Andromeda - M31 (2026)

It has been a while since I last imaged our closest large spiral galaxy neighbor Andromeda, or M31, so though it was a good time for revisit. Andromeda is considered our sister galaxy as it is believed to be roughly the same size as our own galaxy at approximately 150,000 light-years, however, size estimates of Andromeda and Milky Way vary a lot so it is not clear if it is larger or smaller. It is 2.5 million LY away and is expected to merge with our own galaxy in the next 5 to 10 billion years.

Several dense red knots are located on the outer spiral arms of Andromeda. These are star-forming hydrogen gas nebulae. The galaxy also has very prominent dust lanes between the spiral arms. Two prominent satellite galaxies M32, the bright blob above the galaxy plane, and M110, the bright blob below the plane, are clearly visible. M32 is a dwarf elliptical galaxy approximately 8,000 LY in diameter and M110 is a dwarf elliptical galaxy approximately 16,000 LY in diameter. 

The red areas surrounding Andromeda are hydrogen gas emission (Ha) clouds within our own galaxy that happen to be in the same direction. These gas clouds were recently discovered to be exceedingly faint. I was very interested in attempting to capture them but I had a limited field of view in CT so I waited until the move to NM where I had the whole nights for imaging. The almost 90 hours of exposure using the NBZ dualband filter was just enough to capture some of the hydrogen. 

For the Astro Peeps:

There is a very faint oxygen (OIII) emission arc which would be located in the upper left portion of my image, unfortunately, I was unable to pick it up with my setup. Much as I would have liked, I was not expecting to get any of the OIII with my NBZ filter. It is an older version where the bandpasses are about 10nm (Ha) and 12nm (OIII) - I suspect newer more narrow bandpass filters would be better suited for acquiring that data. Anyway, happy I obtained what I did!

Higher Quality:
https://www.astrobin.com/q9rt0l/?nc=collection&nce=712

Andromeda - M31 (2026)
Dates: 9-10, 10-1, 10-2, 10-4, 10-5, 10-6, 10-7, 10-8, 10-9, 10-12, 10-13, 10-14, 10-15, 10-16
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, IDAS NBZ
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to a ZWO Mini guidescope
Exposure: UV/IR 364 x 90 (9h 6m), NBZ 1074 x 300 (89h 30m)
Gain: 100
Offset 20
Sensor Temp: 0 C
Processing: PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXTerminator, StarXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator, GraXpert, Bill Blanshan Color Masks, Bill Blanshan Stretching, SETI Astro NB to RGB stars.

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NGC 7000 (2026)

 So this is my latest image of the North America Nebula (NGC 7000), the last was over six years ago. It also happens to be my first image taken from my new home in Santa Fe. It was imaged with my widefield Askar FRA300 setup which I last used over a year and a half ago, fortunately I remembered how to use it. The monsoon season has been particularly bad this year so clouds have been lingering around until after midnight.

This emission nebula resides in clouds of gas and dust in the constellation Cygnus and does resemble North America although I have it oriented 90 degrees from North-South map orientation. Many other objects are located in this region the most notable is the Pelican Nebula (IC 5070) which only a small portion is shown at the bottom of the image.I really like how the stars came out especially since they were captured using the NBZ filter which is dual band filter only letting in Ha and OIII spectral colors. I used to do a lot of tedious and time-consuming manipulation to get decent colors, however, this time I used the SETI Astro Narrowband to RGB star PixInsight script and it worked wonders.

I still have my AT115 setup which I plan to activate at some point but mount it on the Atlas Pro. I still have the Celestron Edge HD8 but I'm not sure I want to keep it. The Bortle class at my new location in Santa Fe is 5 which is the same as it was in CT, however, my field of view is much better here. In addition, I am less than 30 minutes from Bortle 3 skies as opposed to 5 plus hours.

Higher Quality:

https://www.astrobin.com/htm9yt/

NGC 7000 (2026)
Dates: 8-2, 8-3, 8-6, 8-16, 8-17, 8-22, 9-3
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
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to a ZWO Mini guidescope
Exposure: NBZ 242 x 300 (20h 2m)
Gain: 100
Offset 20

Sensor Temp: 0 C
Processing: PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXTerminator, StarXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator, GraXpert, Bill Blanshan Color Masks, Bill Blanshan Stretching, Topaz Denoise, SETI Astro NB to RGB stars.

