Spring Moon (Camera/SharpCap Test?)

Seems like I am turning into a lunar photographer as of late since this is my second image within a month. Actually, like my last image, I was using the moon for testing once again. The moon is great for doing equipment and processing tests. In this case I was getting familiar with SharpCap again and testing my equipment for solar work.

My main solar setup consists of:

1) Orion ED80 - FL 600mm/F7.5

2) ZWO ASI178MM Pro

3) DayStar Quark Chromosphere

4) Orion Sirius Equatorial Mount

5) SharpCap capturing software

I used SharpCap to collect a video using the following camera settings:

Capture Area = 3096 x 2080

Gain = 290

Exposure = 0.2050ms

Duration = 20.189s

Frame Count = 496

Actual Frame Rate = 24.5680fps

I used AutoStakkert preprocessing processing software to stack the video frames selecting the best 20% or 99 frames. I did minimal final processing in PixInsight and Photoshop to produce this image. It came out pretty well but not as good as my single exposure shot from last month (https://www.astrobin.com/gv30xe/?nc=collection&nce=712). 

However, it is not really comparable since the slightest seeing conditions can affect the quality. Also, and maybe more important, they were with two completely different setups. Another thing that Niall MacNeill pointed out to me last month, was that lucky-stacking may work really well for closeup surface shots but for whole moon images single exposure shots show more detail. The following table lists the specs of each setup. Column 3 is my Solar Setup with the Quark and Column 4 is with the ASI174 (which I currently do not have) in place of the ASI178.

	Edge800 ASI294MC	Solar Setup ASI178	Solar Setup w/Quark ASI178	Solar Setup w/Quark ASI174
Telescope	Edge800	ED80	ED80	ED80
Reducer/Barlow	0.7x	none	4.2x	4.2x
Focal Length	1432mm	600mm	600mm	600mm
Camera	ASI294MC	ASI178MM	ASI178MM	ASI174MM
Pixel Size	4.63µm	2.4µm	2.4µm	5.86µm
Resolution	4144 x 2822	3096 x 2080	3096 x 2080	1936 x 1216
Sensor Size	19.1 x 13.1 mm	7.4 x 5.0 mm	7.4 x 5.0 mm	11.3 x 7.1 mm
Scale	0.67 arc”/pixel	0.83 arc”/pixel	0.2 arc”/pixel	0.48 arc”/pixel
Video Rate	19 fps 10bit/ 16 fps 14bit	60 fps 10bit/ 30 fps 14bit	60 fps 10bit/ 30 fps 14bit	164 fps 10bit/ 128 fps 12bit

The image scale are very close at 0.67 vs. 0.83 arcsec/pixel but there is no way to make up the difference between a 1432 mm Focal Length and a 600 mm Focal Length system. The whole point of using such a large scope is to get more detail.

The other thing I noticed was that the frame rate was ~24 fps which indicated that I was probably using 14 bit and for solar imaging it may be better to use 10 bit to take advantage of the higher capture rate. Of course I have no idea how to do this at the moment. Lastly, I may purchase the venerable ASI174 which has proven itself to be an excellent solar camera. It seems the price has come down a slight amount for that camera over the years most likely because ZWO has a newer and slightly more expensive solar camera, the ASI432.

Spring Moon (Camera/SharpCap Test?)
Date: 4-16-24
Camera: ZWO ASI178MM-Pro
Telescope: Orion ED80
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 600mm 
F/7.5
Focal Reducer: None
Mount: Orion Sirius Pro
Filter Adaptor: None
Filter: Camera UV-IR
Focuser: None
Autoguiding: None
Exposure: 99 x 0.2050 ms
Gain: 290
Offset 0
Temp: 15 C
Processing: SharpCap, AutoStakkert, PixInsight, Photoshop

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Barnard 35 (LBN 878 & 879)

Barnard 35 (B35) is a molecular cloud that is within the Lambda Orionis Ring (a.k.a Sh2-264) a huge molecular cloud and also a hydrogen alpha region located northwest of Betelgeuse in the Orion constellation. One of my favorite parts is LBN 878, the bright rim portion on the top where violent cosmic winds are blowing hydrogen (Ha) gas around. Herbig–Haro (HH) 175 is found in the bottom center of the rim (HH objects are associated with newborn stars). The bright yellow-brown reflection nebula known as GN 05.42.6 surrounds the young star FU Orionis. This lower brown region is known as LBN 879 or Ced 59. Distance to Barnard 35 assuming it is part of the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex is 1000 to 1400 light-years. The bottom right also has an interesting reflection portion rimmed in dense hydrogen gas (Ha).

