Welcome to a journey into our Universe with Dr Dave, amateur astronomer and astrophotographer for over 40 years. Astro-imaging, image processing, space science, solar astronomy and public outreach are some of the stops in this journey!
The Veil Nebula is a cloud of heated and ionized gas and dust in the constellation Cygnus.
It constitutes the visible portions of the Cygnus Loop, a supernova remnant, many portions of which have acquired their own individual names and catalogue identifiers. The source supernova was a star 20 times more massive than the Sun which exploded between 10,000 and 20,000 years ago.
Supernovae can expel several solar masses of material at speeds up to several percent of the speed of light. This drives an expanding shock wave into the surrounding interstellar medium, sweeping up an expanding shell of gas and dust observed as a supernova remnant. Supernovae are a major source of elements in the interstellar medium from oxygen to rubidium.
At the time of the explosion, the supernova would have appeared brighter than Venus in the sky, and visible in the daytime! The remnants have since expanded to cover an area of the sky roughly 3 degrees in diameter (about 6 times the diameter, and 36 times the area, of the full Moon).
The area of the nebula pictured here, also known as NGC 6960, is the “western” portion. At the top of the image is the filamentary segment often called the “Witch’s Broom”. The image records narrowband signal from the 3 ionized gases: hydrogen alpha (red), hydrogen beta (blue), doubly ionized oxygen (teal).
Capture info: Location: SkyPi Remote Observatory, Pie Town NM US Telescope: Orion Optics UK AG14 (F3.8) Mount: 10 Micron GM3000 Camera: SBIG STXL 16200 Data: H-alpha, H-beta, OIII: 6.5, 6, 7 hours respectively Processing: Pixinsight
The entire Cygnus Loop imaged by the orbiting space telescope Galaxy Evolution Explorer or Galex which images the universe in ultraviolet wavelengths. The Eastern and Western Veil are the main portions which can be easily seen in the visible portion of the spectrum. (Courtesy Wikipedia).
The 3 “narrow band” filters used in the image were H alpha, H beta and Oxygen III or doubly ionized oxygen. These filters only allow a 5 nanometer segment of light to pass. Hydrogen alpha emits light in the red, oxygen in the green-blue and hydrogen beta in the blue. This accounts for the colors in the image.
Where is it? The Cygnus loop is in the region circled on the lower left. The constellation Cygnus (the swan) is easily recognized and is also known as the Northern Cross. It appears directly overhead during the Summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Right now you can see it there around 3am 🙂
The Great Eclipse of 2024 is now over and it is time to return to Deep Space! We traveled back to the remote observatory in Pie Town NM to install a new camera system in Gamma Complex.
It’s a 4 hour journey into the most remote regions of the Southwest US. It has been about 6 months since I had to make any “service trips” up there.
The VLA’s radio dishes stand at attention waiting for their next assignment!
Our travels take us across the San Agustin Plains, an area covering about 55 miles in width. The basin, created by a prehistoric lake, is bounded on all sides by various mountain ranges. One of driest remote places in the continental US, what else would one do out here except study the distant universe? The plains are home to the VLA (very large array), part of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. Twenty -eight radio dishes each 25 meters in diameter make up the Y-shaped array. Arid climate is absolutely essential as water molecules will cause significant aberrations in radio signal.
SkyPi Remote Observatory entrance with the mathematical “Pi” logo and surrounding pinyon trees.
Another 60 miles west and we have arrived at our destination, SkyPi Remote Observatory, founded in 2012. The observatory complex is home currently to 5 roll-offs containing 8 telescope piers. They are named Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Omega (the owner has an aerospace background!). My equipment resides in Delta and Gamma. A 4-pier roll-off expansion is planned for the coming year.
Two of the 5 roll-offs are shown here (Alpha and Beta). These roofs roll off to the west. You can barely see the tracks to the left.
Eastern view from the observatory complex. Looks like the scene of an old western movie perhaps!
