The moon, Venus, and Mars

Five days ago I got the moon just before sunrise with Saturn and Mercury. Today I captured the moon just before sunset with Venus and Mars.

Crescent Moon, Venus, and Mars
01/30/2017
05:54 pm
Canon EOS REBEL T3i
ISO 400
1 sec.
f/3.2 50mm
Photoshop - white balance, label

The Rosette Nebula (NGC 2239)

The Rosette Nebula or NGC 2237 is a brilliant  emission nebula in  the constellation of Monoceros.

It's named for its flowery appearance. The center of the nebula lies an open cluster  (NGC 2244) of bright young stars that formed about four million years ago from the nebular material and their stellar winds are clearing a hole in the nebula's center. The Nebula lies about 5000 light-years away and is about 100 light-years across.  (source: APOD)

I have been wanting to image this for a while and is a good target for a (Hap Griffin) modified camera with an Astronomik UHC Clip Filter.  Of course I had to wait for the right window as I do not have a full view of the night sky and the weather but a I did manage to get over a couple of hours on it.  Enjoy...

Rosette Nebula (NGC 2239 or Caldwell 49)
Location: Happy Frog Observatory, Monroe, CT
Date/Time: 1-26-17, 11:45 pm, 1-28-17, 11:45 pm
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i(a), Backyard EOS
Telescope: Orion ED80 80mm f/7.5 Apochromatic Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 600mm
f/7.5
Mount: Orion Sirius EQ-G GoTo Telescope Mount
Filter: Astrodon UV/IR, Astronomik UHC Clip
Autoguiding: QHY-5L-II-M attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope with Helical Focuser
Exposure: 31 x 180 sec, 28 x 180 sec (177 min)
ISO: 1600
Temp: 2.2 C (36 F)
Post Processing: Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop, Gradient Exterminator, Astronomy Tools

Crescent Moon, Saturn, and Mercury

I got to the parking lot at SHS a bit early this morning to capture the moon as it finally cleared. I did not know I got Saturn and Mercury as until downloaded the image.

I also carefully removed the light posts. This took a while. I would have liked to image this without them but our parking lot at Seymour High School has limited locations.

Crescent Moon, Saturn, and Mercury
01/25/2017
06:33 am
Canon EOS REBEL T3i
ISO 400
1/20 sec.
f/3.2 50mm
Photoshop - white balance, label, remove lightpost

Pleiades and The California Nebula

This wide field image of the Pleiades Cluster and the California Nebula and was the first thing I imaged last week but it was hardest to process as it had a nebula.  Pleiades or Seven Sisters (M45), is an open star cluster located in the constellation of Taurus.  The California Nebula (NGC 1499) is an emission nebula relatively close by in the constellation Perseus. It has some resemblance to the outline of California and hence its name.

The moon was not up yet which is why I went ahead and took with this image.  I did use the Astronomik CLS filter even though the objects were almost directly overhead as it was still pretty early in the evening and I wanted to avoid as much pollution as possible.  It was a good thing as my neighbor has three floodlights which rivals Las Vegas.  Fortunately they are on motion sensors but they did come on from time to time.

The center of this image is dark from top to bottom.  That dark area is real, this region of space has a lot of dust and gas causing the darkness.  If I really overexpose the image, it becomes somewhat visible.

This was my second piggyback wide field image with my Canon EF 50mm stm lens and so far I am very happy with it.

Pleiades and the California Nebula
Location: Happy Frog Observatory, Monroe, CT
Date/Time: 1-15-17, 08:15 pm
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i(a), Backyard EOS
Telescope: Canon 50mm EF Lens
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 50mm
f/3.5
Mount: Orion Sirius EQ-G GoTo Telescope Mount
Filter: Astrodon UV/IR, Astronomik CLS (48mm)
Autoguiding: QHY-5L-II-M attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope with Helical Focuser
Exposure: 44 x 120 sec (1 hr 24 min)
ISO: 1600
Temp: -3.8 C (25 F)
Post Processing: Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop, Lightroom, Astrophotography Tools, StarTools

Problems Stacking Canon T3i Raw Images With DSS

Figure 1)  Latest Image-M46 and M47

Figure 1 shows the latest image after processing with a work-around.  This post describes problems with stacking raw exposures I have with DeepSkyStacker.

