Somerset Magic

October 19, 2025 by grahamrob in Deep Sky Objects, General Astronomy, Narrowband and tagged astronomy, Astrophotography, Cepheus, DSO Imaging, Nebulae, space, stars | Leave a comment

I try to ensure that since Watch This Space (Man) blasted off in August 2014, it does what it says on the tin (top of the page): A personal discovery of the Universe through astronomy and astrophotography. Naturally, alongside this journey life goes on, which this year has been a significant challenge for me in many ways. Shortly after imaging the Flaming Star Nebula at Fairvale Observatory, Surrey, in early January, I underwent major surgery to replace my right knee and inevitably, all physical astronomy came to a halt; latterly I managed to remotely obtain and process data from sources in Texas, USA and Chile, which was good fun.

Just two months later, whilst still in early recovery (which can take over a year), serendipity made an unexpected appearance, and by at the end of June, after 40-years living in Redhill, Surrey, we moved to a new house just outside England’s smallest city of Wells (population 11,145), in the beautiful countryside of north Somerset. This upheaval, combined with my recovery, has led to a protracted absence from astrophotography imaging but, at last, I’m now very pleased to present my first image from the new Castle Farm Observatory, in Somerset, of course.

Astronomically speaking, only one thing counts when imaging and that is the quality of viewing conditions (and clear skies), which I can already attest to be excellent here in Somerset. At my previous location just south of London in Surrey, conditions were poor, with an SQM value of 19.82 that was further complicated by low flying aircraft from three nearby airports. In comparison, the SQM at Castle Farm Observatory is 21.11, which being a log scale equates to a difference of x3.28 better sky darkness than before and, moreover, overflying aircraft are no longer a problem. Given this setting, combined with clear skies and a new moon in early September, I had high expectations for my first imaging session since moving to Somerset and was not disappointed by the results obtained of the object chosen for this auspicious occasion, the Wizard Nebula.

The Wizard Nebula, designated by the central star cluster of NGC 7380, is an emission nebula, in which its gases glow due to intense radiation from hot, massive stars from within the aforesaid embedded cluster. Interwoven within this glowing gas are dark, dense regions of dust that sculpt the nebula’s dramatic and somewhat mystical appearance, in this case a wizard. NGC 7380 was only formed a few million years ago and within it, young and massive O- and B-type stars generate strong stellar winds that shape and erode the surrounding material.

Thus, after an unprecedented break of some 257 days, I’m more than pleased to return to my own backyard astrophotography again, now based in the magic county of Somerset. The quality of the subs obtained on this first occasion confirmed the outstanding sky conditions, which were literally saturated by stars (see starless image above). Altogether, it was significantly better than experienced in Surrey and bodes well for what I hope will be an exciting time here at Castle Farm Observatory – Watch This (new) Space!

IMAGING DETAILS
Object	NGC 7380 The Wizard Nebula
Constellation	Cepheus
Distance	>= 7,200 light-years
Size	25 arc minutes (110 light-years)
Apparent Magnitude	+7.2

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 2.87^o x 1.96^o Resolution 2.50”/pix Max. image size 4,144 x 2,822 pix
EFW	ZWOx8 EFW & 31mm Chroma Ha, OIII, SII 3nm & RGB filters
Capture & Processing	ASIair, Deep Sky Stacker & PixInsight v1.9.3 Lockhart
Image Location & Orientation	Centre = RA 22:47:01.78 DEC +58:02:19.1 Top Left = North
Exposures	Ha x 35 + OIII x 35 + SII x 35 @ 300 sec + LRGB x 10 @ 60 sec Total Integration Time: 9hr 15 min
	@ Gain 120 & 30 Offset 21 @ -15^oC
Calibration	5 x 300 sec & 20 x 60 sec Darks + 10 x NB & 20x BB Flats & Dark Flats @ ADU 32,000
Location & Darkness	Castle Farm Observatory, Wookey, Somerset – UK Typically Bortle 4
Date & Time	21^st & 22^nd September 2025 @ +21.00h
Weather	Approx. <7^oC RH >=<60% 🌙 New Moon

Tangled In Space

October 6, 2025 by grahamrob in AstroBin, Deep Sky Objects, Galaxy, General Astronomy, Universe and tagged astronomy, Astrophotography, Corvus constellation, DSO Imaging, Galaxies, Milky Way, Science, space, Universe | Leave a comment

As Douglas Adams succinctly puts it in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxies: Space…..is big. Really Big. If he had lived longer, even he would be surprised to learn how true these words were. Recent analyses using data from the James Webb Space & Hubble Telescopes, suggests there could be some 2 trillion galaxies. Notwithstanding, as this applies only to the observable universe, which is about 93 billion light-years across, the entire universe could be significantly larger, with many more galaxies beyond what we can already observe!

