I came across the intriguingly named Question Mark Nebula (NGC 7822) a few years ago but at the time being obscured by my house it was not viable to image; the nickname is because its overall visual shape in wide-field astronomical images resembles a punctuation question mark. Now living in Somerset with northerly views, it was therefore an obvious target for this autumn. However, at some 3o apparent size it would require a mosaic with my equipment and here clear night skies are usually too short for this. Moreover, unfortunately my more suitable widefield Samyang 135 rig is not yet configured to work with my AM5 / ASIair set-up. Not to be defeated, the so-called Teddy Bear Nebula (see main image at the top of the page) was a good alternative solution.
An emission nebula, NGC 7822 is an extensive star-forming region, with complex of glowing gas, dark dust lanes and young stars. At the heart of this region lies Berkeley 59, a young open cluster containing exceptionally hot and luminous stars. Among them is BD+66 1673, an extraordinary star with a surface temperature approaching 45,000 Kelvin and a luminosity roughly 100,000 times that of our Sun.
A superimposed Teddy Bear approximately outlining the bear’s celestial location
An alternative to imaging the entire and very large Question Mark Nebula (widefield NGC 7822 image below) is instead a smaller area that forms a distinct region of nebulosity and star formation located within NGC 7822, known as the Teddy Bear Nebula, itself including SH2-171. Therein, one of the most captivating features is the collection of towering pillars and irregular structures of gas and dust, not unlike M16’s more famous Pillars of Creation.
Thankfully, this time with clear skies over three nights of October resulted in 10-hours of excellent data and an exciting image of the Bear that shows the aforesaid features to good effect.
IMAGING DETAILS
Object
NGC 7822 AKA Teddy Bear Nebula or with a wider view Question Mark Nebula
Constellation
Cepheus
Distance
2,900 to 3,000 light-years
Size
75 light-years or 1.5o
Apparent Magnitude
+6.5
Scope
William Optics GT81 + Focal Reducer FL 382mm f4.72
Mount & Control
ZWO AM5 + ASIair
Guiding
William Optics 50mm guide scope
+ ZWO 120MM Mini
Camera
ZWO ASI294MM CMOS sensor
FOV 2.87o x 1.96o Resolution 2.50”/pix Max. image size 4,144 x 2,822 pix
Returning after a summer break, my first target this autumn has been a fascinating and challenging deep-sky imaging object SH2-185, located in the constellation of Cassiopeia. Often referred to as the Gamma Cassiopeiae Nebula, it is closely associated with the very bright star Gamma Cassiopeiae (γ Cas), which dominates the surrounding star field. SH2-185 encompases the wider HII region that also includes two distinct nebulae IC59 and IC63, which together create the familiar appearance of the Ghost of Cassiopeia. The entire SH2-185 complex (see below) is therefore a combination of both emission and reflection nebulae (see details in the annotated image below).
Although the two components are usually treated as a single imaging target, IC 59 and IC 63 have different appearances and physical relationships with Gamma Cassiopeiae. The differences explain both the colours and challenges involved in processing the data. IC 59 lies to the north and north-east of Gamma Cassiopeiae, where its appearance is dominated by the reflected starlight. IC 63, the Ghost Nebula, lies south-west of the main star and is generally the more conspicuous of the two with its curved, comet-like shape and bright ionisation front which make it especially distinct. The adjacent Gamma Cassiopeiae is a hot, massive, rapidly rotating B-type star. Its intense ultraviolet radiation interacts with the surrounding gas and dust, thereby highlighting the area and especially the aforesaid structures within IC 59 and IC 63.
SH2-185 has been a rewarding but demanding target because of the bright main star and faint surrounding nebulosity which present very different imaging and processing challenges. In this case I chose to process the data in two ways, each of which highlight different qualities: SHO (top of the page) and HOS (above). The results reveal a complex and dynamic region of the northern sky within our galaxy; the importance of Ha in shaping the final image can be seen in the image below.