I started imaged this in January imaging whenever it was clear and finished early March. I was originally more interested in an LRGB image with a bit of Ha but it only seemed to clear when the moon was out so I captured a lot of Ha and am glad I did. The most difficult part of processing was deciding what to bring out. From what I have seen, wide field images of this region accent the Ha whereas localized images focus on the reflection nebula. Although I was able to bring out a good deal of the reflection, my skies are not good enough facing the south to do reflection nebula justice - besides the Ha came out much better than I was expecting. I blended with the Ha and the LRGB until I wound up getting something I was happy with.

Hi Res: https://www.astrobin.com/vjujra/?nc=collection&nce=712

Dates: 1-14-24, 1-16, 1-17, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, 2-5, 2-6, 2-7, 2-13, 2-14, 2-24, 2-25, 2-29, 3-3

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Barnard 35 (LBN 878 & 879)

Dates: 1-14-24, 1-16, 1-17, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, 2-5, 2-6, 2-7, 2-13, 2-14, 2-24, 2-25, 2-29, 3-3
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm (644mm w/ FR)
f/7
Focal Reducer: 0.8x AstroTech Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer
Mount: Orion Sirius
Filter Wheel: ZWO
EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: Antlia Ha; ZWO L, R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: L 232 x 90, Ha 221 x 300, R 84 x 90, G 88 x 90, B 55 x 93 (Total 30h 50' 30")
Gain: 139
Offset 20
Sensor Temp: -20 C
Processing: NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXTerminator, StarXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator, GraXpert, Bill Blanshan Color Masks, Bill Blanshan Stretching, Topaz Denoise.

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Eclipse 2024

Progression of the April 8, 2024 Eclipse from Dallas, Texas. After a cloudy morning and not so good weather report (thunderstorms later), the skies cleared a bit for the show! If you are wondering why I did not take a totality image, well there are so many other people doing that, no need, haha 😃. In reality, I should have done a meridian flip a couple of minutes prior to totality like I PLANNED. However, it was tracking so well I did not want to mess with it and figured it would track for a bit longer. It was completely my fault - the AM3 worked perfectly. I highly recommend this mount as it is super compact and not much bigger than a star tracker. The mount and tripod easily fits in carry-on luggage.

I did not try to hurry up to flip the mount and recenter because honestly observing the eclipse is so much more of a reward and I did not want to miss it. Besides, there are many excellent images of totality already and one more will not be missed. If you have never witnessed a total solar eclipse from totality, it is worth doing.

Eclipse 2024
Date: 4-8-24
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i/600D modified
Telescope: Orion ST80
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 400mm
F/5
Focal Reducer: None,
Mount: ZWO AM3
Filter Adaptor: None
Filter(s): Astronomik OWB, SvBONY UV-IR
Focuser: None
Autoguiding: None
Exposure: white light 1/800s
ISO: 200
Offset 0
Temp: 24
Processing: PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXT

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Eclipse Test & Playing with the Quark

I did a quick setup test with my camera (Canon EOS Rebel T3i) attached to the Orion ST80 400mm telescope mounted on the ZWO AM3. While focused on the sun I attached the Quark Solar Filter and observed some flare activity. I attempted to attach the camera to the Quark which was quite interesting. The T-adapter for the camera was a threaded 48mm and the 1.25 inch (31mm) step down adapters I had were 42mm. Fortunately when you purchase astro cameras they give you a bunch of extra threads and spacers so I was fumbling through camera boxes when I found a 42mm to 48mm threaded adapter that I could use. By the time I got the camera attached the sun was in the trees which is why the surface looks goofy. 

I have used and will use this Quark more at some point. In fact I already have a dedicated camera for it (ASI178) but I have too many other things going on right now. These images are the best I could do with 10 minutes of processing. The first image is with the traditional solar filter and the second image, with the flares, is with the Quark.

Sun with Daystar Solar Filter (ND 5 Solar film)

Sun with Daystar Quark

Eclipse Test & Playing with the Quark
Date: 3-24-24
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i/600D modified
Telescope: Orion ST80
Barlow: None, Quark - 4.2x 
Focal Length: 400mm 
F/5
Focal Reducer: None, 
Mount: ZWO AM3
Filter Adaptor: None
Filter(s): Astronomik OWB, SvBONY UV-IR
Focuser: None
Autoguiding: None
Exposure: white light 1/800s, 1/2s 
ISO: 200
Offset 0
Temp: 15
Processing: PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXT, NoiseXT

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Trapezium Cluster (OAG Test2)

The Trapezium Cluster is a cluster of stars located in the center of the Orion Nebula approximately 1600 light-years away. The stars of the cluster formed out of the gas and dust of the nebula. The four brightest stars in this image are within 1.5 LY of each other and are designated as A, B, C, D.