Perhaps then it is not so surprising that from time-to-time galaxies run into each other – our own Milky Way Galaxy is expected to collide with the Andromeda Galaxy in about 4.5 billion years. But there are already many exciting examples of such phenomena that we can image today, of which the Antennae Galaxies are one of the most famous and visually striking examples of two colliding galaxies. Located in the constellation Corvus, they provide a striking insight into what happens when massive galaxies merge – a process that reshapes their structure, triggering intense star formation, thereby setting the stage for the eventual creation of a single, larger galaxy, all played out over 100’s or even billions of years.

The Antennae Galaxies earned their name from the long, curved tidal tails of gas, dust, and stars that extend outward from the colliding pair of galaxies (NGC 4038 & 4039), thus resembling the antennae of an insect. These tails were created by the immense gravitational forces at play during the collision. As the two galaxies then pass through each other, their mutual gravity distorts their original spiral shapes, pulling out vast streams of stars and interstellar material. These tidal tails stretch for tens of thousands of light-years, making them some of the most spectacular features of any known galactic merger.

At the core of the Antennae Galaxies lies a chaotic and extremely active region. The violent gravitational interactions have compressed enormous clouds of gas and dust, sparking a burst of intense star formation, at a rate hundreds of times faster than that of our own Milky Way. Many of these newly formed stars are massive but short-lived, destined to explode as supernovae, thus enriching the surrounding space with heavy elements. Within another 400 million years, the Antennae’s nuclei will collide and therafter become a single galactic core with stars, gas, and dust swirling around it.

Imaging such a feature from Earth requires significant telescopic power, the darkest of night skies and the acquisition of lots of data. Located at the El Sauce Observatory in Chile, 50 hours of data acquired using the Planewave CDK20 astrograph is such a set-up worthy of the task. However, despite the excellent data quality, I found processing this complex event difficult so as to both show the complexity of the merging galaxies, whilst at the same time preserving the delicate nature of the tails of galactic debris. The final image is as profound as it is beautiful, demonstrating the immense forces across the cosmos and the inevitable consequences for the many galaxies that occupy the vastness of the Universe.

IMAGING DETAILS
Object	NGC 4038 & 4039, AKA Antennae Galaxies
Constellation	Corvus
Distance	62 million light-years
Size	5.21 x 3.1 arc minutes (actual 634,410 x 456,780 light years)
Apparent Magnitude	+10.3 / 10.4

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 12:01:54.47 DEC -18:52:45.2 Up = North
Exposures	Ha 117 x 10 mins, L x 127, R x 80, G x 80, B x 70 @ 5mins Total Integration Time: 50hr 5min
Location & Darkness	Obstech El Sauce Observatory, Chile
Date	February 2025

New Horizons

September 14, 2025 by grahamrob in Deep Sky Objects, Galaxy, General Astronomy, Imaging and tagged Astrophotography, Galaxies | Leave a comment

Although some time back I lived and worked in Southern Africa for five years and subsequently spent much time visiting and working in many other countries south of the equator, since taking up astrophotography 12-years ago I’ve had no opportunity to work with data from the southern hemisphere, until now. The benefit of obtaining data remotely, which has become very popular in recent years, is that it provides access to different objects and better sky conditions. I did work with a telescope based in New Mexico, USA a few years ago, which was a fun experience but being in the Northern Hemisphere most targets were much the same as here in the UK, except they did have more than 250 clear skies each year. However, this time I’ve moved to what is widely considered to be the holy grail for astronomy, Chile, where night skies are rated as the best in the world!

The dataset was obtained from the famous El Sauce Observatory located in the Rio Hurtado Valley, south of the Atacama Desert, using a Planewave CDK20 astrograph telescope; currently retailing at First Light Optics for just over £42,000! Unsurprisingly, the combination of location and this telescope resulted in the best of the best datasets, which has been nothing less than a privilege to process.

