Waxing Gibbous Moon (12/26/20)

Yes it's the Moon again.  So this was not planned it was just there, really there.  It has been tough imaging lately, fake clear nights where it looks clear so I image but end up trashing most of the exposures.  Saturday night it was clear but the moon was really close to one my four targets so even imaging in Ha was not useful - I actually tried but it was so bright the guider would not work.  So, I shot the moon and put a slight mineralized color to it.  It actually crossed my object target 12 hours later so I will post a composite once I am done with it.  It actually came out OK.  The crater Tycho, bottom of the image, shows the shock wave radiating off from it really well.    

Waxing Gibbous Moon
Home Monroe, CT
Date: 12-26-20
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805
f/7
Focal Reducer:  AstroTech 0.8x Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer
Mount: Orion Sirius

Filter Wheel: ZWO EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: ZWO L, R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope with Helical Focuser
Exposure: L 500 x 23fps, R 500 x 23fps, G 500 x 23fps, B 500 x 23fps
Gain: 139
Offset 21
Temp: 0 C
Processing: Sharpcap, Autostakkert2, Photoshop, Topaz NoiseNR.

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NGC 1579 - Northern Trifid Nebula

NGC 1579 (a.k.a. The Northern Trifid Nebula) resembles the very popular Trifid Nebula which is much further south in the night sky from my location.  Ironically it is so far south I can't see it from my yard which is why I only imaged it once several years ago off site.  NGC 1579 is approximately 2,100 light-years away and three light-years across.  It is classified as a diffuse nebula located in the constellation of Perseus and lies within the California Molecular Cloud.  The blue colors are produced by dust reflecting nearby star light as is the case for the Trifid Nebula.  The red color, however, results from an immense  young star that emits a tremendous amount of hydrogen alpha light located within in the nebula.

There are many other objects located in this image as well.   IC 2067 is a bright blue reflection nebula located below and to the right of the NGC 1579.  Other named objects in the image are an Ha region known as LBN 766 (just above IC 2067), a dusty area known as Ced 36 (to the left of IC 2067), and a dark nebula LDN 1482 (lower right corner).  There are several other unnamed dark nebula in this image as well.  If you look carefully one is above NGC 1579 and another one is located directly below NGC 1579.  I cropped the image a small amount but not much so the other objects would still be in the FOV.

Processing was straight forward, however, putting the Ha to use was a bit tough as most of the Ha was limited to the core of the nebula (NGC 1579).  In fact many people don't bother with Ha on this object and the main reason I did was because the moon was out when I started on it.  The other areas had no Ha as it was mainly the dark molecular cloud.  The Ha data detracted the image as a whole.  As a result, I combined only the core region of the Ha into the red channel of the RGB image and the Luminosity image and then combined them together to make the final image as the Ha did sharpen the central portion.

 Dates: 12-1, 12-2, 12-5, 12-6, 12-8, 12-10, 12-13

NGC 1579 - Northern Trifid Nebula
Dates: 12-1, 12-2, 12-5, 12-6, 12-8, 12-10, 12-13
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm
f/7
Focal Reducer: AstroTech Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer
Mount: Orion Sirius
Filter Wheel: ZWO EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: ZWO Ha, L, R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: Ha 46 x 240, L 83 x 90, R 62 x 90, G 50 x 90, B 61 x 90
Gain: 139
Offset 21
Temp: 0 C
Processing: APT, NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop, Topaz DeNoiseAI.

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Jupiter & Saturn with the Crescent Moon

I don't have a good view from my yard but fortunately we live on a not so well travelled road.  Taken from on Williamsburg Drive (side of the road). 

Jupiter & Saturn with the Crescent Moon
Location: Monroe, CT
Date: 12-17-20
Camera: Canon T3i/600D modified
Lens: Canon 50mm f/1.8 
Focal Length: 50mm
f/4.5
Mount: iOptron SkyGuider Pro on a Manfrotto Tripod
Filter: Astronomik OWB Clip-In
Autoguiding: none
Exposure: 1 x 4s
ISO: 400
Processing: Photoshop, Topaz DeNoise AI

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NGC 1491 - Fossil Footprint Nebula

NGC 1491 or Fossil Footprint Nebula (a.k.a. SH2-206 and LBN 704) is listed as a bright emission nebula and HII region on Stellarium.   It is located about 10,700 light-years away in gaseous region in the constellation Perseus on the edge of the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way.  It seems this a popular object to image but i was not aware of until recently.  I shot this over 13 nights do to my limited FOV but I did not mind as I just switched to another object when this went behind some trees.

The object looks really cool especially bright streamers in the center and also the many other streamers throughout the nebula.  The data collection was straight forward despite the many nights, however, what a pain-in-the neck to process.  I used Starnet++ to remove the stars to make the nebula 'easier' to process.  I spent my hours trying to adjust the colors to make it presentable with the typical blue-gold color scheme - at one point there were six versions going on at once including an HOS, however, I came to realize that are not that many blue-gold versions.  The SHO version one out as it produced the sharpest and most detailed view in the main portion of the nebula.  I still like how the HOS version looked so it is attached (Link).  There is a lot of faint nebulosity on the lower right portion of the image which I attempted to bring out more but it looked really bad so I left it faint.  Some others have brought it out  really well, however, they had more than double the exposure time.  Finally, there is an interesting small colorful spot on the right central edge that looks like a planetary nebula or something like it that was in the NB channels.