IMAGING DETAILS
Object
SH2-185 Ghost of Cassiopeia
Constellation
Cassiopeiae
Distance
550 – 750 light-years
Size
25 light-years or 2o apparent
Apparent Magnitude
+15.8 – 10 & main star Gamma Cassiopeiae (γ Cas) +2.2
Scope
William Optics GT81 + Focal Reducer FL 382mm f4.72
Mount & Control
ZWO AM5 + ASIair
Guiding
William Optics 50mm guide scope
+ ZWO 120MM Mini
Camera
ZWO ASI294MM CMOS sensor
FOV 2.87o x 1.96o Resolution 2.50”/pix Max. image size 4,144 x 2,822 pix
Above:Left – early 30%, Middle – maximum 94%, Right – final stage, now partially obstructed by clouds
I saw my first and hitherto only full solar eclipse in northern France on 11th August 1999, it did not disappoint and the experience has stayed with me ever since. Almost to the day on 12th August 2026, 27 years later, I shared the same experience with my family in Somerset. Whilst this time it was a 94% partial eclipse, it again turned out to be a wonderful experience for us all.
Above & below – the looks say it all!
In the period since 1999 I have taken up the hobby of astrophotography and my inclination this time was therefore to image the occasion and as you’ll see here, as a record we did manage a few mobile phone snaps. However, I now have two grown up children with their families, two husbands and four grandchildren from 3 to 9 years old and instead decided to have an eclipse party. For general viewing I purchased solar glasses for all, and we tried out a colander but mostly obtained excellent views throughout using my Starfield 102ED refractor with a homemade Baader solar film filter.
The sky was clear and the evening very warm, with first contact at about 18.15h and the maximum at 19.14h and which was enjoyed by everyone. The accompanying pictures say it all and more than justify watching the event once again, rather than concentrating on imaging. Despite human beings now able to understand scientifically what is happening during an eclipse, compared to those thousands of years ago, it remains a profound event that continues to instil awe and wonder amongst those watching, and there is the point. Whilst many wonderful images were taken across the globe on 12th August, it is an occasion best shared by viewing and, I expect, we will talk about for years to come.
Modest as it is, using a colander projected an excellent multi-image of the eclipse shortly before reaching the maximum
I have imaged this beguiling target a number of times before and it never ceases to please; previous images all obtained at my previous location in Surrey can be seen here – Other Worlds Whirlpool Galaxy 2019, Canine Capers June 2020, Galactic WaltzJune 2023. Now based in Somerset, on this occasion the route leading to a final image of M51 has been somewhat more tortuous and protracted than before and the result perhaps more profound, at least for me.
Back in March I decided to give M51 another try from my new, darker Bortle-4 world and after three nights I had over 10 hours of good data, or so I thought. On closer inspection I discovered something was very wrong with the Ha subs, all of which contained a series of closely spaced light and dark horizontal lines. I have been using the same set-up and a proven calibration library for some time but had never encountered this problem before and therefore turned to the knowledgeable members of Stargazers Loungeforum for advice.
Not surprisingly the responses soon became highly technical, but I was not convinced. I had used 120 sec exposures, which worked fine with all the broadband filters but on reflection I realised that most previous narrowband images had been shot over considerably longer times, a necessary requirement given the filters are 3nm. In my opinion, the solution was therefore to shoot a new set of Ha subs at 300 sec but by now the clouds had rolled in. Notwithstanding, I reshot the Ha a few days later and the initial processed result was now a more satisfying image, though with work to do, but importantly no longer showing the aforesaid problem.
Meanwhile, during the intervening period I also had my eyes tested, which I expected would require a new prescription but instead resulted in cataract surgery on both my eyes, which has only recently been completed. I have been short sighted for over 60 years and already knew that I had early cataract development but I was surprised to learn that it had developed so quickly in the intervening period since my previous eye test and was warned that without surgery I would probably lose my driving licence within 12-months, it was therefore a no brainer! So, what’s this got to do with astrophotography?