I captured this image while I was trying to use the autoguider so it was only a 4-minute total exposure image (51 x 5s). The guide camera was unable to pick up any stars so it is unguided - more about that in a minute. I did not do much processing on this especially since the goal was to check the autoguider and not do any imaging but I did capture Trapezium. 

After using the moon to set the focus of my new Askar Off Axis Guider (OAG) for the Edge800 setup, I slewed the telescope to M43 to see if it would actually guide using the ZWO ASI120 guidescope. Not surprisingly there were no stars - there was a dim smudge that may have been one. I slewed the telescope to the home position and was able to see stars and guide. I then went to the Pleiades and again was able to guide. Although I was able to guide, a new guide camera was definitely necessary. As mentioned in a previous post I went with the ZWO ASI220 because of its greater sensitivity and larger sensor size. It is on backorder so I still have time to switch to the ASI174 which has the largest sensor and largest price.

ASI120 mini
Sensor: 1/3″ CMOS AR0130CS
Size: 4.8×3.6mm
Diagonal: 6.0mm
Resolution: 1280×960
Pixel Size: 3.75µm
QE: 80%

ASI220 mini
Sensor: 1/1.8″ CMOS SC2210_BW
Size: 7.68×4.32mm
Diagonal: 8.81mm
Resolution: 1920×1080
Pixel Size: 4µm
QE: 92%

ASI174 mini
Sensor: 1/1.2″ CMOS IMX174LLJ
Size: 11.3×7.1mm
Diagonal: 13.4mm
Resolution: 1936×1216
Pixel Size: 5.86µm
QE: 77%

Trapezium Cluster (OAG Test2) 

Date: 3-19-24
Camera: ZWO ASI294MC-Pro
Telescope: Celestron EdgeHD 800
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 2032mm (native), 1400mm
F/10 (native), F/7
Focal Reducer: Celestron 0.7 Reducer Lens
Mount: Orion Atlas Pro
Filter Adaptor: ZWO Filter Drawer
Filter: Camera UV-IR
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ZWO ASI120 & Askar OAG
Exposure: UV-IR 51 x 5s
Gain: 0
Offset 0
Temp: -20 C
Processing: Asiair app, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXT, NoiseXT, Bill's Color Masks, Bill's Stretching.

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Spring Moon (OAG Test1?)

I was using the moon to set the focus of my new Askar Off Axis Guider (OAG) for the Edge800 setup. I was happy with the Orion ST 80 system I was using, however, I wanted to use it for other things such as the 2024 Eclipse so decided to get an OAG. It was a success as I set focus of the ZWO ASI120 guide camera to the main camera focus. Before I go any further, this guide camera will not work well or at all with the OAG and have a better matched camera on order - the ASI220. Although it did not detect any stars while on M43, I did manage to guide on some other targets but more about that in another post.

After three years I finally imaged the moon with this telescope. While doing the test I decided to play here for a bit with the ASIAIR. Typically when doing high resolution work on the moon it is best to make a short video and then stack it to make the image. While I did find and use the video function on the ASIAIR, the videos I thought I made were not saved - Oh Well! When all else fails, read the directions.

I did manage to collect some test images. This particular image was a 500us (0.500ms), Gain 0, shot taken with the ASI294MC Pro and about 15 minutes of processing.

Spring Moon (OAG Test1?) 
Date: 3-19-24
Camera: ZWO ASI294MC-Pro
Telescope: Celestron EdgeHD 800
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 2032mm (native), 1400mm
F/10 (native), F/7
Focal Reducer: Celestron 0.7 Reducer Lens
Mount: Orion Atlas Pro
Filter Adaptor: ZWO Filter Drawer
Filter: Camera UV-IR
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ZWO ASI120 & Askar OAG
Exposure: UV-IR 1 x 500ux
Gain: 0
Offset 0
Temp: -20 C
Processing: Asiair app, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXT, NoiseXT, Bill's Stretching

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SH2-230 & Friends (IC410, IC405, IC417, NGC1931)

SH2-230 is located in Auriga is very rich in gas and dust. It is very large and includes a number of other objects. These include IC405, IC410, IC417, and NGC 1931.  SH2-232 is reported to be part of this object but is out of the frame to the Northwest. IC405 (a.k.a. the Flaming Star Nebula - SH2-229) is a very large emission nebula located approximately 1500 light-years away. There is a blue reflection nebula that resembles smoke located in the central portion. It gets its name because the rippling ribbon-like structure of the gas almost looks like burning flames.

