The Astro-Imaging Thread

[LaydeeDem]

Lots of clouds and frigid temperatures lately, but I managed to catch a break with clear skies the last two nights.

 

Managed to catch comet 46P/Wirtanen on its way towards perihelion on 12-4. According to CalSky it was at magnitude 6.1, just outside the visual range for most people's eyes. Thought I might have sighted it visually with averted vision, though I was likely seeing the nearby 5th-magnitude stars or fog on my glasses lol.

Image details:

  Reveal hidden contents

Gear used:
Camera - Canon EOS 350D
Lens - Canon EF-S 18-55mm

Acquisition Details:
8x30" sub exposures
ISO 1600
55mm focal length
f/5.6

Processing Details

Lens corrections applied and sub frames converted to lossless TIF using Adobe Camera Raw. Subframes stacked with Deep Sky Stacker using Kappa Sigma Clipping and 2x Drizzle. Color correction, gradient removal, stretching, saturation enhancement and significant cropping done in Adobe Photoshop.

Notes:

Trailing is worse than usual. I was not prepared for the biting cold and the tiny aperture of my wide lens made star-hopping a complete pain. I did not have the patience required to shoot many short exposures to avoid trailing so I shot only a few long exposures just to say that I captured the comet. Now that I've brought the winter clothes out of the closet I should be more prepared to capture a better image when 46P reaches perihelion. (Crossing fingers for a clear night!)

Fullres: https://flic.kr/p/RevdQj

 

 

The next night I was more prepared to shoot in the cold. Some high altitude clouds were blocking Wirtanen so I turned my sights towards Orion. Used my faster, longer focal length lens to try and capture some of the nebulae in the belt and sword regions of Orion. Managed to catch the Flame Nebula (NGC 2024), the Running Man (NGC 1977) and the Great Orion Nebula (M42). Thought I might have gotten hints of the Horsehead however it's so faint it's hard to distinguish it from the splotchy artifacts that appear in other low-signal areas.

Image Details:

  Reveal hidden contents

Gear Used:
Camera - Canon EOS 350D
Lens - Canon EF 75-300mm
Mount - Tripod

Acquisition Details:
66x6" sub exposures
6.6 minutes total integration time
75mm focal length
ISO-1600
f/4

Software Used:
Adobe Camera Raw
Deep Sky Stacker
Adobe Photoshop
rnc-colorstretch

Processing Details:
Raw images lens corrected and converted to lossless TIF in Adobe Camera Raw, sub frames then stacked in Deep Sky Stacker using Kappa-Sigma Clipping and 2x Drizzle. Resulting stack was loaded into Photoshop for further correction of chromatic abberation using the "purple fringe killer" action set. Image saved as lossless PNG and sent through Roger Clark's rnc-colorstretch tool. Stretched image was sent to Adobe Photoshop for final color correction, localized saturation enhancement on the nebulae and a 2x crop.

 

Fullres: https://flic.kr/p/PCxm7r

 

 

 

After taking a satisfying amount of images at a wide focal length, I centered my camera on M42 and zoomed to 300mm focal length for some satellite hunting. Geostationary satellites often cross in front of M42 so I took a series of long exposure "star trail" images in an attempt to find some. I managed to find four, along with another sat I couldn't identify.

Same as before but in timelapse video format. Includes the unidentified sat:

 

Image Details:

  Reveal hidden contents

Gear Used:
Camera - Canon EOS 350D
Lens - Canon EF 75-300mm

Aquisition:
Single 30" exposure
300mm focal length
ISO-1600
f/5.6

Processing:
Raw converted in Adobe Camera raw. Color correction, levels adjustment and satellite labels done in Adobe Photoshop.

Video timelapse frames exported as image sequence, stitched frames together into an AVI video using VirtualDub. Final presentation done in Sony Vegas.

Misc:
Satellites identified using Stellarium and the UCS Satellite database: https://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear-weapons/space-weapons/satellite-database

 

Fullres Still Image:
https://flic.kr/p/2djdGFu

 

 

Cheers.