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M106 and Friends (2026)

The highlight of this field is the magnificent spiral galaxy M106, also known as NGC 4258, located some 24 million light-years away in the constellation of Canes Venatici. It is one of the brightest nearby galaxies and is very large at 135,000 ly across. This galaxy has a rare second pair of spiral arms composed of hot gases rather than stars resulting from a supermassive black hole in the galaxy center. Although the black hole is not visible in my image, part of the red-yellow gas arms are visible emanating from the core. Also visible are blue dense portions on the outer parts of the arms that indicate regions of gas, dust, and star formation. Lots of red hydrogen rich regions are also found streaming out from the core.

Being the last image from my home observatory (The Happy Frog) I wanted to do a large glorious nebula, however, none was available from my location when I started so I decided to zero in M106. I thought I would just crop it and leave it at that. When I started collecting data I discovered a very rich field loaded with many oddly shaped galaxies. Just above M106 is a small irregular galaxy NGC 4248 is part of the same galaxy group as M106. If you go a little further above and left, two tiny galaxies, NGC 4231 and NGC 4232, show quite a bit of structure. The edge-on galaxy NGC 4217 on the upper part of the image has a pronounced dust lane and is located approximately 60 million ly away.

For an extra punch I collected Ha data and did a soft blend to highlight the hydrogen rich regions around the core and arms. I really liked how the LRGB image came out and wanted to preserve some of that original structure when I did the Ha blend.

Higher Quality:
https://www.astrobin.com/qrup6w/?nc=collection&nce=712

M106 and Friends (2026)
Dates: 3-17-26, 3-18, 3-23, 3-28, 4-7, 4-8, 4-9, 4-19, 4-20, 5-4
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm (644mm w/ FR)
f/7 (f/5.6)
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: Ha 135 x 300, L 478 x 90, R 113 x 90, G 96 x 90, B 118 x 90 (00h 00m)
Gain: 139
Offset 20
Sensor Temp: -10 C
Processing: NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXTerminator, StarXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator, GraXpert, Bill Blanshan Color Masks, Bill Blanshan Stretching, Topaz Denoise.

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LDN 1622 (2026)

So this is my first image of Lynds' Dark Nebula (LDN) 1622 which is a dark molecular cloud located 500 light-years away. It is approximately 10 light-years in diameter and is sometimes referred to as the Boogeyman Nebula because of its resemblance to the mythical creature. It also happens to lie in front of the glowing hydrogen gas of Barnard's Loop in the constellation of Orion. While LDN 1622 is very dark, a contrasting bright reflection nebula, vdB 62, lies to the right of the Boogeyman's head.

There are a couple ways to image this either focusing on the natural colors of this region or blending in the faint red glow from the hydrogen gas collected with a narrowband filter. I did the hydrogen blend method because I not only like the look but also narrowband filters handle light-polluted skies much better. I really like how the dark Boogeyman pops out against the deep red glow of the background hydrogen.

This is most likely my last Nebula Image taken from the Happy Frog Observatory. I would have liked more data but the weather has been unusually cold and snowy. However, I am doing one more image but it was a last minute decision and it's a galaxy. As luck would have it, the camera (ASI 1600) developed a splotch on the sensor for the first time and needed to be cleaned.

Higher Quality:
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LDN 1622 (2026)
Dates: 2-8-26, 2-14, 2-17, 3-4, 3-9, 3-10

Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm (644mm w/ FR)
f/7 (f/5.6)
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
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: Ha 87 x 300, R 36 x 90, G 45 x 90, B 44 x 90 (10h 22m)
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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Sh2-204 (2026)

So this is my version of the emission nebula Sh2-204 located approximately 12,000 light-years away in the constellation of Camelopardalis. It is very large with sizes reported between 250 to 400 light-years across. The predominant gas is hydrogen with a lesser amount of sulfur and an even smaller amount of oxygen - my collection supports this as there did not seem to be any oxygen in any of the subexposures. The region also contains a lot of dust which with a larger field of view makes a nice frame. Unfortunately, my setup was not large enough to get the best parts of the dusty structures.