Though I’m just over two weeks past my second (left eye) operation, within 48-hours of each procedure the result has been nothing less that life changing. The surgery is quick and painless but essentially consists of removing the lens from each eye, including the cataract, and replacing it with an artificial lens. Following consultation with the surgeon, the implants were a so-called mini-monovision. My dominant right eye lens is a monovision lens, which provides almost perfect long and medium distance vision and the left eye is also a monovision lens but instead adjusted to provide good near and medium vision, plus a (toric) function to correct an astigmatism. As if by magic, after a couple of days the brain starts to recalibrate the different views from each mini-monovision lens and slowly a new world starts to emerge, literally, which should continue to improve further over the following 4 to 6 weeks.
So, what has this got to do with astrophotography? It turns out, everything. The eye consists of rods (120 million) and cones (6 million), which respectively control light and colour. Now, with my two new lenses it’s clear (I hope) that my vision has been taken back to that when I was a child and my perception of light and colour has been completely transformed. Thus, returning to my M51 image which I had briefly processed earlier in the year, I could now literally see it in a completely different light – brighter and more colourful, in particular shifted more towards the blue wavelength. The changes are so profound I find myself reassessing almost everything, which I see as if for the first time, including my astrophotography. Inevitably, this poses a big question, of which the answer is are obvious: hitherto I have been seeing and therefore processing my images incorrectly, not on purpose but because of the impact my sight had on my general light and colours.
How the image looked to me before surgery
How the image looked to me after surgery
When I initially processed this M51 image, I thought I needed to significantly enhance the blue wavelength, though because of my cataracts it seems the blue was already there, I just couldn’t see it! Of course, anybody with good vision and no cataracts might therefore see incorrect colours and light balance in some other of my previous images! The message then is: if you are of an age (+50 to 60) where you might have signs of cataract development, get your eyes checked and if necessary, consider eye surgery, you won’t be disappointed + your astrophotography images will be seen in their true light by everyone, including you.
Footnote: What you might not see, even with the power of new eyes, PixInsight has identified no less than 158 galaxies (see below) in the original widefield image!
IMAGING DETAILS
Object
M51 The Whirlpool Galaxy & NGC 5951
Constellation
Canes Venatici
Distance
23 million light-years
Size
11.2’ x 6.9’ 43,000 light-years (M51 only)
Apparent Magnitude
+8.4
Scope
William Optics GT81 + Focal Reducer FL 382mm f4.72
Mount
SW AZ-EQ6 GT + EQASCOM computer control & Cartes du Ciel
Guiding
William Optics 50mm guide scope
+ Starlight Xpress Lodestar X2 camera & PHD2 guiding
Camera
ZWO1600MM-Cool mono CMOS sensor
FOV 2.65o x 2.0o Resolution 2.05”/pix Max. image size 4,656 x 3,520 pix
Located 35 million light-years from Earth, the Leo Triplet is a beautiful galaxy group that is suitable even for my equipment, combining interesting structures and good framing that results in a balanced composition. Unsurprisingly situated in the constellation Leo, the group consists of three prominent spiral galaxies: M65, M66 and NGC 3628, often called the Hamburger Galaxy!
There is evidence of mutual gravitational influence between each of these galaxies, although M65, M66, and NGC 3628 remain distinct systems. Good data and careful processing can bring out the delicate dust structures of NGC 3628 and the intricate spiral patterns of M66, which is generally considered to be the most distorted member of the group. By contrast, M65 has retained a more regular appearance. Viewed edge-on, NGC 3628 is prized for its broad dust lane which creates a strong visual contrast against the bright stellar disk and results in the aforesaid nickname.
I have successfully imaged this beguiling group of galaxies before, but the benefit of Somerset’s dark skies has again brought out much more of the fascinating details and colours after just 4-hours integration time, compared previously with nearly 8-hours in Surrey. Notwithstanding, I had hoped for more but the clouds inevitably curtailed imaging and I therefore hope to be back again for more photons from the lions before not too long.
FOOTNOTE:
This being Galaxy season and having recently discovered PixInsight’s magic in identifying chosen types of objects, in the case galaxies, I had to run the process over this image too. The outcome (see below) was astonishing / frightening; by my count, including the Leo Triplet, there are 142 galaxies in the image!!!