Also, I made a video on Ionization - Why Nebulae Shine, using demos since I have all of my 'stuff' at home while we are doing remote learning (https://youtu.be/UmIxclwCtvE). 

Dates: 10-30, 11-2, 11-7, 11-8, 11-9, 11-13, 11-14, 11-16, 11-18, 11-20, 11-23, 11-26, 11-28

SHO Version

HOS Version

NGC 1491 (SH2-206 and LBN 704) - Fossil Footprint Nebula 

Dates: 10-30, 11-2, 11-7, 11-8, 11-9, 11-13, 11-14, 11-16, 11-18, 11-20, 11-23, 11-26, 11-28

Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm
f/7
Focal Reducer: AstroTech Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer
Mount: Orion Sirius
Filter Wheel: ZWO EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: ZWO L, R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: Ha 57 x 240, OIII 52 x 240, SII 56 x 240, R 29 x 90, G 29 x 90, B 28 x 90
Gain: 139
Offset 21
Temp: 5 C
Processing: APT, NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop, Topaz DeNoiseAI.

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NGC 891 & Abell 347

The main object in this image is of course the edge-on unbarred spiral galaxy, NGC 891 (a.k.a. Caldwell 23 or Silver Sliver Galaxy), 100 thousand light-years across located 30 million LY away in the constellation Andromeda.  It is a member of the NGC 1023 Group of galaxies which in turn is part of the Virgo Supercluster which the Milky Way is part of.  Larger telescopes do a great job of bringing out the detail in this galaxy, however, the dust lane is well defined even in my image.  Surprisingly this region of space was unknown to me until I saw some really cool images on Astrobin from some of my friends.  The really prominent yellow star in the lower center approximately 3545 LY away is HIP 11185 (apparent magnitude 6.7/absolute magnitude).  It was even more prominent but I toned it down a bit.   

I purposely framed it off center as I wanted to show part of the the galaxy cluster Abell 347 located 240 million LY away.  I really wanted to show this object as Abell objects typically are small dinky things too small for my equipment.  The cluster is located in the in the lower right portion of my image and many gorgeous galaxies and interesting looking galaxies which still show some structure even though they 8-times further than NGC 891.  There are numerous other galaxies throughout the entire image and I found myself getting lost trying to spot them.

Imaging this was straight forward and processing went well but would have been easier had it not been for the poor quality of the luminosity data which took quite a bit of extra inventive work.  That was the bad news, the good news is I discovered the cause and fixed it.  Turns out the luminosity filter had something on it.  It was not dust or a typical spot but more of a dendritic pattern in a couple of areas.  Whatever it was came off with the isopropyl alcohol cleaner and the new flats are perfect.  I will keep a close eye on this to see if it happens again but I have been looking to replace my 7nm ZWO 1.25" filter set with the 6 nm Astronomik set or 6.5 nm Optolong set.

Dates: 11-16-20, 11-18-20, 11-20-20

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NGC 891 & Abell 347
Dates: 11-16-20, 11-18-20, 11-20-20
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm
f/7
Focal Reducer: AstroTech Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer
Mount: Orion Sirius
Filter Wheel: ZWO EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: ZWO L, R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: L 82 x 90, R 41 x 90, G 34 x 90, B 36 x 90
Gain: 139
Offset 21
Temp: 5 C
Processing: APT, NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop, Topaz DeNoiseAI.

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Triangulum Galaxy, M33 (2020)

If you are wondering why I imaged the second most photographed galaxy (M33), because it's there.  What I mean is that I have a poor field of view and at that particular time there are not a lot of choices from my location.  I imaged this for couple of hrs. each night while waiting for another target - this is visible for longer periods in my FOV but the other targets are not. The good thing is this is only the third time I have ever imaged it an the first time with the AT115 EDT (115mm refractor) so I was able to get closer in than my previous times with the ED80 (80mm refractor).    

M33 or Triangulum is a spiral galaxy and is the third largest member of the Local Group of galaxies, after Andromeda and the Milky Way.  It is located 3 million light-years from Earth in the Triangulum Constellation and can be seen with the naked eye in dark locations.  Triangulum is moving towards Andromeda and studies from 2005 and 2011 suggest that it may have interacted with Andromeda in the past.  Several regions contain star-forming HII nebula some of which are visible in my image.  One of the largest Ha regions in the Local Group of galaxies, NGC 604, is found in Triangulum.  It is estimated to be 1500 light-years across making it 40 times larger than the visible portion of Orion.  On my image it is the large red area to the left of the core in one of the main arms.  Hubble has a detailed image of NGC 604 (https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap121211.html) and surprisingly some the detail is visible on my image closeup.