The walk or drive up to Gamma and Delta where my equipment resides. The pinyon or piñon pine tree grows in southwestern North America, especially in New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah.
These trees have a very ethereal vibe to them, perfectly suited for an observatory site!
Outside of the observatories, it’s just you, the Pinyon trees and the Universe!
And now back to business here, the purpose of this trip is to replace our “old” CCD camera with a new CMOS version.
We’re replacing this CCD camera (about 6 pounds)
With this one (< 1 pound)!
We have discussed the whole camera technology changing over from CCD to CMOS in previous posts, but just to review, CCD (charge coupled device) and CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) image sensors are two different technologies for capturing images digitally. Both types of imagers convert light into electric charge and process it into electronic signals. CCDs and CMOS imagers were both invented in the late 1960s and 1970s. CCD became dominant initially, primarily because they gave far superior images with the fabrication technology available at the time.
However, with the promise of lower power consumption and higher integration for smaller components, CMOS designers focused efforts on imagers for mobile phones, the highest volume image sensor application in the world. This is what changed everything as the CCD market was quite narrow and limited to astroimaging and other science applications while CMOS technology could be applied to a huge global consumer market including smartphones, webcams, video surveillance etc. The CCD phase-out was thus inevitable.
An enormous amount of investment was made to develop and fine tune CMOS imagers and the fabrication processes that manufacture them. As a result of this investment, we witnessed great improvements in image quality, even as pixel sizes shrank and at this time, based on almost every performance parameter imaginable, CMOS imagers now outperform CCDs. As I commented before, this is one instance where cheaper IS actually better! Contemporary CMOS astroimaging cameras typically cost at least 50% less than their CCD predecessors.
The mount’s torque motors go through a series of movements to measure the telescope’s balance i.e “front heavy” or “back heavy” so any necessary adjustments can be made. This enables a very precise correction to within 0.1 %
Replacing a camera system involves several steps including rebalancing the optical system, especially in this case as I had to remove a 40 pound counterweight after the install! Then the mount has to “relearn” how to point to objects in the sky after the weight and balance has changed. Finally a new “profile” has to be created in the control software to include the new camera and guider specs and the new image scale as the new sensors have different dimensions and pixel sizes.
First light image with new camera system! This is a 5 minute raw uncalibrated image with a waxing gibbous moon. Annotated image. NGC 4725 is an intermediate barred spiral galaxy with a prominent ring structure, located in the northern constellation of Coma Berenices. A likely companion galaxy to the left is the irregular NGC 4747, also known as ARP 159. A tidal plume is seen emanating from the left edge. More on this group at the completion of the project!
The camera installation project took 3 days and 3 nights to complete but our “first light” image is very encouraging!
Multiple pier roll-off at the new HCRO observatory
Finally I visited a new observatory complex under construction just “over the hill” from SkyPi. “Howling Coyote Remote Observatories” is yet another telescope hosting facility with identical conditions to SkyPi but on a much bigger scale. Currently there are around 7 telescopes in 2 roll-offs but plans are in the works for around 50 or more piers!
Piers arranged inside the observatory at HCRO
A Planewave Delta Rho telescope at HCRO
And that sums up my recent service trip to SkyPi Remote Observatory !
NGC 1055 is an edge-on spiral galaxy located in the constellation Cetus . “Edge on” meaning the plane of the galaxy lies along our line of sight as opposed to “face-on”. Imagine looking at the edge of a dinner plate. This would be the edge on view. When you can see the whole round plate in front of you, as well as what’s for dinner :), this is the face on view.
The galaxy has a prominent nuclear bulge crossed by a wide knotty dark lane of dust and gas. The spiral arm structure appears to be elevated above the galaxy’s plane and obscures the upper half of the bulge. Discovered on December 19, 1783 by William Herschel.
