The Litmus Paper Test

NGC7000 - North America Nebula

2011-12-13T20:55:00.005-05:00

Taken on 9/27/2011 NGC7000 - The North America Nebula - Hydrogen Alpha emission region covering about 4 times the size of the full moon located in the constellation Cygnus. Canon 350D IR Modified (Camera) 54 x 180s @ ISO 1600 (Exposures) AstroTech AT66 @ F/6 (Imaging) C5+ @ F/6.3, SSAG, PHD (Guiding) Celestron CG5 ASGT on Pier (Mount & Platform) Stacked in DSS (Calibration) Edited in CS4 (

Mansfield Morning

2011-05-05T22:59:00.000-04:00

Mt. Mansfield - October 17, 2010

Star Trails Over Mount Elmore

2011-05-05T22:56:00.001-04:00

NGC 7000 - North America Nebula - Re-processed

2010-11-22T08:37:00.001-05:00

NGC 7000 - The North America Nebula - a large Hydrogen Emission nebula located in Cygnus spanning nearly 4 times the size of the full moon. Details: 14 x 180 Seconds Each @ ISO 1600 AstroTech AT66 ED APO (Imaging) Celestron C8 (Guiding) Celestron CGEM Mount PHD Guiding Deep Sky Stacker calibrated Nebulosity II for image tweaking Gimp 2.6 Final Edit Taken on June 7-8, 2010 -mb

M31

2010-08-14T17:50:00.000-04:00

Messier 31 - Andromeda Galaxy, M32, M110 The Notes: AstroTech AT66, Canon 350D [IR/UV Modified] 39 Frames x 240s Each @ ISO 800 @ 62F Degrees Calibrated with 10 Dark, 10 Flat, 10 Bias Dark Frames CGEM, PHD Guiding (with Orion Mak500), Nebulosity II, Gimp 2.6 - mb 8.13.2010

IC 1396 - Elephant Trunk Nebula

2010-06-10T09:38:00.000-04:00

IC 1396 - The Elephant Trunk Nebula - a large concentration of Hydrogen emission region in Cepheus. The area of the nebula, shown at the right, looks much like the trunk of an Elephant thus the name. It's a large dense region of Hydrogen being ionized by stars in the aftermath of a major supernova event. 26 x 180s @ ISO 1600 - f/6 Canon 350D Hα modified (w/type II spectrum enhanced filter)

NGC 7000 - North America Nebula

2010-06-08T10:26:00.000-04:00

NCG 7000 - North America Nebula - roughly 2200 light years away in constellation Cygnus, it is an extremely large Hydrogen emission region bearing a strong resemblance to the North American continent. It covers nearly 4 times the apparent size of the moon. It was a little tight trying to get the whole thing in to the view of the AT66, and just slightly off center. AT66 (imaging) 16 x 180s @ ISO

NGC 6888 - Crescent Nebula

2010-06-08T10:14:00.006-04:00

NGC 6888 - Crescent Nebula - roughly 5000 light years away in Cygnus. A large Hydrogen alpha [Hα] emission region from a 400,000 year old super nova colliding with the dynamic forces from a nearby star. The crescent shape is formed by the hydrogen being ionized by the star's energy, hence the name. Full frame [<] and cropped full resolution [>] frames. AT66 (imaging) 19 x 180s @ ISO 1600 - f/

Cygnus and North America Nebula

2010-06-07T11:14:00.001-04:00

Cygnus and the North America Nebula - Hydrogen Beta [HII] emission region located around the tail of Cygnus the Swan. There are numerous objects in the field of view, but the most prominent being the NMA. This region of gas, dust, and stars is one of the arm bands visible to us in our own galaxy, The Milky Way. Too cloudy to set up after a full day of rain, the sky opened up for about 45

Messier 13 - The Hercules Cluster

2010-04-24T22:54:00.000-04:00

Messier 13 - The Hercules Cluster Spanning 145 light years in diameter, it consists of several hundred thousand stars and is roughly 25,000 light years from Earth. It glows at magnitude 5.8 and is visible to the naked eye from a dark site on a clear night. Binoculars even yield a good view of the cluster size and structure. I cropped this to show the tiny spiral galaxy located at the upper edge

9th Day Moon

2010-04-24T21:12:00.001-04:00

Moon at 9th Day Celestron C8 at f/6.3 - Modified 350D 1/1250th second at ISO 800

Messier 16 - The Eagle Nebula

2010-04-24T19:00:00.001-04:00

Messier 16 The Eagle Nebula A young open cluster of stars in the constellation Serpens. Home of the famous Pillars of Creation. The large gaseous pillars made famous by stunning images from the Hubble Space Telescope. The Eagle nebula is part of a large Hydrogen II region of the sky. This type of nebula is where my equipment excels. It was modified to enhance the infrared spectrum and is

6th Day Moon

2010-04-21T13:12:00.000-04:00

Waxing Gibbous Moon at 6th Day Orion Maksutov 500mm x 90mm aperture, f/5.6 on Orion Mini EQ tripod and mount, 350D. 1/800th @ ISO 1600 Pretty much my grab-n-go setup. Knew the clouds were coming in and a no-go for setting up. Grabbed a quick image of the Moon.

Messier 51 - Finally!