I like the blue tone this time around more than the magenta tone of my previous images.  Processing was tough mainly due to my luminosity data - captured a lot but I seem to have developed on odd problem recently.  There are two artifacts/regions that the flats do not seem to fix.  I reprocessed the luminosity without the flats and there was no problem.  When I have the camera on live view with the luminosity filter, I notice the darker regions.  I am thinking a couple of spots on the luminosity filter but wonder why without the flats the image was fine?  Oh well, so I spent a lot of time tweaking this layer.

I blended the Ha into the red channel at 50 % with PixelMath although I did try other percentages I did not want to make the Ha region look too harsh - wanted a softer feel.  I blended only the galaxy portion of the Luminosity layer in at 50 % as well - enough to add to the outer reaches but so much that it overexposed the core region.

Dates: 11-2-20, 11-3-20, 11-4-20, 11-6-20, 11-8-20, 11-9-20, 11-10-20, 11-13-20, 11-14-20

 

M33 - Triangulum Galaxy
Dates: 11-2-20, 11-3-20, 11-4-20, 11-6-20, 11-8-20, 11-9-20, 11-10-20, 11-13-20, 11-14-20
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro                                                                                                  Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope

Barlow: None

Focal Length: 805mm

f/7

Focal Reducer: AstroTech Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer

Mount: Orion Sirius

Filter Wheel: ZWO EFW 8 x 1.25"

Filter: ZWO Ha, L, R, G, B

Focuser: ZWO EAF

Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope

Exposure: Ha 66 x 240, L 141 x 90, R 72 x 90, G 80 x 90, B 80 x 90

Gain: 139

Offset 21

Temp: 5 C

Processing: APT, NINA, PixInsight, DSS, Photoshop, Topaz DeNoiseAI.

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LBN 438

LBN 438 is a dark dusty nebula located in the south part of the constellation Lacerta with many fragments. It is a member of the Lynds Bright Nebula catalog which is ironic considering this object is quite dim.  Various internet sources describe the nebula as being illuminated by interstellar radiation also known as  Extended Red Emission (ERE).  It seems LBN 438 is a part of a much larger molecular cloud complex approximately 1200 light-years away, known as Lacerta 10 and includes Sh2-126 and LBN 437 (not shown - north of my image).

I really like all the gas and dust in the region and it sits in a rich colorful star field.  In addition to the typical reflection from the dust, there is some hydrogen gas in this region and within the nebula itself.  There are numerous small galaxies scattered throughout this image with two prominent ones on the upper left (PGC 69469) and right (PGC 69605).  My favorite is PGC 69469 as the colorful spiral arms are clearly visible.

One of the reasons I imaged this nebula in particular is because I was able to image the Ha when the moon was out.  I have to be very strategic with targets due to a very poor field of view which is why I miss a lot of popular objects.  There are not many images of LBN 438 on Astrobin but it is getting imaged much more frequently now.  I seem to have a couple of small spots on my sensor or glass plate that the flats are not correcting so whenever I get convenient place to break down my set up, a good cleaning is in order.  In the mean time they are easy to fix in post processing. 

Blending of the Ha into the RGB image was done first with a 70% Ha and 30% Red replacing the Red channel using PixelMath to make the HaRGB image - other percentages were also tested.  Following this the Luminosity was added to the HaRGB using the LRGB combination.

Dates: 10-30-20, 11-2-20, 11-3-20, 11-4-20, 11-6-20, 11-8-20, 11-9-20

LBN 438 and Others
Home Monroe, CT
Dates: 10-30-20, 11-2-20, 11-3-20, 11-3-20, 11-4-20, 11-6-20, 11-8-20, 11-9-20
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm
f/7
Focal Reducer: AstroTech Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer
Mount: Orion Sirius
Filter Wheel: ZWO EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: ZWO Ha, L, R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: Ha 59 x 240, L 142 x 90, R 79 x 90, G 83 x 90, B 76 x 90
Gain: 139
Offset 21
Temp: 5 C
Processing: APT, NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop, Topaz DeNoiseAI.

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NGC 188 - Polarissima Cluster

NGC 188 is an open cluster in the constellation Cepheus, very close to Polaris, and is approximately 5400 light-years away.  This is one of the oldest open clusters in the Milky Way at 6.8 billion years and lies far above the galactic plane which has helped it remain intact rather than drift apart like most other clusters.  In addition to the 120 colorful stars that make up this cluster, great amounts of gas and dust are part of it and surround it.  I could have darkened it so most of the gas and dust would not be visible but I really like the dust around this region and plan doing other objects in the vicinity.

Dates: 10-7-20, 10-15-20, 10-18-20, 10-19-20, 10-25-20

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NGC 188 - Polarissima Cluster 

Home Monroe, CT

Dates: 10-7-20, 10-15-20, 10-18-20, 10-19-20, 10-25-20

Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro

Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope

Barlow: None

Focal Length: 805mm

f/7

Focal Reducer: AstroTech Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer

Mount: Orion Sirius

Filter Wheel: ZWO EFW 8 x 1.25"

Filter: ZWO L, R, G, B

Focuser: ZWO EAF

Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope

Exposure: L 138 x 90, R 74 x 90, G 70 x 90, B 73 x 90

Gain: 139

Offset 21

Temp: 5 C

Processing: APT, NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop.