A rough distance estimate for NGC 1055 is 52 million light-years, with a diameter of about 115,800 light-years, slightly larger than our own Milky Way (about 106,000 light year diameter). NGC 1055 has extremely active star formation and is a bright infrared and radio source. It is in a binary galaxy system with neighboring M77 (previously imaged- see below) and there are a few million light years between them. Unfortunately I could not quite get both galaxies in the same image field!
M77 above , the binary sibling of NGC 1055, is a barred spiral galaxy 47 million light years away in the constellation Cetus (The Sea Monster in Greek mythology but typically whale in modern times). Fitting for this galaxy because it belongs to the Seyfert class of galaxies, one of the two largest groups of galaxies that contain active galactic nuclei which are characterized by the presence of a supermassive black hole at the center. These are the most luminous sources of electromagnetic radiation in the universe and while most of the radiation is in the form of high energy xrays and ultraviolet, 5% of Seyferts, including this one, are also strong in radio emissions. This has been studied extensively by the VLA (Very Large Array), an array of radio telescopes right here in New Mexico and only about 45 minutes from my rigs in Pie Town! The strong radio source is designated “Cetus A”.
NGC 1055 is low in the Southwest at sunset here in the northern hemisphere (blue square). It is in the constellation Cetus, near the head of the whale. It is quite dim, near magnitude 11, so a large telescope is required to even recognize a faint smudge in the field of view!
M3, located in the constellation Canes Venatici, is a stellar marvel approximately 33,900 light-years from Earth. This globular cluster boasts a dense concentration of stars, with estimates ranging from 500,000 to over a million stars packed within a region spanning about 180 light-years.
At an estimated age of around 11.4 billion years, M3 predates many other celestial objects in its vicinity, including our own Sun. Its stellar population contains a diverse array of stars, from ancient red giants to younger main-sequence stars. Studying the chemical composition of these stars provides astronomers with valuable insights into the early stages of galaxy formation and the evolution of stellar populations over cosmic time.
M3’s position in the sky allows for detailed observations and analysis, making it a key target for astronomers studying stellar dynamics, stellar evolution, and the structure of globular clusters. By measuring the brightness and colors of individual stars within M3, scientists can infer properties such as stellar ages, masses, and chemical compositions, shedding light on the processes that govern the formation and evolution of stars within dense stellar environments. As researchers continue to unravel the secrets of M3, this globular cluster remains a beacon of discovery, offering a window into the distant past of our galaxy and the broader universe beyond.
Not exactly a “new” image, but kind of reposted from my last entry. This was really a “test” first light image with a new portable set up shown below. This image was selected for today’s “Amateur Astronomy Picture of the Day”. https://www.aapod2.com/blog/plre1sthlc2gusplzd1rw26htoxmk5
Here I spend all this time and expense with these large remote rigs and it’s this simple set up producing remarkable images! What is most amazing to me is that this image was taken with a one shot color camera (no additional color filters. Basically like a regular digital camera except you can cool the camera down), in a fairly light polluted sky! (Bortle 5-6) The new CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) camera technology is leaving the traditional CCD (silicon based “Charged Couple Device”) in the proverbial dust! Believe it or not in this case cheaper is actually better. See this page for a more detailed explanation of CMOS vs CCD.
Equipment set up for the above image. Basically 4″ refracting telescope, color camera, mini PC attached and lithium battery on the lower right for computer and control hub power. The bag in the middle is 15 pounds weight to stabilize the tripod.
So take home message is current technology is making amazing things possible with modest investment!
The “Ghost Nebula” (designated Sh2-136, VdB 141) is a reflection nebula located in the constellation Cepheus.
The VdB catalog was originally published in 1966 by Sidney van den Bergh and contains 159 reflection nebulae. Reflection nebulae are clouds of interstellar dust which might reflect the light of a nearby star or stars. The energy from the nearby stars is insufficient to ionize the gas of the nebula to create an emission nebula, but is enough to give sufficient scattering to make the dust visible.