This is a very faint object and was a challenge (pain in the neck) to process. If you try this lots of data will be required and dark skies will help greatly especially for the dust. My Bortle 5 to 7 sky was a real challenge. I was not having any success bringing out the blue OIII until I used a PixInsight NB combination with RGB script and then it was more processing gymnastics. If I had to do this again from this location I would have done an HaRGB and skipped the SII and OIII.

Higher Quality:
https://www.astrobin.com/6pb6up/?nc=collection&nce=712

Sh2-204 (2026)
Dates: 12-11-25, 12-14, 12-16, 12-17, 12-21, 1-7, 1-8, 1-12, 1-15, 1-19, 1-20, 1-22, 1-23, 2-2, 2-4, 2-5
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm (644mm w/ FR)
f/7 (f/5.6)
Focal Reducer: 0.8x AstroTech Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer
Mount: Orion Sirius
Filter Wheel: ZWO
EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: Antlia Ha, OIII, SII, ZWO L, R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: Ha 249 x 300, OIII 192 x 300, SII 143 x 300, L 220 x 90, R 95 x 90, G 81 x 90, B 93 x 90  (60h 53m)

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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IC 1848 & Others (2025)

This is my latest version of the very large emission nebula located approximately 6500 light-years away in the constellation of Cassiopeia. The designation of IC 1848 actually refers to the open star cluster in the blue portion of the image. The stellar winds of stars in the open cluster(s) are responsible for scalping out openings within the gas and dust. This process leaves behind the sharp edges and dense pillars of star forming regions that point inwards towards the star cluster(s). For some reason the entire nebular complex is nicknamed the Soul Nebula, however, my image only shows one side and consists of LBN 670, LBN 667, LBN 672, and LBN 673.

My favorites are LBN 670 in the upper right and LBN 673 in the bottom center. Each of these regions are about ten light-years long and show sharp details. Also, I did use the relatively new Multiscale Adaptive Stretch (MAS) in PixInsight and worked really well. It is pretty simple and you can adjust elements using easy to use sliders - might want to check it out. Lastly, this also happens to be the last image where all the data I collected was from 2025.

Higher Quality:

https://app.astrobin.com/u/kurtzepp?collection=712&i=idvy0n#collections

IC 1848 & Others (2025)
Dates: 11-13-25, 11-19, 11-20, 11-22, 11-23, 11-24, 11-27, 11-28, 12-6, 12-12
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm (644mm w/ FR)
f/7 (f/5.6)
Focal Reducer: 0.8x AstroTech Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer
Mount: Orion Sirius
Filter Wheel: ZWO
EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: Antlia Ha, OIII, SII
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: Ha 192 x 300, OIII 174 x 300, SII 186 x 300 (46h 00m)
Gain: 139
Offset 20
Sensor Temp: -10 C
Processing: NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXTerminator, StarXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator, GraXpert, Bill Blanshan Color Masks, Bill Blanshan Stretching, Topaz Denoise.

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Sh2-142 - Wizard Nebula (2025)

This is my latest image of the colorful emission nebula Sh2-142, nicknamed the Wizard Nebula, located 8,500 light-years away in the constellation of Cepheus. The region also contains dark dust clouds, a Planetary Nebula (PK107-00.1), and a young open cluster (4 to 12 million years) designated as NGC 7380 which was discovered by Caroline Herschel in 1787. It is the hot young stars in NGC 7380 that are responsible for ionizing the surrounding gases in the nebula. Chief among the ionizing stars are DH Cephei (HD 215835), a close binary system consisting of two massive blue giants (O-type stars). The bright blue star located in the center of the image is DH Cephei.

This is a very popular object for astrophotographers, however, for some reason I have only imaged this once before and that was over seven years ago so it was time for an update. The nebulosity in this region is quite impressive and I love how the stellar winds sculpt the gas and dust giving a 3D look.