DeepSkyStacker (DSS) is a wonderful stacking program especially when you factor in the price. Many astrophotographers start with DSS since it is free and many stick with it.  When I first began to use it a few years back with my raw exposures, it would only show a partial image on the view screen and not stack, however, when I put in jpeg exposures it would work.  After an internet search I discovered the Canon EOS Rebel T3i (600D) wasn't supported by DSS (3.3.2) and someone recommended converting the exposures to tiff format.  I did this using Digital Photo Professional and then stacked the exposures and everything was fine.

Last year I downloaded the latest version of DSS (3.3.4) as it supported the T3i/600D.  Note: In order to download the new version you have to download WinRAR file compressor and unzip the program to install it.  I stacked my raw exposures using the latest DSS and it seemed to work.  Figure 2 shows the autosave file generated by stacking the raw exposures.

Figure 2) raw exposures stacked in DSS 3.3.4

Upon closer examination the smaller stars look like pimples.  I tried re-stacking the exposures but the result was the same.

I converted the raw exposures to tiff format and stacked them using DSS.  The results were much better.  Figure 3 shows the autosave file generated by stacking the tiff exposures.

Figure 3) tiff exposures stacked in DSS 3.3.4

The results speak for themselves.  All of the stars appear as relatively sharp points as opposed to the diffuse splotches generated from the raw exposures.  

The conclusion is the new version of DSS still does not stack raw exposures from a T3i/600D and I will continue to convert raw images to tiff format.  At some point I may try another stacking program like Nebulosity, DSS still works pretty well although it does add a extra little time to stack.

I plan to do another test with my next image so I may have an addendum to this post.

Two For One - M46 and M47

I got two Messier objects for the price of one while taking this image under the nearly full moon. In the bottom left is M46 (NGC 2437) which is an open cluster in constellation of Puppis. M46 is about 5,500 light-years away and with approximately 500 stars and estimated to be 300 million years old. As a bonus, a planetary nebula NGC 2438 appears to lie within the cluster near its northern edge, but it is a foreground object and unrelated to the cluster. The 4.95 magnitude bright star in the bottom is 140 Pup. (source: wikipedia)

In the top right is M47 (NGC 2422) another open cluster in the constellation Puppis.  It is about 1,600 light-years from Earth with an estimated age of about 78 million years. There are about 50 stars in this cluster. 

Fifty three Messier objects imaged so far: https://sites.google.com/site/messierobjectsed80/.

Wide Field - M46 (lower left) and M47 (top right)

M46 and Planetary Nebula NGC 2438

 M47

M46 and M47
Location: Happy Frog Observatory, Monroe, CT
Date/Time: 1-15-17, 11:45 pm
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i(a), Backyard EOS
Telescope: Orion ED80 80mm f/7.5 Apochromatic Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 600mm
f/7.5
Mount: Orion Sirius EQ-G GoTo Telescope Mount
Filter: Astrodon UV/IR, Astronomik CLS (48mm)
Autoguiding: QHY-5L-II-M attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope with Helical Focuser
Exposure: 18 x 120 sec (36 min)
ISO: 1600
Temp: -3.8 C (25 F)
Post Processing: Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop, Lightroom, Astrophotography Tools, StarTools

M41 on a Clear Moon-Filled Night

I had the most productive imaging session in a long time last night even though the moon was at 84%.  The weather has been so bad lately I did not care about the moon.  It was finally clear so I decided to shoot some star clusters which are not as affected by moon glow.  In addition, used my 48mm (2") Astronomik CLS filter which seems to have some affect with reducing moon glow.

I did start off the evening doing a wide field image of the Pleiades Cluster and the California Nebula using a Canon EF 50mm STM lens prior to the moon making its appearance.  Stay tuned for that image.  I then moved on to M41 and then decided to image M46 and M47 (stay tuned) since it was still clear and I was happy how the M41 sub-frames came out.

Messier 41 (M41 or NGC 2287) is a bright open star cluster located in Canis Major constellation and lies near Sirius at an approximate distance of 2,300 light years from Earth.  M41 contains about 100 stars, including red giants and white dwarfs (source: Messier Objects).

