NGC281 - The Pacman Nebula

I last imaged NGC281 over two years ago, so here's a new one taken on Christmas Eve 2020

Scope: Sky Watcher ED80 DS Pro
Mount: Sky Watcher NEQ6
Camera: Altair Astro Hypercam 183C

Guide scope: Sky Watcher Evoguide 50ED
Guide cam: Altair Astro GP-CAM 290M

Image capture: SharpCap
Guiding: PHD2
Planetarium: Cartes du Ciel

51 x 5min Lights

21 x 5min Darks

32 flats

Stacked in DSS, total exposure after stacking 200mins.

Finished in Affinity Photo and Photoshop Elements.

 

Sunspot activity on the up

The latest sunspot cycle appears to have started about a year ago, slow to get going but on the up now.

These two images were taken on the 28th November.

White light image equipment

Scope: Sky Watcher ED80 DS Pro

Imaging Camera: Altair Astro Hypercam 183C

 

Ha image equipment

Scope: Coronado PST

Imaging Camera: Altair Astro GP-CAM 3 178M

Mount: Sky Watcher NEQ6 Pro

White light, with active regions identified

 

In Ha combined image to show surface and prominences.

 

Mars Late September

 Here are the two best images from late September.

Scope: Sky Watcher ED80 DS Pro
Mount: Sky Watcher NEQ6 Pro
Imaging Camera: Altair Astro Hypercam 183C + StarGuider x3 Barlow
Planetarium software: Cartes Du Ciel
Mount control: EQMOD

Guide Scope: Sky Watcher Evoguide 50ED
Guide Camera: Altair Astrom GP-CAM 290M
Guide Software: PHD2

26/09/2020

 

27/09/2020 

M33 Triangulum Galaxy

It's been nearly two years since I last imaged M33, so here is a new image.

Scope: Sky Watcher ED80 DS Pro
Mount: Sky Watcher NEQ6
Camera: Altair Astro Hypercam 183C

Guide scope: Sky Watcher Evoguide 50ED
Guide cam: Altair Astro GP-CAM 290M

20/09/2020
60 x 120s Lights
30 x 120s Darks

21/09/2020
59 x 120s Lights
30 x 120s Darks

DSS Stack: 95 images out of 119.
Total exposure time after stacking: 3hrs 10mins

Image capture: SharpCap
Guiding: PHD2
Planetarium: Cartes du Ciel

Stacked in DSS, finished in Affinity Photo and PhotoShop Elements.

 

Mars - 13/09/2020

As Mars approaches opposition in early October it's increasing in brightness and size. This is probably my best image to date. The southern ice cap can be seen bottom right.

Scope: Sky Watcher ED80 DS Pro
Mount: Sky Watcher NEQ6 Pro
Imaging Camera: Altair Astro Hypercam 183C + Celestron X-Cel LX x2 Barlow
Planetarium software: Cartes Du Ciel
Mount control: EQMOD

Guide Scope: Sky Watcher Evoguide 50ED
Guide Camera: Altair Astrom GP-CAM 290M
Guide Software: PHD2

 

Sun in Hydrogen Alpha Today

Sun spots AR2767, bottom left and AR2768 top right.

Scope: Coronado PST
Mount: Sky-Watcher NEQ6 Pro
Camera: Altair Astro GP-CAM 178M
Processed with Registax 6 and Photoshop Elements.

A prominence in action

The following video was compiled from 120 time lapse images taken at 15 second intervals. Best viewed full screen [] on 'loop', right click. It shows a closeup of the prominence top left in the picture above.

Comet C2020 F3 (NEOWISE)

Some more images, but still lots to process.

The first is from a stack of 985 x 4 second exposures taken on 20th July.

Scope: Sky Watcher ED80 DS Pro
Mount: Sky Watcher NEQ6 Pro
Imaging Camera: Altair Astro Hypercam 183C
Planetarium software: Cartes Du Ciel
Mount control: EQMOD

Processed with Deep Sky Stacker and Affinity Photo

This next one was taken by my daughter Alex from Mountjoy near Carisbrooke Castle at around 23:30 on the 17th July using an iPhone.