The next headliner in this field is the large emission nebula IC410 (SH2-236). This nebula has more oxygen than IC405 giving it its bluish color in the central portion. It is also much further at an estimated distance of 10,000 LY. The ionizing source of this nebula is a 4 million year old cluster of stars, NGC 1893, whose stellar winds have sculpted two tadpole-like structures 10 LY long.

The other highlights include IC417 (SH2-234) - Spider Nebula and NGC 1931 (SH2-237) - Fly Nebula. I am not quite sure if I see a spider or a fly but nevertheless, they are gorgeous. The IC417 contains an open cluster consisting of hot young stars and is about 100 LY across and 10,000 LY away and NGC 1931 is both an emission and reflection nebula but only about 10 LY across.

This may be my first image that was completely from this year as I began on January 16. The plan was to collect a whole bunch of data which I did but I had to ditch almost a third of it as some of the nights I collected on were questionable, i.e. transparency was below average. Otherwise it was smooth sailing. Processing went well but I did make a couple of blue masks from the RGB data in order to enhance the reflection in the Flame which was obscured by the Hydrogen (This idea came from Christoph Lichtblau @christoph, link to his image of the Flame https://www.astrobin.com/h6db6d/). I did a lot of tweaking with the star sizes in order to show them off but not have them overpower the nebulae - still not sure I am happy but satisfied. One of the benefits of collecting a lot of data is the background noise decreases which makes processing much easier.

Dates: 1-16-24, 1-17, 2-3, 2-4, 2-6, 2-7, 2-13, 2-14, 2-25, 2-29, 3-3

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SH2-230 & Friends (IC410, IC405, IC417, NGC1931) 

Dates: 1-16-24, 1-17, 2-3, 2-4, 2-6, 2-7, 2-13, 2-14, 2-25, 2-29, 3-3
Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
Telescope: Askar FRA300 Pro
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 300mm
F/5
Focal Reducer: None
Mount: Orion Atlas Pro
Filter Adaptor: ZWO Filter Drawer
Filter: IDAS NBZ, Camera UV-IR
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to a ZWO Mini guidescope
Exposure: UV-IR 58 x 90, NBZ 236 x 300
Gain: 100
Offset 0
Temp: -20 C
Processing: Asiair app, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXT, NoiseXT, StarX, Bill's Color Masks, Bill's Star Reduction, Bill's Stretching, Topaz Denoise, GraXpert

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Messier 38 & NGC 1907 plus Nebulosity

Messier 38 (M38) also known as NGC 1912 or Starfish Cluster is an open cluster located approximately 3800 light-years away in the constellation Auriga. The cluster contains some 100 stars, mainly bright blue stars but some orange-yellow giants as well. It is estimated to be 220 million years old and is about 25 LY across. Just to the lower left of M38 is a smaller star cluster around 5000 LY away, NGC 1907, which by coincidence seems to be passing by M38.

The really cool thing that makes this Double Cluster doppelganger is all of the hydrogen gas (Ha) in the region which I wanted to highlight. Most of the hydrogen is very faint and requires lots of exposure except the dense region on the lower portion of my image. I really like how the structure of the Ha gas came out, especially since my original image of this from several years ago only showed it as an undefined red blob. Another added bonus is the suspected Planetary Nebula, PK 172+00.1. It is the small bright red donut shaped object located in the upper right portion of M38.

Processing went pretty well with all the tools we have available but one thing I might have done differently was to capture more RGB data and not capture the luminosity since I wanted to showcase the nebulosity in addition to the cluster.  I did use the Luminosity since I did capture it and it reduced the background noise but at a reduced blending mode in PI.

Dates: 12-20-23, 12-21, 1-1-24, 1-2, 1-4, 1-5

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Messier 38 & NGC 1907 plus Nebulosity
Dates: 12-20-23, 12-21, 1-1-24, 1-2, 1-4, 1-5 
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm (644mm w/ FR)
f/7
Focal Reducer: 0.8x AstroTech Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer
Mount: Orion Sirius
Filter Wheel: ZWO
EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: Antlia Ha; ZWO L, R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: L 129 x 60, Ha 49 x 300, R 52 x 90, G 46 x 90, B 55 x 90 (Total 10h 3' 30")  
Gain: 139
Offset 20
Sensor Temp: -20 C
Processing: NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXTerminator, StarXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator, GraXpert, Bill Blanshan Color Masks, Bill Blanshan Stretching, Topaz Denoise.

