🔭 NGC 5485 Galaxy Group (LGG 373) Deep Field by
This deep-sky image captures the NGC 5485 galaxy group, located approximately 27 Mpc away in Ursa Major. The group is anchored by the massive elliptical galaxy NGC 5485 (center) along with NGC 5473 and other member galaxies. This region has gained particular scientific interest as the home to several ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs) discovered by the Dragonfly survey - extremely low surface brightness galaxies with large effective radii that challenge our understanding of galaxy formation. These ghostly UDGs, barely visible even in deep exposures, represent some of the most diffuse galaxies known and provide valuable insights into galaxy evolution in group environments.
My partner Weitang Liang has released [url=https://www.astrobin.com/b328ay/]a complete version covering the entire M101 area[/url].
fernando83This deep-sky image captures the NGC 5485 galaxy group, located approximately 27 Mpc away in Ursa Major. The group is anchored by the massive elliptical galaxy NGC 5485 (center) along with NGC 5473 and other member galaxies. This region has gained particular scientific interest as the home to several ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs) discovered by the Dragonfly survey - extremely low surface brightness galaxies with large effective radii that challenge our understanding of galaxy formation. These ghostly UDGs, barely visible even in deep exposures, represent some of the most diffuse galaxies known and provide valuable insights into galaxy evolution in group environments.
My partner Weitang Liang has released [url=https://www.astrobin.com/b328ay/]a complete version covering the entire M101 area[/url].
🔭 Montes Apenninus / Montes Caucasus / Montes Alpes, a scenic journey from Eratosthenes to Plato by
Seeing was very good for a longer period of time and transparancy was an 8 out of 10 during most of the frame acquisition, so I decided to go for a 3x focal extender on my 10” newtonian in combination with the ASI678MM and a red filter. The mosaic consists of 14 panels, each panel had 3000 frames of which 15% were stacked.
The distance from top to bottom in this image is around 1500 kilometers (in an arc). The image is 5500 pixels in height, so the resolution is approximately 270 meter per pixel (give or take).
p0larisSeeing was very good for a longer period of time and transparancy was an 8 out of 10 during most of the frame acquisition, so I decided to go for a 3x focal extender on my 10” newtonian in combination with the ASI678MM and a red filter. The mosaic consists of 14 panels, each panel had 3000 frames of which 15% were stacked.
The distance from top to bottom in this image is around 1500 kilometers (in an arc). The image is 5500 pixels in height, so the resolution is approximately 270 meter per pixel (give or take).
🔭 M8 by
I am very fortunate to have processed a few high quality images of M8 and I am constantly impressed by the amazing range of color available in the data.
This is a closer view in SHO, of the fine detail that can be found in the traditionally brighter core area of the Lagoon Nebula.
wsgI am very fortunate to have processed a few high quality images of M8 and I am constantly impressed by the amazing range of color available in the data.
This is a closer view in SHO, of the fine detail that can be found in the traditionally brighter core area of the Lagoon Nebula.
🔭 M82 - The Cigar Galaxy by
Had trouble processing the entire frame (which included M81), so just went ahead and cropped in on M82. Things are simpler when you focus on just the one object! Hopefully my processing skills will improve over time and I can tackle the entire frame in one.
BackyardSpaceDudeHad trouble processing the entire frame (which included M81), so just went ahead and cropped in on M82. Things are simpler when you focus on just the one object! Hopefully my processing skills will improve over time and I can tackle the entire frame in one.
🔭 Venus by
This image was captured using an optimized 16" carbon truss Newtonian telescope with a 400 mm aperture.
A [b]ZWO ASI 178 mono camera[/b] was used for the capture. In amateur astrophotography, Venus is often imaged in the [b]infrared (IR) for the red channel[/b], as atmospheric details are more visible in this range. The [b]blue channel[/b] was recorded using a [b]UV filter (U-Venus)[/b], since the upper cloud layers show strong structures in the ultraviolet. As very few details appear in the green part of the spectrum, the [b]green channel is artificially created[/b] by blending the red and blue channels. This results in a detailed, full-color image with maximum information content.
PCPointerDEThis image was captured using an optimized 16" carbon truss Newtonian telescope with a 400 mm aperture.
A [b]ZWO ASI 178 mono camera[/b] was used for the capture. In amateur astrophotography, Venus is often imaged in the [b]infrared (IR) for the red channel[/b], as atmospheric details are more visible in this range. The [b]blue channel[/b] was recorded using a [b]UV filter (U-Venus)[/b], since the upper cloud layers show strong structures in the ultraviolet. As very few details appear in the green part of the spectrum, the [b]green channel is artificially created[/b] by blending the red and blue channels. This results in a detailed, full-color image with maximum information content.
