Zen and the art of Nebulae astrophotography

Wow, the title should get your attention. Of course it’s a corruption of Robert Pirsig’s famous book, Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance, which in turn formed the basis of a new philosophy, that of the Metaphysics of Quality. Heavy eh?

The link is Cosmology or the metaphysical study of the origin and nature of the universe and, in this case, capturing evidence of what might be going on out there in the form of astrophotography. Unfortunately, whilst this blog might have high ambitions, you will not find the answer here to – Life the Universe and Everything. However, my first half-decent picture of the M57, the Ring Nebula, does make you think. Of all the features in the universe I find these most fascinating. As the end and beginning of stars and other matter, they are, as far as we can know the origin of life itself ultimately. OK I am getting carried away but just look at the Wikipedia description of M57:

The Ring Nebula (also catalogued as Messier 57, M57 or NGC 6720) is a planetary nebula in the northern constellation of Lyra.^[5] Such objects are formed when a shell of ionized gas is expelled into the surrounding interstellar medium by a red giant star, which was passing through the last stage in its evolution before becoming a white dwarf.

That in itself is mind boggling and last week I was able to capture some of its photons on my camera in Redhill; sureal even, except it’s not. Nebulae are somewhat elusive, look at NGC 7000 the North American Nebula in the earlier post; look up and there’s nothing – apply some technology and PING, out jumps a nebula. In time I hope to capture far bigger and wonderful such features buried deep in the universe but this is my first, so it’s special.

On taking the initial images and only on close inspection on the computer screen, could I see a small but clear and yet anomalous blue spot. It could, at first glance, be another blue earthly like planet, except it is M57 in the constellation of Lyra some 2,283 ly from earth, with a diameter of 2.6 ly, that’s 15,280,000,000,000 miles, a temperature of 125,000K and is 200 times more luminous than our Sun. However, through the vast distance of space it is insignificant to the eye.

M57 The Ring Nebula. WO GT81 + FF 10x30 sec at ISO 800

M57 The Ring Nebula, just to the right of centre of the two stars at 2.00 o’clock and 8.00 o’clock.
Canon 700D ; WO GT81 + FF ; 10×30 sec at ISO 800

A bit more work by Mr GIMP and all is revealed:

M57 The Ring Nebula, cropped from the main image above.

Every picture tells a story

August 8, 2014 by grahamrob in Deep Sky Objects, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

I have been playing around with Deep Sky Stacker (DSS) and GIMP this week. It’s amazing what these programmes can do and highlights the massive data collected by a DSLR sensor and image potential hidden therein; it is as they say – a whole new ballgame. At the same time I read this post on SGL which was not unlike my own actions a couple of nights ago http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/221951-ngc7000-almost-fell-off-my-chair/, except in my case I gave up, partially as I couldn’t see that I was getting anything and, to be fair, the cloud was rolling in!

I had just successfully imaged the M13 star cluster and seemed to have most things working quite well. I therefore thought I’d slew round to NGC7000 or the North American Nebula, as it is otherwise known, just to see if I could register the feature on camera. The result after a few shots at varying experimental settings, rubbish.

NGC 7000 the North American Nebula, or so I had hoped

NGC 7000 North American Nebula, or so I had hoped WO GT81 + FF 2x40sec ISO 800

Which might have looked at least a bit like this had I persevered like Christopher Davenport did to get this great picture from a not dissimilar starting point; OK looks like he knows what he’s doing + has a few more gizmos working and took a lot more images of greater exposure:

NGC 7000 in all its glory – I’ll get it yet!

Notwithstanding, I went back to my couple of shots at the top of this post – yes just two, too short and no darks – so I made up a couple – and put them through DSS and then GIMP. The result, though not as spectacular as Chris’s indicates that the nebula appears to be lurking at the top of the image afterall!

Finding the Sun

August 8, 2014 by grahamrob in Equipment, Solar system, Viewing and tagged Solar system, Sun | 3 Comments

As our nearest star, the Sun is an obvious target for astronomy and with all this nice summer weather at the moment, that’s exactly what I’ve been doing. The statistics of the Sun are, of course, mind boggling and the views can be truly amazing http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun .

I first saw the sun through a telescope whilst in La Palma earlier this year https://watchthisspaceman.wordpress.com/2014/08/06/la-palma-nice-one-joan/ both using Joan’s 15″ Mak Cassegrain + solar filter and his beautifully constructed helioscope, which bounced the Sun’s light / image from the outside, through a hole in the wall of the observatory, which was then focused perfectly on a screen:

Mak + white light filter

Heliograph focus track after collecting the sun’s image outside

Final heliograph image of the Sun’s surface

Rightly or wrongly I decided to use my SW 150PL Newtonian to view the sun, with a larger, open OTA there should be better ventilation and it just seems less complicated (& cheaper) than the refractor for the moment. The standard method, which I also used, is to place a Baader Astro Solar Safety Film in front of the OTA. This looks a lot like cooking foil but is much more sophisticated and expensive, basically reducing the light from the Sun to a narrow, harmless wavelength http://www.365astronomy.com/solar-filter-for-150mm-newtonian-telescopes-p-2933.html. You can buy this film in A4 sheets and make your own filter but I bought the type that was already made and fitted snugly into the end of the OTA:

