IC 410 - Tadpole Nebula

The Tadpole Nebula, IC 410, is a dusty emission nebula approximately 12,000 LY away in Auriga.  The glowing cloud complex is over 100 LY across and contains the open cluster, NGC 1893.  The  cluster, visible in the center of my image, is relatively young at 4-million years and is responsible for dense streamers of material moving away from the central region.  Two of these clumps of gas and dust form the "Tadpoles", the gold colored objects just above the central cluster, NGC 1893.  Formed by the radiation pressure and stellar wind from the cluster, the Tadpoles are about 10 LY long and are likely forming proto-stars. 

Most of you who follow my might be surprised how much I cropped it as I prefer wide field images but sometimes it must be done.  I have wanted to capture this for a long time but I had to wait for the right equipment to do it justice - a monochrome camera and narrowband filters.  Without the narrowband filters the tadpoles are much harder to bring out.  I last published a completed  image (NGC  1333) on December 8 so this was not so bad although I first started November 16.  Angering the weather gods and a couple of trips plus me having to work in the morning contributed to the long collection time.

When I was imaging, things were good except for the freak wind gust that blew ice and snow into my shed and on my telescope lens.  So I finally cleaned my telescope.  Also, I was trying to get my new dedicated astronomy  computer (Dell Inspiron - I5 processor, 8 GB ram, 256 SSD) to work but had some difficulties.  APT worked well including the plate-solving; the problem was the QHY-5L-M autoguider.  In particular the new drivers did not work.  I may work now but I purchased a new ZWO ASI120 to use as the autoguider.  I need some clear weather to test it though.

One more odd thing, after stacking the images in PI, the Ha and OIII were really good but the SII was wonky.  I thought it might be the flats so I stacked it in DSS without the flats and it looked good.  I did it again in DSS with the flats and again it was fine so I am at a loss on this one.  I posted it on the bottom.

Youtube Video:
https://youtu.be/xiGG_oBWCWY

IC 410 - Tadpole Nebula
Home Monroe, CT
Date: 11-16-19, 12-6-19, 12-7-19, 12-15-19, 12-18-19, 12-19-19, 12-20-19, 12-27-19
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm
f/7
Focal Reducer: Astro-Tech 0.8x Focal Reducer/Field Flattener for Refractor Telescopes
Mount: Orion Sirius
Filter Wheel: ZWO EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: ZWO L, R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: QHY-5L-II-M attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope with Helical Focuser
Exposure: Ha 111 x 180s, OIII 100 x 180s, SII 89 x 180s

Gain: 139
Offset 21
Temp: -4 C
Processing: APT, PixInsight, Photoshop
https://kurtzeppetello.smugmug.com/
http://astroquest1.blogspot.com/
http://youtube.com/c/AstroQuest1

SII Stacked in PI

SII Stacked in DSS

NGC 1333

NGC 1333 is a reflection nebula approximately 1,000 light-years from Earth towards Perseus.  It lies at the edge of a large, star-forming molecular cloud which I really tried to bring out with my limited time imaging it.  The main part is dominated by bluish hues characteristic of starlight reflected by interstellar dust.  The dusty region shows hints of red emission from Herbig-Haro objects, jets and shocked glowing gas emanating from recently formed stars. These can be seen in the center of the image.  Research indicates NGC 1333 contains hundreds of stars less than a million years old, most still hidden from optical telescopes by the stardust.  Most of the stars appear to be orange-red but that is due in part to the molecular cloud obscuring the true colors.  Stellarium labels NGC-1333 as the Embryo Nebula but I have seen other objects labelled that as well.  Also located near the center of the image are dark nebula one of which is labelled B205 or LDN 1450.

I captured just over five hours on this but I must have spent at least double that amount of time under the not really clear skies of Southern Connecticut tried to collect data.  The weather has been horrible here and this is the first completed image in a month for me.  I have started another project as well and fortunately it is narrowband so I have more opportunities.  I kept it wide field because I especially like some of the dusty regions along the upper portion of the image.  The lower right has some very dense dusty regions as well.   I stretched the image as much as I could to bring out the dust but keep the noise down, in order to show more I would have needed more good data.  If you are doing this object I would recommend getting as much luminosity as possible - that is key.

Lastly, I decided to retire my 10-year old computer as it was slowing way down.  I purchased a Dell I5 Inspiron with a 256 GB SSD and 8 GB of RAM.  Overkill for running a telescope using APT or SGP for that matter as neither of these programs require a lot unlike processing software which do require a lot.  Surprisingly I get the hard stuff working, i.e. mount control, imaging, Plate-Solving, etc. everything works well EXCEPT the autoguider.  The problem appears to be the new QHY-5L-II-M driver.  PHD2 Works great on my old computer with an old version of the driver but the new does not work and I can't download the version from 4-years ago.  I read online forums and talked with people Highpoint and apparently bad QHY drivers are known thing.  Fortunately it is the right season to get a new guider so I requested a ZWO ASI120 for the replacement of the QHY.  It worked well but I think this is last QHY product for me. 

