M15 - A different Look! (2024)

Messier 15 is a globular cluster located some 35,000 light-years away in the constellation of Pegasus (a.k.a. The Winged Horse). At an age of roughly 12 billion years, it is one of the oldest globular clusters known. The last time I imaged this was in 2018 so it was time for a revisit. This time around I went after some of the integrated galactic dust (IFN) as well as the very dim hydrogen gas in this region of space. I was very happy to get some of the gas and dust especially since none of this was in any of the subframes.

The cluster itself is much better than my previous versions which was expected since my camera and telescope are better. In addition to the faint gas and dust, the region is rich in colorful stars as well as tiny galaxies such as PGC 66899 (upper left), IC 5115 (middle left), and PGC 66834 - PGC 66835 (lower left). My favorites are PGC 66834 and PGC 66835 which appear to be interacting with each other. A larger aperture scope would bring these out really well. 

Dates: 10-23-24, 10-24, 10-26, 10-27, 10-28, 11-1, 11-2, 11-3, 11-5, 11-7, 11-9, 11-15, 11-16, 11-24, 12-1

Higher Quality:
https://www.astrobin.com/q4akvg/?nc=collection&nce=712

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M15 - A different Look! (2024)
Dates: 10-23-24, 10-24, 10-26, 10-27, 10-28, 11-1, 11-2, 11-3, 11-5, 11-7, 11-9, 11-15, 11-16, 11-24, 12-1
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm (644mm w/ FR)
f/7
Focal Reducer: 0.8x AstroTech Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer
Mount: Orion Sirius
Filter Wheel: ZWO
EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: Antlia Ha; ZWO R, G, B, UV
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: Ha 248 x 300, UV 336 x 90, R 48 x 90, G 51 x 90, B 48 x 90 (32h 44')
Gain: 139
Offset 20
Sensor Temp: -10 C
Processing: NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXTerminator, StarXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator, GraXpert, Bill Blanshan Stretching, Topaz Denoise.

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Sh2-103 - Cygus Loop (2024)

This is the second time I imaged Sh2-103, the first was in 2021, however, this was with a different setup (better). In this attempt, the 200mm camera lens was replaced with the Askar FRA300 and the ZWO ASI294MC was replaced with the ASI2600MC. These changes allowed for much better resolution and detail than the previous version.

The Cygnus Loop or the Filamentary Nebula refers to the visible structure of a supernova remnant located in Cygnus. The progenitor star was 20 times more massive than the Sun and exploded between 10,000 and 20,000 years ago. The nebula is quite large at 120 light-years in diameter (3 degrees) and approximately 2400 light-years across.

The Veil Nebula is so large that it consists of several different NGC numbers describing different parts but I like the way Howard Banich (September 2021 Sky & Telescope) separated it into five parts.

1 - The First Veil - NGC 6960 is also known as the Witch’s Broom. (bottom)

2 - The Second Veil - Fleming’s Triangle (formerly Pickering’s Triangle) also known as Simeis 3-188 was discovered by Williamina Fleming in 1904 at the Harvard College Observatory but credit was given to her director E. C. Pickering until recently. (bottom, just above NGC 6960)

3 - The Third Veil - Southern Blowout Region is very faint and located at the left edge of Fleming’s Triangle. (left side)

4 - The Fourth Veil - NGC 6974, NGC 6979, and Assorted Filaments are located just above Fleming’s Triangle and are also quite dim. (middle right)

5 - The Fifth Veil - NGC 6992, NGC 6995, IC 1340, and the Southeastern Knot - The portion is very bright and to me, resembles a claw. (top)

I started this project in October and finished in November 2024 for a total of 34.7 hours with the dual band NBZ filter and 1.3 hours of straight color for the star. The goal was to be sure to get enough data to get some of the dim Ha nebulosity surrounding the main portions without having to push the saturation and sacrifice the detail. In fact that was what I still struggled with - trying to get the right balance. I had to collect over numerous nights because of the not so great field of view, although it is improving with neighbors removing trees.

High Resolution:

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

Dates:

10-5, 10-6, 10-7, 10-9, 10-20, 10-21, 10-22, 10-23, 10-24, 10-26, 10-27, 10-28, 11-2, 11-3, 11-5, 11-18

Sh2-103 - Cygus Loop (2024)
Dates: 10-5-24, 10-6, 10-7, 10-9, 10-20, 10-21, 10-22, 10-23, 10-24, 10-26, 10-27, 10-28, 11-2, 11-3, 11-5, 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: IDAS NBZ, Camera UV-IR
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to a ZWO Mini guidescope
Exposure: UV-IR 52 x 90, NBZ 417 x 300 (36h 3')
Gain: 100
Offset 0
Temp: -10 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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