IMAGING DETAILS
Object
Leo Triplet: M65, 66 & NGC3628
Constellation
Leo
Distance
35 million light-years
Size
M65 8.71’ x 2.45’ M66 9.1’ x 4.2’ NGC 3628 15’ x 3.6’
Apparent Magnitude
M65 +10.3 M66 +9.97 & NGC 3628 +9.4
Scope
William Optics GT81 + Focal Reducer FL 382mm f4.72
Mount & Control
ZWO AM5 + ASIair
Guiding
William Optics 50mm guide scope
+ ZWO 120MM Mini
Camera
ZWO ASI294MM CMOS sensor
FOV 2.87o x 1.96o Resolution 2.50”/pix Max. image size 4,144 x 2,822 pix
Continuing the galaxy season theme, I returned to image Messier 106 last month, one of the brightest galaxies in the northern sky. Located about 24 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Canes Venatici, it is similar in size and luminosity to the much closer Andromeda Galaxy (2.5 million light-years), which therefore appears much larger. Classified as an active Seyfert galaxy, M106’s core contains a supermassive black and thereby, energetic activity produces unusual arms made of hot glowing gas, which is only visible in radio and X-ray wavelengths.
The region around M106 is also very rich with other galaxies, I counted many more. One close companion is NGC 4248, a smaller irregular galaxy gravitationally linked to M106. Nearby in the same field is NGC 4217, an edge-on spiral galaxy appearing thin and elongated through telescopes. More distant background galaxies such as NGC 4220, NGC 4231, and NGC 4232 can also be seen in deep astrophotography images, giving the area a crowded and dramatic appearance.
It’s been six years since my first and only image of M106, which can be see here. At the time I was thrilled to capture this exciting galaxy but this time the Bortle-4 sky of Somerset has unveiled much more detail and colour than before; it’s always good to see progress with my imaging. Notwithstanding, it was something of a shock that after pre-processing the data using PixInsight’s WBPP calibration and stacking software, the High Rejection from the luminance revealed numerous satellites that had passed overhead, which does not bode well for astronomers in the future!
FOOTNOTE:
After publishing this image in Stargazers Lounge, a number of people commented that there were a lot more galaxies in this image than I had initially suggested (x7). I therefore returned to Pixinsight and with Image Solver + Annotate Image (which included the main catalogues & added the Principal Galaxy Catalogue), created a more detailed illustrated image shown below. This indicates there are 109 galaxies in the image! Now I really feel even smaller.
IMAGING DETAILS
Main Objects
M106 etc
Constellation
Canes Venatici
Distance
24 million light-years
Size
18.6’ x 7.2’ actual diameter approx. 135,000 light years
Apparent Magnitude
+8,4
Scope
William Optics GT81 + Focal Reducer FL 382mm f4.72
Mount & Control
ZWO AM5 + ASIair
Guiding
William Optics 50mm guide scope
+ ZWO 120MM Mini
Camera
ZWO ASI294MM CMOS sensor
FOV 2.87o x 1.96o Resolution 2.50”/pix Max. image size 4,144 x 2,822 pix
EFW
ZWOx8 EFW & 31mm Chroma HLRGB filters
Capture & Processing
ASIair, Deep Sky Stacker & PixInsight v1.9.3 Lockhart
Image Location & Orientation
Centre = RA 12:18:20.84 DEC +47:16:25.3 North = Bottom Left
Exposures
Ha x 8 X 600 Sec + L x 43, RGB x14 each @ 300 sec Total Integration Time: 8hr 25min
@ Gain 120 & 30 Offset 21 @ -15oC
Calibration
5 x 600 sec & 5 x 300 sec Darks + 20x Flats & Dark Flats @ ADU 32,000
Location & Darkness
Castle Farm Observatory, Wookey, Somerset – UK Bortle 4
Who doesn’t wonder at the majesty of galaxies and what might exist therein? Unfortunately, with a few exceptions my astrophotography equipment struggles to image most of these beguiling objects of the night sky; galaxies are very, very big but also very far away and thereby, very small from our perspective on Earth. Notwithstanding, the so called ‘galaxy season’ runs from March to May and now being in the darker Bortle 4 skies of Somerset it seemed the right thing to do this year.
