When to, what to – photograph

2018.02.03.
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a year of the Lagoon nebula, observed from a forgotten corner of Transylvania

You may already know my astronomy catalog search engine, the DSO. It includes all the catalogs we amateurs use: the Messier, Caldwell, NGC, IC, Arp, SH2, Collinder, Melotte, Abell planetaries, it even grabs the list of exoplanets from a wiki page to always be up to date. But this is not all. It includes some ugly formulae to know about the position of the Sun and the Moon, and do some math based on  the geolocation of the user. The DSO however is more like a text mode tool, or an API. It is good to just look up what Messier 51 or NGC 7000 is. Anything more complex requires some heavy wizardry even I don’t master and need to look up in the help I fortunately did write.

(tovább…)

my astrophotos, 2017

2018.01.01.
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See the previous compilations:

Jupiter 2017-06-03

2017.12.26.
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During the night of 2017-06-03-04.

NGC 281 Pacman Nebula

2017.12.25.
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NGC 281 Pacman Nebula

During the summer, I imaged the Pacman Nebula, NGC 281 [open cluster+nebula in Cas]  7m ø25′ [wiki] [simbad] 750mm using the usual setup, N 150/750, Baader MPCC Mark III, Canon 1100D mod, HEQ5, guided by the resurrected gear,  and acquired 25×5 min at ISO 1600.

(tovább…)

The Large Magellanic Cloud – LMC

2017.12.25.
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the LMC

The LMC is the largest of the satellite galaxies of the Milky Way. Its surface brightness is higher than that of our galaxy’s. The LMC hosts the most active starburst region known in the Local Group of galaxies, the Tarantula Nebula. I acquired 47×3 min, ISO 800 with a 50 mm f/1.8@f/4.5 on the Canon 1100D mod. During my visit to Namibia, the Magellanic Clouds’ position was the least favorable, thus the pictures aren’t the best. The orange hue on the raw image is due to the strong airglow we’ve encountered, there was no light pollution.

(tovább…)

The Small Magellanic Cloud

2017.12.25.
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SMC

I imaged the satellite of the Milky Way from Namibia during my 2016 visit. I acquired 21×2 min, ISO 800 with a cheap 50 mm f/1.8 dialed to f/2.2, with the Canon 1100D mod, from the HEQ5 mount. The considerably orange background is no light pollution, it is airglow.

The other prominent objects are 47 Tuc cluster: C 106, NGC 104 [globular cluster in Tuc] 47 Tuc 4m ø50′ [wiki] [simbad] 750mm and another, fainter globular cluster, the C 104, NGC 362 [globular cluster in Tuc] 6.8m ø12.9′ [wiki] [simbad] 750mm. The brighest patch in the SMC is the open cluster and associated nebulosity  NGC 346 [open cluster+nebula in Tuc] 10.3m ø14′ [wiki] [simbad] [photo-planner], which is actually located in that galaxy.  (tovább…)

Propeller Nebula

2017.10.29.
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Simeis 57 Propeller Nebula, 14×4 min

 

With my usual setup, the N 150/750, Baader MPCC Mark III, Canon 1100D mod, HEQ5, autoguided, I imaged the Propeller Nebula from the Curmături cabin. I acquired 14×4 min ISO 1600 light that turned out to be usable, the rest of the frames suffering from guiding errors. The object itself is close to γ Cyg, Sadr, and it is part of the huge nebulous complex in the area.

Simeis 57 [H II nebula in Cyg] Propeller Nebula, by location: DWB 111, Simeis 57 ø20′ [simbad] 750mm

(tovább…)

Baby Eagle Nebula – LBN 777

2017.10.23.
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Baby Eagle Nebula, ~15×4 min, ISO 3200

At Curmături, I imaged the Baby Eagle Nebula, a fairly hard target, visually invisible through our telescopes. I obtained 12×4 min at ISO 3200 and some other frames (one at 10 minutes, ISO 800), with my usual gear N 150/750, Baader MPCC Mark III, Canon 1100D mod, HEQ5, autoguided.

[nebula in Tau] Vulture Head Nebula, Baby Eagle Nebula, Sasfióka-köd, LBN 777  ø30′ 750mm

Nice catches are some fainter galaxies, the UGC 2931, MCG+04-10-015, UGC 2946.

PGC 14333, UGC 02931 [galaxy in Tau] 15.43m ø0.81′ [simbad] [photo-planner]

 

(tovább…)

Curmături Astrocamp, autumn of 2017

2017.10.22.
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foto: Fane Pop-Cot

I think, the best observation night I’ve ever had in Europe, was the night of 2017-10-20, at the Curmături Cabin, in Alba County. There was some airglow, but not a cloud, steady seeing, 21.4m-21.8m sky (the lamp posts were turned off for us, and the few neighbors were kind enough to limit their outward shine), no wind, electricity from the power grid, negligible to no humidity (no dew heaters needed). Although only one night was usable for astrophotography.

I used my usual gear, the N 150/750, Baader MPCC Mark III, Canon 1100D mod, HEQ5, autoguider.

(tovább…)

M33, the Triangulum Galaxy- astROmania2017

2017.09.20.
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M33 Triangulum Galaxy

During the astronomy camp, I turned my telescope multiple times towards M33 with little success. Although it seems like an easy target, the weather was working against me, or perhaps the planets were simply misaligned :P Finally I settled with 18×5 min, ISO 1600, with the modified Canon 1100D,  N 150/750, Baader MPCC Mark III, HEQ5 with the resurrected guiding system. And I say settle, because the collimation was visibly off. So I had to invent a way to correct it, and I came up with a very crude php script that basically says: if you are a bright star, show me your center of gravity, then let me go around you and put some of your misaligned light to the other side. The outcome was far from a success but spared me from doing it manually on each and every star.

M 33, NGC 598 [galaxy in Tri] Triangulum galaxy, Triangulum-galaxis, Galaxia Triunghiului 5.8m ø70.8′ [wiki] [simbad] 750mm, 400mm

 

(tovább…)

Jól kalibrált monitoron mindegyik számnál elkülönülő árnyalat látszik. Ha mégsem látszanak, akkor a megjelenített képek színhiányosan rajzolódnak ki. A monitort valószínűleg kalibrálni kell.

You should see distinct shades for each number. If those shades are not clearly visible, the displayed pictures will lack accuracy. Your display most likely needs to be calibrated (brightness, gamma, contrast etc.).