Space Odyssey

October 9, 2015 by grahamrob in Deep Sky Objects, General Astronomy and tagged Andromeda, DSO Imaging, Galaxies, Messier Objects | 3 Comments

I have just finished reading Chris Hadfield’s excellent book An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth, which is an entertaining and insightful look at being an astronaut and the lessons it provides for life in general. Who of us has not at least considered such an adventure ourselves but, of course, it is impossible for all but a few.

Astronomy is thought provoking enough in itself looking out at the vastness and beauty of the Universe, being in space and looking down on our planet would take such thoughts to a whole different level; from their subsequent accounts it is clear that those who have walked on the Moon became changed people, returning different to the rest of us.

Ever since following the pioneering space adventures of Yuri Gagarin and Alan Sheppard and especially watching the Apollo 11 Moon landing in 1969, I have been fascinated by space, its science and the human experience of travelling there. My solution to going into space was to take up scuba diving and since 1976 have had many wonderful diving experiences all over the world. Of course, it’s not space but it is very much other worldly and the weightless feeling is as close as most of us will get to being in space; the astronauts train extensively underwater for just that reason. Furthermore, as a geologist and more recently taking up astronomy has altogether provided me with a better understanding of the Universe.

Maldives, Kandooma 2004: the closest I’ll get to space!

Given my long standing interest in space, it is perhaps surprising that I came late to astronomy itself, so why now? The best answer is time – in recent years I have had more of it and in the past work, family and extensive travel precluded such a pastime. Like so many sciences in the modern era, technology has also unlocked major new opportunities for scientists and amateurs alike. Whilst I enjoy the science itself and especially viewing the night sky, the ability to produce frankly incredible images has been the most important key to my recent personal interest.

The phenomenal imaging improvements that have occurred since the launch of Hubble have made the power and beauty of the Universe even more accessible to us all on Earth. Digital image capture and processing is now so powerful that pictures of hitherto unimaginable quality can be achieved from Earth. Furthermore, for a relatively modest cost outlay, such images can be obtained by amateurs like me, literally outside my back door. More than any other development, this is what has now engaged my interest. The product of astroimaging can easily be overlooked as just an attractive, often spectacular photograph of the night sky – and they are. But the equipment and pictures produced are also important tools that can assist our understanding as well as imagination of space.

After a forced absence from astroimaging for the past six months, I was recently fortunate to obtain a number of exciting pictures of familiar objects on my first night back, in particular M31 or the Andromeda Galaxy. As the nearest galaxy to Earth, Andromeda is an obvious target for those new to astroimaging but despite its proximity, it is not to be underestimated as an imaging target. I have attempted imaging M31 before but, like many others, found it very difficult to coax out the detail which makes it such a beauty. I am not completely sure what was different this time but the resulting picture at last starts to capture these details; I was even more surprised at the outcome which is the result of just nine 120 second exposures at the end of a long night before heading for bed!

M31 Andromeda Galaxy
WO GT 81 + modded Canon 550D + FF | 9 x 120 secs @ ISO 1,600 | 19th September 2015

Andromeda poses two main challenges for the photographer: (i) the contrast in brightness between the central area and the rest of the galaxy, and (ii) the need to show the brown dust bands within the main disc, which provide a fascinating insight into the galaxy’s overall structure – that is not unlike out own Milky Way. The classic technique is to use two sets of images, with camera settings appropriate to the two contrasting areas, subsequently bringing them together during post-processing. Despite the limited number of prime focus images taken the final picture achieved still came out well. Though the bright central area is overexposed, the galaxy’s dust bands are clearly evident and for the first time have captured the full character of this magnificent feature. Furthermore, within M31 the NGC 206 is evident, a star formation region of over 300 new stars, whilst in the adjacent sky two other Messier galaxies are shown in the image M32 and M110.

M31 Anfromeda Galaxy: inverted & anotated

M31 Andromeda Galaxy: inverted & annotated

I think it is correct to say that the Andromeda Galaxy is one of the iconic images of the night sky and I feel obtaining such a picture marks another notable point in my personal space odyssey. I would hope Chris would approve, as well as Major Tom?

