C/2013 A1/Mars Encounter, Oct 19, 2014. 10 x 180 sec @ ISO 1600, 20 x 60 sec @ ISO 6400, TV-85 at F/5.6, IDAS-LPS, Modified Canon T3.
Update October 20, 2014: The above image is an update with more time added. Compare it to the image below which was made with only 20 minutes of data shot at ISO 6400 (20×60 sec sub-images.) I took an additional 30 minutes of 3 minute sub-images at ISO 1600 and added it in, so the combined total is 50 minutes.
Comet Siding Spring and Mars. 20×60 sec @ ISO 1600, TV-85 at F/5.6, IDAS-LPS, Modified Canon T3.
Well, the big comet encounter of the year took place tonight, Oct 19, 2014 and Mars and Comet Siding Spring (C/2013 A1) both survived. LoL. Seriously, it was a very close encounter if you had darkness when it was closest. Here in southern Louisiana, it took place during daylight, so I had to catch it after closest approach as C/2013 A1 was bidding Mars farewell.
I had a strange night with some issues, but I managed to get some decent data and also lucked out with some good weather for this event. This image is from the first set of images I took and it is a composite of comet-only processed and star background processed image stacks. The comet moved a good distance in the twenty-five minutes it took to get the sub-frames, so I had to isolate it with different alignment and stacking techniques than I use for normal deep-sky images.
The Crescent Nebula Area. Mosaic of 117x60sec ISO 6400, 9×720″ ISO400, 11×480″ ISO800 (5.21 hrs.) Data acquired on Oct 17, 2014, Nov 2, 2013, Nov 6 & 7, 2010 and Oct 1, 2007.
The Crescent Nebula Area, Version 2. Mosaic of 117x60sec ISO 6400, 9×720″ ISO400, 11×480″ ISO800 (5.21 hrs.) Data acquired on Oct 17, 2014, Nov 2, 2013, Nov 6 & 7, 2010 and Oct 1, 2007.
A mosaic of the Crescent Nebula area. Exposures from 4 different years were used. The base image was acquired on Nov 2, 2013 and was 40x60sec ISO 6400. I imaged it again on October 17, 2014 with 77 images and added that into the mix. Two nights of imaging in Nov 2010 of 9×720″ ISO400, 11×480″ ISO800 sub-images were also added in (for a total of 5.21 hours integration time.) Finally, data from an image of just the Crescent Nebula itself, taken with my SN-8 telescope was used and it was made with 57×180″ ISO 1600 sub-images taken on Oct 1, 2007.
I used RegiStar to manipulate the data. The beauty of software like RegiStar is that it can combine data taken years apart. In this case, over 7 years. I was able to take the nebulosity caught with a high ISO stack of sub-images, but with a noisy background and combine it with stacks of subs taken at lower ISO values which had a much smoother background. The stacked mosaic-like result let me bring out more of the dim nebulosity that pervades the Crescent Nebula area and keep the noise at bay, somewhat. A little more detail in the Crescent itself was enhanced with data from my larger, 8″ scope.
I present a regular version and an enhanced, lighter version that was generated from the data in the first image with Starizona’s Levelizer plug-in for PS.
This image of the Pleiades was a combination of data from October 2013 and October of 2011. I sized it to be used as a screen background for my current monitor.
M38 Region. 17×180 @ ISO 1600 & 40×30 sec @ ISO 6400.
This is a busy area in the Auriga constellation. M38 is an open cluster at the top of the frame. Beneath that is NGC 1907, another open cluster. To the right side is a faint nebula listed as LBN794 in Cartes du Ciel. At the bottom of the frame another patch of nebula known as IC 417/LBN804.
Edit: I managed to add 40×30 sec @ ISO 6400 sub-images to this and the above image has been updated. Below is the original details and image:
M41 Open Cluster in Canis Major. 10×180 sec @ ISO 400, TV-85 at F/5.6, IDAS-LPS, Modified Canon T3.
An easy to find open cluster that lies just below Sirius, the brightest star in our skies here in the northern hemisphere. I had just setup and needed something to test the rig and make sure everything was working. M41 was convenient so I shot 10 x 3 minute sub-images and combined those to get this final image. There was lots of moonlight and LP, so open and globular cluster shooting is about all you can do in such conditions.
Omega Centauri – 42×180 sec @ ISO 400, Televue TV-85 at F/5.6, IDAS-LPS, Modified Canon T3.
I camped out on Friday night, April 19, 2013 at the old family farm property. I brought everything I needed to image with my Televue TV-85 APO refractor, including my Atlas EQ-G mount. What a load! lol I had fun even with a bright moon out. As soon as Omega Centauri was visible, I started imaging it. Three minutes at ISO 400 was as much as I could go with the moonlight and LP, so I tried to get as many sub-images as possible. I ended up with 42×3 min for a total of 2 hours and 6 minutes worth of integration.
The Pleiades and C/2012 L2 (Linear). 40×15 sec @ ISO 800, Canon 200mm, F/2.8.
I struck out trying to image Comet Panstarrs on Sunday evening, March 24, 2013. It was just too short of a time to find it in bright twilight, bright moonlight and with its low altitude. However, I tried something to redeem myself while I still had the equipment setup. I shot the Pleiades with a bunch of 15 second unguided exposures. I managed to catch them and Comet C/2012 L2 (Linear) in the shot. This is cropped down quite a bit to just the cluster and comet.
By the way, the comet is in the lower right. Its that small greenish smudge. 🙂
Images of Comets, Nebulae, Galaxies and Star Clusters