Comet C2020 F3 (NEOWISE)

My first attempt at Comet C2020 F3 (NEOWISE).

This image is just a stack of 30 x 2s exposures, 30 darks and 30 flats, I've many more to process for the final image.

Scope: Sky Watcher ED80 DS Pro
Mount: Sky Watcher NEQ6 Pro
Imaging Camera: Altair Astro Hypercam 183C
Planetarium software: Cartes Du Ciel
Mount control: EQMOD

Processed with Deep Sky Stacker and Affinity Photo

NGC6992 - The Eastern Veil Nebula

The Eastern Veil nebula imaged over two nights, 10th and 11th July 2020.

67 x 120s Lights

30 x 120s Darks

30 Flats

Stacked 53, for a 106min integration.

Scope: Sky Watcher ED80 DS Pro
Mount: Sky Watcher NEQ6 Pro
Imaging Camera: Altair Astro Hypercam 183C
Guide Camera: Altair Astro GP-CAM3 290M
Guide software: PHD2
Planetarium software: Cartes Du Ciel
Mount control: EQMOD

Processed with Deep Sky Stacker, Affinity Photo and Photo Shop Elements 13

Sunspot region AR2765

Some views of Sunspot region AR2765 from 7th and 8th June 2020

Ha images:
Scope: Coronado PST
Mount: Celestron Advanced GT
Camera: Altair Astro 290 M3
Processed with Registax 6 and Affinity Photo

White light images:
Scope: Sky-Watcher ED80 DS Pro c/w Baader AstroSolar Safety Film
Mount: Sky-Watcher NEQ6
Camera: Altair Astro Hypercam 183C
Processed with Registax 6 and Affinity Photo

07/06/2020 White Light

07/06/2020 Ha

08/06/2020 Ha

Sun Ha 26/05/2020

Another big prominence, with some nice detail.

Scope: Coronado PST
Mount: Celestron Advanced GT
Camera: Altair Astro 290 M3
Processed with Registax 6, combined and colourised in Photoshop Elements and rescaled from 541 x 276 to 2164 x 1104 using 'A Sharper Scaling' ( a-sharper-scaling.com )

Sun Ha 17/05/2020

Another solar image in Ha.

The height of the prominence at the bottom is about 9 times the diameter of the Earth and about 8% the diameter of the Sun.

Scope: Coronado PST
Mount: Celestron Advanced GT
Camera: Altair Astro 290 M3
Processed with Registax 6, combined and colourised in Photoshop Elements.

Sun in Hydrogen Alpha Today

There were several prominences visible today, the images show the most impressive.

Scope: Coronado PST
Mount: Celestron Advanced GT
Camera: Altair Astro 290 M3
Processed with Registax 6, combined and colourised in Photoshop Elements.

 North

South

A collage showing changes in the structure of the North prominence.

Half Moon and Venus on Friday

Here are a couple of images taken on Friday May 1st.

The Moon looks particularly good, not much to see on Venus but it is a rather nice crescent.

Scope: Sky Watcher ED80 DS Pro (Moon image)
Scope: Celestron C8 (Venus Image)
Mount: Sky Watcher NEQ6 Pro
Camera: Altair Astro Hypercam 183C
Software: AltairCapture, Registax 6, Photoshop Elements.

 Both images stacked from 60 second 8fps videos.

Sun in Ha

My first decent image in Hydrogen Alpha (656.28 nm wavelength).

Combining a well exposed image of the Sun's disc with an over exposed image to show prominences.

Stacked from two 60s 20fps videos, the first a well exposed Suns image, the second over exposed to reveal prominences.

Scope: Coronado PST
Mount: Celestron Advanced GT
Camera: Altair Astro 290 M3
Processed with Registax 6, combined and colourised in Photoshop Elements.