The Pelican & The Phoenix

September 22, 2015 by grahamrob in Deep Sky Objects, Equipment, Imaging and tagged Cygnus, DSO Imaging, Nebulae | 2 Comments

As we pass the Autumn Equinox the promise of long and exciting Winter skies is not far off but there are still some wonderful late Summer features around worth imaging before they move away from the Meridian and out of view from Fairvale Observatory. Following a major operation earlier in the year I’ve been unable to move the heavy equipment outdoors until very recently and have therefore almost completely missed the Summer skies; even as I’ve been getting better in recent weeks, poor skies and other circumstances have stopped my return to astronomy – until now.

Up until shortly before midnight the Cygnus constellation is favourably located close to the Meridian at the moment and at a very high, southerly altitude – perfect for my location – it was therefore here that I chose to make my long awaited resumption to astroimaging last Saturday. The weather forecast in the morning showed clear skies for that night but by early evening had changed to cloud and looked like being another lost opportunity; on this basis the Flamsteed Astronomy Society had already cancelled their planned evening astronomy session. However, unlike previous attempts in recent weeks when clear skies were forecast and the cloud rolled in unannounced, this time the outcome was very different, with a clear moonless sky throughout the night – I sometime wonder if the weather forecasters have windows and bother to look outside!

Located northeast of the first magnitude star Deneb and some 1,600 ly from Earth is NGC 7000 or the North America Nebula, an enormous H II region that in outline resembles the North American continent. I first encountered this emission nebula at a similar time last year, which was my first experience of such a feature and I was therefore thrilled to capture part of it in my picture; my blog title at the time captures my feelings – WOW! However, taking the image using the longer focal length Skywatcher 150PL with a smaller field-of-view (FOV), the picture only captured part of the ‘USA’ and the ‘Gulf of Mexico’. Furthermore, using an unmodded camera much of the red H-alpha light that is characteristic of these nebulae was not recorded.

Since then my equipment has changed in a number of important ways, so that the William Optics GT81 with a wider FOV would now enable me to image more of the nebula, whilst using a modded DSLR camera would also record much more of the H-alpha light; an additional year’s experience also helped. This time my target was the related IC 5070 and IC 5067 H II regions otherwise known as the Pelican Nebula, situated just west of NGC 7000 and close to Deneb.

The Pelican Nebula, IC5070 & IC 5067. WO GT81 & modded Canon 550D + FF | 30 x 120 secs @ ISO 1,600 + calibration | 19th September 2015

The Pelican Nebula, IC5070 & IC 5067
WO GT81 & modded Canon 550D + FF cropped | 30 x 120 secs @ ISO 1,600 + calibration | 19th September 2015

With an apparent magnitude of +8 the Pelican is generally less bright than its larger +4 neighbour but is no less exciting. The bright double star Cygnus 57 and binary Cygnus 56 shine conspicuously just in front of the ‘bird’ and within the ‘body’ respectively. In addition a bright area at the northern top of the ‘bird’s head’ is an active area of star formation, which ionizes the gases creating the glowing red area.

Whilst missing the impact of being my first H II nebula last time, the larger image of the North America Nebula now captures most of the ‘continent’ and encompasses ‘Central America’. As a result the picture clearly shows the Cygnus Wall, another bright area of star formation that runs along ‘Baja California’ / ‘northern Mexico’ area.

NGC 7000 The North America & Pelican Nebulae
WO GT81 + modded Canon EOS 550D + FF | 30 x 120 secs @ ISO 1,600 + calibration | 19th September 2015

The combined Pelican and North America Nebulae span some 50 ly across, which when imaged together makes a wonderful picture of these spectacular features. I would be happy with this image at any time but after nearly six months away from astroimaging it’s a very pleasing result. I feel re-invigorated, like the phoenix has risen again.

Spring’s Playground

May 12, 2015 by grahamrob in Deep Sky Objects and tagged Coma Berenices, Galaxies, Leo, Virgo | 1 Comment

The night sky has been full of surprises for me this Spring, in particular the very extensive presence of galaxies. Their occurrence has been mostly associated with the constellations of Leo and Virgo but also less well known (to me) Coma Berenices, located between the two aforementioned constellations. Despite being the 42^nd constellation by size and relatively small with few bright stars, Coma Berenices is nonetheless something of a little gem and every bit as interesting as it’s more famous neighbours.