2010-04-18T12:46:00.000-04:00

After about ten tries, I finally got this thing where I want it. If I want any more, it's going to take a 130mm APO refractor to get it, or abut 3 hours more time with the C8. The details at the core and in the dust lane between the two galaxies I am really impressed with. Much better than my c6 had been able to pull in. The C8 Ultima has definitely made me satisfied with my decision to upgrade

Messier 95

2010-04-18T10:51:00.000-04:00

Messier 95 - a barred spiral galaxy located roughly 33 million light years away in constellation Leo. The galaxy contains a large circumnuclear star-forming ring that spans about 2000 light years across. 04/14/2010 - 04:54 final frame - 36 x 240s @ ISO 1600 - with the usual setup. Stacked with master dark, flat and bias frame (consisting of 20 each)

Messier 94 - re-edited

2010-04-16T23:56:00.009-04:00

Tried multiple different things to bring up more core details in post editing. Still need about 2 more hours of imaging time on this object. It's rather faint and the details are hard to capture.

Messier 94

2010-04-14T18:57:00.003-04:00

Messier 94A beautiful grand design spiral galaxy located in Ursa Major. I am most intrigued by how the outer edge of the galaxy appears to be much darker. This was not a product of editing and was appearing in the single frames. It must be a thin veil of dust that lies to the outer reaches of M94 that are being drawn in to the center and forming the next generation of arms bands. 29 x 240 Seconds

Messier 63

2010-04-14T15:40:00.004-04:00

Messier 63Probably the 3rd or 4th time I've really gone after this galaxy and I still didn't get it right. Could have used another hour of exposure time to just bring out dust lane details. Every thing is there for luminance but lacks in the fine detail department. Attribute that to being slightly out of focus. Usual setup, 18 x 240 Seconds, 5 Bias Dark, 10 Dark, 10 Flat frames. Calibrated and

Messier 101 - The Pinwheel Galaxy

2010-04-13T17:00:00.004-04:00

Messier 101Another attempt at capturing more details of the core. Dust lanes and arm band structure are visible all the way to the center. Outer reaches of the arms are present at far right of the frame. Never mind the amp noise at the lower right. This is 27 x 240 second frames stacked and calibrated with 5 Dark, 5 Flat and 5 Bias frames. Usual setup. Finished this up at 4:45am 4/13. - mb

Messier 65 and 66

2010-04-13T14:30:00.004-04:00

Messier 65 and 66Two of what are known as the "Leo Trio" located about 22 million light years away in constellation Leo. Both galaxies appear to be barred spiral structures but both have been interrupted by mild interaction. There is little dust and gas in M65 and star formation is low in comparison to other galaxies of its size and type. M65 also contains a relatively strong radio emission

Messier 82

2010-04-07T10:49:00.005-04:00

Messier 82An incredibly active star burst galaxy located about 12 million light years away in the constellation Ursa Major. Massive clumps of stars being formed and subsequent Supernovae are sources for X-Ray, Infrared, and Radio wave emissions. Roughly every ten years, large supernovae have been observed and recorded. M82, like most galaxies, houses a Super-massive Black hole at its center and

Messier 106

2010-04-06T15:06:00.006-04:00

Messier 106 & NGC 4248A spiral galaxy in Canes Venatici discovered in 1781 by Pierre Mechain. Distance from Earth at about 22-25 Million Light years. X-Ray emissions and other observations indicate the galaxy is falling in to a large supermassive black hole located at its center. Gravitationally bound and part of its local group, NGC 4248 is located just below. An edge-on spiral galaxy on a

The Moonlit Sky

2010-04-03T10:53:00.004-04:00

The Moonlit SkyAlthough this looks like a sunrise in a rather cloudless sky, this is actually the Moon. Taken two nights ago.The way the tree in the foreground looks like it is reaching for a Moon it can't reach really struck me ...350d Mod/15seconds/ISO 400/f6.3-mb

M101

2010-03-29T17:12:00.002-04:00

Messier 101Combination of data gathered over two different nights. A face-on spiral galaxy in Ursa Major at about 34 million Light Years away. It's about twice the size of the Milky Way, our own galaxy.22 x 180 Seconds [6 on 3/6/2010, 18 on 3/26/2010]5 Dark (+15F) , 5 Neutral Flat, 1 Neutral temp BiasCelestron C8 Ultima on CGEM, CG5 ASGTAstroTech AT66 AutoGuidingOrion SSAGLosmandy LOS-VIX, VSBS,

M81

2010-03-26T10:37:00.014-04:00

Messier 81The CGEM maiden voyage. After proper polar alignment, this tracked flawlessly for over two hours. I dropped a segment of 5 shots, because for some reason after doing a focus check, I had forgotten the pointing accuracy of this mount is much better than expected. The lower image is full frame (canon 350D), scaled to 1198x798 and the above is scaled and cropped at 800x600.M81 is

Barnard's Loop - Orion Region

2010-03-16T08:39:00.004-04:00

Barnard's Loop - Orion Region Hα (Hydrogen Alpha Spectrum)9 x 25s ISO 1600, 350D Modified, Manfrotto tripodConstellation Orion, Belt and sword. B33 is clearly visible as well as M42 & M43, Upper left shows Rosette Nebula and internal cluster. Hα data showed up in post editing, loop was barely visible in the stack. CS4 pulled it out. The lower right lobe is well pronounced. Not bad for ~4 minutes.