My first target from the Southern Hemisphere therefore had to be something special and NGC 1365, also known as the Great Barred Spiral Galaxy, is just that. A double-barred spiral galaxy, it is located some 56 million light-years away in the Fornax constellation and spans over 200,000 light-years across, making it nearly twice the size of the Milky Way. The Great Barred Spiral Galaxy is also a dominant member of the Fornax Galaxy Cluster group of 58 galaxies.

*Several members of the Fornax Galaxy Cluster are imaged by the VLT Survey Telescope, including the barred spiral NGC 1365 on the lower right Credit: ESO/A. Grado/L. Limatola/VLT*

The most distinctive feature of NGC 1365 is its massive central bar, which plays a crucial role in channelling gas and dust into the galactic core. This inflow of material fuels both star formation and the activity of the galaxy’s central supermassive black hole, which is estimated to be some 2-million solar masses. Various observations in X-rays, infrared, and visible light wavelengths, reveals numerous star-forming regions along the spiral arms, particularly where they connect to the bar, giving the galaxy a luminous appearance.

NGC 1365 is also classified as a Seyfert galaxy, whereby the nucleus is extremely bright due to energetic processes around its black hole. Studies also indicate that the outer edges of the galactic disc are moving at about 84% of the speed of light!

IMAGING DETAILS
Object	NGC 1365, AKA Great Barred Spiral Galaxy or Fornax Propellor Galaxy
Constellation	Fornax
Distance	56 million light-years
Size	11.2 x 6.2 arc minutes (201,700 to 306,800 light years)
Apparent Magnitude	+10.3

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 03:34:34.323 DEC -36:08:30.36 Up = North
Exposures	Ha x 62 10 mins, L x 78, R x 78, G x 71, B x 70 @ 5mins Total Integration Time: 35hr 5min
Location & Darkness	Obstech El Sauce Observatory, Chile
Date	August 2024

The Needle Galaxy

June 1, 2025 by grahamrob in Broadband, Deep Sky Objects, Galaxy, Imaging and tagged Coma Berenices, DSO Imaging, Galaxies, Universe | Leave a comment

Perspective is everything – in life and so it is, with astronomy. Hipparchus first pointed the way in 127 BC when he described the procession of the equinoxes and, as they say one thing led to another as, Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543), Tycho Brahe (1546-1601), Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), Johannes Kepler (1571–1630), Johannes Hevelius (1611–1687), Giovanni Cassini (1625-1712), John Flamsteed (1646-1719) and others opened our eyes to the night sky and what lay beyond Earth. Notwithstanding, it was Edwin Hubble’s discovery of galaxies in 1924 that ultimately led to mankind’s recognition that there was much, much more, that we now take for granted to be the Universe. However, even to the experienced modern astronomer the scale, complexity and beauty of the Universe can be somewhat overwhelming, like when we consider that the observable Universe may consist of 2 trillion galaxies!

Since Hubble’s work we have become familiar with many types of galaxies, which the average person might describe as a colourful spinning firework-like disc, consisting of vast gravitationally bound systems of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust and dark matter. This stereotypic impression arises because most galaxy images are viewed face-on or at an inclined angle, so that we can see the structures and processes that have created it. However, given the number of galaxies and therefore the many possible views, it is not surprising that some can only be seen edge-on from our perspective on Earth, the Needle Galaxy AKA NGC 4546 is one of these.

Thought to be a barred spiral galaxy, NGC 4546 is some 33% larger than the Milky Way. It has at least two satellite galaxies, about 240 globular clusters (Milky Way ~ 150) and is the brightest of the Coma 1 Group of galaxies. Seen through a telescope or when imaged the Needle Galaxy it appears like a thin streak drawn across the dark night sky but look closer and its magnificence is revealed, as in the image above.

Here ribbons of dust can be seen criss-crossing along the edge of the thin galactic disc, thereby blocking much of the from light behind. However, it is the bright central bulge that inevitably catches the eye but remains something of an enigma, as little can be seen from within. This excellent data set obtained using the MOANA 10” Newtonian telescope located in Texas’ dark skies, reveals such exquisite details that are provided by the less common edgewise perspective of this intriguing galaxy.

Footnote & credit: Following a knee replacement I’m currently unable to set-up and use my astronomy equipment, fortunately I havve been able to continue processing using this excellent public amateur data from the MOANA project located near Fort Davis, Texas https://erellaz.com/moana/. Many thanks to its creator Elleraz.