In this case NGC 2403, a mid-size spiral galaxy with an apparent magnitude of about 8.9, the 11th brightest in our sky, it is just bright enough for small to mid-sized telescopes and benefits more from darker skies than focal length. Its oblique orientation reveals a wealth of structures: loosely wound spiral arms, over 100 prominent H II regions, a mottled core but lack of distinct dust lanes, not unlike the Triangulum Galaxy M33 in many ways (see close-up image below).
NGC 2403 is in the northern constellation Camelopardalis, approximately 10 million light-years away from Earth, and a member of the M81 Group of galaxies. Numerous bright star-forming regions and nebulae can be observed throughout its spiral arms, which are highlighted in the final image by the addition of Ha wavelength data. One of the most notable features of NGC 2403 is its abundance of supernova remnants, indicating a high rate of stellar birth and death, of which SN 2004dj was a particularly famous event.
This was a difficult object to image and process but helped by Somerset’s excellent dark skies, I was pleased with the result.
IMAGING DETAILS
Object
NGC 2403
Constellation
Camelopardalis (Giraffe)
Distance
10 million light-years
Size
21.9′ × 12.3′ or 50,000 light-years
Apparent Magnitude
+8.9
Scope
William Optics GT81 + Focal Reducer FL 382mm f4.72
Mount & Control
ZWO AM5 + ASIair
Guiding
William Optics 50mm guide scope
+ ZWO 120MM Mini
Camera
ZWO ASI294MM CMOS sensor
FOV 2.87o x 1.96o Resolution 2.50”/pix Max. image size 4,144 x 2,822 pix
I recently wrote about the wonderful dark Bortle 4 skies at my new home in Somerset and, for the moment, the trstricted views to the west and north; I hope to establish a new location further down the garden this summer which will provide a southerly view and thereby longer transits of objects. Meanwhile, I am enjoying imaging northern circumpolar targets regularly for the first time and some suitable western objects, which is exactly what I did on this occasion.
Messier 35 AKA Shoe Buckle Cluster (?), is a bright open star cluster in the constellation of Gemini. M35 lies about 2,800 light-years from Earth and is approaching us at 5 km/sec. It is estimated to be between 100 and150 million years old,making it a relatively young open cluster in astronomical terms and spans 24 light-years across. As the stars are formed from the same giant molecular cloud, they are roughly the same age and chemical composition; some post main-sequence are yellow and orange giants of spectral type G and K, while its hottest main sequence star is of spectral class B3.
A notable feature of imaging M35’s is its apparent proximity to NGC 2158, which however, is a much older and more distant, metal-poor open star cluster located some 11,000 to 16,000 light-years from Earth. It contains over 3,000 stars of some 2 billion years age, which are dominated by yellower stars.
Intriguingly, when commencing to image these clusters, the guiding software could not recognise a star to lock onto as there were just too many close together! I’m pleased to say that over three nights I managed to obtain some excellent data that resulted in this exiting image.
H.G. Wells knew a thing or two about the concept of time travel when he published his book The Time Machine in 1895. Since starting astrophotography in 2014, reflecting on the progress I have since made can also feel like a journey through time.
In May 2018, I managed to obtain my first image of the northern sky, which at my previous location in Surrey was completely obscured from view at my main imaging location. The result then obtained under a Bortle-6 night sky, was a modest 2hr 45m image of Messier 81 & 82 seen here. Notwithstanding, it was something of a breakthrough for me and I was – at the time – very pleased with the result. Nearly 8-years later, now located in the wonderful Bortle-4 dark skies of Somerset, I recently chose to image these two magnificent Messier objects once again.
M81 and M82 are two well-known galaxies in the northern sky, which being just 20o from Polaris are also circumpolar. Located in the constellation Ursa Major, they appear near each other in the sky and interact gravitationally. Both galaxies were discovered in 1774 by the German astronomer Johann Elert Bode and later included in the Messier Catalogue. Together, M81 and M82 form the central members of the M81 Group, a small cluster of galaxies located not far from our own Local Group.