Higher Quality:
https://app.astrobin.com/u/kurtzepp?collection=712&i=46s5uj#collections

Sh2-142 - Wizard Nebula (2025)
Dates: 10-16-25, 10-17, 10-18, 10-22, 10-23, 10-24
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm (644mm w/ FR)
f/7 (f/5.6)
Focal Reducer: 0.8x AstroTech Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer
Mount: Orion Sirius
Filter Wheel: ZWO
EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: Antlia Ha, OIII, SII; ZWO R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: Ha 149 x 300, OIII 139 x 300, SII 148 x 300 R 53 x 90, G 55 x 90, B 52 x 90 (40h 20m)
Gain: 139
Offset 20
Sensor Temp: -10 C
Processing: NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXTerminator, StarXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator, GraXpert, Bill Blanshan Star Reduction, Bill Blanshan Color Masks, Bill Blanshan Stretching, Topaz Denoise.

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NGC 7789 - Caroline's Rose (2025)

This is NGC 7789, one of the richest open star clusters in the Milky Way and goes by Caroline’s Rose cluster named after its discoverer, Caroline Herschel in 1783 (sister of William Herschel). Under dark skies the loops of stars and dark lanes resemble the swirling pattern when looking down on rose petals. It also goes by Caroline’s Haystack and the White Rose Cluster.

The plus 1000 star cluster is located in the constellation of Cassiopeia approximately 6200 light-years away with an estimated diameter of 50 light-years. Interestingly, most open star clusters are relatively young (less than 100 million years), however, NGC 7789 is about 1.5 billion years old making it one of the oldest open clusters but not quite as old as most globular clusters which can be several billion years old.

The overall field is quite impressive, filled with many colorful stars. The cluster is very close to popular nebulae such as NGC 7635, the Bubble Nebula, and there is some very faint hydrogen in this region but I really wanted to focus in on the starfield. I love colorful stars and this field has a good dynamic range.

Higher Quality:
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NGC 7789 - Caroline's Rose (2025)
Dates: 10-27-25, 10-29
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm (644mm w/ FR)
f/7 (f/5.6)
Focal Reducer: 0.8x AstroTech Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer
Mount: Orion Sirius
Filter Wheel: ZWO
EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: ZWO R, G, B, L
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: L 100 x 90, R 88 x 90, G 82 x 90, B 84 x 90 (8h 51m)
Gain: 139
Offset 20
Sensor Temp: -10 C
Processing: NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXTerminator, StarXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator, GraXpert, Bill Blanshan Color Masks, Bill Blanshan Stretching.

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LBN400 - A Portion of Sh2-119

This is my version of Lynds Bright Nebula 400 located 2,200 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Cygnus. LBN 400 is a mere portion of the large emission nebula Sh2-119, often called the Clamshell Nebula due to its resemblance to an open shell. Other Lynds Catalogue of Bright Nebula and Dark Nebula objects are visible in this image. Both Lynds Catalogues were compiled by Astrophysicist Beverly Lynds in the 1960s. I especially like the dark nebulae located on the top right of the image.

After examining the narrowband data, I found there was a ton of detail in the Ha and SII channels but OIII was very limited. I experimented with even combinations which produced less detailed and not so natural looking images, therefore, I did a typical S-curve stretch on the OIII where I reduced the faint background highlighting the areas that did show some detail and then did a normal SHO blend. The overall blend was more natural looking so I went with it as it also preserved the flowing detail.

Higher Quality:
https://www.astrobin.com/ocq4i6/?nc=collection&nce=712

LBN400 - A Portion of Sh2-119  
Dates: 9-14-25, 9-21, 9-22, 9-28, 10-1, 10-3, 10-8, 10-9
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm (644mm w/ FR)
f/7 (f/5.6)
Focal Reducer: 0.8x AstroTech Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer
Mount: Orion Sirius
Filter Wheel: ZWO
EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: Antlia Ha, OIII, SII; ZWO R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: Ha 53 x 300, OIII 50 x 300, SII 58 x 300 R 47 x 90, G 47 x 90, B 45 x 90 (16h 54m)
Gain: 139
Offset 20
Sensor Temp: 0 C
Processing: NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXTerminator, StarXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator, GraXpert, Bill Blanshan Star Reduction, Bill Blanshan Color Masks, Bill Blanshan Stretching, Topaz Denoise.