IMAGING DETAILS
Object	Needle Galaxy AKA NGC 4565
Constellation	Coma Berenices
Distance	40 million light-years
Size	15.9 x 1.85 arc minutes
Apparent Magnitude	+10.4

Scope	MOANA 10” f/4.5 Newtonian
Mount	Astro-Physics 1100GOTO
Guiding	Off axis guider + QHY 5L2M
Camera	ZWO1600MM Pro
	FOV 45’ x 35’ Resolution 0.5915”/pix Image size 4,656 x 3,520 pix
Filters	Baader 36mm RGB
Capture & Processing	NINA, Deep Sky Stacker & PixInsight v1.9-3
Image Location & Orientation	Centre RA 12:36:08.12 DEC +25:55:59.31 Left = North
Exposures	R x 45, G x 47, B x 45 @ 300 sec Total Integration Time: 11hr 25 min
	@ 90 Gain
Calibration	300 sec Dark & RGB Flats
Location & Darkness	Near Fort Davis, Texas, USA
Date	May 2023

Sculptor Galaxy

May 6, 2025 by grahamrob in AstroBin, Broadband, Deep Sky Objects, Galaxy, Imaging and tagged astronomy, Astrophotography, Galaxies, MOANA, Sculptor, space, travel | Leave a comment

One of the advantages of obtaining data from Texas, USA, is that it enables views of objects in the Southern Hemisphere that are impossible from my location in Surrey, UK. Located close to the University of Texas’ renowned McDonald Observatory at latitude 30.6795^o, the MOANA project is more than 20^ofurther south and, furthermore, boasts some of the best dark skies in North America, what better place to image the exciting spiral Sculptor Galaxy? Also known as NGC 253 or the Silver Dollar, it is one of the brightest galaxies in the night sky, which results from very high rates of star formation that are fed by the abundance of thick dust lanes.

Footnote & credit: Following a recent knee replacement I’m currently unable to set-up and use my astronomy equipment, fortunately I’m still able to continue processing using the excellent public amateur data from the MOANA project located near Fort Davis, Texas https://erellaz.com/moana/. Many thanks to its creator Elleraz.

IMAGING DETAILS
Object	Sculptor Galaxy AKA Silver Dollar or NGC 253
Constellation	Scuptor
Distance	11.4 million light-years
Size	27.5 x 6.8 arc minutes
Apparent Magnitude	+8.0

Scope	MOANA 10” f/4.5 Newtonian
Mount	Astro-Physics 1100GOTO
Guiding	Off axis guider + QHY 5L2M
Camera	ZWO1600MM Pro
	FOV 45’ x 35’ Resolution 0.5915”/pix Image size 4,656 x 3,520 pix
Filters	Baader 36mm RGB
Capture & Processing	NINA, Deep Sky Stacker & PixInsight v1.9-3
Image Location & Orientation	Centre RA 00:47:37.993 DEC -25:17:36.49 Right = North
Exposures	RE x 102, G x 99, B x 98 @ 120 sec Total Integration Time: 9hr 58 min
	@ 90 Gain
Calibration	120 sec Dark & RGB Flats
Location & Darkness	Near Fort Davis, Texas, USA
Date	November & December 2023

Pinwheel Galaxy

April 21, 2025 by grahamrob in Broadband, Deep Sky Objects, Equipment, Galaxy, Imaging and tagged astronomy, DSO Imaging, Galaxies, Milky Way, Ursa Major | Leave a comment

This time of the year is perfect to observe the spectacular face-on spiral M101 or Pinwheel galaxy. At nearly twice the size of the Milky Way and containing at least an estimated trillion stars, M101 is the second largest galaxy of the Messier catalogue and certainly one of the highlights of the spring galaxy season.

A loosely bound cluster of galaxies known as the M101 Group, primarily located in the Ursa Major constellation, is also dominated by the Pinwheel Galaxy, which moreover, is considered to form part of a larger structure within the Virgo Supercluster. Many of the other galaxies in this group are companions to M101, orbiting and interacting with it gravitationally.

Despite its size, M101 is challenging for my William Optics GT81, though I did manage a reasonable image in March 2019. On this occasion using nearly 17 hours of data from the much larger MOANA 10” Newtonian based at the Dark Sky Observatory in Texas, USA, the resulting image shows the galaxy’s beauty to good effect.