Previously part of the Leo Constellation, Coma Berenices was promoted to a constellation in the 16^th Century and named after Queen Berenice II of Egypt; the asterism was previously considered to be the tuft of hair at the end of the lion’s (Leo) tail, which has now become the ‘Queens Hair’. Though small, Coma Berenices contains eight Messier objects, several globular clusters and is rich in galaxies – including the northern part of the Virgo cluster – also with the North Galactic Pole located within its boundaries. All-in-all the constellation forms an impressive and interesting part of the sky at this time of the year.

Notable objects are: M53 (NGC 5024), M85 (NGC 4382), M88 (NGC 4501), M91 (NGC 4548), M98 (NGC 4192), M99 (NGC 4254), and M100 (NGC 4321). Whilst amongst the more famous features of the Coma Berenices is the Black Eye Galaxy (M64), the Needle Galaxy (NGC 4565) and the Coma Cluster of galaxies.

M64, AKA Black Eye Galaxy, Evil Eye Galaxy or the Sleeping Beauty Galaxy is the brightest in Coma Berenices and gets its name from the dark (black) dust band that obscures the stars in its bright core.

M64 Black Eye Galaxy
WO GT81 & Canon 550D (modded) + FF | 10 x 180 secs @ ISO 1,600 | 11th April 2015

NGC 4565 or the Needle Eye Galaxy is considered one of the finest examples of an edge-on galaxy, thus producing a slender, needle-like profile. Located 40 million light years away, almost directly above the North Galactic Pol, this giant barred spiral galaxy is about one third larger than the Milky Way and is more luminous that Andromeda.

NGC 4565 Needle Eye Galaxy
WO GT81 & Canon 550D (modded) + FF | 10 x 180 secs @ ISO 1,600 | 11th April 2015

Some 60 million light-years away, M88 is located in the lower area of Coma Berenices, is over 100,000 light years diameter and one of the brightest galaxies of the Virgo Cluster.

M88 with other galaxies of the Virgo Cluster nearby.
WO GT81 + Canon 550D (modded) + FF | 20 x 180 secs @ ISO 1,600 | 25th March 2015

Apart from a few occasional opportunities since obtaining my new equipment last Summer, I have been yearning for more galaxies to image and have thoroughly enjoyed Spring’s veritable playground of galaxies that have filled the sky in their hundreds and sometimes thousands since February. Notwithstanding, my 81mm refractor though good struggles to obtain the detail of these magnificent, mind-blowing Deep Sky Objects and I can only look forward to the day of owning a larger aperture telescope and have mastered the art of long-exposure tracking, which I am still working on. In the meantime, I now await the development of the Summer sky and another crack at objects first encountered last year.

All in a spin

April 23, 2015 by grahamrob in Deep Sky Objects and tagged Coma Berenices, DSO Imaging, Galaxies, Star Clusters, Virgo | 1 Comment

It is now just over six months since acquiring my new astronomy equipment and therefore the first time I have experienced imaging DSO objects of the Spring night sky. Following the passage of Leo, the main show has now well and truly arrived as the constellations of first Coma Berenices and then Virgo pass overhead, bringing with them a virtual fireworks type display of spectacular stellar features. To DSO fans Spring means one thing – galaxies – too many to comprehend, making it difficult to know where to start. In my case the detailed beauty of these galaxies will need to wait until I have a substantially larger telescope and can achieve much, much longer exposures. In the meantime I just marvel at the spectacle and have been trying to image some of the more iconic of these springtime beauties. Both constellations seem abound with galaxies but two groups are particularly exciting: the Coma Cluster and Virgo Cluster, within which there a large number of fine examples to choose from.

Just the tip of the iceberg: part of the Virgo Cluster that is crowded by galaxies.

Just the tip of the iceberg: part of the Virgo Cluster crowded with thousands of galaxies.

I was first drawn to Markarain’s Chain in the Virgo Cluster, a string of galaxies that form a gentle curve. Stretched over some x ly the chain includes two Messier Objects – M86 & M84, together with NGC 4438, NGC 4435, NGC 4461, NGC 4458, NGC 4473 & NGC 4477 amongst many others. In fact this entire part of the sky contains literally thousands of galaxies, of which Markarain’s Chain is just a small but interesting part.

