image as I also liked the colorful star field. I struggled with how much to enhance the stars vs. star reduction but in this version after doing initial reduction with BXT for both the RGB and Luminosity images, I did a 35% Luminosity blend with the RGB stars.

High Resolution:

https://www.astrobin.com/am39mj/?nc=collection&nce=712

https://www.instagram.com/astroquest1/
http://astroquest1.blogspot.com/
https://www.astrobin.com/users/kurtzepp/collections/
http://youtube.com/AstroQuest1

vdB 4 & NGC 225 (Sailboat Cluster) 
Dates: 9-2, 9-3, 9-4, 9-5
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm (644mm w/ FR)
f/7
Focal Reducer: 0.8x AstroTech Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer
Mount: Orion Sirius
Filter Wheel: ZWO
EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: ZWO R, G, B; Camera L 
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: L 294 x 90, R 84 x 90, G 79 x 90, B 83 x 90
Gain: 139
Offset 20
Sensor Temp: 0 C
Processing: NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXTerminator, StarXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator, GraXpert, Bill Blanshan Color Masks, Bill Blanshan Stretching.

https://www.instagram.com/astroquest1/
http://astroquest1.blogspot.com/
https://www.astrobin.com/users/kurtzepp/collections/
http://youtube.com/AstroQuest1

MWP1 with ALV1

MWP1, the highlight of this image, is one of the oldest known bipolar Planetary Nebula (PN) known at 150,000 years. Being so old it has grown to 15 light-years across but has also become very faint. It is located approximately 4500 ly away from us in the constellation Cygnus. It is named after its 1993 discoverers, C. Motch, K. Werner and M. Pakull but it is also known as the Methuselah Nebula. The star responsible for MWP1 happens to be one the hottest known and is the blue star located in the center of the nebula.

ALV1 or PN G79.8-10.2 is an even fainter Planetary Nebula seen below MWP1 on the image. It was discovered in 2009 by Portugese amateur astronomer Filipe Alves.

Both of these objects are exceedingly dim and best done in very dark skies with a fast telescope. So naturally I attempt it with my medium speed telescope and crappy skies, 😏. Nothing was visible in any of my subs except the stars so I was imaging with hope. After lots of processing I was able to bring out the OIII signal along with the Ha. Most of the other images of this object seem to have more OIII signal and less Ha. My data did show a great deal of OIII signal in MWP1 but not in the surrounding area, however, there was a great deal of Ha. I suspect this may be due to less than optimal sky conditions when imaging OIII compared to Ha - also Ha is more forgiving. Whatever the case, I am satisfied with the final product.

Higher Quality:
https://www.astrobin.com/ofm6x6/?nc=collection&nce=712

https://www.instagram.com/astroquest1/
http://astroquest1.blogspot.com/
https://www.astrobin.com/users/kurtzepp/collections/
http://youtube.com/AstroQuest1

MWP1 with ALV1
Dates: 8-10, 8-11, 8-12, 8-13, 8-22, 8-23, 8-24, 8-27, 9-1
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm (644mm w/ FR)
f/7
Focal Reducer: 0.8x AstroTech Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer
Mount: Orion Sirius
Filter Wheel: ZWO
EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: Antlia Ha, OIII; ZWO R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: Ha 88 x 300, OIII 74 x 300, R 39 x 90, G 31 x 90, B 28 x 90 
Gain: 139
Offset 20
Sensor Temp: 0 C
Processing: NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXTerminator, StarXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator, GraXpert, Bill Blanshan Color Masks, Bill Blanshan Stretching, Bill Blanshan Star Reduction.

Partial Lunar Eclipse 9-17-24

These are some quick pics of the partial Lunar Eclipse on 9-17-24 from my yard taken between 10:30 and 11:00 pm. The closeups were taken with a Canon T3i/600d camera and Canon 200mm lens. The widefield image which shows a partial rainbow in the clouds and Saturn off to the right was with a Canon 50mm lens.

 

Sh2-173 - Phantom of the Opera Nebula

Sh2-173 is more than a tribute to the mask worn by the Phantom of the Opera in the Broadway Musical. Claude Rains (1943) and Lon Chaney (1925) played the iconic character in the movie adaptation of the novel by Gaston Leroux and wore a similar mask. This has been on my bucket list for quite a while but was never in my FOV from my observatory until recently thanks to our neighbors removing trees. Unlike many nebula nicknames, this one actually resembles the 'Phantom of the Opera'.

Located in the constellation Cassiopeia, Sh2-173 is a hydrogen alpha (Ha) emission nebula approximately 8,800 light-years from Earth. It is very faint, requiring long exposures to bring out the nebulosity. It also sits in a very rich and colorful starfield so although I did a bit of star reduction I tried to preserve as much as possible.

Higher Quality:
https://www.astrobin.com/uhwnrt/?nc=collection&nce=712

https://www.instagram.com/astroquest1/
http://astroquest1.blogspot.com/
https://www.astrobin.com/users/kurtzepp/collections/
http://youtube.com/AstroQuest1

Sh2-173 - Phantom of the Opera Nebula
Dates: 7-25-24, 7-31, 8-1, 8-4
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm (644mm w/ FR)
f/7
Focal Reducer: 0.8x AstroTech Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer
Mount: Orion Sirius
Filter Wheel: ZWO
EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: Antlia Ha; ZWO R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: Ha 109 x 300, R 38 x 90, G 32 x 90, B 44 x 90 (11h 57' 30")
Gain: 139
Offset 20
Sensor Temp: 0 C
Processing: NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXTerminator, StarXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator, GraXpert, Bill Blanshan Color Masks, Bill Blanshan Stretching, Bill Blanshan Star Reduction.