B-33 & NGC-2024

2010-03-09T14:33:00.005-05:00

Barnard 33 - The Horsehead Nebula and NGC 2024 - The Flame Nebula3 x 180S RGB and 8 x 120S Hα350D Ha Mod, AstroTech AT66 (Imaging)Cg5 w Losmandy Hardware (Tracking)Celestron C8 Ultima, SSAG, PHD (Guiding)

NGC-2244 - Rosette Nebula

2010-03-09T14:30:00.003-05:00

NGC 2244 - the Rosette Nebula9 x 180S ISO 1600350D Hα ModAstroTech AT66 (imaging)Cg5Celestron C8 (guiding)

M81, M82, NGC 3077

2010-03-08T15:08:00.003-05:00

M81, M82, NGC 3077 Widefield(70s Vintage) Soligor 85-300 f/5 Lens @ 300mmCanon 350 D H&alpa; Modified12 x 180 Seconds @ ISO 800CG5 ASGT, Guided with PHDAstroTech AT66 Guidescope3/7/2010 : 3:46am - mb

Messier 101

2010-03-08T14:28:00.003-05:00

Messier 101Tracking issues from setting up at 1am. Kept only 7 frames.Celestron C8 Ultima @ f/6.37 x 180 Seconds @ ISO1600Canon 350D Hα Modified w/Baader IR/UV Replacement FilterLosmandy Dual SBS Dovetail PlateCg5 ASGTAstroTech AT66 (Guidescope)

Polaris and Star Trails

2010-03-05T15:28:00.004-05:00

Polaris and Star TrailsThis is a combination of Polaris stacked with a full alignment of the star frames (of which I think DSS did an amazing job on, considering the movement involved) and then I took that and stacked it with the combined images from Nebulosity in which I aligned only Polaris to achieve the trails. This, technically becomes 2 hours and 4 minutes of time for the final image.I

Moon Halo, Orion, Pleiades, Contrail, etc

2010-02-23T10:43:00.002-05:00

Moon Halo, Orion, Pleiades, Jet Contrail, etcThis was the scene last night from the backyard. A little too hazy to get in to a telescope imaging session with the haze and upper level vapor but good enough to catch a quick shot.350D Hα Mod, 30 sec @ ISO 1600, AWB-mb

M51 & NGC 5195

2010-02-11T13:32:00.004-05:00

Messier 51 - The Whirlpool Galaxy & NGC 5195A revisit to this last night (umm, this morning) under some of the clearest skies I've seen since last year.The upgrades are functioning nicely. This is a scaled image. 1276x822 down from 3278x2112C8 Ultima @ f/6.3 on CG5 ASGT (Imaging)350D Ha Modded w/ Baader IR/UV Glass FilterAT66 ED (Guiding)Orion Starshoot AutoGuiderPhD GuidedDSS StackedCS4

Sunspots 1045, 46, 47

2010-02-10T12:19:00.004-05:00

Sunspots 1045, 46, 47After a nearly year-long period of inactivity, our sun, a variable star, has begun to show it's true colors again. These spots are belching out M class flares. If I were a little further north in Northern Canada, Norway or Nova Scotia, I'd be able to capture some Northern Lights.

M42 & 43

2010-01-26T23:01:00.002-05:00

M42 & 43Just seeing how much light grasp the new telescope has. I overexposed the core in 6 minutes at ISO 800 with an unmodified camera. I will revisit this with the Modified 350D the next chance I get.Celestron C8 ASGT with a ton of stuffCanon 350D unmodified 2 x 180s @ ISO 800 f/6.3

Luna 01-21-2010

2010-01-24T09:27:00.003-05:00

Luna - 6.9 Days old, 38.4% IllumiinationCelestron C8 Ultima OTA - the first real night out for imaging with the new OTA. I had an actual OMFG moment the first look through the eyepiece at the Moon. Decided to grab a couple of widefield f/6.3 shots.Celestron C8 @ f/6.3CG5 ASGT Mount SystemCanon 350D Unmodified1/1000th Second - ISO 800

M45 - The Pleiades

2009-11-26T14:07:00.003-05:00

Messier 45 - The PleiadesThis is an open star cluster consisting of mainly B-type stars located in the constellation Taurus. It's one of the closer star clusters to Earth and is very visible to the naked eye in the night sky. Commonly referred to as the 7 sisters, it actually consists, roughly, of a thousand stars. The surrounding dust cloud being illuminated isn't actually part of the star

NGC 6888 - The Crescent Nebula

2009-11-26T13:52:00.003-05:00

NGC 6888 - The Crescent NebulaAn object comprised of 2 things: the aftershock from a supernova and the forces of stellar winds from a nearby star together creating a unique emission Nebula with a very pronounced bow shock.12 frames @ 240s each, 5 dark, 5 flat, 10 bias350D with C6 @ f/6.3This object was a challenge for the C6 and, although I missed a lot of the hydrogen spectrum due to not having

M31, M32, M110

2009-11-18T22:19:00.003-05:00

Messier 31, 32, and 110Group portrait on 11/16/200915 frames @ 4minutes each, ISO 1600(stacked with 5 Dark, 5 Flat, 10 Bias frames)AstroTech AT66 ED APO F/6 - (imaging)Canon 350D - Unmodified, unfilteredCelestron / Canon T-RingOrion 2" Prime Focus Camera AdapterCelestron C6 - (guiding)Orion SSAG Guide cameraLosmandy V-Series SBS dovetail PlateCelestron CG5 ASGT Mount & TripodPHD Guiding, Deep Sky

