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All the material on this website is copyrighted to J-P Metsavainio, if not otherwise stated. Any content on this website may not be reproduced without the author’s permission.

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Wednesday, January 4, 2017

The Sky on Fire, Mosaic of the central Cygnus



A three panel mosaic in visual palette, combined from narrowband channels, shows a three degrees patch of the central Cygnus gas formations. I have published a mapped color version few days ago, it can be seen HERE.


The Sky on Fire
Please, click for a large image, ~2200 x 1030 pixels

Image is in Natural colour palette from the emission of ionized elements, R=Hydrogen + Sulphur, G=Oxygen and B=Oxygen + 10% Hydrogen to compensate the missing H-beta emission..


Orientation in Cygnus
Please, click for a full size photo

Area of interest is marked as a white rectangle.
An older wide field photo with  the Canon EF 200mm f1.8 camera lens and Baader narrowband filters. Area of interest is marked as a white rectangle. 


Technical details

Processing work flow

Image acquisition, MaxiDL v5.07.
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Deconvolution with a CCDStack2 Positive Constraint, 21 iterations, added at 25% weight
Color combine in PS CS3
Levels and curves in PS CS3.

Imaging optics
Celestron Edge HD 1100 @ f7 with 0,7 focal reducer for Edge HD 1100 telescope

Mount
10-micron 1000

Cameras and filters
Imaging camera Apogee Alta U16 and Apogee seven slot filter wheel
Guider camera, Lodestar x2 and SXV-AOL

Astrodon filter, 5 nm H-alpha
Baader filter, 8,5 nm O-III
Baader filter, 8 nm S-II

Exposure times for all seven panels
H-alpha, 21 x 1200 s binned 2x2 
O-III, 18 x 1200 s binned 4x4
S-II,  18 x 1200 s binned 4x4


Monday, January 2, 2017

Astro Anarchy, the year 2016



HAPPY NEW YEAR
This post is about all of my astronomical photos from the Autumn season of  the year 2016

All my photos from the Spring and Autumn seasons of 2016 are taken with my new imaging setup. Celestron Edge HD 1100 with 0.7 reducer at 10-micron mount. Apogee Alta U16 camera with Astrodon filters and an active optics unit, SXV AO LF, from Starlight Xpress.

My humble thanks to the supporters, they made my work possible!
All companies are offering the first class products and service!



The Autumn season of the year 2016 as an image poster
Please, click for a large image, 1920 x 3000 pixels, ~5MB





Links to an individual photos, with the technical data and additional images
Please, click to image to see the information


Eastern part of the Veil Nebula supernova remnant



A detail from the North America nebula, part I



A detail from the North America nebula, part II



A detail from the North America nebula, part II



KjPn8 (PN G112.5-00.1)



Filaments of the Veil Nebula, part I




Filaments of the Veil Nebula, part II




Filaments of the Veil Nebula, part III



Dark clouds in Cygnus, part I




Dark clouds in Cygnus, part II




Dark filaments of Cygnus, part I




Dark filaments of Cygnus, part II




The Great Wall of Cygnus




Sharpless 224




Bright nebulae of the central Cygnus, part I




Bright nebulae of the central Cygnus, part II




Bright nebulae of the central Cygnus, part III




Sunday, January 1, 2017

Bright nebulae of the central Cygnus, a seven panel mosaic



My last photo for the year 2016 is a seven panel mosaic of the central Cygnus. I shot last panels for this mosaic at 30.12. 2016. 


Bright nebulae of the central Cygnus
Please, click for a large image, 1800 x 1400 pixels

The photo is in mapped colors from the light emitted by an ionized elements, 
red=sulfur, green=hydrogen and blue=oxygen. A mosaic image with seven panels. Original image has a resolution of 12.000 x 9000 pixels. Image spans about three degrees of sky horizontally.


Orientation


Please, click for a large image

An older wide field photo with  the Canon EF 200mm f1.8 camera lens and Baader narrowband filters. Area of interest is marked as a white rectangle. Part of the color data is taken from this wide field photo.


Technical details

Processing work flow

Image acquisition, MaxiDL v5.07.
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Deconvolution with a CCDStack2 Positive Constraint, 21 iterations, added at 25% weight
Color combine in PS CS3
Levels and curves in PS CS3.

Imaging optics
Celestron Edge HD 1100 @ f7 with 0,7 focal reducer for Edge HD 1100 telescope
Canon EF 200mm f1.8 camera optics (For S-II and O-III channels)
Mount
10-micron 1000
Meade LX200 GPS 12" (For S-II and O-III channels)

Cameras and filters
Imaging camera Apogee Alta U16 and Apogee seven slot filter wheel
Guider camera, Lodestar x2 and SXV-AOL
QHY9 (For S-II and O-III channels)

Astrodon filter, 5 nm H-alpha
Baader filter, 8,5 nm O-III
Baader filter, 8 nm S-II

Exposure times for all seven panels
H-alpha, 27 x 1200 s binned 2x2 
O-III, 18 x 1200 s binned 4x4 = 
S-II,  18 x 1200 s binned 4x4 



Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Bright nebulae of the central Cygnus




I had about six hours of clear sky at night between 23.- 24.12. That was just enough to shoot this relatively bright emission area in constellation Cygnus.

Bright nebulae of Cygnus
Please, click for a large image

The photo is in mapped colors from the light emitted by an ionized elements, 
red=sulfur, green=hydrogen and blue=oxygen.


An experimental starless view
Please, click for a large image

The actual nebula stands out well in this starless version


Mosaic
Please, click for a large image

This new image was partly overlapping with my older image from Spring season 2016.
Older image. with technical details, can be found HERE 


Nebulae in visual colors
Please, click for a large image

Natural color composition from the emission of ionized elements, R=80%Hydrogen+20%Sulfur, G=100%Oxygen and B=85%Oxygen+15%Hydrogen to compensate otherwise missing H-beta emission. This composition is very close to a visual spectrum.


Orientation
Please, click for a large image

An older wide field photo with  the Canon EF 200mm f1.8 camera lens and Baader narrowband filters. 


Technical details

Processing work flow

Image acquisition, MaxiDL v5.07.
Stacked and calibrated in CCDStack2.
Deconvolution with a CCDStack2 Positive Constraint, 21 iterations, added at 25% weight
Color combine in PS CS3
Levels and curves in PS CS3.

Imaging optics
Celestron Edge HD 1100 @ f7 with 0,7 focal reducer for Edge HD 1100 telescope
Canon EF 200mm f1.8 camera optics (For S-II and O-III channels)
Mount
10-micron 1000
Meade LX200 GPS 12" (For S-II and O-III channels)

Cameras and filters
Imaging camera Apogee Alta U16 and Apogee seven slot filter wheel
Guider camera, Lodestar x2 and SXV-AOL
QHY9 (For S-II and O-III channels)

Astrodon filter, 5 nm H-alpha
Baader filter, 8,5 nm O-III
Baader filter, 8 nm S-II

Exposure times
H-alpha, 9 x 1200 s binned 2x2 
O-III, 4 x 1200 s binned 4x4 = 
S-II,  4 x 1200 s binned 4x4