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NGC1491 - Fossil Footprint (Maybe?)

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 a gaseous region in the constellation Perseus on the edge of the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way. In recent times, this has become a popular object to image but it is not easy due to its variable brightness. The central portion is plenty bright, however, the outer regions get quite dim.

The massive star within the gaseous region, 11th magnitude star BD +50 ° 886, produces radiation which inturn ionizes the hydrogen gas that makes up the nebula. The bright pillar to the left of the star points to it and if you look closely you may notice a bubble or cavity surrounding the star.

There is some amount of oxygen and sulfur as well but I used the ZWO ASI294MC Pro (one shot color camera) with the IDAS NBZ dual band filter which only picks up hydrogen and oxygen. I am not sure I see the 'Fossil Footprint' in this nebula but I am sure someone with a better imagination than I can.

Dates: 12-12-23, 12-13, 12-15, 1-2-24, 1-4

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NGC1491 - Fossil Footprint (Maybe?)
Dates: 12-12-23, 12-13, 12-15, 1-2-24, 1-4
Camera: ZWO ASI294MC-Pro
Telescope: Celestron EdgeHD 800
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 2032mm (native), 1400mm
F/10 (native), F/7
Focal Reducer: Celestron 0.7 Reducer Lens
Mount: Orion Atlas Pro
Filter Adaptor: ZWO Filter Drawer
Filter: Optolong Luminosity, IDAS NBZ
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Orion ST80
Exposure: Lum 112 x 60, NBZ 160 x 180
Gain: 139
Offset 0
Temp: -20 C
Processing: Asiair app, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXT, NoiseXT, StarX, Bill's Colormasks, Bill's Stretching, Bill's Star Reduction, GraXpert

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NGC 281 (a.k.a. Sh2-184)

NGC 281 is a large emission nebula approximately 9200 light-years away in the constellation of Cassiopeia. Located in its bounds is open cluster IC 1590 and several Bok globules - dark nebulae containing dense cosmic dust and gas where star formation may occur. Other names for this nebula is IC 11, Sh2-184, and informally known as the Pacman Nebula due to its resemblance to the video game character.


I have imaged this object a couple of other times, most recently a month ago but was never happy never with my results so I decided to give it a try with more Focal Length while also priming my Edge setup for galaxy season. I used the dual band IDAS NBZ filter for the nebulosity and the Optolong Luminosity filter for stars. I separated the colors and recombined using PixelMath to make an approximate HOO combination and this is the resulting palette.


The Bok globules really pop out well throughout the nebula and the edges of the nebula seem to cut through the darkness especially on the left side. Normally I am not overly joyed with the stars from the SCT but this time they came out better than expected. In part this is due to Russell Cromin and BlurXTerminator, in particular the new version and method discussed in an Adam Block video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLyZGzT8T5c&t=738s).

Dates: 12-12-23, 12-13, 12-15, 1-2-24, 1-4 

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NGC 281 (a.k.a. Sh2-184)
Dates: 12-12-23, 12-13, 12-15, 1-2-24, 1-4 

Camera: ZWO ASI294MC-Pro
Telescope: Celestron EdgeHD 800
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 2032mm (native), 1400mm
F/10 (native), F/7
Focal Reducer: Celestron 0.7 Reducer Lens
Mount: Orion Atlas Pro
Filter Adaptor: ZWO Filter Drawer
Filter: Optolong Luminosity, IDAS NBZ
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Orion ST80
Exposure: Lum 141 x 60, NBZ 157 x 180
Gain: 139
Offset 0
Temp: -20 C
Processing: Asiair app, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXT, NoiseXT, StarX, Bill's Colormasks, Dill's Stretching, Bill's Star Reduction, GraXpert

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IC 348, NGC 1333, & the Dust in Between

The highlights of this image are IC 348 and NGC 1333, are located in the constellation Perseus and are within the Perseus molecular cloud. Located on the top of the image, NGC 1333 (LBN741) is approximately 1100 light-years away and is associated with dark nebula LBN1450 (Barnard 205). Not every object needs a nickname and I mention that because this has one of the stupidest nicknames out there which I shall not mention here (Gary Imm is rubbing off on me). IC 348 on the bottom of the image is a 2-million year old open star cluster surrounded by a reflection nebula, vdB 19, located about 1000 ly away from Earth. The cluster contains hundreds of stars, however, most of them are hidden because of the intervening dust. IC 348 and NGC 1333 also have the distinction of being associated with star formation as many Herbig-Haro objects have been identified.