M33 - The Triangulum Galaxy

2009-11-10T06:19:00.005-05:00

Messier 333 million light years away and gravitationally locked with Andromeda, this is part of our local galaxy grouping. Shining at magnitude 6.7, this has been a challenge for the C6 due to seemingly low surface brightness. Nebulosity regions and star forming regions are well resolved and very distinguishable.12 x 4 minutes @ ISO1600 f/6.3 with the usual setup. Taken 11/8/09.mb

IC5146, Sh2-125, Caldwell 19 - The Cocoon Nebula

2009-11-10T06:14:00.002-05:00

IC5146, Caldwell 19, Sh2-125 - The Cocoon NebulaThere are a few objects here. The star cluster is Caldwell 19, the Emission Nebula is Sh2-125 and the dark regions are part of Barnard 168, part of a Dark Nebula that spans for nearly 2 degrees in length with the Cocoon Nebula resting at the end of the dust lane.This was 19 exposures at 4 minutes each, stacked with Deep Sky Stacker, Edited in PS CS4

M31 - The Andromeda Galaxy

2009-10-18T12:34:00.004-04:00

Messier 31 & 3223 frames x 180 seconds eachCanon 350D unmodified, unfilteredCelestron C6 SCTHirsch f/6.3 Focal reducerAstroTech AT66 ED APO GuidescopeOrion SSAG Guide CameraPHD AutoGuidingDSS, Nebulosity 2, GIMP 2.6 for Windows10/16/2009 Stowe, VT

Sunspot #1027

2009-09-27T11:51:00.003-04:00

M 8 - Lagoon Nebula

2009-09-22T19:44:00.005-04:00

Messier 8 - Trifid NebulaA giant interstellar cloud in constellation Sagittarius, classified as an HII Region and emission nebula. M 8 is located roughly 4100 light years away.Imaged 09/19/2009

NGC 7048

2009-09-22T19:26:00.002-04:00

NGC 7048A planetary nebula located in constellation Cygnus. There is minimal information available on this object or I would have more.Imaged on 09/19/2009

M 29

2009-09-22T19:16:00.002-04:00

Messier 29A 10 million year old Open Cluster located roughly 6000 light years away in constellation Cygnus.Imaged 09/19/2009

M 20 - The Trifid Nebula

2009-09-20T19:53:00.003-04:00

Messier 20 - The Trifid NebulaImaged 9/19/0910 x 180sec @ ISO 1600, Celestron C6 SCT ASGT, 350D - UnmodifiedWikipedia - The Trifid Nebula (catalogued as Messier 20 or M20 and as NGC 6514) is an H II region located in Sagittarius. Its name means 'divided into three lobes'. The object is an unusual combination of an open cluster of stars, an emission nebula (the lower, red portion), a reflection

Jupiter and Io

2009-09-12T10:13:00.002-04:00

Jupiter and IoMultiple .avi format videos stacked in Registax 5 down to 9 separate .jpg frames. Edited in Gimp and used 3 frames for this final image due to visible planet rotation and moon movement causing more image blur than necessary and loss of (the few) details. Roughly 3, almost 4 Gigs of .avi data were used to stack down to this. The Zhumell 2X Barlow isn't exactly the Barlow lens of

M 27 - Part III

2009-09-09T06:23:00.002-04:00

Messier 27 - The Dumbbell NebulaAttempt number 3 at this 1360 ly. (distant) Nebula. Captured more details with the C6 at f/6.3 then I ever imagined I'd be able to. Autoguiding works incredibly well and I am getting great tracking and function with the CG5 ASGT mount and tripod.It's a little noisy, but I can deal with it. Only a modified camera will help get around that at this point.14 x 4 minute

M 31 - Andromeda Galaxy Core

2009-09-08T17:55:00.004-04:00

Messier 31 - Galaxy CoreThis is a second attempt at imaging M31. I need more time and a lot more photos. It's huge and will need to be imaged in mosaic form in order to capture the entire thing, even at f/6.3.I have been sitting staring at this image for a while, wondering what life will be like when we finally collide with this behemoth of a galaxy. For those of you not in the know, we (the

Messier 16 - The Eagle Nebula

2009-09-07T20:03:00.002-04:00

Messier 16 - The Eagle NebulaThis is a third attempt at this nebula. maybe a fourth. This time, I finally got good core detail, the gas pillar details, and major structure definition. I'm happy with just about every thing except the camera noise. That will be an issue until I can get better at taking RAW files and averaging for noise by using light frames, dark frames, and flats and averaging it

Messier 110 and ?

2009-08-30T18:39:00.002-04:00

Messier 110 and ?This was taken back in July and I had forgotten about it. I have also checked 3 different applications and can not find the name of the object in the lower right. It is a spiral galaxy which is visible in World Wide Telescope, yet is not cataloged in the application.This was 6 frames at 30 seconds, unguided, unfiltered. I had every intention of experimenting with guiding that

Venus and Jet Contrail

2009-08-30T08:52:00.002-04:00

Venus and Jet ContrailI woke up at 5:00 am this morning to try and drive to some place where there wasn't cloud cover in hopes of capturing a shot of the International Space Station. I saw the ISS but had the improper ISO settings and missed a good opportunity. Better luck tomorrow, I guess.Instead, I saw that Venus and Mars were still visible to the naked eye and decided to grab a quick snap of

NGC 7009 - The Saturn Nebula

2009-08-23T21:28:00.003-04:00

NGC 7009 - The Saturn NebulaNGC 7009 is a Planetary Nebula in constellation Aquarius. Gaseous jets stream out from the sides of this object giving it the appearance of the planet Saturn, hence the name.The distance to the Saturn nebula is not known very well because there are no reference stars in its neighborhood that have been detected and could be used to accurately gauge its distance.