🔭 LDN43 - a cosmic firebat by
LDN43 is a region of dark nebula near the blue horsehead nebula. The nebula looks like a bat gliding through the cosmos, while the Halpha signal adds a ring of fire to the bat. Data acquired with Chilescope's T2 (ASA500N), LRGBHa totaling 740 minutes.
Flying_DutchmanLDN43 is a region of dark nebula near the blue horsehead nebula. The nebula looks like a bat gliding through the cosmos, while the Halpha signal adds a ring of fire to the bat. Data acquired with Chilescope's T2 (ASA500N), LRGBHa totaling 740 minutes.
🔭 Solar War of the Worlds by
During routine solar surveillance, we detected a prominence on the Sun’s eastern limb with an uncanny resemblance to a [i]War of the Worlds[/i]-style tripod. Its “legs”, long filamentous streams of superheated plasma extend tens of thousands of kilometers down to the solar surface, supporting a bulbous, pod-like structure suspended in the corona.
Despite the ominous shape, the structure moved only slowly over the course of an hour. Scientists classify it as a [i]loop prominence[/i], plasma trapped and suspended by powerful magnetic fields. And while we can’t [i]seriously[/i] claim alien engineering, you have to admit it has the classic sci-fi invasion silhouette.
For scale: each “leg” is several times the diameter of Earth, and the entire structure could easily engulf our planet. Luckily, the Martians appear to be moving at about one inch per century, so we should be safe until the year 8,002,025.
Special thanks to [b]Jason Providakes[/b] for providing the observing site, and to [b]Eric[/b], my tag-team partner in this solar adventure. Without them, this little slice of cosmic sci-fi wouldn’t have been possible.
grus23During routine solar surveillance, we detected a prominence on the Sun’s eastern limb with an uncanny resemblance to a [i]War of the Worlds[/i]-style tripod. Its “legs”, long filamentous streams of superheated plasma extend tens of thousands of kilometers down to the solar surface, supporting a bulbous, pod-like structure suspended in the corona.
Despite the ominous shape, the structure moved only slowly over the course of an hour. Scientists classify it as a [i]loop prominence[/i], plasma trapped and suspended by powerful magnetic fields. And while we can’t [i]seriously[/i] claim alien engineering, you have to admit it has the classic sci-fi invasion silhouette.
For scale: each “leg” is several times the diameter of Earth, and the entire structure could easily engulf our planet. Luckily, the Martians appear to be moving at about one inch per century, so we should be safe until the year 8,002,025.
Special thanks to [b]Jason Providakes[/b] for providing the observing site, and to [b]Eric[/b], my tag-team partner in this solar adventure. Without them, this little slice of cosmic sci-fi wouldn’t have been possible.
🔭 Gremlin in Lupus 3 (Berens 149) by
This interesting area in the Lupus 3 molecular cloud, at the border of the Scorpius and Lupus constellations about 500 light years away, contains Bernes 149, a blue reflection nebula. Infrared observations revealed numerous protostars, young stars, and Herbig-Haro objects; HH78 is seen as a red spot above the image center, in a dark cloud.
The Bernes catalog lists 160 bright nebulae mostly overlapping with other catalogs but includes around 50 unique entries such as Bernes 149 in Lupus 3.
Taken at El Sauce Chile 24”CDK and Moravian C5
Lum-35x600, RGB-36x300 each
Data by SWSO Imaging team
Image Processing: Mark Hanson
Enjoy,
Mark
MhansonThis interesting area in the Lupus 3 molecular cloud, at the border of the Scorpius and Lupus constellations about 500 light years away, contains Bernes 149, a blue reflection nebula. Infrared observations revealed numerous protostars, young stars, and Herbig-Haro objects; HH78 is seen as a red spot above the image center, in a dark cloud.
The Bernes catalog lists 160 bright nebulae mostly overlapping with other catalogs but includes around 50 unique entries such as Bernes 149 in Lupus 3.
Taken at El Sauce Chile 24”CDK and Moravian C5
Lum-35x600, RGB-36x300 each
Data by SWSO Imaging team
Image Processing: Mark Hanson
Enjoy,
Mark
🔭 Saturn 22-Aug-25 by
Excellent seeing last night allowed for my best image of Saturn to date. (L-R) Dione, Rhea, Mimas, and Tethys are seen alongside the rings, with the latter casting its shadow onto the cloud tops. This data set also had my clearest detection of the Encke gap yet, which is somewhat surprising given the tight angle of the rings currently.
Thanks to the good conditions I was able to use a luminance that incorporated all of the data (namely a 50/50 split between OSC and IR642). This allowed for all 80 minutes of data to be integrated resulting in a sharp yet smooth result.
- 24” Dob, 4x PM, ADC, Uranus-M/C at 10600mm f/17.6.
tw__astroExcellent seeing last night allowed for my best image of Saturn to date. (L-R) Dione, Rhea, Mimas, and Tethys are seen alongside the rings, with the latter casting its shadow onto the cloud tops. This data set also had my clearest detection of the Encke gap yet, which is somewhat surprising given the tight angle of the rings currently.
