NGC 253. 3×180 sec, Gain 11, Offset 50, QHY183c at -20C, UV/IR filter, Astro-Tech AT60ED at F/4.8.NGC 253. 3×180 sec, Gain 11, Offset 50, QHY183c at -20C, UV/IR filter, Astro-Tech AT60ED at F/4.8. Full field.
It surprised me how well this came out with only 3 sub-images. I was at the observing site south of Perry, LA where it is a Bortle 4/4.5 zone, which helped quite a bit. It was the first time I have used my QHY183c astro camera with just a clear UV/IR filter, which showed me how sensitive and noise-free this camera really is.
The Moon on Nov 13, 2021. QHY183c, AT60ED at F/4.8.The Pleiades. 35×180 sec, Gain 11, Offset 50, QHY183c at -20C, UHC-S filter, Astro-Tech AT60ED at F/4.8.The Andromeda Galaxy. 50×180 sec, Gain 11, Offset 50, QHY183c at -20C, UHC-S filter, Astro-Tech AT60ED at F/4.8.Comet 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko, Star Streaks Version. 40×180 sec (comet, 20×180 sec background), Gain 11, Offset 50, QHY183c at -20C, UHC-S filter, Astro-Tech AT60ED at F/4.8.Comet 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko, Star Freeze Version. 40×180 sec (comet, 20×180 sec background), Gain 11, Offset 50, QHY183c at -20C, UHC-S filter, Astro-Tech AT60ED at F/4.8.C/2021-A1 (Leonard). 24×180 sec, Gain 11, Offset 50, QHY183c at -20C, UHC-S filter, Astro-Tech AT60ED at F/4.8.C/2021-A1 (Leonard). 24×180 sec, Gain 11, Offset 50, QHY183c at -20C, UHC-S filter, Astro-Tech AT60ED at F/4.8. Star Freeze version.
Great weather and very transparent skies for this session. I started out with the goal of getting two comets, but since they didn’t get into position until later, I started off with the Moon, then M45 and M31. I also shot Pickering’s Triangle, part of the Veil Nebula complex, but didn’t get enough subs to do it any justice.
The comets were small, but interesting with long tails instead of being just puff balls. 67P has a really long tail in images taken by others. I was glad to get as much as I got shooting from the middle of town with all the LP.
NGC 4244 on Jan 17, 2021. 61 x 180 sec, QHY183c at -20C, Gain 11 (Unity,) Offset 100, Baader UHC-S filter, Televue TV-85 at F/5.6.
3hrs of exposure for this nice edge-on galaxy. It got cloudy towards the end of the run and there was a serious guiding error on the full 61×180 sec stack. But, I managed to salvage the stack by copying the background and galaxy and pasting that in as a lightened blend on top of a 47×180 sec saved stack for the stars that did not have a guiding error. Lucky I saved it before it got ruined.
Here is a closer crop with a saturation boost:
NGC 4244 on Jan 17, 2021. 61 x 180 sec, QHY183c at -20C, Gain 11 (Unity,) Offset 100, Baader UHC-S filter, Televue TV-85 at F/5.6. Close crop.
M64 Galaxy – 25×180 sec @ Gain 11, Offset 100, QHY183c at -20C, Baader UHC-S filter, Televue TV-85 at F/5.6.
Another Black Eye galaxy shot to add to my collection. Not quite the guiding I was getting earlier in the evening, but it is not too bad, either. Minimal processing done to this one.
Combined image data from January 2020 and Dec 2020. 280×30 sec and 51×180 sec added together for this image. the 30 sec subs with UHC-S filter and 180 sec subs with the L-eNhance filter.
Witch’s Broom Nebula. 1.75 hours in 30 sec sub-images, gain 42, offset 150, QHY183c at -15C, UHC-S filter, Televue TV-85 at F/5.6.The Moon on Aug 8, 2020. 7 frames stacked with SharpCap 3.2 LiveStack, UHC-S filter, QHY183c at -15C, Televue TV-85 at F/5.6.Pacman Nebula – 188×15 sec, Gain 30, Offset 150, QHY183c at -10C, UHC-S filter, Televue TV-85 at F/5.6.