Jupiter and 3 Moons

2009-08-16T21:39:00.003-04:00

JupiterFrom left to right: Europa, Io, Jupiter, and Ganymede.About two minutes after this was imaged, the haze took over and I didn't see Jupiter again for the rest of the night.C6 ASGTLosmandy SBS Dovetail PlatePhilips SPC900NC CameraBaader Plentarium IR/UV CutOff Filter

Messier 16 - The Eagle Nebula

2009-08-16T21:15:00.004-04:00

Messier 16 - The Eagle NebulaC6 ASGTLosmandy SBS Dovetail PlateCanon 350D - UnmodifiedOrion StarShoot AutoGuiderAstroTech AT 66 ED APO Guidescope3x180s, 6x360s = 45 minutes totalThis is my second attempt at this Nebula. This time around, 45 minutes provided much more detail. This is by far my all time favorite object in the night sky. The Hubble Images are amazing. These pale in comparison, but

Messier 17 - Omega / Swan Nebula - Part II

2009-08-16T21:08:00.003-04:00

Messier 17 - The Omega Nebula or Swan NebulaC6 ASGTLosmandy SBS Dovetail PlateCanon 350D - UnmodifiedOrion StarShoot AutoGuiderAstroTech AT 66 ED APO Guidescope10x3 = 30 min

Messier 57 - The Ring Nebula - II

2009-08-03T19:41:00.002-04:00

Messier 575 x 180s5 x 240s4 x 360sPHD Guided, Nebulosity 2, GIMP

Messier 27 - The Dumbbell Nebula - III

2009-08-03T19:32:00.004-04:00

Messier 27I know I've imaged this a few times already, but this time I did extended exposures.C6 ASGTOrion SSAG8x3m PHD GuidedCanon 350D Unmodified

Messier 15

2009-08-03T18:41:00.002-04:00

Messier 15Globular cluster M15 is one of the oldest known clusters in the Universe at 13.2 Billion years of age. It is also one of the most densely packed clusters with 114 variable stars, 8 Neutron Stars, 4 Planetary Nebulae and 1 Double Proton Star and33,600 light years from Earth. It's HUGE.C6 ASGTCanon 350D Stock2x6m UnfilteredAstroTech AT66 ED APO GuidescopeLosmandy SBS DoveTail PlatePHD

Messier 51 - AutoGuide Test

2009-07-26T15:05:00.002-04:00

Galaxy M51 and NGC 5195First night with the Orion StarShoot AutoGuider. It performed flawlessly.2 x 1 minute ISO8006 x 2 minute ISO8005 x 3 minute ISO800No flats, no darks, un-averaged. Background compensation added. No color stretching.Celestron C6 SCTCG5 GT Mount & TripodAstro-Tech AT66 ED APO GuidescopeLosmandy SBS Dovetail PlateOrion SSAG Camera - (guiding)Canon 350D Rebel XT - Unmodified - (

Sunspot #1024

2009-07-08T06:06:00.002-04:00

Sunspot #1024After months of solar surface inactivity, this Jupiter-sized spot appeared late last week. The clouds finally parted long enough on Sunday the 5th to capture some shots. Imaged with the C6 and a new Thousand Oaks Dual Layer Polymer Plus solar filter. - mb

Messier 102

2009-06-22T05:59:00.003-04:00

Messier 102Often referred to as the Spindle Galaxy, this Lenticular formation galaxy has a prominent dust lane visible perfectly edge-on to our vantage point. At a distance of 50 +/- 3 Million LY. from Earth, this is probably the farthest object I have managed to capture with a fair level of detail with he 6" SCT.Imaged on 5/18, I have been going through photo logs and I am finding images I had

Messier 51 - Third Session

2009-06-14T22:00:00.003-04:00

Messier 51 / M51This is a third or fifth attempt at this galaxy. It was marginally clear on Friday night so I quickly set up and imaged M51 until the clouds and valley fog took over at 0030. I managed to get 100 30/35 second frames of M51 and kept 24 and they stacked up for this. Not too bad. It could stand to have more details but it's better than my earlier attempts.An interacting grand design

Lunar 22 degree Halo

2009-06-05T09:30:00.002-04:00

Lunar 22 Degree HaloThe night was sort of a wash for the telescope, so the Canon 350D was set up on the photo tripod and I began taking pictures of this nice Lunar 22 Degree Halo. It spanned from Libra to Virgo with Muphrid (star located 35ly away) to the upper right and corner. Spica was part of this too but is just off frame to the Western edge. Each of the 25 second ISO 400 shots in auto white

Messier 27 - The Dumbbell Nebula - II

2009-06-02T00:34:00.007-04:00

Messier 27 - The Dumbbell Nebula - IIManaged to get some 45 second subs of this on the morning of the 19th of May. Edited with Nebulosity and it did a great job of pulling the details up.