Thanks to the good conditions I was able to use a luminance that incorporated all of the data (namely a 50/50 split between OSC and IR642). This allowed for all 80 minutes of data to be integrated resulting in a sharp yet smooth result.
- 24” Dob, 4x PM, ADC, Uranus-M/C at 10600mm f/17.6.
🔭 Planetary System Season 2024/2025 by
Bonjour
Voici mon image de fin de saison 2024/2025 du système solaire avec l'ensemble de ses astres photographiés pendant cette session .
Toutes les images ont été déjà publiées ces derniers mois
L' ensemble des planètes (sauf la terre..LOL..) avec la Lune et le soleil en Halpha sont représentés sur cette image.
Vu les contraintes du système solaire, la représentation de tous ces astres n'est pas à l'échelle les uns par rapport aux autres ainsi que les distances qui les séparent ..
Enfin la majorité des satellites sont aussi présent (sauf Japet), et la taille des orbites des satellites par rapport à la planète a été cette fois-ci respectée ..
Pour les images de Jupiter et Saturne, j'ai volontairement ajouté des images de satellites venant de différentes images publiées pour réaliser la composition finale.
Voici les références des images publiées:
Soleil:
https://www.astrobin.com/gfncky/
Lune:
https://www.astrobin.com/r5ijdj/
Mercure :
https://www.astrobin.com/30nqah/
Venus:
https://www.astrobin.com/8nh6ja/
Mars:
https://www.astrobin.com/bduylr/
Jupiter & Io:
https://www.astrobin.com/2lokug/
Europe, Ganymède & Callisto :
https://www.astrobin.com/zh7sk6/
Saturne, Mimas, Encelade, Tethys, Rhéa & Dione:
https://www.astrobin.com/fu7pbv/
Titan:
https://www.astrobin.com/pjbmcc/
Uranus, Miranda, Oberon, Titania, Ariel & Umbriel:
https://www.astrobin.com/1ksxkf/
Neptune & Triton:
https://www.astrobin.com/yzc3lh/
A noter, toutes les images ont été faites dans la banlieue de Paris avec différents télescopes, lunette et accessoires...
Comme d'habitude n'hésitez pas à m'envoyer vos remarques et commentaires !! ...
A bientôt pour de nouvelles aventures
Georges
Hi
Here is my end of season image of the solar system for 2024/2025, featuring all of its celestial bodies photographed during this session.
All images have already been published in recent months.
All of the planets (except Earth...LOL...) with the Moon and the Sun in Halpha are represented in this image.
Due to the constraints of the solar system, the representation of all of these celestial bodies is not to scale with respect to each other, nor are the distances separating them.
Finally, the majority of the satellites are also present (except Iapetus), and the size of the satellites' orbits relative to the planet has been respected this time.
For the images of Jupiter and Saturn, I deliberately added satellite images from various published images to create the final composition.
Here are the references for the published images:
Sun:
https://www.astrobin.com/gfncky/
Moon:
https://www.astrobin.com/r5ijdj/
Mercury:
https://www.astrobin.com/30nqah/
Venus:
https://www.astrobin.com/8nh6ja/
Mars:
https://www.astrobin.com/bduylr/
Jupiter & Io:
https://www.astrobin.com/2lokug/
Europa, Ganymede & Callisto:
https://www.astrobin.com/zh7sk6/
Saturn, Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Rhea & Dione:
https://www.astrobin.com/fu7pbv/
Titan:
https://www.astrobin.com/pjbmcc/
Uranus, Miranda, Oberon, Titania, Ariel & Umbriel:
https://www.astrobin.com/1ksxkf/
Neptune & Triton:
https://www.astrobin.com/yzc3lh/
Please note: all images were taken in the suburbs of Paris using various telescopes, refractors, and accessories...
As always, please feel free to send me your comments and feedback! ...
See you soon for new adventures,
Georges
GeorgesBonjour
Voici mon image de fin de saison 2024/2025 du système solaire avec l'ensemble de ses astres photographiés pendant cette session .
Toutes les images ont été déjà publiées ces derniers mois
L' ensemble des planètes (sauf la terre..LOL..) avec la Lune et le soleil en Halpha sont représentés sur cette image.
Vu les contraintes du système solaire, la représentation de tous ces astres n'est pas à l'échelle les uns par rapport aux autres ainsi que les distances qui les séparent ..
Enfin la majorité des satellites sont aussi présent (sauf Japet), et la taille des orbites des satellites par rapport à la planète a été cette fois-ci respectée ..
Pour les images de Jupiter et Saturne, j'ai volontairement ajouté des images de satellites venant de différentes images publiées pour réaliser la composition finale.