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NGC 7497

Colorful stars, integrated flux nebulae, and a galaxy, what more can you ask for.  The centerpiece of this image is spiral galaxy  NGC 7497 located approximately 60 million light-years towards Pegasus.  This almost edge-on galaxy stands out well and does show some detail much to my surprise given the size of my scope.  This region also has faint clouds of interstellar dust which ride above the galactic plane and dimly reflect the Milky Way's combined starlight.  These clouds are known has integrated flux nebulae and are commonly associated with molecular clouds.  This region in home to the diffuse molecular cloud MBM 54, less than 1000 light-years years away.  There appears to be other small galaxies scattered throughout this region as well. 

Dates: 9-18-20, 9-19-20, 10-7-20, 10-8-20, 10-9-20, 10-14-20

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NGC 7497 
Home Monroe, CT
Dates: 9-18-20, 9-19-20, 10-7-20, 10-8-20, 10-9-20, 10-14-20
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805
f/7
Focal Reducer: AstroTech Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer
Mount: Orion Sirius
Filter Wheel: ZWO EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: ZWO L, R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: L 210 x 90, R 63 x 90, G 64 x 90, B 62 x 90
Gain: 139
Offset 21
Temp: 5 C
Processing: APT, NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop.

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Sh2-86 & NGC 6823 (2020)

 So this is NGC 6823, an open cluster surrounded by a nebula complex (Sh2-86) in the constellation of Vulpecula. The open star cluster is about 50 light years across and lies about 6000 light years away. The center of the cluster formed about two million years ago and is dominated by bright young blue stars.  Also found within the confides of Sh2-86 is the small very bright reflection nebula NGC 6820 which is located in the lower right portion of the larger nebula.  There is a long trunk-like pillar of gas and dust emanating from outer region protruding  towards the star cluster that is a highlight of this region.  The huge pillar is believed to be shaped by the erosion from hot radiation emitted from the star cluster. Numerous dark globules of gas and dust are also visible across throughout this region.

So this is the third time I have imaged this object and not surprisingly this time of year.  The first time was three years ago with my old setup using a UHC filter (https://www.astrobin.com/309164/).  The second time was an HaRGB image (https://www.astrobin.com/365596/?image_list_page=4&nc=&nce=) from two years ago soon after I got the ASI1600 but still using the Orion ED80.  This time I went all out with Hydrogen, Oxygen, and Sulfur filters.  I captured RGB data for the stars and merged them into the the starless narrowband version produced using StarNet++.  Fortunately this is much more detailed than either of my previous images, especially from the 2017 version.  I am always surprised how the colors from narrowband images end up looking.  I let the detail guide me on how to adjust the colors and this is what I ended up with.  I probably could have forced it to a more common blue hue with heavy processing but this is sort of growing on me and I have seen other images with similar colors.   

Dates: 9-20-20, 9-21-20, 9-22-20, 9-23-20, 9-24-20, 9-28-20, 9-30-20

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Sh2-86 & NGC 6823 (2020) 
Home Monroe, CT
Dates: 9-20-20, 9-21-20, 9-22-20, 9-23-20, 9-24-20, 9-28-20, 9-30-20

Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805
f/7
Focal Reducer: AstroTech Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer
Mount: Orion Sirius
Filter Wheel: ZWO EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: ZWO Ha, OIII, R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: Ha 61 x 240s, OIII 59 x 240s, SII 61 x 240, R 36 x 90, G 39 x 90, B 45 x 90
Gain: 139
Offset 21
Temp: 10 C
Processing: APT, NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop.

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Sh2-101 Tulip Nebula (2020)

Sharpless 101 (Sh2-101) also known as the Tulip Nebula is yet another gem found in Cygnus located about 8,000 light years.  Stewart Sharpless cataloged this Ha region in his 1959 catalog of Ha emission nebula.  Located near the center of the nebula are two bright yellow stars and a very bright blue-white star called HDE 227018.   This area is also home to Cygnus X-1, a microquasar which is the bright star half the distance from the nebula to the edge of the right side of the image.  This is one of the most intense X-ray sources measurable from Earth, probably attributable to the presence of a black hole.

I have seen many incredible SHO image of this recently so me trying to be different did in Ha and OIII.  I might have picked up more detail with sulfur but I did get a lot of detail in the nebula itself.  This image also is far superior from the image I took of back in 2018.  It was one of the last images I did with my old setup (Orion ED80 and modified Canon T3i/600D).

Imaging this time was very difficult and I had to toss 2 or 3 days worth of data due to the western forest fires.  I thought I had decent data but the skies were too cruddy and so after examining the subframes closely I saw that they were very poor.