Messier 104 - Sombrero Galaxy

2009-05-25T15:16:00.002-04:00

M104 - The Sombrero GalaxyClear last night. Seeing was at about a 6.5/10 with periodic cloud coverage. The majority of the imaging last night was on M104 and I scrapped the work on NGC 5846. It was just too low to the south and atmospheric issues were not letting me get good frames. I am struggling with the C6. I'm really wishing I would have gone with a Refractor like an 80mm ED or larger. SCTs

Messier 17 - The Omega Nebula

2009-05-21T19:46:00.002-04:00

Messier 17 - The Omega NebulaThis has eluded me since last year. It's low. Maybe only 30 degrees up from the horizon. It glides across the tops of some good size pines across the road and to the South.Imaged 05/18/2009 at 0238-0252 with the C6 on the Cg5 with the 350D unfiltered, unguided. 26x25 seconds stacked in Registax 5 and re stacked in GIMP for luminance and color detail.The wiki -The

Messier 57 - The Ring Nebula

2009-05-14T11:13:00.006-04:00

Messier 57 - The Ring NebulaC6 SCT - AS GT, Hirsch f/6.3 focal reducer, Canon 350D, unfiltered - Great seeing. Nice to capture this. I recall seeing this as a kid. My Dad showing it to me made a lasting impression. Just as I remember it!The wiki -The famously named "Ring Nebula" is located in the northern constellation of Lyra, and also catalogued as Messier 57, M57 or NGC 6720. It is one of the

Saturn - 05/12/2009

2009-05-13T14:51:00.003-04:00

Saturn 05/12/2009Celestron C6 SCTCelestron CG5 AS GT Mount & TripodPhilips SPC900NC Camera, 1.25" threaded webcamera adapterBaader Planetarium UV/IR Cutoff filterZhumell 2x 1.25" Achromatic BarlowwxAstroCapture 300 frameStacked with Registax 5Great seeing last night. I Got unexpected results via the Philips SPC900NC.. I had not really tried much planetary capture with it yet. Just a brief moment

Messier 27 - The Dumbbell Nebula

2009-05-12T16:33:00.004-04:00

Messier 27 - The Dumbbell Nebula CG-5 Computerized Mount Computerized Telescope (91518) Canon 350D - 15 Frames at Prime Focus30 Seconds each, unguided.Astro-Tech

Saturn - 05/11/2009

2009-05-12T14:57:00.002-04:00

SaturnCelestron C6 SCTCelestron Cg5 AS GT Mount and TripodLosmandy SBS Dovetail PlateSmart Astronomy 2' SCT Visual BackOrion 2" Enhanced Aluminum Mirror DiagonalBC&F Astro Engineering Afocal Camera Mount15mm GSO SuperView Wide-angle EyepieceBaader Planetarium IR/UV Cutoff Filter20 Frames @ 1/8th second eaEdited in GIMP for Windows, Stacked in Registax 5

Full Moon - 05/09/2009

2009-05-09T11:54:00.004-04:00

Luna at Full - 05/09/2009Astronomy Technologies AT66 ED APOCelestron CG5 ASGTStellarvue SV50 FinderscopePhilips SPC900NC CCD ImagerwxAstroCapture software for WindowsBaader Planetarium IR/UV Cutoff FilterUnguided, unfiltered, 244 Frame .avi batch processed captureStacked with Registax 5Date: 05/09/2009 c/o Mark BylandSeeing was terrible this night. I'd rate it ranging from a 2/10 to a possible 4

Luna

2009-05-06T23:41:00.003-04:00

Luna 04/29/2009Astronomy Technologies AT66 ED APOCelestron CG5 ASGTStellarvue SV50 FinderscopeCanon 350D Rebel XT, stock, unmodifiedUnguided, unfiltered, Multiple Frames - different ISO and lengthsDate: 04-29-2009 c/o Mark BylandWanted to capture more Earth Shine but the more of the light frames I stacked the more it blew out the detail. I need more moon imaging. I really haven't taken many

Messier 58

2009-05-06T23:31:00.003-04:00

Messier 58Astronomy Technologies AT66 ED APOCelestron CG5 ASGTStellarvue SV50 FinderscopeCanon 350D Rebel XT, stock, unmodifiedUnguided, unfiltered, 15 Frames @ 90 sec. ea.Date: 04-29-2009 c/o Mark BylandThe Wiki -Messier 58 (also known as M58 and NGC 4579) is a barred spiral galaxy located approximately 68 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. It was discovered by Charles Messier

NGC 7662 - The Blue Snowball

2009-05-06T23:04:00.003-04:00

NGC 7662 - The Blue SnowballCelestron C6 SCTCanon 350D Rebel XT5 Frames at 30 seconds eachLXD75 Mount & TripodStellarvue SV50 FinderscopeEdited in Gimp for WindowsI imaged this around early March and had not finished stacking the frames. It's a neat nebula to look at because there really is not much else around it so it stands out really well. Individual frames showed slight coloration and

Messier 101

2009-04-26T08:26:00.003-04:00

Messier 101, NGC 5477, NGC 5474Astronomy Technologies AT66 ED APOCelestron CG5 ASGTStellarvue SV50 FinderscopeCanon 350D Rebel XT, stock, unmodifiedUnguided, unfiltered, 15 Frames @ 90 sec. ea.Date: 04-24-2009 c/o Mark BylandThis has been my personal best image I've taken yet. It's no Hubble shot, but for a 66mm refractor focusing on an object 27 million light years away, seeing the nebulosity of

Messier 10

2009-04-26T08:22:00.001-04:00

Messier 10Astronomy Technologies AT66 ED APOCelestron CG5 ASGTStellarvue SV50 FinderscopeCanon 350D Rebel XT, stock, unmodifiedUnguided, unfiltered, 10 Frames @ 30 sec. ea.Date: 04-24-2009 c/o Mark BylandWikipedia -M10 has an apparent diameter of some 20 arcminutes, about two-thirds of the apparent diameter of the Moon. Viewed through medium-sized telescopes it appears about half that size (8' to