Voici les références des images publiées:
Soleil:
https://www.astrobin.com/gfncky/
Lune:
https://www.astrobin.com/r5ijdj/
Mercure :
https://www.astrobin.com/30nqah/
Venus:
https://www.astrobin.com/8nh6ja/
Mars:
https://www.astrobin.com/bduylr/
Jupiter & Io:
https://www.astrobin.com/2lokug/
Europe, Ganymède & Callisto :
https://www.astrobin.com/zh7sk6/
Saturne, Mimas, Encelade, Tethys, Rhéa & Dione:
https://www.astrobin.com/fu7pbv/
Titan:
https://www.astrobin.com/pjbmcc/
Uranus, Miranda, Oberon, Titania, Ariel & Umbriel:
https://www.astrobin.com/1ksxkf/
Neptune & Triton:
https://www.astrobin.com/yzc3lh/
A noter, toutes les images ont été faites dans la banlieue de Paris avec différents télescopes, lunette et accessoires...
Comme d'habitude n'hésitez pas à m'envoyer vos remarques et commentaires !! ...
A bientôt pour de nouvelles aventures
Georges
Hi
Here is my end of season image of the solar system for 2024/2025, featuring all of its celestial bodies photographed during this session.
All images have already been published in recent months.
All of the planets (except Earth...LOL...) with the Moon and the Sun in Halpha are represented in this image.
Due to the constraints of the solar system, the representation of all of these celestial bodies is not to scale with respect to each other, nor are the distances separating them.
Finally, the majority of the satellites are also present (except Iapetus), and the size of the satellites' orbits relative to the planet has been respected this time.
For the images of Jupiter and Saturn, I deliberately added satellite images from various published images to create the final composition.
Here are the references for the published images:
Sun:
https://www.astrobin.com/gfncky/
Moon:
https://www.astrobin.com/r5ijdj/
Mercury:
https://www.astrobin.com/30nqah/
Venus:
https://www.astrobin.com/8nh6ja/
Mars:
https://www.astrobin.com/bduylr/
Jupiter & Io:
https://www.astrobin.com/2lokug/
Europa, Ganymede & Callisto:
https://www.astrobin.com/zh7sk6/
Saturn, Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Rhea & Dione:
https://www.astrobin.com/fu7pbv/
Titan:
https://www.astrobin.com/pjbmcc/
Uranus, Miranda, Oberon, Titania, Ariel & Umbriel:
https://www.astrobin.com/1ksxkf/
Neptune & Triton:
https://www.astrobin.com/yzc3lh/
Please note: all images were taken in the suburbs of Paris using various telescopes, refractors, and accessories...
As always, please feel free to send me your comments and feedback! ...
See you soon for new adventures,
Georges
🔭 The Shadow of the Earth by
When you see this image, you’ll understand exactly how a total lunar eclipse works!
On September 8:
00:27 – A small part of the moon becomes shadowed
01:30 – The moon fully enters Earth’s shadow
02:12 – The moon aligns with Earth and the sun, reaching the darkest point
02:53 – The moon begins to move out of Earth’s shadow
03:56 – The moon completely exits Earth’s shadow
At this point, the umbral lunar eclipse concludes perfectly.
(The sequence in the image is from right to left.)
Gear used: Celestron EdgeHD 9.25", Canon R5 Mark II, AM5 equatorial mount, ToupTek G3M678M guide camera
Shooting technique: Captured a set of 5 bracketed exposures at 1-minute intervals, merged into HDR using Camera Raw in Photoshop during post-processing.
astrohenryWhen you see this image, you’ll understand exactly how a total lunar eclipse works!
On September 8:
00:27 – A small part of the moon becomes shadowed
01:30 – The moon fully enters Earth’s shadow
02:12 – The moon aligns with Earth and the sun, reaching the darkest point
02:53 – The moon begins to move out of Earth’s shadow
03:56 – The moon completely exits Earth’s shadow
At this point, the umbral lunar eclipse concludes perfectly.
(The sequence in the image is from right to left.)
Gear used: Celestron EdgeHD 9.25", Canon R5 Mark II, AM5 equatorial mount, ToupTek G3M678M guide camera
Shooting technique: Captured a set of 5 bracketed exposures at 1-minute intervals, merged into HDR using Camera Raw in Photoshop during post-processing.
🔭 Venus X Moon daylight - Space Odyssey version by
3 panels mosaic.
This was a very energy-intensive image. I got up at five in the morning and set up the composition for the mosaic while it was still dark. Then I kept track of it all day (I took a day off for the picture) and started mosaicking before the planetary alignment. By the way, I almost missed it, that's how it was when I realized it and got back to the center. My work since dawn almost went to waste, 30 seconds short. It was close...