Dates: 9-11-20, 9-12-20, 9-14-20, 9-15-20, 9-16-20, 9-18-20, 9-19-20, 9-18-20

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Sh2-101 Tulip Nebula (2020) 
Home Monroe, CT
Dates: 9-11-20, 9-12-20, 9-14-20, 9-15-20, 9-16-20, 9-18-20, 9-19-20, 9-18-20
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805
f/7
Focal Reducer: AstroTech Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer
Mount: Orion Sirius
Filter Wheel: ZWO EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: ZWO Ha, OIII, R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: Ha 67 x 240s, OIII 88 x 240s, R 19 x 90, G 13 x 90, B 19 x 90
Gain: 139
Offset 21
Temp: 15 C
Processing: APT, NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop.

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Moon-Mars 10-2-20 From Boothe Park

The Moon and Mars made a gorgeous pair tonight.  They are less than two degrees apart.  I captured this this at Boothe Park during our normal meeting on the first and third Friday's of each month.  The image is a composite of two exposures.  The moon was a 1/800 second exposure and Mars was a 4 second exposure. I combined them in photoshop and did minor processing.

Moon-Mars 10-2-20
Location: Boothe Park, Stratford, CT
Date: 10-2-20
Camera: Canon T3i/600D modified
Lens: Canon 200mm f/2.8L II USM 
Focal Length: 200mm
f/4.0
Mount: iOptron SkyGuider Pro on a Manfrotto Tripod
Filter: Astronomik OWB Clip-In
Autoguiding: none
Exposure: 1 x 4s, 1 x 1/800
ISO: 200
Processing: Photoshop, Topaz DeNoise AI

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http://youtube.com/c/AstroQuest1

The Wall - Cygnus Wall That Is...

The Cygnus Wall is part of the more popular North America Nebula (NGC 7000) and is a massive star forming region approximately 20 light-years long.  The whole North America Nebula complex is about  1,500 light-years away in Cygnus an sits in the Milky Way plane.  I have imaged NGC 7000 a few times in the past but not with my AT115 refractor.  The whole region is very large so I decided to focus in on The Cygnus Wall portion.  I feel I am late to this party as most people have moved on but my FOV is always later.  I was done with this three weeks ago but I am extremely busy and have no time to process although I have been imaging as I have two more object in the Que. 

I am really  glad I did in SHO as I was going back and forth with HOO but went with the SHO anyway.  I was not going to use StarNet++ as the stars seemed small and nice to start but I began to process and they become a nuisance so I used it after all  - I was using it in PI but since I did the new PI upgrade it does not work so I do it in Windows.  There was a lot of faint nebulosity around the outside edges which was good and bad so the hard part for me was deciding on what to show and what not to show.  So I decided to use the histogram, I lowered the offset so the histogram went halfway between where I thought it was done and where it would start clipping signal. 

I am happy with how it turned out especially the yellow-gold detail of the Wall itself.  Also, in trying to be different, I decided to keep it flipped so Florida is on the bottom sticking up into the Gulf of Mexico. 

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

The Cygnus Wall (Part of the North America Nebula)
Home Monroe, CT
Date: 9-4-20, 9-5-20, 9-6-20, 9-7-20
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805
f/7
Focal Reducer: AstroTech Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer
Mount: Orion Atlas Pro
Filter Wheel: ZWO EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: ZWO Ha, OIII, SII
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: Ha 69 x 240s, OIII 54 x 240s, SII 53 x 240
Gain: 139
Offset 21
Temp: 15 C
Processing: APT, NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop.

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

Second Image of the Sun - Making some progress

So this is my second image of our sun with my new solar setup.  I believe the seeing conditions were much better than the previous day which made the flare appear sharper.  It is not as sharp as I had hoped but it is still better.  I am still playing around with various processing methods as well.  Also, When trying to get the Sun in the frame, make sure the lower cap is off the Quark.  I spent 20 minutes trying to find the Sun - thinking the Quark is broke - before I saw the somewhat melted plastic cover on the bottom of the Quark.   

I believe Earth would be about half the size of the flare, maybe smaller.  I will work on finding more exact references in the future.

Sun & Solar FlaresHome Monroe, CT
Date: 9-5-20
Camera: ZWO ASI178 MM
Telescope: Orion ED80 F7.5 Refractor
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 600
f/7.5
Focal Reducer: None
Mount: Orion Sirius
Filter: Daystar Quark Chromosphere

Tilt Adjuster: Daystar Interference Eliminator
Exposure: 0.001752
Best 350 of 1000
Gain: 344
Processing: SharpCap, PixInsight, Photoshop.

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

First Image with Solar Setup

Well, at long last I finally got my first image with my new solar set up.  It is not great, looks slightly out of focus to me but that could be due to bad seeing, it was hot and humid and there were high clouds and I was imaging between waves of low clouds. But I am happy I got something.  This camera much faster than the QHY5-II that I was using.  I processed it combining methods described by Cuiv the Lazy Geek and Chuck's Astrophotography.