Flying Bat & Squid w/ a Color Camera (2024)

The Flying Bat Nebula, Sh2-129, is a huge region of ionized hydrogen gas represented by the red color whereas the much dimmer Squid Nebula, Ou4, consists of (doubly) ionized oxygen gas. Located in Cepheus approximately 2,300 light-years away, Sh2-129 is a faint emission nebula and has been known about since at least the 1950's as a neighbor to IC 1396, the Elephant Trunk Nebula. The Squid (Ou4) sits within the Sh2-129 and does resemble a squid with its tentacles wrapped up. Ou4 is a relatively new discovery from 2011 by French astro-imager Nicolas Outters and it may seem odd that this was not found until 2011 but there is a really good reason, it is really dim.

This is my second go-around with this, however, this time I used the Askar FRA 300, a ZWO ASI2600MC color camera, and the IDAS NBZ dual band filter. Compared to my previous image from 2020 (https://www.astrobin.com/dehe24/?nc=&nce=), the telescope has a smaller focal length and the camera has a larger sensor meaning the field of view is larger.

I was a bit apprehensive about attempting this with a color camera given how faint Ou4 is. The Hydrogen Alpha (Ha) signal was very strong and appeared in the individual subframes, however, there was no hint of OIII in any subframe. Color cameras don't capture as much individual color signal as does a mono camera in a given amount of time which is why I was concerned. I captured over 50 hours worth of data, much more than before, in order to ensure I would have enough signal to bring out the OIII.

After stacking the data, the Flying Bat was very clear and it mostly masked the faint Squid. To bring out the Squid, I separated the color image into RGB channels, using the red as the Ha portion, and combined the green and blue to make an OIII image. I was quite happy with the results as the Squid popped out quite well in the OIII image. I could have brought out the Ou4 even more but liked the natural looking faint translucent appearance.

Higher Quality:

https://www.astrobin.com/pzeern/?nc=collection&nce=712

Dates: 7-2-24, 7-8, 7-12, 7-14, 7-15, 7-19, 7-20, 7-26, 7-30, 8-2, 8-5, 8-12, 8-13 

https://www.instagram.com/astroquest1/
http://astroquest1.blogspot.com/
https://www.astrobin.com/users/kurtzepp/collections/
http://youtube.com/AstroQuest1

Flying Bat & Squid w/ a Color Camera (2024) 

Dates: 7-2-24, 7-8, 7-12, 7-14, 7-15, 7-19, 7-20, 7-26, 7-30, 8-2, 8-5, 8-12, 8-13 
Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
Telescope: Askar FRA300 Pro
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 300mm
F/5
Focal Reducer: None
Mount: Orion Atlas Pro
Filter Adaptor: ZWO Filter Drawer
Filter: IDAS NBZ, Camera UV-IR
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to a ZWO Mini guidescope
Exposure: UV-IR 87 x 90, NBZ 627 x 300
Gain: 100
Offset 0
Temp: 0 C
Processing: Asiair app, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXT, NoiseXT, StarX, Bill's Color Masks, Bill's Star Reduction, Bill's Stretching, Topaz Denoise, GraXpert

https://www.instagram.com/astroquest1/
http://astroquest1.blogspot.com/
https://www.astrobin.com/users/kurtzepp/collections/
http://youtube.com/AstroQuest1

Setting Moon Over Santa Monica 8-20-24

I did attempt to capture the full moon setting over the water but I was a day late. It was a bit too bright to capture the image I would have liked, oh well! This was a composite of four shots around 7:00 at 3 minutes apart. 

Camera: Canon T3i/600D
Telescope: Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM Lens
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 200mm
f/4.0
Focal Reducer: none
Mount: Cheap Tripod
Exposure: 1/2500s
ISO: 200
Temp: 18 C
Processing: PixInsight, Photoshop

Jupiter-Mars 8-19-24

While in Santa Monica vacationing I managed to get Jupiter and Mars in the same FOV with my Canon EOS T3i (600D) and a 200mm Lens on the morning of 8-19-24. They were closest between the 14th and 15th. The sky conditions were not ideal, lots of light pollution but Jupiter was easily seen as was Mars. Jupiter's four moons (Galilan) were in an alignment starting from the bottom left Callisto, Io, Jupiter , Europa, and finally Ganymede on the top right. Mars was quite bright as well as it will be approaching Earth, thus appearing larger and brighter. The spikes around Jupiter and Mars are caused by aperture adjuster. Had I planned this better I would have kept the aperture open and used step down rings.

Camera: Canon T3i/600D
Telescope: Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM Lens
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 200mm
f/4.0
Focal Reducer: none
Mount: Cheap Tripod
ASI120 Mini attached to a ZWO Mini guidescope - None
Exposure: 1.6s

ISO: 1600
Temp: 18 C
Processing: PixInsight, Photoshop