Solar filter fitted inside the 150PL – also note solar finder in the finderscope bracket (see below for description)

To be honest, I was uneasy at the prospect at looking at the Sun which, if undertaken incorrectly, could result in the loss of sight – so I didn’t want to risk the DIY route. Whilst on this theme, it is essential to thoroughly check the filter each time before use to check for holes, even a pin prick could be dangerous and result in injury. In addition, whilst in use but not being attended – maybe gone off for a cup of tea – it is said that birds can be attracted to the shinny filter and can peck holes! I have therefore made a cardboard cover to put over the filter whilst away from the scope for this reason:

Crude and cheap but it might save your eyesight!

Crude and cheap cardboard cover but it might save your eyesight!

At this point I realised that finding the sun to view i.e. lining it up, is not as easy as it might seem – after all you cannot just look directly at the sun and point the scope, for obvious reasons. One method is simply to use the OTA’s own shadow, so that when it is lined up with the sun its shadow will be at its minimum. There are also numerous gadgets out there to buy (there always is in astronomy). However, I came across a DIY version that frankly I think is difficult to beat – it costs nothing and takes seconds to make! This guy deserves an award for such a design http://pembsastronomers.freeforums.org/how-to-make-a-solar-finder-in-three-seconds-t485.html.

Basically it is a 35mm film canister, with a black top on a clear container: wrap the container in black electric tape and pierce a very small pinhole in the top. In my case it slipped straight into the finderscope bracket (thus also also allowing proper alignment with the scopes viewing axis) and then you manoeuvre the scope until the beam of sunlight that passes though the pinhole, falls directly at the centre of the base of the canister, which acts as a screen. Genius!

35mm canister with small, pinhole in the top

Using a clear canister wrapped in black tape, the base acts as a screen. Sunlight passes through the pinhole which then appears as a small, bright spot on the base of the canister – moving this to the centre of the base by adjusting the orientation of the scope ensures the scope is directly aligned with the Sun for viewing.

Using the Baader Solar Filter produces a white light image, in particular showing sunspots:

The photo mosaic segments would not line up perfectly but the sunspots are clear to see and more prevalent than a couple of weeks ago. Notwithstanding, the 11-years sun spot cycle is not as expected, with the number of spots quite low at the moment.

The DSLR photo mosaic segments would not line up perfectly but the sunspots are clear to see and more prevalent than a couple of weeks ago. Notwithstanding, the 11-years sun spot cycle is not as expected, with the number of spots quite low at the moment. Skywatcher 150PL & 2x Barlow 1/40th sec at ISO100

Compact camera afocal image – lacks detail but you get the whole of the sun in the frame.

For the moment I’m quite pleased with the view but would eventually like to improve things. Still looking at white light, the Herschel Wedge looks like a good attachment that could instead be used with the WO refractor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herschel_wedge . This deflects most of the light and heat and, supposedly, produces a superior image – it’s inevitably quite a bit more expensive. The holy grail is a hydrogen-alpha scope, of which the Coronado PST is probably the most popular, not least because it is financially cheaper http://www.meade.com/products/coronado/coronado-personal-solar-telescope-pst-0-5-angstrom.html but if you are really flush with cash this will do the job nicely http://www.telescopehouse.com/acatalog/Lunt-152mm-H-alpha-OTA—B1800-BF—Feather-T—P-Tuner.html . The point of the H-alpha scope is that it works at a different wavelength that, unlike white light, enables the Sun’s prominences to be seen, dream on.

For scale that’s Jupiter down there in the lower, left hand corner

Focus is everything

August 7, 2014 by grahamrob in AstroBin, Deep Sky Objects, Equipment, Imaging, Uncategorized and tagged DSO Imaging | Leave a comment

FOCUS: The state or quality of having or producing clear visual definition – Oxford English Dictionaries.

Splashed the cash and got the equipment, done the reading and asked all the right questions on the astronomy forums, got a clear night, time to catch those images – what can go wrong? Having recently purchased and got a new AZ-EQ6 mount and WO scope working OK visually, it was time to embark on my new DSO photographic quest. Not for the first time I unfortunately underestimated just how difficult this astrophotography is; forgetting that I’d already battled before to image with the Newtonian 150PL using both the DSLR and ZWO webcam (more on that another time).

This time the challenge was using the new WO Field Flattener http://www.williamoptics.com/accessories/flattener6A_features.php. So – set up scope, align mount/scope, find object, centre and visually focus. Then attach the field flattener (FFL) to the DSLR and slide directly into the focus tube, focus and take images – easy? No! Even now I am not sure what went wrong but after three evenings and numerous questions on the Stargazers Lounge forum (SGL), I was completely unable to get a clear picture through the camera, let alone an image. Initially I just thought the set up was wrong (whilst all the WO various equipment is excellent, none of it comes with instructions. I am told this is par for astronomy but, when you are forking out this kind of money I find that quite unacceptable) or I needed yet another piece of equipment to achieve focus (surprisingly the ‘expert’ dealer from where I bought it wasn’t even sure on this!), spacers perhaps? By now I was very concerned.