I was hoping to be much further a long at this point with solar imaging as I ordered this stuff at end of May in the hopes of imaging during the summer when I had time.  Covid19 delays no doubt, but it is finally here.  OPT is probably sick of me calling them, but then again I was rarely able to get anyone. Many people in this hobby are retired or semiretired and can spend a lot of time imaging and processing, I have a few more years before I can join the seasoned crowd.  With that said we started our school year on a hybrid model so I will be extremely busy at least for the next month or two so astrophotography will have to take a back seat for a while. I do have a couple other images in the Que but don't know when I will have time to process them. 

Solar Setup:
Telescope: Orion ED80 F7.5 Refractor
Camera: ZWO ASI178 MM

Filter: Daystar Quark Chromosphere

Tilt Adjuster: Daystar Interference Eliminator

Mount: Orion Sirius or Orion Atlas Pro

Sun & Solar FlaresHome Monroe, CT
Date: 9-4-20
Camera: ZWO ASI178 MM
Telescope: Orion ED80 F7.5 Refractor
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 600
f/7.5
Focal Reducer: None
Mount: Orion Sirius

Filter: Daystar Quark Chromosphere

Tilt Adjuster: Daystar Interference Eliminator

Exposure: 0.00145

Best 300 of 1000  

Gain: 369
Processing: SharpCap, PixInsight, Photoshop.

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

Sh2-132 - Lion Nebula (SHO with RGB stars)

Well this Nebula actually does resemble a Lion, who would have thought.  Sharpless-132 (Sh2-132), a.k.a. the Lion Nebula, is located approximately 10,000 light-years away in the constellation of Cepheus and about 250 LY across.  I have been doing a lot of Sharpless objects lately because they do seem less popular.  I haven't found much information about the nebula other than very hot stars are responsible for ionizing the gases that make it up, this includes two Wolf-Rayet stars.  Also located in this image are two dark nebula, LDN 1161 and LDN 1163 located above the Lion's back.  This object has not been imaged much in years past, however, it has become much more popular these days among amateur astrophotographers.  Cataloged as a Sharpless object hydrogen is dominate element but there is plenty of Oxygen and Sulfur.  I really like the HOO images of this and was planning on doing this with Ha and OIII but decided on SII at the last minute based on weather conditions and the moon.

Normally I would use a model someone's image as a model, however, this time I adjusted the colors to see what gave the most detail but looked cool to me.  The hard part of processing this object was the stars. I tried to keep the stars and process the nebula at the same time but eventually ended up going starless.  Of course StarNet did not work in PixInsight since the new update so I did it using the Windows version.  I actually combined a couple of different methods for adding the RGB stars.  I was not totally satisfied with the stars and after seeing an image from Rodd Dryfoos where he made an HaSHO version, I did that on this image in order to add back some more stars and soften them a bit.  I like the HaSHO a little better but some might prefer the SHO.  

Date: 8-22-20, , 8-23-20, 8-24-20, 8-25-20, 8-30-20

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

SHO

HaSHO

Sh2-132 - The Lion Nebula
Home Monroe, CT
Date: 8-22-20, , 8-23-20, 8-24-20, 8-25-20, 8-30-20

Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805
f/7
Focal Reducer: AstroTech Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer
Mount: Orion Atlas Pro
Filter Wheel: ZWO EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: ZWO Ha, OIII, SII, R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: Ha 130 x 240s, OIII 91 x 240s, SII 83 x 240, R 20 x 90s, G 16 x 90s, B 19 x 90s
Gain: 139
Offset 21
Temp: 22 C
Processing: APT, NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop.

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

Sh2-114 - Flying Dragon Nebula

Bilbo Baggins said something like there hasn't been a dragon around here for over 1000 years, that's because they went looking for swans.  The Flying Dragon Nebula or Sh2-114 is located in the constellation Cygnus (the Swan) at an unknown distance which is surprising to me.  It is a very faint nebula in an extremely rich star field which is probably why it is not imaged as much as other objects in the vicinity.  Similar regions typically are a result from a supernova, however, no remnants have been detected so the cause remains unclear.  

I first saw an image of this two years ago and loved the look but I wanted to wait until I had better equipment.  One of my favorite parts is the swirling filamentous clouds that make up the dragon.  The dragon sits in a surprisingly dense star field which is bittersweet as love stars, however, they make processing the nebula quite difficult.  I did a lot of star reduction in PI but did not use Starnet this time. The stars turned out nice and colorful after getting them to a manageable level. 

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

Sh2-114 - Flying Dragon Nebula
Home Monroe, CT
Date: 7-31-20, 8-4-20, 8-5-20, 8-18-20, 8-19-20, 8-20-20
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805
f/7
Focal Reducer: AstroTech Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer
Mount: Orion Atlas Pro
Filter Wheel: ZWO EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: ZWO Ha, L, R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: Ha 158 x 240s, L 84 x 90s, R 43 x 90s, G 39 x 90s, B 42 x 90s 
Gain: 139
Offset 21
Temp: 22 C
Processing: APT, NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop.