Footnote & credit: Following a recent knee replacement I’m currently unable to set-up and use my astronomy equipment, fortunately I’m still able to continue processing using the excellent public amateur data from the MOANA project located near Fort Davis, Texas https://erellaz.com/moana/. Many thanks to its creator Elleraz.

IMAGING DETAILS	IMAGING DETAILS
Object	M101 (NGC 5457) Pinwheel galaxy
Constellation	Ursa Major
Distance	20..9 light-years
Size	29 x 27 arc minutes or 170,000 light-years
Apparent Magnitude	+7.9

Scope	MOANA 10” f/4.5 Newtonian
Mount	Astro-Physics 1100GOTO
Guiding	Off axis guider + QHY 5L2M
Camera	ZWO1600MM Pro
	FOV 45’ x 35’ Resolution 0.5915”/pix Image size 4,656 x 3,520 pix
Filters	Baader 36mm RGB & SHO 6.5nm
Capture & Processing	NINA, Deep Sky Stacker & PixInsight v1.9-2
Image Location & Orientation	Centre RA 14:03:12.0 DEC +54:20:34 Top = North
Exposures	R x 61, G x 73, B x 69 @ 300 sec Total Integration Time: 16hr 55 min
	@ 90 Gain
Calibration	300 sec Dark & LRGB & SHO Flats
Location & Darkness	Near Fort Davis, Texas, USA
Date	May 2023

Cosmic Crustacean

March 18, 2025 by grahamrob in Narrowband, Nebula, Supernova and tagged DSO Imaging, Nebulae, Taurus | Leave a comment

This small but beautiful supernova Remnant (SNR) was the result of the explosion of the star CM Tau, which followed a core-collapse just over 970 years ago. Located at the centre of the Carb Nebula is the remaining Crab Pulsar neutron star, some 30km in diameter spinning at the rate of 30 times per second.

Footnote & credit: Following a recent knee replacement operation I’m currently unable to set-up and use my astronomy equipment, fortunately I’m still able to continue processing using this excellent public amateur data from the MOANA project located near Fort Davis, Texas, USA https://erellaz.com/moana/. Many thanks to its creator Elleraz.

IMAGING DETAILS
Object	M1 Crab Nebula
Constellation	Taurus
Distance	6,500 light-years
Size	6 x 4 arc minutes
Apparent Magnitude	+8.4

Scope	MOANA 10” f/4.5 Newtonian
Mount	Astro-Physics 1100GOTO
Guiding	Off axis guider + QHY 5L2M
Camera	ZWO1600MM Pro
	FOV 45’ x 35’ Resolution 0.5915”/pix Image size 4,656 x 3,520 pix
Filters	Baader 36mm RGB & SHO 6.5nm
Capture & Processing	NINA, Deep Sky Stacker & PixInsight v1.9-2
Image Location & Orientation	Centre RA 05:34:32.813 DEC +22:0.00:39.97 Top Left = North
Exposures	Ha x 48, OIII x 52, SII x 54, R x27, G x28m B x 26 sec R all @ 300 sec Total Integration Time: 19hr 35 min
	@ 90 Gain
Calibration	300 sec Dark & LRGB & SHO Flats
Location & Darkness	Near Fort Davis, Texas, USA
Date	December 2022 & January 2023

Star On The Run: IC405

February 14, 2025 by grahamrob in Deep Sky Objects, Imaging, Narrowband, Nebula and tagged astronomy, Astrophotography, Auriga, DSO Imaging, nasa, Nebulae, space, stars | Leave a comment

At this time of the year various objects within the Orion Constellation are perhaps the most popular astrophotography targets. Notwithstanding, a few days after imaging The Great Orion Nebula myself early in the New Year, I slewed my camera some 65^o further north to the Auriga constellation, location of many other fascinating objects, some of which two years ago I captured in a two panel widefield mosaic. This time it was time to concentrate on just one of those objects, the exciting IC405 AKA the Flaming Star Nebula.

This emission and reflection nebula is a glowing cloud of gas and dust that is illuminated by a powerfully bright blue variable star, AE Aurigae. The object’s epithet arises from the brightly lit ripples of gas and dust at the top of the image, illuminated by the aforesaid AE Aurigae and glowing hydrogen emission. By reducing the dominant reddish hydrogen glow in the image, the full impact bright blue light from AE Aurega can be better appreciated (see image below).