This is my 51st Messier Object I have imaged. (https://sites.google.com/site/messierobjectsed80/)

Closeup

Wide Field

M41 (NGC 2287)
Location: Happy Frog Observatory, Monroe, CT
Date/Time: 1-15-17, 10:45 pm
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i(a), Backyard EOS
Telescope: Orion ED80 80mm f/7.5 Apochromatic Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 600mm
f/7.5
Mount: Orion Sirius EQ-G GoTo Telescope Mount
Filter: Astrodon UV/IR, Astronomik CLS (48mm)
Autoguiding: QHY-5L-II-M attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope with Helical Focuser
Exposure: 22 x 120 sec (44 min)
ISO: 1600
Temp: 25 C
Post Processing: Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop, Lightroom, Astrophotography Tools, StarTools

Orion Constellation - Barnard's Loop

I have been wanting to shoot Barnard's Loop (part of the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex) for a long time.  This is not a great shot as I took this a couple of weeks ago when there was extra light pollution due to Christmas lights in our neighborhood (and my own house) which is why it appears washed out in the lower right region.  I will of course make another attempt perhaps with UHC filter sometime in the future.  Still, it is visible as is the Orion nebula, the Flame Nebula, Horsehead Nebula, and part of the Rosette Nebula.  If you look close enough the Witch Head nebula and M78 are also visible.

Addendum:
A little more processing on Barnard's Loop and lowered the brightness on Orion. I think of done all I can with this set of data. The next step is to see if I can get some exposures with no light pollution. I just put my name for in NASA's next moon mission so I can get better shots... -
Addendum

Original

Orion Constellation - Barnard's Loop
Location: Happy Frog Observatory, Monroe, CT
Date/Time: 12/22/16 11:45 pm
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i(a), Backyard EOS
Telescope: Canon 50mm EF Lens
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 50mm
f/4.0
Mount: Orion Sirius EQ-G GoTo Telescope Mount
Filter: Astrodon UV/IR
Autoguiding: QHY-5L-II-M attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope with Helical Focuser
Exposure: 48 x 60 sec (48 min)
ISO: 1600
Temp: 25 C
Post Processing: Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop, Lightroom, Astrophotography Tools, StarTools

The Horsehead Nebula - IC434

This is my last image of 2016.  I took a break from imaging Messier objects.  It shows the Horsehead Nebula (IC 434, a.k.a. Barnard 33) and the Flame Nebula (NGC 2024) captured from the Happy Frog Observatory at my home in Monroe, CT.

The Horsehead Nebula is located just to the south of the star Alnitak and is approximately 1500 light years from Earth.  The name comes from shape of its swirling cloud of dark dust and gases which resembles a horse's head when viewed from Earth.  Very large telescope images show this very well. The reddish color is from hydrogen gas behind the Horsehead Nebula which is ionized by the nearby bright star Sigma Orionis (source: wikipedia).

The Flame Nebula is an emission nebula is about 900 to 1,500 light-years away.  Again, the bright star Alnitak is responsible as it shines energetic ultraviolet light into the Flame.  The light knocks electrons away from the clouds of hydrogen gas that reside there. Much of the glow results when the electrons and ionized hydrogen recombine (source; wikipedia).

More Processing

Sharpen-StarTools

Un-sharpened

Horsehead Nebula (IC 434, a.k.a. Barnard 33) and Flame Nebula (NGC 2024)
Location: Happy Frog Observatory, Monroe, CT
Date/Time: 12/29/16 and 12/30/16, 11:45 pm
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i(a), Backyard EOS
Telescope: Orion ED80 80mm f/7.5 Apochromatic Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 600mm
f/7.5
Mount: Orion Sirius EQ-G GoTo Telescope Mount
Filter: Astrodon UV/IR, Astronomik Clip-UHC
Autoguiding: QHY-5L-II-M attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope with Helical Focuser
Exposure: 55 x 180 sec (2 hrs 45 min)
ISO: 1600
Temp: 25 C
Post Processing: Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop, Lightroom, Astrophotography Tools, StarTools