The “Ghost” lies near the star cluster NGC 7023. There are several stars embedded, whose reflected light make the nebula appear a yellowish-brown color giving it the eerie “ghost-like” appearance. The surrounding region is filled with interstellar dust and gas. The Universe is a very dusty place. Cosmic dust consists of tiny particles of solid material floating around in the space between the stars. It is not the same as the dust you find in your house but more like smoke with small particles varying from collections of just a few molecules to grains of 0.1 mm in size.
Capture info for the above image:
Location: SkyPi Remote Observatory, Pie Town, NM US Telescope: Orion Optics UK AG14 F3.8 Mount: 10 Micron GM3000 Camera: SBIG STXL 16200 Data: LRGB 7,6,5,6 hours respectively Processing: Pixinsight
The Ghost is located in the constallation Cepheus. Shown above, it is marked by the red square at the center of the image.
That’s all for now! Next up, we will continue our eclipse preparations.
Messier 74 (also known as NGC 628 and Phantom Galaxy) is a large spiral galaxy in the constellation Pisces. It is about 32 million light-years away from Earth. The galaxy contains two clearly defined spiral arms that wind counterclockwise from the galaxy’s center. The spiral arms widen as they get farther from M74’s center, but one of the arms narrows at the end. This is a typical example of a “Grand Design” spiral galaxy.
Why is it called the Phantom Galaxy? This is because in an amateur sized telescope it is barely visible to the eye. It has an extremely low surface brightness, somewhat of a ghostly appearance. Hence the name “phantom”.
Many spiral galaxies have bluish spiral arms, which is because these are regions of active star formation, typically higher energy. The pink areas are known as “HII” regions. HII regions are emission nebulae created when young, massive stars ionise nearby gas clouds with high-energy UV radiation. They are composed primarily of hydrogen, hence the name (astronomers use the term HII to refer to ionised hydrogen, HI for neutral hydrogen), and have temperatures of around 10,000 Kelvin.
M74 location in the Northern Hemisphere (white square). As of now it is in the Southwest at sunset in the constellation Pisces, just south of Jupiter which is not shown on this map.
This is the rig used for the M74 image. The equipment consistes of: Officina Stellare RiDK 400mm scope, SBIG STX 16803 camera with self guiding filter wheel , Reginato Rotofocus V3 focuser rotator, Paramount ME II mount with encoders.
The Crescent Nebula (also known as NGC 6888, Caldwell 27, Sharpless 105) is an emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus, about 5000 light-years away from Earth. It was discovered by William Herschel in 1792. It is formed by the fast stellar wind from the Wolf-Rayet star WR 136 (HD 192163) colliding with and energizing the slower moving wind ejected by the star when it became a red giant around 250,000 to 400,000 years ago. The result of the collision is a shell and two shock waves, one moving outward and one moving inward. The inward moving shock wave heats the stellar wind to X-ray-emitting temperatures. Wolf–Rayet stars, often abbreviated as WR stars, are a rare heterogeneous set of stars with unusual spectra showing prominent broad emission lines of ionised helium and highly ionised nitrogen or carbon. The spectra indicate very high surface enhancement of heavy elements, depletion of hydrogen, and strong stellar winds. The surface temperatures of known Wolf–Rayet stars range from 20,000 K to around 210,000 K, hotter than almost all other kinds of stars. Classic (or population I) Wolf–Rayet stars are evolved, massive stars that have completely lost their outer hydrogen and are fusing helium or heavier elements in the core.
In this image 3 narrow band channels, hydrogen alpha, hydrogen beta and oxygen III were color mapped to their precise hue values so this is not really a “false” color image but shows the colors emitted by the nebula in these 3 wavelengths of light. Hydrogen alpha emits in the red. Hydrogen beta and Oxygen are in the blue/teal range. Hydrogen alpha dominates but the blending with the bluish hues produces areas of pink.