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Sh2-157 (2025)

This is my latest image of the bright emission nebula, Sh2-157. It is located 8000 light-years away in the constellation Cassiopeia and very large at over 200 light-years across. Many nebulae have idiodic nicknames and I avoid using them but this one does bear some resemblance to a Lobster Claw which is what it is also known as. Several smaller portions on this large complex have their own designation. The small, bright, dense portion in the center is known as Sh2-157a. Other nebular regions within this cloud are LBN 533, LBN 536, LBN 537, LBN 540, and LBN 544. The open cluster NGC 7510 is located on the upper left side of my image while another open cluster, Markarian 50, is found in the lower left portion of the image just above a blue oxygen rich strand. I did do some star reduction on this object but not too much as I like rich colorful starfields. 

Higher Quality:
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Sh2-157 (2025)
Dates: 8-21-25, 8-22, 8-23, 8-25, 8-27, 9-3
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm (644mm w/ FR)
f/7 (f/5.6)
Focal Reducer: 0.8x AstroTech Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer
Mount: Orion Sirius
Filter Wheel: ZWO
EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: Antlia Ha, OIII, SII; ZWO R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: Ha 114 x 300, OIII 112 x 300, SII 114 x 300 R 45 x 90, G 52 x 90, B 51 x 90 (32h 02m)
Gain: 139
Offset 20
Sensor Temp: 0 C
Processing: NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXTerminator, StarXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator, GraXpert, Bill Blanshan Star Reduction, Bill Blanshan Color Masks, Bill Blanshan Stretching, Topaz Denoise.

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Waning Crescent Moon & Venus & Regulus

The Waning Crescent Moon, 5.6% illumination, looked awesome rising over the beach between Wildwood and Cape May, New Jersey. Making it look even better was Venus and Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo!

High Quality:
https://www.astrobin.com/q7yr1r/?nc=collection&nce=712

Widefield - Moon & Venus  
Date: 9-19-25, 06:14

Camera: iPhone11
Telescope: iPhone 11 back dual wide camera 4.25mm
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 4.25mm
f/1.8 

ISO: 500
Focal Reducer: none
Mount: Tripod
Filter Wheel: none
EFW: none
Filter: none
Focuser: none
Autoguiding: none

Exposure: 1/30 sec
Gain: none
Offset none 
Processing: Photoshop

Moon & Venus & Regulus 
Date: 9-19-25, 06:05

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i
Telescope: Canon EF200mm f2.8L USM
Tele Extender: Canon 1.4x
Focal Length: 200mm (280mm with extender)
f/5.6 

ISO: 400
Focal Reducer: none
Mount: Tripod
Filter Wheel: none
EFW: none
Filter: none
Focuser: none
Autoguiding: none

Exposure: 2 sec
Gain: none
Offset none 
Processing: Photoshop

Moon & Venus  
Date: 9-19-25, 06:01

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i
Telescope: Canon EF200mm f2.8L USM
Tele Extender: Canon 1.4x
Focal Length: 200mm (280mm with extender)
f/5.6 

ISO: 400
Focal Reducer: none
Mount: Tripod
Filter Wheel: none
EFW: none
Filter: none
Focuser: none
Autoguiding: none

Exposure: 1/250 sec
Gain: none
Offset none 
Processing: Photoshop

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IC 1311 (2025)

This is my latest, it features an open cluster, IC 1311, in a sea of hydrogen gas. IC 1311 is an open cluster with hundreds of stars approximately 4000 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus. In addition to the emission nebula which it resides in, a dark nebula, LDN 885, and a planetary nebula, PN G077.6+04.3 (DSH J2009.6+4114) below and to the right of the cluster, are also found in this rich background. I really like the color and swirling structure of the emission nebula, especially in the upper portion of the image. I like to say I found this on my own, but credit goes to Robert Eder for showcasing this object a few months ago with a larger focal length setup. These clusters embedded in nebulae are becoming my favorite objects to image!

Higher Quality:
https://www.astrobin.com/21jd6d/?nc=collection&nce=712

IC 1311 (2025)
Dates: 8-3-25, 8-12, 8-14
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm (644mm w/ FR)
f/7 (f/5.6)
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
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: Ha 76 x 300, R 59 x 90, G 54 x 90, B 55 x 90 (10h 32m)
Gain: 139
Offset 20
Sensor Temp: 0 C
Processing: NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXTerminator, StarXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator, GraXpert, Bill Blanshan Color Masks, Bill Blanshan Stretching, Topaz Denoise.