NGC 1333 - Embryo Nebula
Home Monroe, CT
Date: 11-22-19, 11-24-19, 11-30-19, 12-5-19
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm
f/7
Focal Reducer: Astro-Tech 0.8x Focal Reducer/Field Flattener for Refractor Telescopes
Mount: Orion Sirius
Filter Wheel: ZWO EFW 8x 1.25"
Filter: ZWO L, R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: QHY-5L-II-M attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope with Helical Focuser
Exposure: L 113 x 90s, R 37 x 90s, L 15 x 90s, B38 x 90s
Gain: 139
Offset 21
Temp: -4 C
Post Processing: PixInsight, Photoshop
https://kurtzeppetello.smugmug.com/
http://astroquest1.blogspot.com/
http://youtube.com/c/AstroQuest1

IC 410, NGC 1893, and the Tadpoles - in Ha

Wow two images on Astrobin within 24 hours - look out Gary Imm.  I am working on projects but don't know when I will finish them - weather, FOV, and I have to get up early for work.  This object (IC 410, the nebula, NGC 1893, the star cluster, and the Tadpoles) does not clear the trees until 11:30 as of this posting.  Again, I did minimal processing - ABE and a slight curves adjustment.  For 30 minutes I was quite happy.  I have wanted to do the Tadpoles in particular for a long time but waited until I got equipment capable of producing a decent image. I don't expect this to done until mid-December if not later.  - Cheers Kurt

IC 410, NGC 1893, and the Tadpoles
Home Monroe, CT
Date: 11-16-19
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm
f/7
Focal Reducer: Astro-Tech 0.8x Focal Reducer/Field Flattener for Refractor Telescopes
Mount: Orion Sirius
Filter Wheel: ZWO EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: ZWO Ha
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: QHY-5L-II-M attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope with Helical Focuser
Exposure: Ha 11 x 180s
Gain: 139
Offset 21
Temp: -2 C
Post Processing: PixInsight, Photoshop
https://kurtzeppetello.smugmug.com/
http://astroquest1.blogspot.com/
http://youtube.com/c/AstroQuest1

NGC 1333 - Embryo Nebula - Luminosity

I am working on projects but don't know when I will finish the Embryo so I decided to post it as a work in progress.  I did minimal processing in PixInsight and will post a more informative introduction once I am done.  Infact, this is only 1.5 hrs of luminosity so I plan to get more luminosity. 

NGC 1333 - Embryo Nebula 
Home Monroe, CT
Date: 11-22-19
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm
f/7
Focal Reducer: Astro-Tech 0.8x Focal Reducer/Field Flattener for Refractor Telescopes
Mount: Orion Sirius
Filter Wheel: ZWO EFW 8x 1.25"
Filter: ZWO Luminosity
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: QHY-5L-II-M attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope with Helical Focuser
Exposure: L 59 x 90s
Gain: 139
Offset 21
Temp: 2 C
Post Processing: PixInsight, Photoshop
https://kurtzeppetello.smugmug.com/
http://astroquest1.blogspot.com/
http://youtube.com/c/AstroQuest1

M74 - The Phantom Galaxy

M74 (a.k.a. NGC 628 or the Phantom Galaxy) is a beautiful face-on spiral galaxy in Pisces is located about 32 million light-years away.  At about 100 billion stars and 95,000 light-years across it is slightly less than the size of our own galaxy.  The spiral arms of are particularly well developed and contain clusters of young blue stars and many star-forming nebulae.

This image is infinitely better than my previous from three years ago where half of the spiral arms were missing but it would have been better had all of the exposures been used.  As it turned out the 2.5 hrs of luminosity was either not focused well or the the sky conditions were not as good as they appeared or both, in any case I did not use it.  As a result processing was even more creative than normal.  The R, G, B was great so I kept that and made a synthetic luminosity layer in PI and did a 50% combination with it.  I then did a 20% combination of Ha into the red channel in order to enhance the Ha regions in the outer spiral arms.

I did not get all the detail I had hoped for but am happy with what I did get all things considered.  The stars were colorful as was the galaxy .  