Though some considerable distance from Orion, studies now indicate that the star AE Auriga was probably itself ejected after a collision two million years ago from the Triangulum region of The Great Orion Nebula and, as a runaway star has now made its way to Auriga – what a small world!

IMAGING DETAILS
Object	IC405 Flaming Star Nebula – Emission / Reflective Nebula
Constellation	Auriga
Distance	1,500 light-years
Size	37 x 10 arc min
Apparent Magnitude	+6.0

Scope	William Optics GT81 + Focal Reducer FL 382mm f4.72
Mount	ZWO AM5 + ASIair plus
Guiding	William Optics 50mm guide scope
	ZWO120MM mini
Camera	ZWO ASI294MM CMOS sensor
	FOV 2.87^o x 1.96^o Resolution 2.50”/pix Max. image size 4,144 x 2,822 pix
EFW	ZWOx8 EFW & 31mm Chroma 3nm Ha, OIII, SII & LRGB filters
Capture & Processing	ASIair plus, Deep Sky Stacker & PixInsight v1.9.2
Image Location & Orientation	Centre = RA 05:15:28.63 DEC +34:09:07.0 Top = North
Exposures	Ha x20 + OIII x20 + SII x20 @ 300 sec L x10 + R + G x10 + B x20s @ 60 sec Total Integration Time: 5hr 40 min
	@ Gain 120 @ -15^oC
Calibration	5 x 300 sec Darks + 10 x NB Flats & Dark Flats LRGB x20 each Flats & Dark Flats @ ADU 32,000
Location & Darkness	Fairvale Observatory – Redhill – Surrey – UK Typically Bortle 5 to 6
Date & Time	7 & 8 ^th January 2025 +18.45h
Weather	Approx. <=0^oC RH >=65% 🌙 50% Waxing

Interstellar Maelstrom: M42

January 17, 2025 by grahamrob in Deep Sky Objects, Nebula, Processing, Software, Widefield Imaging and tagged astronomy, Astrophotography, M42 Great Orion Nebula, Orion Constellation, Photography, space | Leave a comment

I get a warm feeling at the first view of the Orion constellation each year. Just viewed with the naked eye, late at night against a clear black sky it is a wonderful sight that somehow seems strangely reassuring but for the astronomer and especially astrophotographers, there are many exciting targets that hold great promise, principal of which is M42 the Great Orion Nebula. This winter my first view of Orion was last October, rising from the eastern horizon in the early morning, just as I was about to go to bed after a late-night imaging session. Unfortunately, it was more than two months before the weather relented and I was finally able to snatch an albeit brief image of the said Orion Nebula.

M42 and other nearby diffuse & reflection nebula (M43 & NGC1975 AKA the Running Man Nebula) is one of the most famous star-forming regions, which being the brightest nebula in the northern hemisphere and just over 1,300 light years distance from Earth, can itself also been seen with the naked eye on a clear night. To my surprise, I hadn’t imaged this beguiling object for 6-years, during which much had changed: a new mount, camera & filters + I had learned a few more processing tricks.

Left – Orion constellation from Fairvale Observatory, Redhill; Right – NB image from same location

The Orion Nebula is a gigantic cosmic cloud of interstellar dust and gas, which is the basis for the birth of numerous new stars or a “star nursery” (see starless image below) . Moreover, these powerful, young stars unleash vast streams of ultraviolet radiation that sculpt the nebula into a myriad of fantastic shapes, further highlighted by a red tint that arises due to the presence of hydrogen gas. For astronomers, such activities reveal much about the processes of how stars and planetary systems are formed from collapsing clouds of gas and dust.

Known as the Trapezium, four stars tightly located at the centre of M42 are very difficult to image, because of the overpowering bright white light that obscures this area from sight. However, for astrophotographers the elusive nature of the Triangulum is therefore considered to be the ultimate measure of a good Orion Nebula image. To overcome this problem, the key is to image the nebula across a range of exposures, from very short to long, which can then be compiled into a single final photograph that equally captures details of bright and darker areas alike.

Although poor weather conditions limited the shoot to a relatively short integration time, I’m pleased to say that the subsequent application of various new processing techniques (*see footnote for details) has created an exciting final image, full of detail and colour, as well as the aforesaid Triangulum, that I believe does justice to this magnificent object that is surely the real star of the winter night sky.