M81, also called Bode’s Galaxy (see above), is a spiral galaxy around 12 million light-years from Earth and one of the brightest galaxies visible from the Northern Hemisphere. The diameter is about 90,000 light-years, slightly smaller than the Milky Way, with a supermassive black hole at the centre. M82 or the Cigar Galaxy, is a starburst galaxy, thus forming new stars at an extremely high rate. This intense star formation is believed to have been triggered by the aforesaid gravitational interactions with M81. This activity creates powerful stellar winds and explosions from massive stars going supernova, that eject huge streams of gas and dust out of the galaxy to form dramatic red plumes that extend thousands of light-years above and below the galactic disk.
New equipment, software, greater processing experience and a dark sky location, have resulted in an exciting image that highlights the progress I have made on my astrophotography journey since 2018.
IMAGING DETAILS
Object
M81 AKA Bode’s Galaxy & M82 AKA Cigar Galaxy
Constellation
Ursa Major
Distance
12 million light-years
Size
M81 26.9 x 14.1arcminutes (90.000 light-years) M82 11.2 x 4.3 arcminutes (37.000 light-years)
Apparent Magnitude
M81 +6.9 M82 +8.4
Scope
William Optics GT81 + Focal Reducer FL 382mm f4.72
Mount & Control
ZWO AM5 + ASIair
Guiding
William Optics 50mm guide scope
+ ZWO 120MM Mini
Camera
ZWO ASI294MM CMOS sensor
FOV 2.87o x 1.96o Resolution 2.50”/pix Max. image size 4,144 x 2,822 pix
EFW
ZWOx8 EFW & 31mm LRGB filters
Capture & Processing
ASIair, Deep Sky Stacker & PixInsight v1.9.3 Lockhart
Image Location & Orientation
Centre = RA 09:55:12.64 DEC +69:20:55.1 Top Right = North
Exposures
L x 12 @ 600 sec & R x 12 + G x 9 + B x 8 @ 300 sec Total Integration Time: 4hr 25min
@ Gain 120 & 30 Offset 21 @ -15oC
Calibration
5 x 600 sec & 5 x 300 sec Darks & 10 x LRGB Flats & Dark Flats @ ADU 32,000
Location & Darkness
Castle Farm Observatory, Wookey, Somerset – UK Typically Bortle 4
Located in the constellation Corona Australis (Southern Crown), the spectacular object NGC 6729 (AKA Caldwell 68) is a combined reflection and emission nebula, set within the Australis Molecular Cloud. Being just south of Sagittarius, it is inaccessible from my observatory in Somerset, so this excellent data was consequently acquired from the dark skies of Chile in the Southern Hemisphere, using a superb Planewave CDK200 f/6.8 508cm aperture telescope at the El Sauce Observatory.
The star illuminating NGC 6729 is a T Tauri star – a type of young star whose brightness fluctuates over time. The fan-shaped nebula opens-up between the variable stars R Corona Australis (R CrA) and T CrA to the south-east (see skymap below ref. Robert Mura). R CrA is a pre-main-sequence star within the Corona Australis molecular complex, which is one of the closest star-forming regions to the Milky Way galaxy. Intriguingly, this wonderful, hazy looking nebula exhibits both variable brightness and morphology over time.
IMAGING DETAILS
Object
NGC 6729 Corona Australis Molecular Cloud
Constellation
Corona Australis
Distance
Approximately 420 light-years
Size
2.50 x 2.0 arc minutes (actual 0.30 light years)
Apparent Magnitude
+9.5
Scope
Planewave CDK20
Mount
Planewave L500
Focuser
Optec Gemini
Camera
QHY600PH-M
Filters
Chroma LRGB + Ha 3nm
Processing
Deep Sky Stacker & PixInsight v1.9-3
Image Location & Orientation
Centre: RA 19:01:42.392 DEC -36:59:48.53 Up = North
Exposures
L x 77, R x 50, G x 50, B x 50 @ 5mins Total Integration Time: 19hr