M74 - Phantom Galaxy
Home Monroe, CT
Date: 11-1-19, 11-2-19, 11-3-19, 11-6-19
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm
f/7
Focal Reducer: Astro-Tech 0.8x Focal Reducer/Field Flattener for Refractor Telescopes
Mount: Orion Atlas Pro
Filter Wheel: ZWO EFW 8x 1.25"
Filter: ZWO Ha, R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: QHY-5L-II-M attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope with Helical Focuser
Exposure: Ha 50 x 180s, R 49 x 90s, G 48 x 90s, B 54 x 90s
Gain: 139
Offset 21
Temp: 2 C
Post Processing: PixInsight, Photoshop
https://kurtzeppetello.smugmug.com/
http://astroquest1.blogspot.com/
http://youtube.com/c/AstroQuest1

Deer Lick Group & Stephan's Quintet

The Deer Lick group, located on the lower left, consists of the large dusty spiral galaxy NGC 7331 approximately 40 million light-years away.  It is thought to to be a twin of our own Milky Way galaxy.  Also, the central bulge rotates in the opposite direction of the spiral arms.  Several other smaller galaxies, just below the NGC 7331, are about ten times farther.  Gary Imm describes the strange name coming from an amateur astronomer observing at the Deer Lick Gap in North Carolina.

Stephan's Quintet, located on the upper right, consists of four gravitationally interacting galaxies about 200 million light-years away.  The fifth galaxy, NGC 7320, is only 40 million light years away, thus is not interacting with the other four galaxies. It is pretty easy to identify as it is blue and is only one not to be distorted.

I was hoping to get more detail, what a surprise - who isn't, but was happy with what I obtained.  I had guiding issues on the first night of imaging when I got the Luminosity and Red and the exposures it looked fine but when imaged the Green and Blue on second night, it was apparent that the first night was not as good.  It looked clear out side and it seemed focused but there may have been some mist.  Processing went smooth and it was fun to work on galaxies again. These galaxies are relatively small so I cropped them quite a bit, a larger scope would be preferable for these objects.

Deer Lick Group (NGC 7331) & Stephan's Quintet 

Home Monroe, CT
Date: 10-23-19, 10-24-19
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm
f/7
Focal Reducer: Astro-Tech 0.8x Focal Reducer/Field Flattener for Refractor Telescopes
Mount: Orion Atlas Pro
Filter Wheel: ZWO EFW 8x 1.25"
Filter: ZWO L, R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: QHY-5L-II-M attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope with Helical Focuser
Exposure: L 99 x 90s, R 59 x 90s, G 41 x 90s, B 59 x 90s
Gain: 139
Offset 21
Temp: 12 C
Post Processing: PixInsight, Photoshop
https://kurtzeppetello.smugmug.com/
http://astroquest1.blogspot.com/
http://youtube.com/c/AstroQuest1

Dawn at Seymour High School

Dawn at Seymour High School this morning. From my parking spot with an iPhone Pic.

Fleming's Triangle (Pickering's Triangle)

This is the third part of the Cygnus Loop that I have imaged.  The wispy clouds of hot gas and dust that make up this emission nebula are the result of a massive supernova explosion that occurred 5000 to 8000 years ago approximately 1500 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus.  I have imaged Eastern Veil and Western Veil (Witches Broom), brightest and most popular parts of the Cygnus Loop, already and decided to try my luck with Fleming's Triangle (a.k.a. Pickering's Triangle) this time.  It was discovered photographically in 1904 by Williamina Fleming at Harvard Observatory and originally named after Edward Charles Pickering who was director at the time.

I really love the wispy fibrous appearance of this whole area.  I spent some pre-imaging time planning to frame it as I did not want to overlap with the Western Veil (Witches Broom) or Eastern Veil.  It helped that this was the same orientation that I used when I was imaging the Pelican.  I also wanted to get the luminous knots NGC 6979 and NGC 6974 located on the lower part of the image discovered by Lord Rosse (6974) and by William Herschel (6979). The designation NGC 6979 is often used to refer to Fleming’s Triangle.  I managed to get over 11 hrs of total exposure over 11 nights imaging after the Pelican went behind some trees.  Some more productive than others - one night invisible wispy clouds and another night the equipment gods abandoned me so nothing worked - fortunately they returned the next night. I enjoyed processing this image and I did have to get rid of a couple blown out star halos which I will post a video on in the near future.  On that same line, the nebula was done with Hydrogen and Oxygen filters but the stars were composed of RGB data.  I used a simple method of combining the star data in PixInsight - thanks Gary Imm!

Lastly, the first image is a typical HOO where Ha is in the red channel, OIII is in the green and blue channels.  Just for giggles I did a second image where Ha is in the red channel, Ha and OIII are split 50-50 in the green channel, and OIII is in the blue channel.  It gave a pretty neat looking color cast and I like the golden hue but I don't think it added any additional detail.