Why is it called the “Crescent”nebula when it looks more like a chestnut or perhaps a kiwi fruit or something?
This is because it has a pretty low surface brightness and in a telescope or in images with short exposure times all you can see is the outer crescent of emission as in the image above.
Imaging platform currrently being used in “Gamma” complex at SkyPi Remote Observatory in Pie Town, New Mexico US
This was actually a first light image for the platform shown above.
Capture info: Location: SkyPi Remote Observatory, Pie Town, NM US Telescope: Orion Optics UK AG14 (14” Newtonian f/3.8) Mount: 10 Micron GM3000 Camera: SBIG STXL 16200 Data: Ha, HB, OIII 10 hours each Processing: Pixinsight
Crescent nebula location is the red square which is circled in blue
Where is it located? The Crescent can be found pretty much dead center of the Northern Cross or the constellation Cygnus the swan, shown above. This is mid-nothern declination region in the Northern Hemisphere and sits in the heart of the Milky Way during the Summer/Autumn months. For most telescopes a filter is required to bring out the nebulosity. Larger scopes are required to see any structure visually.
Gamma complex, SkyPi remote Observatory, opening for the night’s imaging session. My scope is the one moving in the foreground. This is an Orion Optics AG14 newtonian (F3.8)
Observatory news for November 2023:
Time to recollimate the AG14 newtonian! Generally the collimation is pretty stable but periodically has to be tweaked a little.
I think it has been helpful for folks to see the details of that last step in the collimation process which is the most important for imaging. There are a bzillion references out there for basic newtonian collimation which all can work. Here is a very good one for preliminary optical collimation. However more contemporary software methods for the last step can be very complex and difficult to navigate. What I have done is very straightforward and has worked for the last 20 years since the software I am using was developed.
Newtonian optical design. Arrows show light coming into the telescope from space. ‘P’ is the primary parabolic mirror, ‘S’ is the secondary flat mirror which reflects the light out of the side of the tube. The light passes through a “corrector lens” C just before it enters the camera
The first two collimation steps (1.Center secondary in the focuser 2. Collimating eyepiece to center of primary) were carried out during the initial set up stages and I just use a basic sight tube for that. The eye is an excellent judge of alignment during these stages. I do that without the corrector lens.
“Catseye” XLS sight tubes. These are adjustable to your focal length
We will focus on the last more critical step which is to align the primary to the optical axis center. To do that you must have your imaging system set up and this step is done at night at the telescope.
Rear of the telescope showing the 3 pairs of collimation screws
I set up with a laptop next to the scope and collimate on a star overhead and in front of me such that I can easily reach the collimation screws at the rear. Usually this equates to an altitude of around 70 or so.
The software I use is called CCD Inspector by CCDWare. Ok so it’s 20 years old but it still works! And you don’t have to be able to solve differential equations to use it!
Basically the principle is you’re going to use a defocused star to do the collimation. For smoothest operations you should have your focuser set up so that focus occurs near the middle of focus travel. Use a star of magnitude suitable for your focal length such that around a 2 sec exposure is sufficient. For example for focal length 1300 which is this scope, a 4-5 magnitude star works.
Open CCD inspector and in the main window make sure the “In Arcsec” box is checked
Configure your imaging system characteristics
Set your image scale and camera properties
Select “generic” as your camera control software. I am using The Sky X but I believe that this should work with any program you are using.
When you click on “generic” above you will get a pop up asking you to select a folder where the images will be saved. This is the key step. You have to configure BOTH CCD Inspector and your camera control program to save to the same folder otherwise it won’t work.
Last thing you want to do here is make sure real time> collimation> defocused star collimation viewer is selected and I would also recommend here under “images to average” that you choose one image. You’re going to take a series of single images. This allows you to see the arrow position changing or not (see below).