New M51 - Combining data from 2019 and 2020

A new image of M51 compiled from images taken over 13 sessions, from Feb, March and April 2019 and Feb and March 2020

Total Lights - 468
Total Darks - 320
Total Flats - 151

Deep Sky Stacker stacked 273 lights for a total integration time of 13hrs 30mins

Scope: Sky Watcher ED80 DS Pro
Mount: Sky Watcher CG-4 motorised (2019)
Mount: Sky Watcher NEQ6 Pro (2020)
Camera: Altair Astro Hypercam 183C
Guide Cam: QHY 5L-II-C
Guide software: PHD2
Planetarium software: Cartes Du Ciel (2020)
Mount control: EQMOD (2020)

Processed with Deep Sky Stacker and Photo Shop Elements 13

Closer crop

New M106

A new image of M106 compiled from images taken over two nights.

26/03/2020
90 x 120s lights
40 x 120s darks
30 flats

27/03/2020
75 x 120s lights
30 x 120s darks
30 flats

Scope: Sky Watcher ED80 DS Pro
Mount: Sky Watcher NEQ6 Pro
Camera: Altair Astro Hypercam 183C
Guide Cam: QHY 5L-II-C
Guide software: PHD2
Planetarium software: Cartes Du Ciel
Mount control: EQMOD

Processed with Deep Sky Stacker and Photo Shop Elements 13

Comet C/2019 Y4 ATLAS

Comet C/2019 Y4 ATLAS

The comet is about 160,353,958 km away. It is brightening and maximum brightness is expected  in May.

Scope: Sky Watcher ED80 DS Pro
Mount: Sky Watcher NEQ6 Pro
Camera: Altair Astro Hypercam 183C
Guide Cam: QHY 5L-II-C
Guide software: PHD2
Planetarium software: Cartes Du Ciel
Mount control: EQMOD

60 x 120s subs
30 x 120s darks
30 flats

Processed with Deep Sky Stacker and Photo Shop Elements 13

Static stars

Static comet

Movie

M101 - 2nd and 16th March 2020

A new image of M101

49 x 5 min Lights
24 x Darks
55 x Flats

Scope: Sky Watcher ED80 DS Pro
Mount: Sky Watcher NEQ6 Pro
Camera: Altair Astro Hypercam 183C
Guide Cam: QHY 5L-II-C
Guide software: PHD2
Planetarium software: Cartes Du Ciel
Mount control: EQMOD

Processed with Deep Sky Stacker and Photo Shop Elements 13

M51 Whirlpool Galaxy 17/02/2020 + 27/02/2020

Two sessions combined.
 
Session 1 - 17/02/2020
60 x 120s Light
30 x 120s Dark
31 Flat

Session 2 - 27/02/2020
21 x 300s Light
12 x 300s Dark
20 Flat

Scope: Sky Watcher ED80 DS Pro
Mount: Sky Watcher NEQ6 Pro
Camera: Altair Astro Hypercam 183C
Guide Cam: QHY 5L-II-C
Guide software: PHD2
Planetarium software: Cartes Du Ciel
Mount control: EQMOD

Processed with Deep Sky Stacker and Photo Shop Elements 13

Comet C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS)

Comet C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS)

The comet is about 256,492,406 km away and is just past it's closest approach. It's predicted to be at maximum brightness in early June 2020.

This is my first post after acquiring a Sky Watcher NEQ6 Pro SynScan mount.

Scope: Sky Watcher ED80 DS Pro
Mount: Sky Watcher NEQ6 Pro
Camera: Altair Astro Hypercam 183C
Guide Cam: QHY 5L-II-C
Guide software: PHD2
Planetarium software: Cartes Du Ciel
Mount control: EQMOD

60 x 120s subs
30 x 120s darks
30 flats

Processed with Deep Sky Stacker and Photo Shop Elements 13

Video 10 frames / sec, 1sec = 20 mins

Quadrantid Meteor

Quadrantid meteor against a partially cloudy sky.

The bright star right of centre is Capella with the Pleiades top right.

Camera: Pentax K-S2
Lens: Samyang 16mm f2.0
Exposure 30s, f2.8, ISO800