HOO

H(HO)O

Fleming's Triangle
Home Monroe, CT
Date: 9-16-19, 9-18-19, 9-21-19, 9-24-19, 9-25-19, 9-26-19, 9-27-19, 10-8-19, 10-14-19, 10-18-19
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm
f/7
Focal Reducer: Astro-Tech 0.8x Focal Reducer/Field Flattener for Refractor Telescopes
Mount: Orion Sirius EQ
Filter Wheel: ZWO EFW 8x 1.25"
Filter: ZWO Ha, OIII, R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: QHY-5L-II-M attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope with Helical Focuser
Exposure: Ha 99 x 180s, OIII 100 x 180s, R 49 x 60s, G 29 x 60s, B 43 x 60s
Gain: 139
Offset 21
Temp: 13 C
Post Processing: PixInsight, Photoshop, APT
https://kurtzeppetello.smugmug.com/
http://astroquest1.blogspot.com/
http://youtube.com/c/AstroQuest1

The Moon from Boothe Park!

Blast from the past!  This was a single shot taken from my modified Canon T3i/600d through my old imaging telescope, the Orion ED80 F7.5 refractor.    The Astronomy Club (BMAS) just finished doing an outreach and I decided to take the advice of Van H. McComas, if the Moon is out, image it. I normally take lunar images without filters, however, this time I used the Baader Moon & Skyglow filter in order increase the contrast.  It seemed to have worked as I the shock waves coming off the crater in Tycho are much more visible than any other one-shot image during the full moon phase than I have imaged previously.

The Moon

Boothe Park, CT
Date: 10-12-19
Camera: Canon T3i/600d
Telescope: Orion ED80 Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 600mm
f/7.5
Focal Reducer: None
Mount: Sky-Watcher Twilight I Alt/Az Mount
Filter Wheel: None
Filter: Baader Moon & SkyGlow
Focuser: Moonlite
Autoguiding:None
Exposure: 1 x 1/400s
ISO: 200
Temp: 15 C
Post Processing: Photoshop, Lightroom

https://kurtzeppetello.smugmug.com/
http://astroquest1.blogspot.com/
http://youtube.com/c/AstroQuest1

IC 5070 - Pelican Nebula

This is my first image of the Pelican which I decided to do in narrowband (SHO) since it would take many nights to acquire the data including when the moon was out.  Located in constellation Cygnus and approximately 2000 light-years away the Pelican Nebula is separated from the more popular North American Nebula by a dark molecular cloud.  In astronomy it seems your either a well studied object or hardly studied at all, the Pelican is one of those well studied objects as light from newly formed stars is energizing the surrounding gas clouds of hydrogen and oxygen.

I especially like the gold front located on the lower right of the image. In this region Herbig-Haro objects have been detected as jets of gas are seen to be emanating from a protostar.  I imaged this over eleven nights but do to my situation I was only able to image for 2.5 hours each night.  I moved on to another object when this went out out of my FOV.  I managed to get a little over 5 hours on Ha, OIII, and SII for fifteen total hours.  I did have a couple of "Aargg" moments as one night I was not focused properly and another night it looked clear but very faint clouds moved in.  On third night my camera was making this very load noise but was cooling so I pretended it it was not making any noise (the fan was replaced six months ago).  The next day I decided to take the back cover off myself and discovered a bug decided to make a home there.  On the positive side, I purchased a Pegasus EQMOD direct cable from Highpoint Scientific and got it working.

Processing was the usual for me, no rhyme or reason just stumbling along. I am happy with how it turned out overall but I am not totally happy with the stars.  I tried many things to fix them but you adjust one thing at the expense of another.  I actually made a starless version with StarNet and may come back with another version when I get some time.

IC 5070 - Pelican Nebula

Home Monroe, CT
Date: 9-13-19, 9-15-19, 9-16-19, 9-17-19, 9-18-19, 9-19-19, 9-21-19, 9-22-19, 9-25-19, 9-26-19, 9-27-19
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm
f/7
Focal Reducer: Astro-Tech 0.8x Focal Reducer/Field Flattener for Refractor Telescopes
Mount: Orion Sirius EQ
Filter Wheel: ZWO EFW 8x 1.25"
Filter: ZWO Ha, OIII, SII
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: QHY-5L-II-M attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope with Helical Focuser
Exposure: Ha 102 x 180s, OIII 100 x 180s, SII 107 x 180s
Gain: 139
Offset 21
Temp: 13 C
Post Processing: PixInsight, Photoshop, Lightroom, APT
https://kurtzeppetello.smugmug.com/
http://astroquest1.blogspot.com/

SH2-84 - Ha Region in Sagitta

SH2-84 is a faint emission nebula located approximately 16,300 light years from Earth in the constellation of Sagitta, the Arrow.  It is a member of the Sharpless catalogue of emission nebulae which contains 313 entries representing H-II emission nebulae with a declination of -27 degrees or above, compiled by American astronomer Stewart Sharpless in 1959.  