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Active Solar Regions 8-15-25

This was my first and maybe only Sun Image for this year - I am very busy. I had to remember how I set everything up from last year as well as how to process these which was the hard part. There were many relatively small spots on the surface but I zeroed in on this region because of the two interactive spots on the upper left and the prominences on the right. It felt good scanning the sun again with the Quark.

Higher Quality:
https://www.astrobin.com/37d57l/?nc=collection&nce=712

Active Solar Regions 8-15-25 
Date: 8-15-25
Camera: ZWO ASI174MM-Pro
Telescope: Orion ED80
Barlow: DayStar Quark 4.2x
Focal Length: 600mm (2520mm w/Quark)
F/7.5 (F/31.5 w Quark)
Focal Reducer: none
Mount: ZWO AM3
Filter Adaptor: None
Filter: Baader UV-IR, Daystar Quark
Focuser: None
Autoguiding: None
Exposure: 9.35s (100 of 500)
Gain: 100
Offset 0
FPS: 64
Temp: 18 C
Processing: SharpCap, AutoStakkert, IMPPG, Topaz Denoise, Photoshop

Sh2-124 (2025)

This is my version of Sharpless 124 (Sh2-124) which is a dim emission nebula located in the constellation of Cygnus. It lies approximately 8500 light-years from us meaning the light began its journey when humans were shifting from hunting and gathering to agriculture. The nebula is composed mostly of hydrogen gas but there was a fair amount of oxygen and sulfur as well. Originally I planned on doing just hydrogen and oxygen but I have to thank astrophotographer Rodd Dryfus (image) who recommended including sulfur since it provided more depth than just the Ha and OIII (he had done it both ways).

There are a lot of dark nebulae in this region as well as unnamed dustlanes which I really like. There is a small Planetary Nebula, PN G094 +00.8, on the left central region of my image. I see a small round red blue splotch that looks like it could be a PN but charts indicate the PN is just above that. Not sure if the charts are off or if one of the tiny stars above is the PN. Lastly, this region sits in a heavy starfield and although I prefer not to do star reduction, sometimes it is necessary. The starfield is still quite colorful and rich.

Higher Quality:
https://www.astrobin.com/680c5k/?nc=collection&nce=712

Sh2-124 (2025)
Dates: 7-4-25, 7-6, 7-15, 7-18, 7-21, 7-22, 7-28, 7-29, 8-3 
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm (644mm w/ FR)
f/7 (f/5.6)
Focal Reducer: 0.8x AstroTech Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer
Mount: Orion Sirius
Filter Wheel: ZWO
EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: Antlia Ha, OIII, SII; ZWO R, G, B
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: Ha 138 x 300, OIII 127 x 300, SII 120 x 300 R 57 x 90, G 39 x 90, B 41 x 90 (35h 30m)
Gain: 139
Offset 20
Sensor Temp: 0 C
Processing: NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXTerminator, StarXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator, GraXpert, Bill Blanshan Star Reduction, Bill Blanshan Color Masks, Bill Blanshan Stretching, Topaz Denoise.

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LBN 575 (2025)

This is my version of LBN 575 and a portion of LBN 573 located in the constellation Cepheus. Both are faint reflection nebulae illuminated by scattered light from nearby stars. LBN 575, the lower region contains LDN 1259, LDN 1261 and LDN 1262. LDN 1262 is the darkest portion and reportedly houses a number of Herbig-Haro objects although none are visible in my image. LBN 573 is located in the upper portion of the image but not all of it was captured. There is a lot of dust and gas in the background as evidenced by the faint nebulosity. I also like the rich and colorful starfield that this molecular cloud rests in.

Higher Quality:
https://www.astrobin.com/5qr4cy/?nc=collection&nce=712

LBN 575 (2025)

Dates: 5-26-25, 6-3, 7-2, 7-21
Camera: ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT115EDT 115mm Refractor Telescope
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 805mm (644mm w/ FR)
f/7 (f/5.6)
Focal Reducer: 0.8x AstroTech Field Flatterner/Focal Reducer
Mount: Orion Sirius
Filter Wheel: ZWO
EFW 8 x 1.25"
Filter: ZWO R, G, B, L
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: L 333 x 90, R 66 x 90, G 76 x 90, B 74 x 90 (13h 43m)
Gain: 139
Offset 20
Sensor Temp: 0 C
Processing: NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXTerminator, StarXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator, GraXpert, Bill Blanshan Color Masks, Bill Blanshan Stretching, Topaz Denoise.