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

Milky Way Vacation Shots 2020

This image is looking south on the Twin Beach dock at Lake George in the foothills of Adirondack Park.  The skies are bortle 4 here as opposed to 5 in Monroe so a little better.  There were some low lying clouds but I was still able to get an image.  Jupiter and Saturn are in the center left with Jupiter being the brightest.  This was captured with the cheapo standard 18-55mm lens that comes with Canon and Nikon cameras.  I can't speak for Nikon but the Canon lens is not bad for astrophotography.  I have to thank Trevor Jones from AstroBackyard for bringing Topaz DeNoise AI to my attention - it works well!

Milky Way
Location: Lake George, NY
Date: 8-12-20
Camera: Canon T3i/600D modified
Lens: Canon 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6
Focal Length: 18mm
f/4.0
Mount: iOptron SkyGuider Pro on a Manfrotto Tripod
Filter: none
Autoguiding: none
Exposure: 15 x 30s (7.5min)
ISO: 1600
Processing: PixInsight, Photoshop, Topaz DeNoise AI

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

Addendum

This image from the same location as the previous image only two days later and with a different lens.  This time I used the the Opteka 6.5mm F3.5 Fisheye to capture the Milky Way.  This lens is a good price at just under $150 and other brands such as Samyang also sell a version of this for not much more money.  These lenses are well suited for astrophotography as well as other uses and are great additions especially if you are on a limited budget - compare this to normal wide angle lenses which cost $500 or more.  Although it is manual, focusing is easier because it has an infinity setting unlike automatic lenses which go beyond the infinity setting.  So what is the downfall of these lenses?  Because they give a distorted view around the edges, under close up view the stars show elongation and suffer more chromatic aberration.    

At first glance 6.5mm image may look like the image I took with the 18mm lens, however, it is a much larger FOV.  The bottom of 6.5mm image starts closer to the dock and passes Deneb (and the constellation of Cygnus) whereas the 18mm image starts farther from the dock and ends just after Altair.

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

Milky Way
Location: Lake George, NY
Date: 8-14-20
Camera: Canon T3i/600D modified
Lens: Opteka 6.5mm F/3.5
Focal Length: 6.5mm
f/5.6
Mount: iOptron SkyGuider Pro on a Manfrotto Tripod
Filter: none
Autoguiding: none
Exposure: 4 x 60s (4min)
ISO: 1600
Processing: PixInsight, Photoshop, Topaz DeNoise AI

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

Sh2-155 - Cave Nebula SHO (RGB Stars)

This is Sharpless 155 (Sh2-155) located 2400 light-years away in constellation Cepheus.  It is listed as an ionized region of Ha gas where star-formation occurs and is located on the edge of the Cepheus Molecular Cloud.  The nebula is being illuminated by the nearby hot stars with the largest component coming from the large bright blue star in the upper center.  The name Cave Nebula came from Patrick Moore who likened the nebula to an opening of a cave.  There is another object in Cepheus, a small reflection nebula named Ced 201, also known as the Cave Nebula.  My favorite part of this object is the bright gold rim of the cave and the orange knot (HH object) on the lower right.  

This object did not want me to image it for some reason.  You will see the last time I published a DSS was July 5th and I actually started on this the end of June.  This has to be the worst July I remember for lack of clear nights.  I tried to image every night that there was a 'thought' of clear weather - most ended with clouds.  Also, I have been using using N.I.N.A. for auto-focusing but it seemed to not work for a couple of nights so I had to do it the old-fashioned way - the reason it stopped working was I uploaded a new version and it rest the gain to zero.  Finally, I ended up with condensation on camera sensor or glass plate (ASI1600) probably caused my trying to image on tremendously humid nights.  Whatever the case I had to learn how to take my camera apart and rejuvenate the desiccant tablets - it is actually quite simple in case you ever have to do it.

Overall I am happy that I even captured something, I was getting concerned I would never finish this thing.  I used StarNet++ in PI and did most of the color adjustments in PS.  I am happy with the how colors turned out, however, I was hoping for more nebulosity and detail. This is a dim object though so if you image it, prepare to be on it for a little while, hopefully you will have an easier time than had. 

Date: 7-4-20, 7-5-20, 7-13-20, 7-14-20, 7-18-20, 7-19-20, 7-20-20, 7-20-20, 7-21-20, 7-25-20, 7-27-20, 7-28-20, 7-29-20

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

Sh2 - Cave Nebula
Home Monroe, CT
Date: 7-4-20, 7-5-20, 7-13-20, 7-14-20, 7-18-20, 7-19-20, 7-20-20, 7-20-20, 7-21-20, 7-25-20, 7-27-20, 7-28-20, 7-29-20
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805
f/7
Focal Reducer: AstroTech Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer
Mount: Orion Atlas Pro
Filter Wheel: ZWO EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: ZWO Ha, OIII, SII, R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: Ha 128 x 240s, OIII 148 x 240s, SII 130 x 240s, R 32 x 60s, G 29 x 60s, B 31 x 60s (28.6 hrs)

Gain: 139
Offset 21
Temp: 22 C
Processing: APT, NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop.