The nebula is thought to be produced by the bluish star just above the dense red portion in the left center in this image.  It is a Wolf-Rayet star designated as WR128 (HD 187282).  The very difficult to process bright yellow star that dominates the left side of the image is δ-Sge.  SH2-84 lies close to much more impressive object like M27 and M71 which may be why it is not imaged much, in fact there is only one other entry in Astrobin at this time.  

There are several blue, white, yellow, and red stars in this image, however, I suspect many of the stars appear reddish because of the gas and dust in this region.  

SH2-84 - Ha Region in Sagitta

Home Monroe, CT
Date: 8-30-19, 9-3-19, 9-4-19, 9-7-19, 9-10-19
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm
f/7
Focal Reducer: Astro-Tech 0.8x Focal Reducer/Field Flattener for Refractor Telescopes
Mount: Orion Sirius EQ
Filter Wheel: ZWO EFW 8x 1.25"
Filter: ZWO Ha, R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: QHY-5L-II-M attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope with Helical Focuser
Exposure: Ha 73 x 180s, R 33 x 90s, G 31 x 90s, 32 x 90s
Gain: 139
Offset 21
Temp: 17 C
Post Processing: PixInsight, Photoshop
https://kurtzeppetello.smugmug.com/
http://astroquest1.blogspot.com/

A Giant 'E' in Space - The E-Nebula

The E-Nebula is a pair of dark nebula (B142 and B143) in the constellation of Aquila.  E.E. Barnard described and designated these two nebula as B143 (northern region resembling a square with a missing side) and B142 (southern region).  These two nebula together form a giant "E" in space with an apparent size equivalent to that of a full moon and is some 2000 light-years from Earth.  The interstellar cloud that makes up the nebula stands out well against the heavy star field and like all molecular clouds can reach temperatures low enough where different types of stable molecules can exist.  I can't get over all the stars in this region and this is after some tar reduction.  Most of them appear yellowish but I suspect they are being masked a bit by the vast amount of gas and dust.

This image would have been a lot easier to process had I just collected more RGB data in place of the luminosity data.  The luminosity looked good on its own but when I combined it with the RGB the stars seemed more bloated.  However, the luminosity did enhance the dark nebula slightly and reduced the noise a bit.  I created an RGB mask for the stars and combined the luminosity to the rest of the image.  I am OK with how it turned out but if I were doing this again I would just collect more RGB and skip the luminosity altogether.   

B143 - The E-Nebula
Home Monroe, CT
Date: 8-25-19, 8-26-19, 8-29-19
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm
f/7
Focal Reducer: Astro-Tech 0.8x Focal Reducer/Field Flattener for Refractor Telescopes
Mount: Orion Atlas Pro
Filter Wheel: ZWO EFW 8x 1.25"
Filter: ZWO L, R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: QHY-5L-II-M attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope with Helical Focuser
Exposure: L 104 x 60s, R 61 x 60s, G 57 x 60s, 57 x 60s
Gain: 139
Offset 21
Temp: 17 C
Post Processing: PixInsight, Photoshop
https://kurtzeppetello.smugmug.com/
http://astroquest1.blogspot.com/

Cocoon Nebula (2019) - HaRGB with RGB Stars

Addendum:

Processing Flow on the Bottom

Surprisingly this is my first image of the this colorful emission/reflection nebula.  There are certain objects that most astrophotographers do when they are first starting out like the Orion Nebula.  The Coccon is not that popular but it is one that people in the Northern Hemisphere usually do with in the first year or so.  For a number reasons I am just getting around to it now.  I was planning on doing a normal LRGB image but then I saw a fabulous image on Astrobin by Luca Marinelli (https://www.astrobin.com/415781/E/?nc=all) where he added a whole bunch of Ha data.  I decided to give it shot as well.  Although I did not capture as much Ha, I did capture enough to see the streamers (jets) that come off the top and bottom of the nebula (it is very faint even with seven hours worth of Ha).

The Cocoon Nebula (IC 5146) is about 15 light-years wide and 3,300 light years away towards constellation of the Swan (Cygnus).  The nebula itself is a young star-forming region glowing inside a dim molecular cloud which extends to the left on the image.  Massive amounts of excited hydrogen gas account for the reddish glow of this stellar nursery along with many hot young blue stars.  The source of the glow is the bright star near the center of the nebula estimated to only a few hundred thousand years old.   