Now what you want to do is first find your star and make sure it’s centered. Then fully rack out the focuser. I would also recommend taking a subframe, otherwise you are likely to get multiple stars in the field. I use 1/4. Then take a 2 second image. You should see a defocused star with a diameter of at least 200 pixels. This is why it is best if the focuser is centered to begin with. If the star image is too dim you will get an error stating that and then perhaps increase exposure. If you get “star image distorted” multiple times you might need to choose a different star or it might be too small of a star image. It can take a while to find the right combo of star and exposure time.
You should see something like this above. A defocused star in your exposed image and the CCDI graphic “One Star Collimation Viewer” showing an arrow pointing in a specific direction with a collimation error read in arcsec. In this case I started with a 7.5 arc sec error, not bad but needs a little improvement. Take multiple single images of the defocused star to confirm the collimation arrow direction. You should do this each time.
Next you need to move the star image in the direction of the arrow, in this case upward, by slightly turning the collimation screw or screws. This is totally trial and error but once you find out which screws move the image which direction it goes a lot faster. Use very slight turns only. Once you have made an image shift in the right direction, you need to recenter the star and start again. In my case I have to return the focuser to the focus position, recenter the star and then defocus again. When you arrive at the defocused position take multiple single images to confirm the direction of the collimation arrow like before.
While you are doing this the collimation arrow will continue to point in roughly the same position but as your collimation improves and the arc sec values decrease you will get to a point where the arrow starts to “flip” to different areas with each exposure. This means you are done. It will depend on the seeing how much correction you can get. Less than 5 arc sec is pretty good. Less than 3 is excellent.
In very good seeing conditions you can occasionally get sub-arc-second collimation results as we did here. Note the secondary shadow will be very slightly offset. This is normal for newtonian optics.
And that’s it for precision software collimation of newtonian optics!
Well not exactly a “new image” but a fully processed version of the galaxy field surrounding supernova SN2023ijd. I presented the first images back in May when it was first discovered. You can read about that here
This shows the actual location. As we discussed in the previous post on this, a lot of excitement surrounded the discovery on May 19 of Supernova 2023ixf in the “Pinwheel Galaxy” M101. That event was much brighter and could be seen in small telescopes. However only about 5 days before SN 2023ixf blew up, another star went through it’s last moments of life and subsequently blew up in another galaxy about three times as far away from us as M101. Consequently this supernova was not as bright as the one in M101 but it occurred in this merging galactic pair of NGC 4568 and 4567, part of the Virgo Galaxy Cluster. The “host” galaxy is NGC 4568 which is the larger of the two and is where supernova SN2023ijd occurred. Elliptical galaxy NGC 4564 is seen to the right. Although I started this project two days before the supernova was discovered, I missed a couple of days due to weather when the discovery actually happened The discovery is credited to the All Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae based out of Ohio State University
Capture info: Location: SkyPi Remote Observatory, Pie Town NM US Telescope: Officina Stellare RiDK 400mm Camera: SBIG STX 16803 Mount: Paramount MEII Data: LRGB 22 hours
Thanks for looking! Dave Doctor 4870 Mother Lode Trail Las Cruces, NM 88011
In this fully annoted version you can see many galaxies populate this field including the elliptical galaxy NGC 4564 to the right. It is in the “vicinity” of NGC4567/8 at 57 million light years, just a couple of million light years closer.
So where is it located? Here you can see the red dot in the center is the location in the sky. It is in the constellation Virgo, visible in the Spring in the Northern Hemisphere about 40-50 degrees altitude on average. Unfortunately it’s quite small and dim. You’re not going to see much looking through an eyepiece. That’s why I do this 🙂
Ok NEXT time I will do the binocular review. Had to get this out there since it’s “hot off the press”
Session ends, Delta complex, SkyPi Remote Observatory, Pie Town NM
Observatory news for July 2023.