Then, because of the daylight, the hardest part was the reflections and glare in Newton, as it was only a few degrees from the sun. At first, I tried to hold a light cover by hand, but it was impossible because of the constant movement. I ran to the stationery store for some black cardboard, but it was wobbly. Then, for lack of anything better, I cobbled together a movable sunshade from a ladder, a telescopic ceiling rod, and an Opel cardboard box. That worked relatively well.
[img]https://cdn.astrobin.com/ckeditor-files/166735/2025/2c222835-d13f-40c3-b9d7-3c551cbca1db.jpg[/img]
lorandfenyes3 panels mosaic.
This was a very energy-intensive image. I got up at five in the morning and set up the composition for the mosaic while it was still dark. Then I kept track of it all day (I took a day off for the picture) and started mosaicking before the planetary alignment. By the way, I almost missed it, that's how it was when I realized it and got back to the center. My work since dawn almost went to waste, 30 seconds short. It was close...
Then, because of the daylight, the hardest part was the reflections and glare in Newton, as it was only a few degrees from the sun. At first, I tried to hold a light cover by hand, but it was impossible because of the constant movement. I ran to the stationery store for some black cardboard, but it was wobbly. Then, for lack of anything better, I cobbled together a movable sunshade from a ladder, a telescopic ceiling rod, and an Opel cardboard box. That worked relatively well.
[img]https://cdn.astrobin.com/ckeditor-files/166735/2025/2c222835-d13f-40c3-b9d7-3c551cbca1db.jpg[/img]
🔭 IC2220, Toby Jug Nebula by
This unusual and difficult to process (for me 😵💫) bipolar cloud of gas and dust resides in the southern hemisphere in the constellation Carina.Also know as the Toby Jug Nebula, IC2220 lies 1200 light years from my backyard and is a reflection Nebula made up of Star HR3126 which is an “end of life ”red giant.”A Toby Jug is and old English drinking vessel.
wsgThis unusual and difficult to process (for me 😵💫) bipolar cloud of gas and dust resides in the southern hemisphere in the constellation Carina.Also know as the Toby Jug Nebula, IC2220 lies 1200 light years from my backyard and is a reflection Nebula made up of Star HR3126 which is an “end of life ”red giant.”A Toby Jug is and old English drinking vessel.
🔭 Gassendi Crater by
Gassendi crater from this morning. A collaboration with Ken Lo (HK) while he visited for the weekend. 24" Dob, 3x ES, IR642 at 8100mm f/13.5. Average seeing.
tw__astroGassendi crater from this morning. A collaboration with Ken Lo (HK) while he visited for the weekend. 24" Dob, 3x ES, IR642 at 8100mm f/13.5. Average seeing.
🔭 Jones 1 (PK 104-29.1) in HOO w/ RGB Stars by
Not to be confused with Jones-Emberson 1, this is a pretty faint planetary nebula. I’m not thrilled with the sky brightness. I need to rework this one at some point — maybe tomorrow, but for now this is what I’ve come up with. It’s a combination of Ha and OIII, but the OIII is really dominant here. Ha only really appears in a wispy filament below the PN.ETA: I just realized that a quasar is to the lower left of Jones 1: RX J23360+3023. I can’t find much about it, but noticed it when I saw a fellow member’s image highlighting it.https://app.astrobin.com/i/270104?r=E
shirejediNot to be confused with Jones-Emberson 1, this is a pretty faint planetary nebula. I’m not thrilled with the sky brightness. I need to rework this one at some point — maybe tomorrow, but for now this is what I’ve come up with. It’s a combination of Ha and OIII, but the OIII is really dominant here. Ha only really appears in a wispy filament below the PN.ETA: I just realized that a quasar is to the lower left of Jones 1: RX J23360+3023. I can’t find much about it, but noticed it when I saw a fellow member’s image highlighting it.https://app.astrobin.com/i/270104?r=E
🔭 NGC 1055, An Unusual Edge-On Spiral in Cetus by
I can be pretty lazy about selecting new targets. I don’t maintain a list of potential targets, though I sometimes have a few interesting objects bouncing around in the back of my mind. More often than not, I finish a target and then scratch my head over what I want to go after next. So, when @Adam Block published his excellent image of NGC 1055, I was finishing up another target and it caught my attention. I love galaxies with interesting features and the extended halo around this galaxy fit the bill. Not only that, it was high in the sky. I have to admit that I feel a little cheap following on Adam’s heals but still, I wondered what I could do with it and as Adam implied, it’s not a trivial target.NGC 1055 is a nearly edge-on, type SBb spiral galaxy located at a distance of about 52 Mly in the constellation of Cetus. It has an apparent size of 7.6’ x 2. 7’ and an apparent magnitude of 11.4. The extended halo is interesting but so is the detail along the central dust lanes. If you look carefully, you can see evidence of the spiral structure in this extreme edge-on view.I could see right away that the challenge for my scope would be the two bright stars, HD16835 and HD16786, that have magnitudes of 6.80 and 6.68. These two stars are very close to the galaxy and I knew right away that scattered light and halos from these two stars would be a significant problem. The cropped image below shows the problem. The bight colorful halos and scattered light almost certainly come from strays created by the field flattener in my telescope.