I find processing HaRGB images to be the toughest of all, even harder than SHO or HOO for some reason and this was no exception.  I was trying to keep a natural look yet show the Ha jets on the top and bottom, however, it seems one sacrifices for the other.  Using PixInsight I did a RGB combination, then a LRGB combination, and then combined the Ha into the red channel for the final combination.  I tried a last combination of adding the Ha as a luninosity layer but it took away from the natural look that I was after.  I also have to give a shout out to Gary Imm for assisting me with combining RGB stars into a narrowband image.  

IC 5146 - Cocoon Nebula
Home Monroe, CT
Date: 8-1-19, 8-4-19, 8-10-19, 8-11-19, 8-19-19, 8-20-19, 8-23-19
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm
f/7
Focal Reducer: Astro-Tech 0.8x Focal Reducer/Field Flattener for Refractor Telescopes
Mount: Orion Atlas Pro
Filter Wheel: ZWO EFW 8x 1.25"
Filter: ZWO Ha, L, R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: QHY-5L-II-M attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope with Helical Focuser
Exposure: Ha 140 x 180s, L 169 x 60s, R 80 x 60s, G 67 x 60s, 78 x 60s
Gain: 139
Offset 21
Temp: 17 C
Post Processing: PixInsight, Photoshop
https://kurtzeppetello.smugmug.com/
http://astroquest1.blogspot.com/


Processing Flowchart

PixInsight Processing Flow Diagram
ALL Master Images - After Stacking
1	STF
2	Dynamic Crop
3	Rename
RGB
4	RGB Combination
5	Dynamic Background Extraction (DBE)
6	Histogram Transformation
7	CIE-L extract Mask
8	TGV
9	Curves/Histogram Transformation - Darken Background
Luminosity
10	Automatic Background Extraction (ABE)
11	Histogram Transformation
12	Starmask
13	Morphological Transformation
LRGB
14	Split RGB
15	LRGB Combination
16	CIE-L extract Mask
17	TGV
Ha
18	ABE
19	Histogram Transformation
20	Range Mask
21	TGV 2x
HaRGB
22	Split LRGB
23	Open RGB
24	Starmask RGB
25	PixelMath LRGB Channels with Ha in place of Red
26	Apply to RGB
Done in PixInsight

NGC 6888 - Crescent Nebula HOO (2019) & Soap Bubble

Thanks to Luca Marinelli for pointing out the Soap Bubble Nebula (PN G75.5+1.7) on right side.

The Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888) is a massive bubble 25 light-years across and approximately 5000 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus.  This object is the result of the collision of faster moving stellar wind from a Wolf-Rayet star (a star that lost its outer hydrogen layer) colliding with and energizing slower moving wind ejected by the star when it became a red giant sometime around 250,000 to 400,000 years ago.  The star known as WR136 is near the end of its stellar life and will probably go out in a supernova most likely not in our lifetime though.  It is the bright yellowish star near the center of the Crescent.  

I captured this object almost exactly two years ago with my old setup and using a UHC filter.  For what I had it was OK but I really wanted to capture the blue-green hue of the oxygen mingling with the red hydrogen I had to wait until now.  I obtained about 3 hours of Ha and 5 hours of OIII to ensure there was enough to produce the HOO image.  I thought I was going to crop it more but I really liked the nebulosity so I kept it wide field.  Additionally, I reduced the stars a bit more than I usually do because I wanted to highlight the surrounding nebulosity especially in the lower left where they almost look like wave fronts.  Lastly, after many test adjustments, I did not darken the background too much liked the faint red-blue hue of the surrounding nebulosity.

Video

Image

NGC 6888 - Crescent Nebula

Home Monroe, CT
Date: 7-13-19, 7-14-19, 7-30-19, 8-9-19, 8-11-19
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm
f/7
Focal Reducer: Astro-Tech 0.8x Focal Reducer/Field Flattener for Refractor Telescopes
Mount: Orion Atlas Pro
Filter Wheel: ZWO EFW 8x 1.25"
Filter: ZWO Ha, OIII
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: QHY-5L-II-M attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope with Helical Focuser
Exposure: Ha 59 x 180s, OIII 97 x 180s

Gain: 139
Offset 21
Temp: 17 C
Post Processing: PixInsight, Photoshop
https://kurtzeppetello.smugmug.com/
http://astroquest1.blogspot.com/

Rho Ophiuchi molecular cloud system 200mm lens

This is the last of my national park vacation series images. The Rho Ophiuchi molecular cloud system is a region of gas and dust that is located close by the star ρ Ophiuchi of the constellation Ophiuchus. The system is an estimated 400 ly away making it one of the closest star-forming regions to the Solar System.  Rho Ophiuchi (ρ Ophiuchi) is a binary star system surrounded by a blue reflection nebula.  The cloud system appears golden yellow (IC 4606) around the bright super giant star Antares, takes on a reddish color near the double star system Alniyat, as linear blueish spots (IC 4605) around the star i-Sco, as a bridge or transition (IC 4603) between the blue-yellow regions, and as the namesake blue reflection nebula (IC 4604).  Several other objects are visible such as the globular clusters M4 and the smaller NGC 6144.