Markarain's Chain WO GT81 & Canon 550D + FF | 15 x 180 secs @ ISO 1,600 | 26th March 2015

Markarian’s Chain
WO GT81 & Canon 550D + FF | 15 x 180 secs @ ISO 1,600 | 26th March 2015

Markarian’s Chain (red) & some other galaxies (green) – inverted image.

The one that got away

April 14, 2015 by grahamrob in Deep Sky Objects and tagged DSO Imaging, Galaxies, Leo | Leave a comment

At the end of February the appearance of the Leo constellation marks the end of the winter sky and the transition to Spring. After previously succeeding in imaging the Leo Triplet and M96 group, there remained one feature I still wanted to capture and, after a long period of difficult seeing conditions, I finally got my chance much later in March.

Just west of the lion’s head, south of the star Alterf (Lambda Leonis) is the 10^th magnitude barred spiral galaxy NGC 2903, discovered by no less than William Herschel in 1784. At 12.6’ x 6.0’ (80,000 ly) NGC 2903 is a little smaller than the Milky Way and too small for my equipment to show much detail but it is possible to see the spiral arms and the bright core, which is known to exhibit an exceptional rate of star formation. However, the galaxy’s main notoriety is that this significant feature should have been overlooked by Messier though, to be fair, he did well with 103 other wonderful objects that I’m still working through.

NGC 2903
WO GT81 + Canon 550D & FF | 10 x 180 sec @ ISO 1,600 | 25th March 2015

Spring Skies

April 12, 2015 by grahamrob in Deep Sky Objects, Imaging, Solar system, Widefield Imaging and tagged Pleiades, Taurus, Venus | Leave a comment

It’s three weeks since the Spring Equinox and two weeks since moving to British Summer Time (BST or daylight saving, GMT+1 hour), the result is that the night sky starts much later in the evening and is rapidly decreasing in length; it is just about six weeks before Astronomical Darkness completely ceases and will not come back until the end of July. In addition, through a combination of European pollution and fine sand from the Sahara drifting over South East England this week, otherwise clear skies were badly obscured by the resulting haze. As a result, since shortly before the full Moon on April 4^th astronomy has not been possible – until last night.

The march of time and annual movements of the Solar System inevitably lead to a significant loss of quantity and quality of darkness at this time of the year.

Taken this morning, the contrails over Fairvale Observatory make a striking picture but together with other pollution are having a significant impact on seeing conditions here at the moment.

In the early evening twilight sky for a brief period between sunset and astronomical darkness, at the moment Venus is low on the western horizon. Last night its apparent position was also close to the Pleiades star cluster, making an attractive widefield photograph. Furthermore, shortly before Venus moved below the horizon and the sky had nearly reached Civil Darkness, the constellation Taurus also became visible to the south west with the bull’s ‘eye’ star Alderbaran and the v-shaped Hyades star cluster clearly evident.

Venus at sunset last night: the Pleiades can only just be seen at 2-o’clock to Venus with Taurus on the far left.

Twenty minutes after sunset shortly before reaching Civil Darkness, the Pleiades and Taurus constellation are now quite clear.

Such a picture is a reminder that it is important to consider photography other than telescopic based planetary and deep sky imaging, especially as viewing and imaging conditions become more limited over the forthcoming Summer period.

Big Cat Hunting

February 26, 2015 by grahamrob in Deep Sky Objects, General Astronomy, Imaging and tagged DSO Imaging, Galaxies, Leo | 1 Comment

As we move closer to the Spring Equinox, the winter sky is already rapidly disappearing towards the western horizon and I have been left wondering what next? I was concerned that after successfully imaging the Orion constellation and all its spectacular parts over the past four months, it would be a difficult act to follow, I needn’t have worried. Already starting to appear from late-evening, a series of constellations are about to proceed across the night sky over the next few months which will provide an equally spectacular but different kind of show to Orion.

First of these is the constellation Leo, the celestial Lion, which it turns out is packed with galaxies and double stars. The asterism of Leo is in the shape of a lion which, being dominated by various groups of galaxies holds much imaging promise, with my 81mm telescope providing an ideal field of view.