For those just tuning in I have two rigs up here at SkyPi Remote Observatory. The facility has 5 roll-off observatories. They are named Alpha, Bravo, Gamma, Delta and Omega. I believe that’s because the owner has an aviation background. At any rate the set up shown in the short video above resides in Delta and consists of a 400mm RiDK (CDK optics) telescope manufactured by Officina Stellare, an SBIG STX 16803 CCD camera and Paramount MEII mount.
The equipment in Gamma consists of a 10 Micron GM3000 mount, Orion Optics UK AG14 telescope and SBIG STXL 16200 camera.
Optical tube is shown having slid down probably about 6 inches inside of the tube rings
GM2000 is replaced with the higher load capacity GM3000. The two eyelet bolts on top of the mount are for transporting it safely. A cable is passed through them and used for lifting the mount
Completed installation of 10 Micron GM3000 with 14″ newtonian astrograph
Last time we discussed problems with the newtonian set up and issues with the OTA sliding inside the tube rings as well as weight and balance issues. The tube rings were replaced with more robust ones from Parallax Instruments. These made a huge difference but unfortunately added additional weight to the set up. The eccentric load of this was causing mount performance problems so I decided to upgrade to the higher load capacity GM3000.
Just to get an idea of the weight involved here, notice the 3 counterweights in the above image. They are each 20kg, but the telescope weight is only about 22kg! The problem is the huge camera and accessories hanging off the end. I had to use all 3 of the weights to balance it properly with the new set up.
The GM2000 mount will be moved down to the Talavera Space Hut in Las Cruces and used with the scopes there.
So far it looks like this was a great move and things are back in operation, although the tube slippage has cropped up again, not as bad as before. Apparently it will take a little time for that to reach an equilibrium according to the folks at Parallax, but eventually we should get there! I wonder if part of the problem is the polished carbon fiber surface making it difficult for the felt to grab onto it.
I was just up there rebalancing the scope and retightening the tube rings. We will just have to keep an eye on it.
Rotator sensor on the 400mm has likely failed
Now on to Delta and rotator problems we’re having there. Normally there is a sensor with these that prevents rotation beyond the limit of cable travel. This unfortunately stopped working and I found the cable had wrapped around the unit and got stuck in it, so I had to take it apart and reboot it. The rotator does function but accuracy I believe has been compromised as a result. We can still image but may have to work around it for now. A full replacement may be needed! This system is still running on Windows 7 and has done so for about 6 years now. Probably an update is overdue.
And finally the current imaging projects, both narrow band!
NGC 6888- The Crescent Nebula. 15 minute raw uncalibrated hydrogen-alpha image
The Crescent Nebula (also known as NGC 6888, Caldwell 27, Sharpless 105) is an emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus, about 5000 light-years away from Earth. It was discovered by William Herschel in 1792. It is formed by the fast stellar wind from the Wolf-Rayet star WR 136 (HD 192163) colliding with and energizing the slower moving wind ejected by the star when it became a red giant around 250,000 to 400,000 years ago. The result of the collision is a shell and two shock waves, one moving outward and one moving inward. The inward moving shock wave heats the stellar wind to X-ray-emitting temperatures. (courtesy Wikipedia). This is an ongoing project in Gamma. I hope to add hydrogen beta and oxygen to the mix!
M27 dumbbell nebula. Image obtained from Delta platform. 15 minute hydrogen-alpha raw image
The Dumbbell Nebula (also known as the Apple Core Nebula, Messier 27, and NGC 6853) is a planetary nebula (nebulosity surrounding a white dwarf) in the constellation Vulpecula, at a distance of about 1360 light-years. It was the first such nebula to be discovered, by Charles Messier in 1764. At its brightness of visual magnitude 7.5 and diameter of about 8 arcminutes, it is easily visible in binoculars and is a popular observing target in amateur telescopes. (Courtesy Wikipedia). Note the ccd column defects which are fairly common with those sensors. These are easily processed out.
That’s all for now. Next we’ll do a product review related to my favorite instrument for visual use…binoculars!
daveandtelescope 