Processing Footnotes:

In addition to using the conventional LRGB processing workflow, to uncover the exciting detail that lies within the Great Orion Nebula on this occasion it was necessary to apply some additional processes. First, after ensuring perfect star alignment of all images, the three 180, 60 & 15 second exposure stacks are combined using HR Composition. At first the bright areas of the combined image still look blown-out but, as if by magic, careful application of HDR Multiscale Transformation then reveals the underlying details such as the Triangulum. Thereafter it’s all downhill, except in this case I was further assisted by the use of three new scripts that I can highly recommend:

Blemish Blaster by Seti Astro – helps remove inevitable blemishes of the starless image created by StarXTerminator process, which I found much easier to use than PixInsight’s Clone Stamp mostly with better results too;
Star Stretch also by Seti Astro – Makes the often-tricky action of stretching star images from StarXTerminator a complete doddle;
Astro Image Detail by Hidden Light Photography – An excellent script that makes a great job of teasing out detail from the nebula, that results in a really exciting final image.

IMAGING DETAILS
Object	M42 & more
Constellation	Orion
Distance	1,344 light-years
Size	65 x 60 arc minutes excluding The Running Man
Apparent Magnitude	+4.0

Scope	William Optics GT81 + Focal Reducer FL 382mm f4.72
Mount	ZWO AM5 + ASIair plus
Guiding	William Optics 50mm guide scope
	ZWO120MM mini
Camera	ZWO ASI294MM CMOS sensor
	FOV 2.87^o x 1.96^o Resolution 2.50”/pix Max. image size 4,144 x 2,822 pix
EFW	ZWOx8 EFW & 31mm Chroma LRGB filters
Capture & Processing	ASIair plus, Deep Sky Stacker & PixInsight v1.9.2
Image Location & Orientation	Centre = RA 05:35:26.25 DEC -05:25:21.10 Top = North
Exposures	L x25, R x14, G x14, B x10 @ 180 sec = 3hr 9min L x16, R x5, G x8, B x8, @ 60 sec = 20 min L x24, R x12, G x 12, B x12 @ 15 sec = 15 min Total lntegration Time: 3hr 44 min
	@ Gain 120 @ -15^oC
Calibration	10 x 180 sec Darks 20 x BB Flats & Dark Flats @ ADU 32,000
Location & Darkness	Fairvale Observatory – Redhill – Surrey – UK Typically Bortle 5-6
Date & Time	2^nd January 2025 @ +20.00h
Weather	Approx. <5^oC RH >=65% 🌙 Waxing 8%

2024 The Year In Pictures

January 1, 2025 by grahamrob in Broadband, Dark Nebula, Deep Sky Objects, Galaxy, General Astronomy, Globular Cluster, Imaging, Narrowband, Nebula, Planetary Nebula, Processing, Solar system and tagged astronomy, Astrophotography, DSO Imaging, Galaxies, nasa, Nebulae, Photography, space, stars | Leave a comment

Long periods of bad weather made 2024 one of the most difficult years for my astrophotography but, I am pleased to say that this, the 11^th calendar is another belter! Purchased in 2014, I continue to use a William Optics GT81 telescope for most images taken from home, but this means that I’m running out of suitable targets for this equipment. Part of the answer has been to upgrade related equipment and improve my processing, which I hope you will see reflected in this year’s images. Moreover, I have used new skills and techniques to process the better-quality data in new ways – I hope you like the results?

Below is a brief summary of the calendar images used this year but for other pictures and more detailed information, please refer elsewhere to this website, my Flickr page or Astrobin page. In addtion, a video of the calendar can be viewed HERE on YouTube, which is best accessed on a PC or smart TV screen. The background music this year is from Jean-Michel Jarre’s Oxygène album.