Numerous other objects such as dark nebulae, reflection nebulae, and emission nebulae are located between the two. I really like the dark regions (Barnard 3) to the right of IC 348 as they show some interesting structure. The high amount of dust is the source for most of these other objects which is what I also wanted to showcase. Be careful of what you wish for because it might come true. I got all the dust but now how to process it? That is to highlight it but make it look natural. I used the ASI2600MC color camera with no filter as we were lucky to have somewhat clear skies with no moon. Of course my skies are not exactly pristine being in the suburbs and not ideal for capturing dark reflection nebulae. Lots of integration time makes up a little bit for poor sky conditions. I decided to go with what was coming through and the dust did have more of a brownish cast rather than a gray cast as some dusty regions have so I went with that. I did some star reduction but a lot since I love stars and think they add to the image.

IC 348, NGC 1333, & the Dust in Between
Dates: 11-12, 11-14, 11-16, 11-17, 11-18
Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
Telescope: Askar FRA300 Pro
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 300mm
F/5
Focal Reducer: None
Mount: ZWO AM3
Filter Adaptor: ZWO Filter Drawer
Filter: Camera UV-IR
Focuser: none
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to a ZWO Mini guidescope
Exposure: UV-IR 356 x 120 (11h 52m)

Gain: 100
Offset 0
Temp: -20 C
Processing: Asiair app, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXT, NoiseXT, StarX, Bill's Color Masks, Bill's Stretching, GraXpert

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M81 & M82 plus Integrated Flux!

I have been wanting to capture the Integrated Flux Nebula (IFN) around the M81, Bode's Galaxy, and M82, Cigar Galaxy, for a very long time but thought it would be a hopeless enterprise. However, last year our neighbors cut down some large trees in this direction so I finally had a view from the Happy Frog Astroshed. IFN is dust that lies outside the Milky Way's galactic plane but is illuminated from the entire galaxy rather than a one nearby star or stars. IFN is much further than dust inside the galaxy so it is very faint, thus requires dark skies and long integration. I was still unsure that the IFN would show up as the skies in southern Connecticut are not exactly dark - at my house it is Bortle 5-6. In order to make up for the lack of dark skies, I collected over 45 hours worth of data - a record for me.

The M81 and M82 are very popular galaxies and are often imaged together because of their close proximity to each other. M81 is a spiral galaxy approximately 12 million light-years away and a little over 96,000 LY across. M82 is a heavy star-forming galaxy and is therefore classified as a starburst galaxy. It is also located approximately 12 Million LY away but is only 150,000 LY from M81. It is only about 30,000 LY across but its past close encounter with M81 is believed to have caused the intense star formation. Other items of note are the irregular dwarf galaxy PGC28757 located just below M81 and the small spiral galaxy PGC28225 located in the upper left side of the image. The spiral nature of PGC28225 can be discerned if you look closely.

Processing this image took a great deal of time and patience. I started with the RGB then Ha so I could blend it into the red channel. I did my normal way, however, after watching a PixInsight video on Ha blending using Spectral Photometric Color Calibration (SPCC) I decided to give it a try. The results were better! After a couple of days playing around the HaRGB combo, the Luminosity was the next step. Although none of the IFN were in any of the subs it was quite evident in the stacked image although it took a lot of tweaking to bring it out. The hardest part was blending the luminosity into the HaRGB. This took lots of crazy processing gymnastics and I am not even sure I know what I did but I am happy with the result.

M81 & M82 plus Integrated Flux!
Dates: 12-20-22, 2-1-23, 10-13, 11-10, 11-11, 11-12, 11-13, 11-14, 11-16, 11-18, 11-19, 12-11, 12-12, 12-13, 12-15, 12-20
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm (644mm w/ FR)
f/7
Focal Reducer: 0.8x AstroTech Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer
Mount: Orion Sirius
Filter Wheel: ZWO
EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: Antlia Ha, OIII; ZWO R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: L 536 x 120, Ha 90 x 300, R 234 x 120, G 228 x 120, B 217 x 120
Gain: 139
Offset 20
Sensor Temp: -20 C
Processing: NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXTerminator, StarXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator, GraXpert, Bill Blanchan Color Masks.

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