Messier 12

2009-04-26T08:03:00.006-04:00

Messier 12Astronomy Technologies AT66 ED APOCelestron CG5 ASGTStellarvue SV50 FinderscopeCanon 350D Rebel XT, stock, unmodifiedUnguided, unfiltered, 12 Frames @ 30 sec. ea.Date: 04-24-2009 c/o Mark BylandWikipedia -Located roughly 3° in the sky from the cluster M10, M12 is about 16,000 light-years from Earth and has a spatial diameter of about 75 light-years. The brightest stars of M12 are of

Messier 14

2009-04-26T07:50:00.002-04:00

Messier 14AT66 ED APOCelestron CG5 ASGTStellarvue SV50 FinderscopeCanon 350D Rebel XT, stock, unmodifiedUnguided, unfiltered, 5 frames at 80 seconds each.Date: 04-24-2009 c/o Mark Byland

Messier 9

2009-04-26T07:48:00.002-04:00

Messier 9AT66 ED APOCelestron CG5 ASGTStellarvue SV50 FinderscopeCanon 350D Rebel XT, stock, unmodifiedUnguided, unfiltered, Single Frame - captured on my way over to M13Date: 04-24-2009 c/o Mark BylandI find this cluster most interesting. Unfortunately I only took one single frame of it and the image is dim. I could multiply frames and stack them but I will eventually re-shoot this in the coming

Messier 16

2009-04-26T07:43:00.003-04:00

Messier 16 - The Eagle NebulaAT66 ED APOCelestron CG5 ASGTStellarvue SV50 FinderscopeCanon 350D Rebel XT, stock, unmodifiedUnguided, unfiltered, 5 frames at 80 seconds each.Date: 04-24-2009 c/o Mark Byland

Messier 105 & Leo I Cluster

2009-04-21T07:04:00.002-04:00

Messier 105 & Leo I Cluster RegionEvery time any one you know looks out in to space and says how there 'is just nothing out there' ... tell them to think again. And again. And again. Repeat.AstroTech AT66 ED APO (Imager)Celestron CG5 GT Mount & TripodOrion Mak500 Spotting Scope (Finder)Canon 350D Rebel XT @ Prime Focus15 Frames: 1@30 (focus checks), 1@50 (focus checks), 13@65 Seconds Each, ISO

NGC 3115 The Spindle Galaxy

2009-04-21T06:58:00.002-04:00

NGC 5113AstroTech AT66 ED APOCelestron CG5 GT Mount & TripodOrion Mak500 Spotting ScopeCanon 350D Rebel XT @ Prime Focus8 Frames @ 65 Seconds Each, ISO 1600Edited, Stacked in GIMP for LinxWikipedia info:"NGC 3115 (also called the Spindle Galaxy) is a lenticular (S0) galaxy in the constellation Sextans. The galaxy was discovered by William Herschel on February 22, 1787.[3] At about 32 million

Messier 99

2009-04-16T03:10:00.002-04:00

Messier 99Celestron C6 SCTMeade LXD75 GoTo Mount & TripodCanon 350D Rebel XT12 Frames @ 30-90 sec. ea. ISO 1600, Unguided, Unfiltered.Edited, stacked in GIMP, 3 dark frames added.Messier 99 (also known as M99 or NGC 4254) is an unbarred spiral galaxy approximately 60 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. The galaxy has a normal looking arm and an extended arm that is less

Daytime Moon

2009-04-15T15:10:00.003-04:00

04.15.2009 Daytime MoonAstro Tech AT66ED APOOrion EQ1 Mini MountLXD75 TripodCanon 350D Rebel XT16 Frames @ 1/1500 sec ea. ISO 200Saw the moon still hanging in the sky at 8am this morning. I set up what I have for a mount and tripod right now and took a few quick shots to stack and call an image. Not the best but I need to take a picture of some thing. It's been 2 weeks since I have. I needed a

Sunrise 04-01-2009

2009-04-01T16:16:00.002-04:00

Sunrise in Stowe 04-01-2009Canon 350 Rebel XTZeikos Variable Polarizing FilterZeikos IR/UV Cut Off FilterManual Exposure, 1/1250 Second, ISO 100I really like what the Polarizing filter does for the clouds. It wasn't even close to this dark when I shot this, I just really like how it turned out. The contrast is intense. Enjoy. It's desktop background sized!mbHad no chance to set up last night.

Messier 42 & 43 - II

2009-03-29T11:32:00.002-04:00

Messier 42 & 43Celestron C6 SCTCanon 350D Rebel XT @ Prime FocusHirsch f/6,3 Focal Reducer10 Frames at 25 seconds each, unfilteredStacked, edited in Gimp for LinuxThis is the second time I have gone for the Orion Nebula with the new camera. It's starting to set behind the trees earlier now but still can manage a few images before it's totally gone. The seeing was excellent that night, low haze,

Messier 47

2009-03-29T11:21:00.002-04:00

Messier 47 (NGC2422)Celestron C6 SCTCanon 350D Rebel XT @ Prime FocusMeade LXD75 GoTo Mount & TripodStellavue SV50 FinderScope2 Frames @ 25 seconds each, unfiltered.Exccelent seeing on the night of the 24th. Started having mount & drive issues at around 2am. Would have stayed set up longer if not for this. I was getting great focus with the C6 that night as the seeing was excellent for the area.