I really like this area region a lot and have always wanted to image it but it is low and located in very light polluted portion of the sky in southern Connecticut.  So with my Hap Griffin astro-modified camera, tripod, and SkyGuider I was ready.  Although I did not get all of the nebulosity possible I would have liked, I am happy with what I got.  One of my favorite areas is the dark reflection streams located near the center and top of the image and also the gold tint near the Antares nebula.  The image is rotated 90 degrees for easier framing on websites and such.

Difficulties:
I did have several difficulties.  First, this was the family vacation where I squeaked out time to image and not an astro-trip so I there are no darks, bias, or flats for support.  I stacked 51 x 1-min frames on the first night, 32 x 1-min frames on the second night, and finally 75 x 30-sec frame on the third night.  After examining the frames closely on the first night I noticed the stars were slightly elongated so decided to try again.  The exposures from second set were also elongated.  Determined to get an image I tried again.  This time I ensured everything was tight and polar alignment was spot on.  I did notice that one of my screws holding the guider was not tight which may have contributed to the elongated stars, however I was not talking any chances, so I went with 30-sec exposures.  

The stars on the 30-sec exposures were rounded so my plan was to stack all the images but only use the 30-sec stacked image for the stars.  When I stacked images for all three nights in DSS, the stars were round.  It seems DSS only used the best stars to make the image, in other words it did what I was planning to do.

Final thoughts:
My setup with the Manfrotto tripod and SkyGuider Pro mount works great for 50mm and smaller FL lenses.  However, there seems to be some elongation with the 200mm lens.  I believe the problem is my tripod.  The tripod is good for light to medium weight use, however it has trouble for larger equipment.  I may purchase the recommend iOptron mount for the SkyGuider to use for driving trips and just use smaller lenses and the Manfrotto tripod for airplane travel.

Rho Ophiuchi Molecular Cloud System - IC 4604, IC 4605, IC 4606, M4, NGC 6144
Location: Victor, ID, Yellowstone National Park, WY
Date: 7-20-19, 7-21-19, 7-24-19
Camera: Canon T3i/600D modified
Lens: Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM
Focal Length: 200mm
f/3.2
Mount: iOptron SkyGuider Pro on a Manfrotto Tripod
Filter: none
Autoguiding: none
Exposure: 51 x 60s, 32 x 60s, 75 x 30s
ISO: 1600
Processing: Photoshop, PixInsight, Lightroom
https://kurtzeppetello.smugmug.com/
http://astroquest1.blogspot.com/

Moon in conjunction with Jupiter 2019

Moon in conjunction with Jupiter from Booth Park! Image is a combination of a short exposure 1/400 sec. for the moon and 2 sec. for Jupiter and its four Galilean moons. Shot taken with a 200mm lens.

Moon and jupiter
Location: Home Monroe, CT
Date: 8-9-19
Camera: Canon T3i/600D modified
Lens: Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM
Focal Length: 200mm
RGB f/4.0

Mount: iOptron SkyGuider Pro on a Manfrotto Tripod
Filter: Astronomik OWB Clip-in
Autoguiding: none
Exposure: 1 x 1/400s,  1 x 2s
ISO: 400
Processing: Photoshop, Lightroom
https://kurtzeppetello.smugmug.com/
http://astroquest1.blogspot.com/

Antares Region From Wyoming - 11 min with 50mm Lens

I was shooting more than just the Milky Way while on vacation.  Well, it is a bit noisy, but for only eleven minutes I am happy, besides it is better than anything I would get back home.  I have always wanted to do this area but it is very difficult in southwestern Connecticut as it it low and in the direction of light pollution headquarters (NYC).  Of course I would have liked to get more data but there were clouds moving in and out.

Using the 50mm lens (nifty fifty) results in a very wide field which in turn leads to many neat objects.  The large white object on the left is Jupiter and I had to tone it done a bit.  Antares is the large yellow star located on the lower left side. Approximately 550 light-years it is the 15th brightest star in the night sky gives of a yellow glow although it is a red supergiant.  If it were placed where our sun is it would reach well past the orbit of Mar.  It is actually a binary star system with a small hot star and the red supergiant.