📷 NGC 1055 Full Field.jpgRather than trying to salvage the bright star images, I decided to go for a tighter crop on the galaxy itself. Of course, some of that stray light still extends into the field no matter how tight the crop. So what to do? I tried a few different strategies but settled on simply using the DynamicBackExtraction tool in PI. DBE allows manual selection of sample points so I added a large number of points in the stray light regions. I then use a high order fit (5) to insure a reasonable fit to the odd signal profile and bingo! DBE did a pretty good job of flattening the background. There is a still tiny bit of the glow remaining but it’s minor and within what you’d expect for such bright stars located just outside of the field. I had to do a little hand work to remove the diffraction spikes that extended all the way through the image as well. Overall, I was pretty happy with the result. It’s a tighter crop than I would normally choose but the data supports it—as long as you don’t get overly enthusiastic about pixel peeping. Remember, NGC 1055 is a small object and this is a pretty tight crop of the full field.Finally, you might wonder why in the world I spent over 82 hours on this thing. First, the seeing was generally pretty poor while I was on this object. I used to sort my data and had I done that, I’m sure that I would have probably tossed out half of the data that I gathered. Now, I just let the weighting factors sort it all out and that means that I list the total amount of data that I took—even though some of it probably contributes very little to the final result. The second reason was that I didn’t have another object on deck and with every passing night the seeing was getting just a little better. So, I hung in there taking more and more data. The best FWHM was about 1.1” and the worst was around 6”. Remember: More data is alway better than less data—and that’s especially true when you are going after something really faint like the halo around this galaxy.Hope you enjoy it. As always, C&C is always welcome.John
jhayes_tucsonI can be pretty lazy about selecting new targets. I don’t maintain a list of potential targets, though I sometimes have a few interesting objects bouncing around in the back of my mind. More often than not, I finish a target and then scratch my head over what I want to go after next. So, when @Adam Block published his excellent image of NGC 1055, I was finishing up another target and it caught my attention. I love galaxies with interesting features and the extended halo around this galaxy fit the bill. Not only that, it was high in the sky. I have to admit that I feel a little cheap following on Adam’s heals but still, I wondered what I could do with it and as Adam implied, it’s not a trivial target.NGC 1055 is a nearly edge-on, type SBb spiral galaxy located at a distance of about 52 Mly in the constellation of Cetus. It has an apparent size of 7.6’ x 2. 7’ and an apparent magnitude of 11.4. The extended halo is interesting but so is the detail along the central dust lanes. If you look carefully, you can see evidence of the spiral structure in this extreme edge-on view.I could see right away that the challenge for my scope would be the two bright stars, HD16835 and HD16786, that have magnitudes of 6.80 and 6.68. These two stars are very close to the galaxy and I knew right away that scattered light and halos from these two stars would be a significant problem. The cropped image below shows the problem. The bight colorful halos and scattered light almost certainly come from strays created by the field flattener in my telescope.📷 NGC 1055 Full Field.jpgRather than trying to salvage the bright star images, I decided to go for a tighter crop on the galaxy itself. Of course, some of that stray light still extends into the field no matter how tight the crop. So what to do? I tried a few different strategies but settled on simply using the DynamicBackExtraction tool in PI. DBE allows manual selection of sample points so I added a large number of points in the stray light regions. I then use a high order fit (5) to insure a reasonable fit to the odd signal profile and bingo! DBE did a pretty good job of flattening the background. There is a still tiny bit of the glow remaining but it’s minor and within what you’d expect for such bright stars located just outside of the field. I had to do a little hand work to remove the diffraction spikes that extended all the way through the image as well. Overall, I was pretty happy with the result. It’s a tighter crop than I would normally choose but the data supports it—as long as you don’t get overly enthusiastic about pixel peeping. Remember, NGC 1055 is a small object and this is a pretty tight crop of the full field.Finally, you might wonder why in the world I spent over 82 hours on this thing. First, the seeing was generally pretty poor while I was on this object. I used to sort my data and had I done that, I’m sure that I would have probably tossed out half of the data that I gathered. Now, I just let the weighting factors sort it all out and that means that I list the total amount of data that I took—even though some of it probably contributes very little to the final result. The second reason was that I didn’t have another object on deck and with every passing night the seeing was getting just a little better. So, I hung in there taking more and more data. The best FWHM was about 1.1” and the worst was around 6”. Remember: More data is alway better than less data—and that’s especially true when you are going after something really faint like the halo around this galaxy.Hope you enjoy it. As always, C&C is always welcome.John
🔭 Northern Lights on Norris Lake by
A six panel panorama of the Northern Lights event on 11/11/25 in East Tennessee. Taken along the shore of Norris Lake with a Sony A1ii, Sony 14mm f/1.8 lens.
pmont1A six panel panorama of the Northern Lights event on 11/11/25 in East Tennessee. Taken along the shore of Norris Lake with a Sony A1ii, Sony 14mm f/1.8 lens.