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http://youtube.com/AstroQuest1

Sh2-115 & Sh2-116 (2025)

The main object in this field is the emission nebula Sh2-115 located 7500 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus. Hot stars in a small star cluster designated as Berkeley 90 located within the nebula are ionizing the gases causing the nebula to glow. The small blue nebula on the left is Sh2-116, also known as Abell 71 or Pk 85+04.1, is a planetary nebula. It is unclear to me how far away Sh2-116 is from us as several sources suggest that it is part of the Sh2-115 complex making it 7500 light-years away, however, other sources suggest it is 2400 light-years away.

In addition to the main attractions I also like the swirling hydrogen bands in the region as well as the colorful starfield of this region.

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

Sh2-115 & Sh2-116 (2025)
Dates: 6-2-25, 6-4, 6-20, 6-23, 6-24, 6-29 
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, SII; ZWO R, G, B, UV
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: Ha 100 x 300, OIII 77 x 300, SII 73 x 300, R 38 x 90, G 39 x 90, B 40 x 90 (23h 45')
Gain: 139
Offset 20
Sensor Temp: 0 C
Processing: NINA, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXTerminator, StarXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator, GraXpert, Bill Blanshan Stretching, Bill's Star Reduction, Topaz Denoise.

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http://astroquest1.blogspot.com/
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http://youtube.com/AstroQuest1

IC 1396a - Elephant's Trunk Nebula (2025)

This spectacular object is my latest version of the Elephant's Trunk Nebula or IC 1396a. It is a dark, dense globule of dust with a bright rim of highly ionized gas that extends over 20 light-years. It is part of a very large region of ionized gas, IC 1396, located approximately 2,400 ly away in the constellation Cepheus. Winds from two young stars in the center of the end of the trunk have carved out a cavity in the globule. Just left of these stars is vdB 142, a small blue reflection nebula surrounding bright star HD239710.

I have imaged the entire nebula, IC 1396, with smaller focal length faster setups (small f-ratio) in the past, however, I used the EdgeHD8 with a focal length of 2032mm and f/10 focal ratio. Since the focal ratio was large, i.e. slow, a longer total exposure is necessary. I have been using this setup for small galaxies and smaller bright objects but figured I would give it a shot on a larger emission nebula to pick more detail. I am very happy how it turned out and one added benefit of this target was that it was far from the moon. This was especially helpful when limited clear nights were available.

In addition to the three dimensional look, there are two small dark spots next to small yellow and blue stars on the upper left region. At first I thought they might be dust spots or dead pixels, however, I checked many other images and saw these same spots - not sure what they are. Lasty, I was very selective on the exposures and deleted many frames including all of the natural luminosity data as I was not centered correctly.

Dates: 4-27, 4-28, 4-30, 5-26

Higher Quality:
https://www.astrobin.com/isj36n/?nc=collection&nce=712

IC 1396a - Elephant's Trunk Nebula (2025)
Dates: 6-2-25, 6-4, 6-20, 6-23, 6-24
Camera: ZWO ASI294MC Pro
Telescope: Celestron EdgeHD 800
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 2032mm (native)
F/10 (native)
Focal Reducer: None
Mount: Orion Atlas Pro
Filter Adaptor: ZWO Filter Drawer
Filter: IDAS NBZ
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: Askar M54 OAG/ZWO ASI174 mini
Exposure: NBZ 200 x 300 (16h 40m)
Gain: 139
Offset 0
Temp: 0 C
Processing: Asiair app, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXT, NoiseXT, StarX, Bill's Color Masks, Bill's Stretching, GraXpert

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http://youtube.com/AstroQuest1

NGC 4559 (2025)

This is my version of the well-detailed spiral galaxy NGC 4559 located 30 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. Also known as Caldwell 36, this galaxy is about 100,000 ly across making roughly the same size as our own Milky Way galaxy. The galaxy has very large dark dust lanes along with several HII regions and star clusters scattered throughout the spiral arms. Most of these HII regions and star clusters are distinct enough to have their own IC designations. One of my favorites is IC 3564 located on the bottom portion of the galaxy. Interestingly, the yellow star just below the dense blue knot (IC 3550) at the end of the right side spiral arm was given a designation of IC 3554.

