Feb 24th/25th Imaging Sessions

The February Full "Snow" Moon of 2024. AT60EDP, QHY294C, Antlia Triband filter.  The best 20 frames of 45, stacked in AutoStakkert.   1.5x enlarged crop.
The February Full “Snow” Moon of 2024. AT60EDP, QHY294C, Antlia Triband filter.  The best 20 frames of 45, stacked in AutoStakkert.   1.5x enlarged crop.

I normally don’t image during a full moon, but the weather was beautiful and I had a new telescope to do more testing with.    Plus, there was a comet just begging me to take it’s picture.   I couldn’t pass up the chance.

I ended up taking images both Saturday and Sunday nights.   I tried to give lots of time to single objects and not jump around so much, for a change.

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks on Feb 25, 2024 (Feb 26 UT.)   17×60 sec, QHY294C, AT60EDP at F/5, Antlia Triband filter.  Full field.
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks on Feb 25, 2024 (Feb 26 UT.)   17×60 sec, QHY294C, AT60EDP at F/5, Antlia Triband filter.  Star Freeze cropped version.
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks on Feb 25, 2024 (Feb 26 UT.)   17×60 sec, QHY294C, AT60EDP at F/5, Antlia Triband filter. Star Streaks cropped version.

The comet was very low in the west at dusk.  I had to quickly get shots and didn’t notice a building’s awning was in the shot along with street lights casting reflections from that direction.   Clouds coming and going didn’t help, either.

But!   This comet is bright enough to show up (with a tail!) that low in the muck of a Bortle 8-9 zone!    That’s quite bright, by most comet imaging standards!

IC 446. 79×180 sec, QHY294C, Antlia Triband filter, AT60EDP at F/5.
Cone Nebula area. (IC446 is on the right.)  This is only 12 x 3 minute sub-mages. AT60EDP, QHY294C, Antlia Triband filter.
Cone Nebula area. (IC446 is on the right.)  This is only 12 x 3 minute sub-mages. AT60EDP, QHY294C, Antlia Triband filter.

The Cone and the IC 446 Nebula area.   It was well placed and I shot 4 hours for IC446 on one night and did a short run on the Cone next door the following night.

M13 Globular Cluster. 50x 3 minutes, QHY294C, AT60EDP at F/5, Antlia Triband RGB Ultra filter.
M13 Globular Cluster. 50x 3 minutes, QHY294C, AT60EDP at F/5, Antlia Triband RGB Ultra filter.

I always enjoy seeing M13 again after it emerges in the late winter morning skies high enough to get imagery.   The colors got washed out with all the moonlight, unfortunately.   I created a darker version with more color enhancement, but the washed out look remains:

M13 Globular Cluster. 50x 3 minutes, QHY294C, AT60EDP at F/5, Antlia Triband RGB Ultra filter. Darker version.
M13 Globular Cluster. 50x 3 minutes, QHY294C, AT60EDP at F/5, Antlia Triband RGB Ultra filter. Darker version.

Oh, well…  I had fun taking it and processing it.   🙂

First Light – Astro-Tech AT60EDP

The Orion Nebula on 2/20/24. 68x180 sec, QHY294C at -10C, Antlia Triband filter, Astro-Tech AT60EDP at F/5. Full Field.
The Orion Nebula on 2/20/24. 68×180 sec, QHY294C at -10C, Antlia Triband filter, Astro-Tech AT60EDP at F/5. Full Field.
The Orion Nebula on 2/20/24. 68x180 sec, QHY294C at -10C, Antlia Triband filter, Astro-Tech AT60EDP at F/5.
The Orion Nebula on 2/20/24. 68×180 sec, QHY294C at -10C, Antlia Triband filter, Astro-Tech AT60EDP at F/5.  Cropped.

Here’s the very first stacked image taken with my new Astro-Tech AT60EDP.  It’s a 60mm, F/5 Petzval telescope with 300mm focal length.   This  was 64×180 sec using the new scope.   Location was a Bortle 8-9 zone with a bright moon out, 48F,  clear and above average transparency.   The second version is the full field.

Comet 62P/Tsuchinschan in the Virgo Cluster. 68 x 180 sec, QHY294C at -10C, Astro-Tech AT60EDP at F/5, Antlia Triband RGB Ultra filter.
Comet 62P/Tsuchinschan in the Virgo Cluster. 68 x 180 sec, QHY294C at -10C, Astro-Tech AT60EDP at F/5, Antlia Triband RGB Ultra filter.

Comet 62P/Tsuchinschan near the galaxies NGC 4608, NGC 4596. Also included are M58, M59, M60 and other faint galaxy fuzzies in the Virgo Galaxy Cluster.

M4 Globular Cluster. 11 x 3 minutes with a QHY294C, Antlia Triband RGB Ultra filter from a Bortle 8-9 zone.
M4 Globular Cluster. 11 x 3 minutes with a QHY294C, Antlia Triband RGB Ultra filter from a Bortle 8-9 zone.

M4 Globular Cluster, Antares and friends in Scorpio. It was still the 1st light night for my new AT60EDP, but at 5:00 AM the next morning.  This is 11 x 3 minutes with a QHY294C, Antlia Triband RGB Ultra filter from a Bortle 8-9 zone.  Still noisy with only 33 minutes and there was some twilight, but I’m sure I’ll be able to add to it in time.