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

More Comet Neowise F3 Picts

If you are imaging the Moon, the Moon is your friend.  If not, the Moon does bad things like makes gradients.  Anyways I shot the comet for one last time with the widefield 18mm Focal Length lens.  In hindsight I probably should have gone for a larger lens with a small FOV so the gradients would not have been so pronounced but I wanted to get the Big Dipper. Oh well, good by Neowise...

Addendum:
I went out again the next night (last night) as it cleared briefly at my house.  The was brighter, however, the sky was a bit less hazy and I used a 200mm lens rather than the 18mm lens.  There were still gradients but they were a bit easier to deal with.  It is still not great better than the previous night.  I found it difficult to process at it was very noisy but that was to be expected with 4.8 min of total exposure (19 x 15s).  I tried to preserve the ion trail but was only left with a hint of it.  It is definitely greener than a few weeks ago and this was the color of the exposures.  Anyway I am done with Comet Neowise I just wanted to finish off better than than image from the previous night.

Guide to Buying Your First Scope - My First Telescope & Second & Third...(2020)

Intro

Been asked a lot about getting telescope. 

Figured I  would Show what scopes I have and make buying guide for starting out.

Important to look at up-to-date videos
Rosewell Astronomy
Testing the new Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LAmx6Ict3M&t=552s

Wido Oerlemans
Best affordable telescope to start astrophotography in 2020?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmX0OkXHoSY&t=610s

Three Main Types

Refractor (1608)
1608 in the Netherlands, when a patent was submitted by Hans Lippershey.

Durable, Low Maintenance

Very expensive with higher aperture
chromatic aberration

Newtonian Reflector (1668)
Isaac Newton
Best bang for the buck 

Must collimate before use

Cassegrain Reflector (1672)
Laurent Cassegrain in 1672 described the design of a reflector with a small convex secondary mirror to reflect light through a central hole in the main mirror
Compact, in between price

Telescope	Specs	Includes	Price
Orion FunScope	Obj: 76mm FL: 300mm	-FunScope 76mm -20mm eyepiece -6mm eyepiece  -1.25" 2x Barlow lens -Red-dot reflex sight -Orion MoonMap 260	$69.99 Link
Celestron FirstScope	Obj: 76mm FL: 300mm	-FirstScope 76 mm  -20mm eyepiece -4mm eyepiece	54.99 Link
Orion SkyQuest XT8	Obj: 203mm FL: 1200mm	-25mm eyepiece -EZ Red Dot Finder  -2" Crayford focuser -2"-to-1.25" adapter	$399.99 Link
Sky-Watcher Classic 8”  Dobsonian	Obj: 203mm FL: 1200mm	-25mm eyepiece -10mm eyepiece -8x50 Finderscope  -2" Crayford focuser -2"-to-1.25" adapter	$405.00 Link
Orion ED80	Obj: 80mm FL: 600mm	-2" Crayford focuser -2"-to-1.25" adapter	$449.99 Link
Sky-Watcher Evostar  80ED	Obj: 80mm FL: 600mm	-8x50 Finderscope -2" Diagonal -25 mm eyepiece -5 mm eyepiece -Tube Rings  -Metal Carrying Case -2" Dual speed   focuser -2"-to-1.25" adapter	$825.00 Link
Orion CT80	Obj: 80mm FL: 400mm	-2" Crayford focuser -2"-to-1.25" adapter	$99.99 Link
Meade Infinity 80  Refractor	Obj: 80mm FL: 400mm	-Alt-Azimuth Mount -Red Dot Finder -2x 1.25" Barlow -26 mm eyepiece -9 mm eyepiece -6.3 mm eyepiece	$149.99 Link

Telescope	Specs	Includes	Price
Orion StarBlast 4.5” Reflector	Obj: 114mm FL: 450mm	-25mm eyepiece -10mm eyepiece -Orion MoonMap -Equatorial mount -EZ Red Dot Finder	$179.99 Link
Celestron AstroMaster 114 Reflector	Obj: 114mm FL: 450mm	-25mm eyepiece -10mm eyepiece -Orion MoonMap -Equatorial mount -EZ Red Dot Finder	$169.99 Link
Orion StarMax Table  Top Mak-Cass	Obj: 90mm FL: 1250mm	-90° diagonal -25mm eyepiece -10mm eyepiece -EZ Red Dot Finder -tripod attachment	$199.99 Link
Celestron NexStar 90  Computerized Scope	Obj: 90mm FL: 1250mm	-Computerized    Alt-Azimuth Mount -EZ Red Dot Finder -25mm eyepiece -9mm eyepiece -1.25" Star Diagonal -Hand Controller	$359.99 Link
Astro-Tech AT115  Refractor	Obj: 115mm FL: 805mm	-dual-speed 2.5"   focuser with 10:1  -hard sided case -rotatable focuser -camera angle     adjuster -retractable lens   shade/dew shield -dual hinged split   tube rings  -Vixen-style dovetail	$1399.99 Link