Located behind Leo’s rear ‘leg’ is the best of these, known as the Leo Triplet or M66 Group, which consists of three galaxies: M66, M65 and NGC 3628. Evidence suggests that these are linked in a gravitational dance with each other which, in the case of NGC 3628, has created a disturbed, unbarred galaxy with a faint 300,000 light-year star to the east. M66 is an intermediate spiral galaxy, with a diameter of about 95,000 light-years and is the largest and brightest of the trio. M65 is a smaller, barred intermediate galaxy. The field of view has also captured other galaxies as well as the orange giant star 73 N Leonis. All-in-all a wonderful image which I hope to return to in order to achieve even better detail using longer exposures, guiding and hopefully a larger telescope one day.

Leo Triplet: M66, M65 & NGC 3628
WO GT81 + modded Canon 550D & FF | 10 x 180 secs + calibration @ ISO1,600 | 21st February 2015

To the west of the Leo Triplet, in the direction of Leo’s dominant star Regulus, is another triple collection of galaxies called the M96 Group. While a little fainter that the Leo Triplet, the M96 Group nonetheless makes a wonderful image accompanied, as it is, by numerous other galaxies and stars. Of the latter, the giant orange 52 K Leonis star dominates the scene.

M69 Group: M105, NGC 3373 & NGC 3371 + other galaxies and orange giant 52 K Leonis WO GT81 + modded Canin 550D & FF | 10 x 180 secs & calibration @ ISO 1,600 @ 21st February 2015

M96 Group: M95, M96, M105, NGC 3373 & NGC 3371 + other galaxies and orange giant 52 K Leonis
WO GT81 + modded Canon 550D & FF | 10 x 180 secs & calibration @ ISO 1,600 @ 21st February 2015

It’s fair to say that the results of my big cat hunting around the constellation Leo have been a pleasant and successful surprise, with further promise still to come as Spring develops. Watch this space!

Inverting the M96 Group image helps show better the galaxies and other significant features.

Parting Shot

February 14, 2015 by grahamrob in Deep Sky Objects, Imaging, Software and tagged DSO Imaging, Nebulae, Orion | 6 Comments

I thought I was finished with Orion for this winter but a high pressure system and clear weather provided an unexpected opportunity on Sunday evening that I couldn’t resist. The good news: as Orion is passing the Meridian by 8.00 pm it provides an early start. The bad news: being near Gatwick Airport, at this time of the evening the sky is full of aeroplanes at Fairvale Observatory, most of them flying directly through the Orion field of view!

With such good weather, I also decided to try out computer control for the first time. I installed EQMOD before Christmas and have since been reading and watching tutorials on its use and experimented operating with it indoors. Frankly I am somewhat intimidated by the large collection of software that is required to go to the next level with imaging and EQMOD is just the first step. However, eventually I just have to do it and this would be the night to start!

EQMOD is a software project written and run by enthusiasts which provides computer control to the mount, thus dispensing with the SynScan handset. It also does much, much more and in general provides far superior control and flexibility, in particular linking control with a chosen planetarium programme – usually either the excellent Stellarium or Carte du Ciel, all of which is free!

Notwithstanding, I still have the major problem of polar alignment as my house completely obstructs all views of the northern sky. For the moment I adopted a belt-and-braces approach, first achieving polar alignment using the SynScan routine before switching to EQMOD control; once comfortable using EQMOD I plan to try out alignment software called Alignmaster, which I hope will allow me to completely dispel with SynScan. On this occasion EQMOD worked a treat. For alignment, just clicking on the object you want to see in the planetarium software (with which EQMOD is linked), the telescope slews and after accurately aligning the scope with the star you press a sync button. It’s so quick that it is easy to rapidly establish five or six (or more) star alignment points, thereby constructing a triangular matrix from which the mount can then track more accurately. There are many other features I have yet to use but so far I like what I see and am in awe of those who have written and maintain the system.

With EQMOD computer control thus established successfully, I set out to image some old ‘friends’ in Orion. Having only recently acquired a modded Canon 550D, it seemed only right to take another look at M42 the Great Orion Nebula and The Flame and Horsehead nebulae.

