A Friday Night Imaging Session – Nov 3rd, 2023

Veil Nebula Complex – 18 x 180 sec, QHY294C, Astro-Tech AT60ED at F/4.8, Optolong L-eNhance filter.

Well, it was clear on Friday evening for a while when I started shooting the above.  The forecast was for it to remain clear.  I had setup and planned go the distance all night.  But, before too long, high cirrus clouds came in and parked over my location.   It was during the first exposure run on the Veil.  I took 40 shots and between clouds and guiding issues, only 18 were any good.

I took this small amount of L-eNhance filtered data and tried to combine it with the previous UHC-s filter data and the image below is what I got.  I was hoping for 3 hours worth, but it was not to be.

Veil Nebula Complex – Previous UHC filter data and L-eNhance data combined.

Not satisfied with the above image, I recombined the 18×180’s with the starless data I had from the previous session and came up with this rendition:

Veil Complex, 18×180 sec with L-eNhance filter and 58×180 sec with UHC-S filter.

With Halloween just passed, I was reminded that I haven’t checked out my old friend the Ghost Nebula since last year.  So, I gave it a whirl when the clouds gave me a break for about an hour.

Ghost Nebula and Gamma Cas – 14 x 180 sec, QHY294C, Astro-Tech AT60ED at F/4.8, Optolong L-eNhance filter.

Unfortunately, the clouds came back and the only thing left to shoot was the moon rising in the east.  It was boiling and unstable low in the muck, but I got a shot of it regardless.

I called it a night after that and packed it in and went to bed.  But, wouldn’t you know it?  I woke up before dawn the next morning and went outside and looked at the sky.  It was crystal clear.   D’oh!

Moon Rising on Nov 3rd, 2023, 11:57 PM.

 

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