The weather has been particularly wacky lately which explains the four days spread over a month.

Dates: 4-27, 4-28, 4-30, 5-26

Higher Quality:
https://www.astrobin.com/ner5te/?nc=collection&nce=712

NGC 4559 (2025)
Dates: 4-27-25, 4-28, 4-30, 5-26
Camera: ZWO ASI294MC Pro
Telescope: Celestron EdgeHD 800
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 2032mm (native)
F/10 (native)
Focal Reducer: None
Mount: Orion Atlas Pro
Filter Adaptor: ZWO Filter Drawer
Filter: Optolong Luminosity (2-inch)
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: Askar M54 OAG/ZWO ASI174 mini
Exposure: Lum 254 x 90 (6h 21m)
Gain: 139
Offset 0
Temp: -10 C
Processing: Asiair app, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXT, NoiseXT, StarX, Bill's Color Masks, Bill's Stretching, GraXpert, Topaz Denoise

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http://astroquest1.blogspot.com/
https://www.astrobin.com/users/kurtzepp/collections/
http://youtube.com/AstroQuest1

Messier 94 (2025)

This is my latest version of the gorgeous face-on spiral ring galaxy Messier 94 approximately 15 million light-years away in the constellation Canes Venatici. Seyfert galaxies are a class of active galaxies with lots of star formation and also known as starburst galaxies. M94, also known as NGC 4736, is about 35,000 LY across, however, the bright nucleus, inner dust lanes, and inner ring is much smaller. It has been suggested that the outer ring formed as a result of a M94 incorporating a companion galaxy into it. The dust lanes are much more prominent on the bottom side possibly because that side is closer to us.  

This version shows much better detail than my other version from 2017. It is quite interesting how the core starts off as a brilliant yellow and then transitions to a bright blue  moving towards the inner ring. The faint outer ring as a slight blue cast to it indicated possible star formation. I did not do much star reduction as I really enjoy the colorful starfield. In addition, the numerous small odd-shaped blips in the field of view are galaxies much further away.  

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

Messier 94 (2025)
Dates: 4-27-25, 4-28, 4-30
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: ZWO R, G, B, L
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: ASI120 Mini attached to an Agena 50mm Guide Scope/ZWO 60mm Guidescope
Exposure: L 269 x 90, R 62 x 90, G 57 x 90, B 62 x 90 (11h 43m)
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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http://astroquest1.blogspot.com/
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http://youtube.com/AstroQuest1

NGC 3344 (2025)

This is my first image of NGC 3344, a breathtaking face-on spiral galaxy approximately 25 million light-years away in the constellation Leo Minor (just above Leo). This galaxy is surrounded by a plethora of other odd shaped galaxies much further away and is a member of the Virgo Supercluster.

NGC 3344 has an outer ring showing impressive structure and star forming regions radiating outward from a slightly elongated inner ring or bar in the center. The central region of the galaxy is filled with young hot stars due to active star formation.

Dates: 4-1-25, 4-13, 4-15, 4-20, 4-23, 4-24 

Higher Quality:

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

NGC 3344 (2025)
Dates: 4-1-25, 4-13, 4-15, 4-20, 4-23, 4-24 
Camera: ZWO ASI294MC Pro
Telescope: Celestron EdgeHD 800
Barlow: None
Focal Length: 2032mm (native)
F/10 (native)
Focal Reducer: None
Mount: Orion Atlas Pro
Filter Adaptor: ZWO Filter Drawer
Filter: Optolong Luminosity (2-inch)
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Autoguiding: Askar M54 OAG/ZWO ASI174 mini
Exposure: Lum 274 x 90 (6h 51m)
Gain: 139
Offset 0
Temp: -10 C
Processing: Asiair app, PixInsight, Photoshop, BlurXT, NoiseXT, StarX, Bill's Color Masks, Bill's Stretching, GraXpert, Topaz Denoise

https://www.instagram.com/astroquest1/
http://astroquest1.blogspot.com/
https://www.astrobin.com/users/kurtzepp/collections/
http://youtube.com/AstroQuest1