Local Astrophotography

Barnard 33- Horse Head Nebula

Among one of the most identifiable nebulae in the sky, it is located in Orion and is part of a molecular cloud. The horsehead Nebula, also known as Barnard 33, was first discovered on a photograph in the late 1800’s. Barnard 33 got its name because it looks like a horse’s head in the sky. The red gas you see in Barnard 33 comes from hydrogen gas predominantly behind the nebula. This gas is ionized by the bright star known as Sigma Orionis. The darkness of Barnard 33 is caused by the collection of thick dust that also casts a shadow to the left of the neck. The gas coming out in streams is funneled by a strong magnetic field. It takes about 1500 years for light to reach us from Barnard 33.

M13- Hercules Cluster

This mass of lights contains over 100,000 stars that whirl within the cluster m13. This among the brightest star clusters that are visible in the Northern Hemisphere. M13 is located 25,000 light-years from Earth with an apparent magnitude of 5.8, This mass of stars can be seen in Hercules with the use of a pair of binoculars. The cluster, known as m13, was discovered by the English astronomer Edmund Halley in 1714. When m13 was added to Charles Messier’s catalog in 1764, he was convinced that this object contained no stars. Due to the stars being so packed together, the cluster’s individual stars were not resolved until 1779. In the core of the cluster, the population density of stars is about a hundred times greater than the density in the neighborhood of our sun. Due to this area being so dense, some stars tend to run into each other and can form a new star. The result of these “Blue Stragglers” look to be younger than the other stars that is located in their immediate vicinity and are seen in great scientific interest to astronomers.

M27- Dumbbell Nebula

 The "Dumbbell nebula," also known as Messier 27. The nebula was named after its resemblance to a dumbbell as seen in visible light. It was discovered in 1764 by Charles Messier, who included it as the 27th member of his famous catalog of nebulous objects. Though he did not know it at the time, this was the first in a class of objects, now known as "planetary nebulae," to make it into the catalog.

Planetary nebulae, historically named for their resemblance to gas-giant planets, are now known to be the remains of stars that once looked a lot like our sun. When sun-like stars die, they puff out their outer gaseous layers. These layers are heated by the hot core of the dead star, called a white dwarf, and shine with infrared and visible-light colors. Our own sun will blossom into a planetary nebula when it dies in about five billion years.

The Dumbbell nebula is 1,360 light-years away in the Vulpecula constellation, and stretches across 4.5 light-years of space. That would more that fill the space between our sun and the nearest star, and it demonstrates how effective planetary nebulae are at returning much of a star's material back to interstellar space at the end of their lives.

The diffuse green glow, which is brightest near the center, is probably from hot gas atoms being heated by the ultraviolet light from the central white dwarf.

A collection of clumps fill the central part of the nebula, and red-colored radial spokes extend well beyond. Astronomers think these features represent molecules of hydrogen gas, mixed with traces of heavier elements. Despite being broken apart by the ultraviolet light from the central white dwarf, much of this molecular material may survive intact and mix back into interstellar gas clouds, helping to fuel the next generation of stars. Similar structures are seen in the Helix and other planetary nebulae.

M45- Pleaides Cluster

The stars of the Pleiades cluster, also known by the names “M45” and “the seven sisters,” shine brightly in this view from the Cassini spacecraft. The cluster is comprised of hundreds of stars, a few of which are visible to the unaided eye on Earth as a brilliant grouping in the constellation Taurus. This reflection nebula is dust that reflects the light of the hot, blue stars in the cluster. 

M51- Whirlpool Galaxy

The Whirlpool Galaxy is a classic spiral galaxy. At only 30 million light years distant and fully 60 thousand light years across, M51, also known as NGC 5194, is one of the brightest and most picturesque galaxies on the sky.Astronomers expected to see large dust clouds, ranging from about 100 light-years to more than 300 light-years wide. Instead, most of the dust is tied up in smooth and diffuse dust lanes. An encounter with another galaxy may have prevented giant clouds from forming.

Rosette Nebula

Imaging telescope or lens:Takahashi Epsilon E-160

Imaging camera:ZWO ASI294MC PRO OSC

Mount:iOptron CEM60

Guiding telescope or lens:60mm f6 Guidescope

Guiding camera:QHYCCD QHY5II-M

Software:Open PHD2 Guiding PHD2 Guiding,  Stark Labs Nebulosity 4 Nebulosity 4,  Adobe Photoshop CS2 CS2, Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight

Resolution: 1200x838

Dates:Jan. 12, 2019

Frames: 32x240"

Integration: 2.1 hours

Running Man Nebula

RM1 Final Small 

TPO 10" RC @f6

ASI 1600MM C

RGB 4 x 600 Seconds each

Imaging telescope or lens:TPO RC10 Truss Tube

Imaging camera:ZWO ASI 1600MM Cooled

Mount:Paramount MyT

Software:Software Bisque Sky X Pro

Accessory:ZWO EFW 7x36mm

Resolution: 2328x1760

Dates:May 13, 2018

Frames:Optolong LRGB 36mm: 40x300" -22C bin 2x2

M42

Imaging telescope or lens:Takahashi Epsilon E-160

Imaging camera:ZWO ASI294MC PRO OSC

Mount:iOptron CEM60

Guiding telescope or lens:60mm f6 Guidescope

Guiding camera:QHYCCD QHY5II-M

Software:Open PHD2 Guiding PHD2 Guiding,  Adobe Photoshop CS2 CS2, Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight

Filter:Orion 2" Skyglow AP Filter

Resolution: 1500x1021

Dates:Jan. 30, 2019

Frames: 116x45"

Integration: 1.4 hours