🔭 Messier's globulars by
By now, it's no secret that I'm trying to complete the Messier catalog by photographing all 110 objects listed there, and today I managed to put together the first piece of this photographic marathon I began over four years ago: grouping together all the globular clusters (my favorite objects, but this is no secret either) observed by Messier in the 18th century.My first Messier object, which I photographed in June 2021 with my first cooled astronomical camera Qhy8l, was indeed a globular cluster (M5), and from then on I began "collecting" them all, using what I could from home. At a certain point, I found myself blocked because many objects were not visibe from my homa due to buildings and trees, including the many summer globular clusters, which are very low above the horizon. In this case, remote astrophotography, which many oppose but which I find equally stimulating just like when I use my orange Konus, was very helpful. And so, with the photo of M70, I've completed the circle of Messier's globulars, which I've included side by side in the attached collage.In the last box at the bottom right, you'll find all the catalog numbers of the photographed objects.Follow all the links to the high-resolution photos, which also include all the details on the equipment used.M2: https://app.astrobin.com/i/9sdp4hM3: https://app.astrobin.com/i/49giz0M4: https://app.astrobin.com/i/jxswofM5: https://app.astrobin.com/i/ip7vjpM9: https://app.astrobin.com/i/nkl2uvM10: https://app.astrobin.com/i/3pvjxqM12: https://app.astrobin.com/i/iu24y5M13: https://app.astrobin.com/i/5dg2vvM14: https://app.astrobin.com/i/jstl0wM15: https://app.astrobin.com/i/pwn51xM19: https://app.astrobin.com/i/7uh0fuM22: https://app.astrobin.com/i/f3vw2kM28: https://app.astrobin.com/i/pmxyldM30: https://app.astrobin.com/i/ro4lwaM53: https://app.astrobin.com/i/bw1ry4M54: https://app.astrobin.com/i/7t5zznM55: https://app.astrobin.com/i/aoyfjdM56: https://app.astrobin.com/i/6jz9kyM62: https://app.astrobin.com/i/ihcgtlM68: https://app.astrobin.com/i/a0h4guM69: https://app.astrobin.com/i/99tgnoM70: https://app.astrobin.com/i/5bfzndM71: https://app.astrobin.com/i/f2extjM72: https://app.astrobin.com/i/pu10utM75: https://app.astrobin.com/i/yh7wbnM79: https://app.astrobin.com/i/kie72zM80: https://app.astrobin.com/i/15ehxoM92: https://app.astrobin.com/i/b8cq0qM107: https://app.astrobin.com/i/bkqel5
massimo.difuscoBy now, it's no secret that I'm trying to complete the Messier catalog by photographing all 110 objects listed there, and today I managed to put together the first piece of this photographic marathon I began over four years ago: grouping together all the globular clusters (my favorite objects, but this is no secret either) observed by Messier in the 18th century.My first Messier object, which I photographed in June 2021 with my first cooled astronomical camera Qhy8l, was indeed a globular cluster (M5), and from then on I began "collecting" them all, using what I could from home. At a certain point, I found myself blocked because many objects were not visibe from my homa due to buildings and trees, including the many summer globular clusters, which are very low above the horizon. In this case, remote astrophotography, which many oppose but which I find equally stimulating just like when I use my orange Konus, was very helpful. And so, with the photo of M70, I've completed the circle of Messier's globulars, which I've included side by side in the attached collage.In the last box at the bottom right, you'll find all the catalog numbers of the photographed objects.Follow all the links to the high-resolution photos, which also include all the details on the equipment used.M2: https://app.astrobin.com/i/9sdp4hM3: https://app.astrobin.com/i/49giz0M4: https://app.astrobin.com/i/jxswofM5: https://app.astrobin.com/i/ip7vjpM9: https://app.astrobin.com/i/nkl2uvM10: https://app.astrobin.com/i/3pvjxqM12: https://app.astrobin.com/i/iu24y5M13: https://app.astrobin.com/i/5dg2vvM14: https://app.astrobin.com/i/jstl0wM15: https://app.astrobin.com/i/pwn51xM19: https://app.astrobin.com/i/7uh0fuM22: https://app.astrobin.com/i/f3vw2kM28: https://app.astrobin.com/i/pmxyldM30: https://app.astrobin.com/i/ro4lwaM53: https://app.astrobin.com/i/bw1ry4M54: https://app.astrobin.com/i/7t5zznM55: https://app.astrobin.com/i/aoyfjdM56: https://app.astrobin.com/i/6jz9kyM62: https://app.astrobin.com/i/ihcgtlM68: https://app.astrobin.com/i/a0h4guM69: https://app.astrobin.com/i/99tgnoM70: https://app.astrobin.com/i/5bfzndM71: https://app.astrobin.com/i/f2extjM72: https://app.astrobin.com/i/pu10utM75: https://app.astrobin.com/i/yh7wbnM79: https://app.astrobin.com/i/kie72zM80: https://app.astrobin.com/i/15ehxoM92: https://app.astrobin.com/i/b8cq0qM107: https://app.astrobin.com/i/bkqel5