The night of August 7th/8th, 2020 was relatively clear, but hot and slightly muggy. Average transparency at first and below average towards the end of the night. I wanted to get out to my dark sky site, but at the last minute decided to stay in the big city, being that the conditions were not ideal.
I observed quite a few things and did quickies on them and some of the images are not really worth being posted. Here is one below of the Ring Nebula, which was. I was actually after the little galaxy next to the ring, IC 1296, which my Canon cameras never showed despite shooting the ring with them from much darker locations. It is nearly 15th magnitude and even dimmer in blue light, where it predominantly radiates
Ring Nebula and IC 1296. 372×15 sec, QHY183c, Gain 30, Offset 50, -10C cooling, UHC-S filter, Televue TV85 at F/5.6.
Below is a rendition from previous sessions data and this nights efforts.
Ring Nebula and IC 1296. 34×30, 4×15 sec, Gain 42, Offset 100, 372×15 sec, Gain 30, offset 50, QHY183c -10C to -15C,, UHC-S filter, Televue TV85 at F/5.6.
Finally, with the Witch’s Broom Nebula data from this night and 2 other nights, I combined the data to make this updated rendition of the W. Veil/Witch’s Broom Nebula. Check it out:
Witch’s Broom Nebula, combined data. 90×30, 46×30 and 410×15 sec data sets all taken with the QHY183c camera and Televue TV-85.
M87 Galaxy Showing Jet from Black Hole at its center. 14×240 sec, Gain 11, Offset 31, QHY183c cooled to -13C, UHC-S filter, Televue TV-85 at F/5.6, SharpCap 3.2.
I’ve tried this before with little success, but this time the jet of M87 shows quite well in this nearly 1 hour exposure. The amount of energy to shoot out a jet this long is enormous!
M87 Galaxy Showing Jet from Black Hole at its center. 14×240 sec, Gain 11, Offset 31, QHY183c cooled to -13C, UHC-S filter, Televue TV-85 at F/5.6, SharpCap 3.2. Detail Crop.
It even shows the characteristic blue color of the synchrotron radiation of electrons spiraling in a magnetic field.
Supernova SN2020jfo in M61. 248×30 sec, Gain 30, Offset 31, Bin 2, QHY183c at -10C, UHC-S filter, Televue TV-85 at F/5.6. Detail Crop.Supernova SN2020jfo in M61. 248×30 sec, Gain 30, Offset 31, Bin 2, QHY183c at -10C, UHC-S filter, Televue TV-85 at F/5.6. Full field view.
I imaged the galaxy above and the globular below on Sunday, May 10, 2020. Very nice weather that day and a pretty good evening, too. Being I had to work the next day, I cut the session short and only got data on two objects.
M13 Globula Cluster. 100×30 sec, Gain 42 and 1hr (60×60 sec) at Gain 30, Offset 31, QHY183c at -10C, UHC-S filter, Televue TV-85 at F/5.6.
M63, the Sunflower Galaxy. 121×60 sec @ Gain 30, Offset 15, QHY183c at -10C, UHC-S filter, Televue TV-85 at F/5.6M5 Globular Cluster.. 172×60 sec @ Gain 30, Offset 15, QHY183c at -10C, UHC-S filter, Televue TV-85 at F/5.6M27 Planetary Nebula. 60×60 sec @ Gain 30, Offset 15, QHY183c at -10C, UHC-S filter, Televue TV-85 at F/5.6
The Sunflower Galaxy was the second time this year for imaging it, so I combined the two data sets and got this detail view below. It is 3.77 hrs total time:
M63, the Sunflower Galaxy. 152×30 sec, Gain 42, 121×60 sec @ Gain 30, Offset 15, QHY183c at -10C, UHC-S filter, Televue TV-85 at F/5.6.
Images of Comets, Nebulae, Galaxies and Star Clusters