Another clear warm night soon came and with perseverance low and behold a result. This time I was much more meticulous: visually focusing on the bright star Arcturus, then switching to the DSLR + FF. Using the Canon EOS Utility and Live View, with the ISO set very high I was at last able to see something on the screen, which with very fine adjustment came into focus as a small, very bright dot. Placing my other recently discovered brilliant invention, the Bahtinov mask http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahtinov_mask

over the objective lens I was able to refine the focus perfectly:

Now carefully transferring the scope and refining the position via Live View I was ready for a serious attempt on my first DSO, M13 The Great Globular Cluster in the constellation of Hercules:

WO GT 81 + FF 10x16sec at ISO800

Bingo + what a relief! Like my first crude afocal image of the Orion Nebula last year, getting the picture was exhilarating. OK it’s not brilliant and I have seen the image in numerous publications and online but, it was mine, having captured those photon’s which had been travelling for the past 25,000 light-years on my camera, just outside my back door. WOW!

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120614.html

I hope to improve on this one day, once I have mastered all the other software, guidescope etc but I doubt I’ll feel quite the same next time. In the end, focus was everything, it is very difficult to achieve and only goes to show just how difficult this astrophotography is but after the light spent so long getting here, the least I can do is focus it right on my camera sensor, which requires a fraction of a millimeter accuracy.

Later on the same night I also captured M57, the Ring Nebula (more another time). Apart from refining this process (which I can see will take what ever’s left of my lifetime) my next ambition is to capture a galaxy out my back door, I can’t wait!

La Palma: Nice one Joan

August 6, 2014 by grahamrob in Astronomy holidays and tagged La Palma | 5 Comments

At the end of March this year we went to La Palma to spend a week at the Tacande Observatory, built and owned by Joan Genebriera http://www.astropalma.com/ . The purpose of the trip was to experience astronomy at its best and, perhaps, fast track my knowledge of astrophotography. Joan has not only built the observatory himself but almost every scope, mount and nut and bolt therein, for which he also has a superb workshop. The result is a first class astronomy set-up, with a 14″ hand made Mak as its centrepiece – what a beauty.

Joan has pursued astronomy since a boy, going on to work in the construction and maintenance of telescopes and observatories, which brought him to La Palma from Catalan 17-years ago, to help build the professional observatories at Roque de los Muchachos:

Later, as he approached retirement, he purchased a property just outside El Paso on the south side of the Caldera de Taburiente and went on to build the Tacande Observatory there:

In addition to the observatory there is a separate block containing a studio, a workshop and a very comfortable x2 bed apartment – perfectly located to crash out after a long night in the observatory – which is where we stayed. For company, day and night, Joan’s dog ‘Tuk’ is also there to keep guard:

During the week Joan provided a comprehensive course on astronomy and astrophotography, in particular, patiently dealing with our numerous questions. The views and initial photos were spectacular but then for four nights the clouds rolled in. Whilst this has to be seen as part of astronomy, we had hoped for better at La Palma, However, our faith was restored during the last two nights, when we worked long into the night with perfectly clear, dark skies, collecting photo data of various galaxies and nebula – mostly using his SBIG CCD cooled camera with stunning results. On the final morning we were then treated to great views of the Sun using the heliograph and subsequently the 15″ Mak, wow!

Such is the quality of the Tacande Observatory and Joan’s knowledge and skills, that a French university has previously set-up a remote observatory next to the main dome, with more on their way.

Unfortunately the best pictures that were taken on the SBIG are all FITS format which, as yet, I have been unable to open – when I do they will go straight on this site. However, working in parallel with the SBIG we also set-up a Canon 350D DSLR on the attached refractor, which was also successful in producing very good but wider angle photographs. One such picture, showing the Sombrero Galaxy currently forms the main header for this site. Nice one Joan!

“Space….is big. Really big. You just won’t believe how big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemists, but that’s just peanuts compared to space.” Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

August 5, 2014 by grahamrob in Uncategorized and tagged Douglas Adams, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, quote | Leave a comment

For and even bigger view, see Hubble’s deepest view of the Universe.

One Year On

August 5, 2014 by grahamrob in Deep Sky Objects and tagged Star Clusters | Leave a comment

After one year I am slowly making progress with, most recently, undertaking my first solar viewing and imaging and, with great difficulty, last week obtained my first DSO images – this time of M13 and M57. Not the best images ever but a very satisfying achievement nonetheless. There’s still a very long way to go, in the next six months I want to try and tackle: better alignment, computer mount control, establish auto guiding etc as a result of which I hope to better tackle some of the great features of the winter skies. This will inevitably require further purchases but, then again, it is only 141 days until Christmas!