Messier 46, NGC 2438

2009-03-25T17:34:00.003-04:00

Messier 46, NGC 2438Celestron C6 SCT XLTCanon 350D Stock, UnfilteredMeade LXD75 GoTo Mount & Tripod11 frames @ 25 seconds each, ISO 800 & 1600Edited, stacked by hand, in GIMP for LinuxWikipedia info:Messier 46 (also known as M 46 or NGC 2437) is an open cluster in the constellation of Puppis. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1771. Dreyer described it as "very bright, very rich, very large.

Messier 51 - The Whirlpool Galaxy - Part II

2009-03-18T18:16:00.003-04:00

Messier 51 - The Whirlpool GalaxyCelestron C6 SCT XLTCanon 350D @ Prime FocusMeade LXD75 GotTo, UnguidedStellarvue SV50 Finderscope16 Expsoures at 30 seconds eachThis is attempt number two. I used the C6 this time for more power and it definitely made it larger. It seems slightly out of focus and that's disappointing. Better luck next time. Focusing an SLR through the finder is a pain. I've been

Messier 82

2009-03-18T15:58:00.002-04:00

Messier 82Celestron C6 SCT XLTCanon 350D @ prime focus5 Frames at 30 seconds eachLXD75 GoTo - UnguidedLast night was amazingly clear. The last of a string of nights that I wasn't sure I'd get a piece of. The weekend before consisted of a total wash out for rain and then followed by the longest stretch of the clearest skies I've seen in quite a while. back to rain today and tonight. glad I got to

NGC2023, NGC2024, Alnitak (Zeta Orionis)

2009-03-12T03:04:00.003-04:00

With an addition of an OIII Nebular filter, Hydrogen Beta, and possibly Hydrogen Alpha, This image would look like Hubble took it.Instead, what we've got here is an unfiltered image stack of 5 frames totalling 2.5 minutes of exposure time. In that time, the Flame Nebula has been captured and B33, The Horsehead Nebula, is just barely beginning to show through.Astro-Tech AT66 ED APOMeade LXD75 -

03-04-2009 Comet Lulin Still Frame

2009-03-06T15:31:00.004-05:00

03-04-2009 Comet Lulin passes through the constellation Cancer - still image of 8 frames. Stacked by hand in GIMP in Linux.Astro-Tech AT66 ED APOCanon 350D Rebel XTMeade LXD75 Mount & Tripod8 Frames at ISO 1600, 30 seconds each, unfiltered.

03-04-2009 Comet Lulin

2009-03-06T11:18:00.008-05:00

03-04-2009 Comet Lulin Passing through the constellation CancerDOWNLOAD YOUR OWN COPY HERE - works great for looping and seeing the movment easier.MOV.MP4[right click, save as]Astro-Tech AT66 ED APOMeade LXD75 GoTo Mount SystemCanon 350D Rebel XT @ ISO 16008 Frames, 30 seconds exposure each, unfiltered, unguided.Processed, edited, scaled, in GIMP for LinuxFrames transfered and processed in

Messier 51 - The Whirlpool Galaxy

2009-03-05T15:54:00.004-05:00

M51 - The Whirlpool Galaxy03-04-2009Astro-Tech AT66 ED APOMeade LXD75 Go-To Mount & TripodCanon 350D @ prime focus10 frames @ 30 seconds ISO1600 : 5 minutes expsoure time, unfiltered.Edited, Stacked by hand in GIMP for LinuxIt was cold. -10F when I was getting done. This was the last thing I imaged and the first image I started working on today. The frames showed nothing but tiny grey smudges. A

Sunspot #1013

2009-03-03T23:09:00.005-05:00

Sunspot #1013Imaged on 02-25-2009Celestron C4R HD 102mm x 1000mm refractorCelestron Mylar Solar FilterZhumell 12.5mm EyepieceBaader Planetarium IR/UV FilterZhumell #3 Polarizing FilterKodak C743 7.1mp CameraStack of 5 frames at 1/272nd second exposure @ ISO200This was fairly elusive.I ran two filter options but based every thing off of The IR/UV cutoff which seems to be the trick for capturing

Messier 37

2009-03-01T16:05:00.003-05:00

Messier 37Imaged with the Celestron C6 SCT and the Canon 350D at prime focus and an f/6.3 focal reducer. $ frames at 30 seconds each. Unfiltered. This thing is huge.M37 is roughly 300 million years old and contains over 500 stars with roughly 150 stars brighter than magnitude 12.5. M37 also contains at least a dozen red giants with the hottest main sequence star of spectral type B9V. Its distance

Messier 36

2009-02-28T17:20:00.004-05:00

Messier 36 - NGC 1960 - open clusterM36 is about 4,100 light years distant (only Kenneth Glyn Jones disagrees and has 3,700), so that its angular diameter of 12' corresponds to about 14 light years (Wallenquist gives an apparent diameter of 19', corresponding to over 20 light years). It has about 60 proven members, the brightest of which are of apparent mag 9 and spectral type B2; the

Messier 34

2009-02-28T16:54:00.002-05:00

Messier 34 - NGC 1039 open clusterI imaged this with the C6 and the Canon 350D at prime focus. Composite 3 - frame stack totalling 90 seconds of exposure time.It was discovered by Giovanni Hodierna before 1654 and included by Charles Messier in his catalog of comet-like objects in 1764. - wikipedia