COVER	ASTRO IMAGING MONTAGE: This colourful splash is a random selection of images, mostly taken from Redhill over the past +10-years of my astrophotography.
JANUARY	SEAGULL NEBULA, IC 2177: Located 3,650 light-years from Earth is the emission and reflection nebula complex of the so-called Seagull Nebula, some 200 light-years in size. It’s been 8-years since imaging this object and for good reason. From my location, the bird flies very low on the southern horizon and thus spends much of its time behind houses, trees, and tall hedges!
FEBRUARY	TAURUS MOLECULAR CLOUD: Located northeast of the Pleiades, below (south) the California Nebula (see November), spanning more than 30^o of the night sky is the Taurus Molecular Cloud (TMC), a rich area of dark nebulae punctuated by bright areas of new star formation. The TMC is thought to be the nearest star forming region to Earth which, if you look carefully, includes numerous complex dark and reflection nebulae and the odd galaxy.
MARCH	*HIND’S VARIABLE NEBULA & HYADES, NGC 1555:** Discovered by the English astronomer John Russell Hind in 1852 this nebula is situated 400 light-years away in the constellation of Taurus, between the stars of Aldebaran and the Pleiades. The nebula is a Herbig-Haro object – a bright patch of nebulosity in which new stars are forming – which often change in apparent size and brightness.
APRIL	LEO GALAXY CLUSTER: With few exceptions, galaxies are located very far from Earth, making them very small from our perspective and a challenge for my equipment. However, here I imaged the spectacular Leo Galaxy Cluster, a mere 330 million light-years from Earth. Containing at least 70 major galaxies, the Leo Cluster unusually consists mostly of spiral galaxies. The bright elliptical galaxy near the centre of the image, has one of the largest known black holes in the universe, which is about 10 billion times more massive than our sun!
MAY	IRIS NEBULA, NGC 7023*: While the focus of the image is the alluring bright blue reflection nebula, careful processing reveals that this celestial flower is enveloped within a vast region of interstellar dust.
JUNE	SOMBRERO GALAXY, MESSIER 104: Seen from Redhill, the Sombrero galaxy is even lower in the summer sky than the aforesaid Seagull, transiting between the trees and along the top of our +15-foot hedge! An unbarred galaxy, its bright bulbous centre is encircled by dark dust lanes, which viewed side-on from Earth creates the appearance of a sombrero hat or perhaps a flying saucer?
JULY	PuWe-1*: Is a very faint planetary nebula in the Lynx constellation, discovered in 1980 by Purgathofer & Weinberger. It is one of the largest planetary nebulae visible, with a diameter like the full moon and at 1,200 light-years, is one of the closest to Earth. A planetary nebula is a region of cosmic gas and dust formed from the cast-off outer layers of a dying star; despite the name, planetary nebulae have nothing to do with planets.
AUGUST	NORTH AMERICA & PELICAN NEBULAE: It’s at this time of the year (August) I usually turn my attention to the Cygnus constellation and the plethora of imaging opportunities it provides, which inevitably tend to be narrowband targets. Interstellar dust illuminated by large bright areas of star formation are responsible for the formation of both these popular objects.
SEPTEMBER	FORSAKEN NEBULA, IC 5068: This complex area is known for the graphically shaped streaks of cold, dark dust clouds that criss-cross the dense, brightly coloured gas regions of nebulosity. Situated within the adjacent Cygnus molecular cloud just below the Pelican Nebula and close to other more famous objects, this low emission nebula is unfortunately known as the Forsaken Nebula!
OCTOBER		*THE CHINESE CHARACTER, LDN 673:** It might seem paradoxical but often it is the absence of light that makes an image interesting. About 600 million light-years from Earth, within the Aquila constellation, is Lynd’s Dark Nebula (LDN) 673. Some 7-light years in size, this fragmented dark molecular cloud complex contrasts against the colourful molecular clouds and stars of the Milky Way, which is reminiscent of a Chinese character.
NOVEMBER		CALIFORNIA NEBULA, NGC 1499: Located in the Perseus constellation, in the Orion arm of the Milky Way 1,000 light-years from Earth, NGC 1499 is a large emission nebula about 100 light-years long. First imaged in 2016, new improved data and processing now discloses the full grandeur of this object.
DECEMBER		ROSETTE NEBULA, NGC 2244: Approximately 5,000 light-years away, the vast cloud of gas and dust had been sculpted into the distinctive rose-like shape, while meanwhile a central star cluster has blown-away a large hollow within the molecular cloud. Revisiting this old favourite for the fourth time since 2015, here I have experimented with an unusual colour palette combination that has produced an exciting alternative image of the night sky’s rose.
*Footnote:* All images taken from Redhill, Surrey or at a dark sky site in New Mexico, USA shown by an asterisk*
*HAPPY NEW YEAR + CLEAR SKIES FOR 202*5