Other highlights of this region include M4, Alniyat, Rho Ophiuchi Nebula (IC 4604), dark dust clouds, the Blue Horsehead Nebula (IC 4592).  M4 is a globular cluster ~7200 ly away located just to the right of Antares.  To the left of M4 reddish nebulosity surrounds the pulsating variable star Alniyat.  Above Antares and Alniyat is the blue Rho Ophiuchi Nebula.  All of the gas and dust in the area is known as the Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Complex and includes the dark streaks which are large cool clouds of dust and gas.  Other nebula within this complex are IC 4601, IC 4603, and IC 4605.  Lastly, located in the center of the image is the Blue Horsehead Nebula spanning about 40 ly approximately 400 ly away.

Processing was a bit tough mainly trying to reduce the noise.  I normally would not post it until more noise was reduced but there is only so much you could do with so little time. I also highly saturated it in order to bring out the colors.

Antares Region
Location: Yellowstone National Park, WY
Date: 7-25-19
Camera: Canon T3i/600D modified
Lens: Canon 50mm f/1.8
Focal Length: 50mm
f/3.2
Mount: iOptron SkyGuider Pro on a Manfrotto Tripod
Filter: none
Autoguiding: none
Exposure: 22 x 30s
ISO: 1600
Processing: Photoshop, PixInsight

https://kurtzeppetello.smugmug.com/
http://astroquest1.blogspot.com/

Milky Way Images - National Parks

I will be posting various images of the Milky Way from our vacation in the Yellowstone - Glacier Park area.  I haven't done many of these before so it will be a trial and error operation. 

Images MW-1 and MW-2 were both 30 second exposures of different parts of the Milky Way.  They were collected at our first location, a campground/RV park/cabin spot in Victor Idaho very close to Jackson, Wyoming and the Teton National Park.

I really did not do much processing on this and it came out better than anything I did before with much heavier processing.  There is no substitute for dark skies!

MW-1

MW-2

MW-1 and MW-2

Location: Victor, ID
Date: 7-21-19
Camera: Canon T3i/600D modified
Lens: Canon EF 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

Focal Length: 18mm
f/3.5
Mount: iOptron SkyGuider Pro on a Manfrotto Tripod
Filter: none
Autoguiding: none
Exposure: 1 x 30s
ISO: 1600
Processing: Photoshop, Lightroom

The next stop was in Glacier National Park.  This provided another opportunity to image the Milky Way.  As before, I used the standard Canon 18-55mm lens set at 18mm but also took a total of eleven 30 second exposures and stacked them in DSS.  However, the image color was way of whack - I tried playing around with it but just could not get it look as pleasing as the single exposure. Oh Well!

While I was imaging these I was scanning the heart of the galaxy with my 10 x 50 binoculars and was amazed at the clusters and nebulae that we usually just image.  As shown on the annotated version, lots of objects are visible in this image. Although the color is not there when looking at them live with the binoculars, they incredibly stunning and glisten in the sea of stars.

 MW-3

MW-4

MW-3 and MW-4

Location: Glacier National Park, MT
Date: 7-24-19
Camera: Canon T3i/600D modified
Lens: Canon EF 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

Focal Length: 18mm
f/3.5
Mount: iOptron SkyGuider Pro on a Manfrotto Tripod
Filter: none
Autoguiding: none
Exposure: 1 x 30s
ISO: 1600
Processing: Photoshop, Lightroom, PixInsight

Yellowstone marked the last stop for imaging, thus these are my last of the Milky Way images for this series.  I used two different lenses this time, one being the 18-55mm standard lens and the other being the Opteka 6.5mm Fish Eye.  For image MW-5, I stacked six 60 second images taken with the 18mm lens.  Image MW-6 was a single 2 minute exposure for the Milky Way combined with a 1 minute exposure for the foreground.

I am OK with the images and the stacking resulted in less noise, however, when I was doing the foreground for all of my images in this series, I should have turned off the tracking.   

MW-5

MW-6

MW-5 and MW-6

Location: Glacier National Park, MT
Date: 7-25-19
Camera: Canon T3i/600D modified
Lens: Canon EF 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 and Opteka 6.5mm Fisheye

Focal Length: 18mm and 6.5mm
f/3.5 and f/5.6
Mount: iOptron SkyGuider Pro on a Manfrotto Tripod
Filter: none
Autoguiding: none
Exposure: 6 x 60s and 1 x 120s
ISO: 1600
Processing: Photoshop, PixInsight