🔭 Animation of Uranus , saison 2024/2025 by
BonjourCette fois-ci pour ma cinquième animation avec Winjupos , je vous propose la planète Uranus à partir de mes images de 2024/2025....Ce qui est intéressant avec Uranus, c'est qu'avec ces images, j'ai eu suffisamment de matière pour recouvrir la totalité de la surface visible de la planète comme le démontre la projection cylindrique de Lambert en image B. Ce qui est très intéressant c'est de voir la rotation de la planète qui roule sur son axe autour du soleil avec son inclinaison de presque 98°. Pour info , avec cette rotation inhabituelle pour une planète du système solaire , chaque pôle passe un été et un hiver d'une vingtaine d'années chacun !Cet exercice est une fois de plus , plutôt amusant et donne je pense une animation qui a le mérite d'exister et ne demande qu'à être amélioré.Encore une fois j'ai essayé de repousser les limites des process et des idées et j'espère que le résultat final vous plaira ...Comme d'habitude n'hésitez pas à m'envoyer vos remarques et commentaires !! ...A bientôt pour de nouvelles aventuresGeorgesHiThis time, for my fifth animation with Winjupos, I'm presenting the planet Uranus, created from my 2024/2025 images.What's interesting about Uranus is that these images provided enough data to cover the entire visible surface of the planet, as demonstrated by the Lambert cylindrical projection in image B.What's particularly interesting is seeing the planet's rotation as it rolls on its axis around the sun, with its nearly 98° tilt.For your information, with this unusual rotation for a planet in the solar system, each pole experiences a summer and a winter of about twenty years each!This exercise is, once again, quite fun and, I think, results in an animation that has the merit of existing and is just waiting to be improved.Once again, I've tried to push the boundaries of the processes and ideas, and I hope you'll like the final result.As always, feel free to send me your remarks and comments!See you soon for new adventures!Georges
GeorgesBonjourCette fois-ci pour ma cinquième animation avec Winjupos , je vous propose la planète Uranus à partir de mes images de 2024/2025....Ce qui est intéressant avec Uranus, c'est qu'avec ces images, j'ai eu suffisamment de matière pour recouvrir la totalité de la surface visible de la planète comme le démontre la projection cylindrique de Lambert en image B. Ce qui est très intéressant c'est de voir la rotation de la planète qui roule sur son axe autour du soleil avec son inclinaison de presque 98°. Pour info , avec cette rotation inhabituelle pour une planète du système solaire , chaque pôle passe un été et un hiver d'une vingtaine d'années chacun !Cet exercice est une fois de plus , plutôt amusant et donne je pense une animation qui a le mérite d'exister et ne demande qu'à être amélioré.Encore une fois j'ai essayé de repousser les limites des process et des idées et j'espère que le résultat final vous plaira ...Comme d'habitude n'hésitez pas à m'envoyer vos remarques et commentaires !! ...A bientôt pour de nouvelles aventuresGeorgesHiThis time, for my fifth animation with Winjupos, I'm presenting the planet Uranus, created from my 2024/2025 images.What's interesting about Uranus is that these images provided enough data to cover the entire visible surface of the planet, as demonstrated by the Lambert cylindrical projection in image B.What's particularly interesting is seeing the planet's rotation as it rolls on its axis around the sun, with its nearly 98° tilt.For your information, with this unusual rotation for a planet in the solar system, each pole experiences a summer and a winter of about twenty years each!This exercise is, once again, quite fun and, I think, results in an animation that has the merit of existing and is just waiting to be improved.Once again, I've tried to push the boundaries of the processes and ideas, and I hope you'll like the final result.As always, feel free to send me your remarks and comments!See you soon for new adventures!Georges
🔭 Dreyer's Nebula - IC 447 et al (LRGBHa) by
This is one I attempted three years ago with the C11 from my Bortle 8 backyard. Man, what a difference a dark sky makes! Lots of cool vdB objects in this one.
AccidentalAstronomersThis is one I attempted three years ago with the C11 from my Bortle 8 backyard. Man, what a difference a dark sky makes! Lots of cool vdB objects in this one.