The impact of modification was immediately evident with M42, it now being much redder than before and with greater detail exhibited in the nebulosity. The tracking also looked OK, though a few stars looked a little bloated, suggesting there’s still work to do on another day i.e. autoguiding.

Orion’s Sword: M42 The Great Orion Nebula, Running Man Nebula & NGC 1981 Star Cluster
WO GT81 + modded Canon 550D & FF | 10 x 180 secs @ ISO 800 & darks calibration | 8th February 2015

The Flame and Horsehead nebulae also show similar improvements and, in the case of the Horsehead, the actual ‘head’ is much clearer than before.

NGC 2024 Flame Nebula & Horsehead Nebula WO GT81 + modded Canon 550D & FF | 10 x 180 secs @ ISO 800 & darks calibration | 8th February 2015

NGC 2024 Flame & Horsehead Nebula; NGS 2023 relection nebula just below/left of the Horsehead
WO GT81 + modded Canon 550D & FF | 10 x 180 secs @ ISO 800 & darks calibration | 8th February 2015

With Orion by now well past the Meridian and the weather holding up well I then decided to try my luck once again with Jupiter, which by now is well located high in the south east sky. Unfortunately like sport, astronomy is a game of two halves. Following the success using EQMOD my experience with Jupiter was a complete failure.

I had previously encountered significant problems with my webcam last year, that mostly stemmed from problems with the capture software and it was here that I was to stumble (fall more like it) once again. Initially Firecapture seemed to boot up OK and recognised the camera, though try as I may I could not see Jupiter on the screen; I knew it was there as I had previously centred and focussed it there. I therefore decided to reboot the software, which was a big mistake. This time Firecapture would not recognise the camera and on trying to de-bug the problem I ended up with the dreaded ‘black screen of death’. Here was the downside of computer control, with the black screen going nowhere I also lost all control of the mount! I therefore retreated to SynScan, parked the telescope and deliberately crashed the computer; I have not yet investigated the problem further since then – watch this space!

It was therefore something of an ignominious end to the evening. However, I was still buoyed by the earlier success of EQMOD and more than happy with what may be my parting shot of Orion for this winter. Au revoir.

Horsehead Nebula with the NGC 2023 reflection nebula, bottom left

Orion in Perspective

February 6, 2015 by grahamrob in Deep Sky Objects, Equipment, General Astronomy, Imaging, Widefield Imaging and tagged Orion, Photography | Leave a comment

Perspective:

The appearance of objects relative to each other, as determined by their distance from the viewer, or the effects of this distance on their appearance – The Free Dictionary.

Noun: The art of representing three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional surface so as to give the right impression on their height, width, depth and position in relation to each other – Oxford English Dictionary

I have just finished an Open University MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) on Orion, which it has to be said was mixed in its content and quality. Notwithstanding, the course provided a useful basic understanding of objects in the Universe, particularly Orion, how they related to each other and as a whole. Through my professional experience I am used to viewing and understanding objects in 3D, all the more so since computer modelling has provided a tool with which to visually illustrate such spatial shapes and relationships. Although it is obvious that such relationships also describe the astronomical space in which we exist i.e. the Universe, and commonly describe the location of stars and other heavenly bodies by their distance, RA and DEC, I have seen very few of these objects visually modelled for common asterisms or constellations.

The constellation of Orion is probably the main feature of the winter night sky and it is certainly my favourite, particularly when looking at its rich content: M42 the Great Orion Nebula, the Running Man Nebula, the Horsehead and Flame Nebulae, M78, Barnard’s Loop and many more. Sadly after more than 4-months imaging these objects for the first time, Orion is now starting to rise very early in the evening and by 11pm is well past the Meridian – it will not be long before this magnificent feature will be gone for another year, until on the very early mornings of next October it will reappear again, can’t wait!

