Flaming Star Nebula

 

The Flaming Star Nebula (also known as IC 405, SH 2-229, or Caldwell 31)

is a beautiful emission and reflection nebula in the constellation Auriga.

It surrounds the bluish, irregular variable star AE Aurigae and shines at magnitude +6.0. 

Its celestial coordinates are RA 05h 16.2m dec +34° 28′.[2] 

The nebula measures approximately 37.0' x 19.0', and lies about 1,500 light-years away from Earth.

It is believed that the proper motion of the central star can be traced back to the Orion's Belt area!

The nebula is about 5 light-years across.

Right-click on the photo and choose "Open image in a new tab" to view it larger.

Equipment used:

Telescope: DayStar 80mm f/6 480mm focal lenght doublet refractor

Camera:    Canon T3i body (modded for greater Ha light gathering)

Filter:        Dual band Ha & OII

Exposure info:  

    Date: Januray 12, 2024

    Subs: 24 @ 120 sec. each using iso 3200

Stacked with Affinity Photo for a total exposure time of 48 minutes.

Initial post-processing with SIRIL software

    "Background Extration"  to remove 

    "StarNet" for star extraction

Post-processed with Luminar 2018

The Rosette Nebula on a chilly night

 

(Note: by right-clicking on the image and selecting "Open image in new tab" 

you will see it much larger) 

It was cold but the skies were crisp and the Rosette Nebula was calling me.

More detail in it than I have captured before!

About the Rosette Nebula 

It is also known as Caldwell 49) is an H II region

located near one end of a giant molecular cloud

in the Monoceros region of the Milky Way Galaxy

to the west of the constellation Orion.

An open cluster of stars known as NGC 2244 (Caldwell 50) 

is closely associated with the nebulosity,

the stars of the cluster having been formed from the nebula's matter.

Data about my image taken January 9, 2024:

45 - 2 minute shots combined for a total of 1.5 hours of integration time.

80mm Daystar Refractor - 480mm f/6

A modified Canon T3i camera (captures more reds aka Hydrogen Alpha light)

I did not use any special filters for this image.

Post-processed with Affinity Photo, Siril, Starnet and Luminar 2018 

The Fossil Footprint Nebula - NGC 1491

 

NGC1491

NGC 1491 is an emission type bright nebula located about 9,800 light years away from Earth in the constellation of Perseus.

The nebula gets its deep red coloration due to many massive stars embedded within NGC 1491 which is producing large amounts of ultraviolet radiation and ionizing the hydrogen gas that makes up the nebula.

It was discovered by William Herschel in 1790 and an early drawing looked like a dinosaur footprint, hence the name.

This nebula is rather small compared to most all the nebula I have imaged in the past.

There is more nebulosity to be had (you can barely see it beyond the obvious) in the surrounding area.

I will be adding more imaging time to this interesting object to bring of that out.

Date taken: December 17, 2023

Time: 7:20 pm to 9:45 pm

Weather: Fairly clear but under a 42% illuminated Moon

Scope: RC 6"

Camera: Canon T3i modded

Stack of 60 -  90sec subs at iso 3200

Total Integration time: 90 minutes of integration time

Image cropped in 50%

The POWER of a Dual Band filter !

 

This filter is placed between the telescope optics and my Canon T3i modded camera.

My telescope is a 80mm doublet with a focal length of 480mm at f/6

Images were cropped

Left: no filter, almost no red nebulosity (Hydrogen alpha)

Right: ZWO 2" Duo-Band Filter $149 (Ha and OIII) WOW!

(Note: click on the image for an uncluttered view)

In addition to providing an inexpensive entry point into the field of narrowband imaging, this filter also offers a pragmatic solution for imagers in a city with even  light pollution and natural sources such as moonlight, and also helping minimze the effects of artificial sources such as street lamps.

The filter was well worth the money!

Back to the Moon !

After a pause I am back to imaging the Moon. It seems each time I do I am in awe of this marvelous globe we are blessed to take the hit for us in terms of asteroids and space rocks!

All images taken with an 8" Meade LX200GPS telescope and a PointGrey Grasshopper monochrome 5mp camera, videos stacked in AS!3 and post processed with Luminar 2018 software.

Crater Aristarcus and Vallis Schroteri in Oceanus Procellarum:

Craters Copernicus, Reinhold, Lansberg & Eratosthenes:

Crater Kepler in Oceanus Procellarum:

Mare Humorum, Mare Cognitum, Mare Nubium with the Straight Wall in the lower right

Crater Copernicus in Mare Imbrium with Apennine Mountains, Craters Archimedes, Autolycus, Aristillus, as well as Sinus Aestuum, Mare Vaporum and Mare Serenitatis:

Crater Tycho and Crater Clavius (with multiple smaller craters in it)

 

Imaging over the past three days...

Home from a 3+ week trip and back in the obs!

All images (with the exception of the wide field view of the Milky Way)

were taken with a 480mm f/6 Daystar refractor, an unmodded Canon T3i camera.

The Omega (Swan) Nebula (M 17)

The Dumbell Nebula (M27)

The Eagle Nebula (M16)

Wide field view of the Milky Way north of Sagittarius

The Trifid Nebula (M20)

 

Rocket launch of Firefly Aerospace seen from Sierra Vista, AZ

 

My photo of a rocket that was launched from Vandenberg Space Airforce Base in California at 7:40pm MST here in Sierra Vista, AZ.

It was a launch of the Firefly Aerospace rocket.