With my new found interest in astroimaging I have almost exclusively used a DSLR camera and focused my attention on DSO features, using a telescope and GoTo mount, somewhat neglecting the use of the camera for basic widefield photography. Apart from the attraction of playing with my new toys, I was put off by the lack of a suitable camera attachment and a wide angle lens; because of the inherent crop factor associated with the cropped digital sensors employed in most DSLR cameras (except very expensive full frame cameras), the real focal length of a camera lens will be extended and hence the field-of-view narrowed – in my case with a x1.61 crop factor, a 50mm lens operates at an apparent focal length of 80mm! However, using the top off an old camera tripod I recently I managed to jerry rig the camera onto the GoTo mount, thus providing tracking and enabling longer exposures. It’s only a start but there is great promise in such photography, as seen on this excellent website, and I intend to pursue more of these images with a better way of attaching the camera and decent wide-angle lens when I can.

As a result, on Christmas Eve I obtained my first reasonable image of the whole Orion constellation, which with better exposure shows the detail, beauty and context of the numerous DSO items contained within and images previously noted.

The Orion Constellation Canon 700D | 27 x 10 secs @ ISO 1,600 & calibration | 24th December 2014

The Orion Constellation
Canon 700D & Telephoto 200 mm | 27 x 10 secs @ ISO 1,600 & calibration | 24th December 2014

In the early days of my astroimaging about 12 months ago, I found focussing something of a challenge but, with the assistance of the wonderful Bahtinov mask and Live View on-screen computer focusing, I thought that had become a thing of the past, unfortunately not! Guided by the infinity mark on the camera lens for focussing, I set out to image some of Orion’s more elusive nebulosity, in particular Barnard’s Loop, with which I am fascinated – its enormous size of some 10^oor 600 arcminutes and complete absence from ordinary view are both intriguing, exciting and challenging. I had tried to photograph this feature before, which completely envelops Orion’s Sword and extends up towards Betelgeuse, but to no avail. With my bodged but useable camera set-up I tried again two weeks ago. This time the problem was once again focussing; it turns out that with widefield astroimaging using a standard camera lens, infinity does not necessarily mean infinity, as there is some leeway either side. The out-of-focus images that resulted could therefore not be stacked but, using a single image, calibration and extensive post-process stretching in Photoshop, Barnard’s Loop was finally revealed and even Lambda Orionis above Betelgeuse and Bellatrix, albeit very noisy and out of focus. Notwithstanding, I am pleased with this enticing glimpse and will return another day to rectify the problems.

The Orion Constellation & Barnard's Loop (up / north is left) AZ-EQ6 Mount + Canon 550D & 200mm Telephoto | 180 secs @ ISO 1,600 & calibration | 22nd January 2015

The Orion Constellation & Barnard’s Loop (up / north is left)
AZ-EQ6 Mount + Canon 550D & Telephoto 200 mm | 180 secs @ ISO 1,600 & calibration | 22nd January 2015

Since my first decent image of the Great Orion Nebula on a very early morning at the beginning of last October, I have had hours of fun and some frustration imaging various parts of the Orion Constellation. But despite my new familiarity with the Orion constellation, 3D modelling and, I’d like to think, good spatial awareness, I was still pleasantly surprised and impressed by this wonderful 3D video of the constellation produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute for NASA and used during the aforementioned Open University course, which really does put it all into perspective: The True Shape of Orion.

Busy Bees

February 1, 2015 by grahamrob in AstroBin, Deep Sky Objects, Imaging and tagged Cancer, DSO Imaging, Star Clusters | 1 Comment

Cancer AKA the Crab, is the dimmest of the zodiacal constellations and generally lacking in notable objects except, at its centre, lying almost on the Ecliptic just 600 light-years from Earth, M44 is one of the closest star clusters to the Solar System. More engagingly, M44 derives its alternative name from its appearance as a swarm of stars dancing actively like bees i.e. the Beehive Cluster. Its Latin equivalent, Praesepe means hive, manger or crib.

At 600 million years old its dancing stars must be considered quite youthful compared to our Sun’s 4.5 billion years and are thought to have been created from the same, very large molecular cloud as Hyades in the constellation of Taurus. An open cluster of some 1,000 stars, M44 spans 15 light-years across or about 1.5^o. A few but distinctive yellow-orange tinted red giants stand out, scattered amongst the brighter hot blue stars, making an attractive image, one I expect to return to during the next three or more months as The Crab shuffles westwards across the night sky before giving way to views of a Spring and Summer nature.