[cubinator]

  On 12/7/2018 at 6:33 AM, Nutt007 said:

After taking a satisfying amount of images at a wide focal length, I centered my camera on M42 and zoomed to 300mm focal length for some satellite hunting. Geostationary satellites often cross in front of M42 so I took a series of long exposure "star trail" images in an attempt to find some. I managed to find four, along with another sat I couldn't identify.

Expand  

Those are some great shots of the GEO satellites!

[Reactordrone]

  On 12/7/2018 at 6:33 AM, Nutt007 said:

Lots of clouds and frigid temperatures lately, but I managed to catch a break with clear skies the last two nights.

 

Managed to catch comet 46P/Wirtanen on its way towards perihelion on 12-4. According to CalSky it was at magnitude 6.1, just outside the visual range for most people's eyes. Thought I might have sighted it visually with averted vision, though I was likely seeing the nearby 5th-magnitude stars or fog on my glasses lol.

Image details:

  Reveal hidden contents

Gear used:
Camera - Canon EOS 350D
Lens - Canon EF-S 18-55mm

Acquisition Details:
8x30" sub exposures
ISO 1600
55mm focal length
f/5.6

Processing Details

Lens corrections applied and sub frames converted to lossless TIF using Adobe Camera Raw. Subframes stacked with Deep Sky Stacker using Kappa Sigma Clipping and 2x Drizzle. Color correction, gradient removal, stretching, saturation enhancement and significant cropping done in Adobe Photoshop.

Notes:

Trailing is worse than usual. I was not prepared for the biting cold and the tiny aperture of my wide lens made star-hopping a complete pain. I did not have the patience required to shoot many short exposures to avoid trailing so I shot only a few long exposures just to say that I captured the comet. Now that I've brought the winter clothes out of the closet I should be more prepared to capture a better image when 46P reaches perihelion. (Crossing fingers for a clear night!)

Fullres: https://flic.kr/p/RevdQj

 

 

The next night I was more prepared to shoot in the cold. Some high altitude clouds were blocking Wirtanen so I turned my sights towards Orion. Used my faster, longer focal length lens to try and capture some of the nebulae in the belt and sword regions of Orion. Managed to catch the Flame Nebula (NGC 2024), the Running Man (NGC 1977) and the Great Orion Nebula (M42). Thought I might have gotten hints of the Horsehead however it's so faint it's hard to distinguish it from the splotchy artifacts that appear in other low-signal areas.

Image Details:

  Reveal hidden contents

Gear Used:
Camera - Canon EOS 350D
Lens - Canon EF 75-300mm
Mount - Tripod

Acquisition Details:
66x6" sub exposures
6.6 minutes total integration time
75mm focal length
ISO-1600
f/4

Software Used:
Adobe Camera Raw
Deep Sky Stacker
Adobe Photoshop
rnc-colorstretch

Processing Details:
Raw images lens corrected and converted to lossless TIF in Adobe Camera Raw, sub frames then stacked in Deep Sky Stacker using Kappa-Sigma Clipping and 2x Drizzle. Resulting stack was loaded into Photoshop for further correction of chromatic abberation using the "purple fringe killer" action set. Image saved as lossless PNG and sent through Roger Clark's rnc-colorstretch tool. Stretched image was sent to Adobe Photoshop for final color correction, localized saturation enhancement on the nebulae and a 2x crop.

 

Fullres: https://flic.kr/p/PCxm7r

 

 

 

After taking a satisfying amount of images at a wide focal length, I centered my camera on M42 and zoomed to 300mm focal length for some satellite hunting. Geostationary satellites often cross in front of M42 so I took a series of long exposure "star trail" images in an attempt to find some. I managed to find four, along with another sat I couldn't identify.

Same as before but in timelapse video format. Includes the unidentified sat:

 

Image Details:

  Reveal hidden contents

Gear Used:
Camera - Canon EOS 350D
Lens - Canon EF 75-300mm

Aquisition:
Single 30" exposure
300mm focal length
ISO-1600
f/5.6

Processing:
Raw converted in Adobe Camera raw. Color correction, levels adjustment and satellite labels done in Adobe Photoshop.

Video timelapse frames exported as image sequence, stitched frames together into an AVI video using VirtualDub. Final presentation done in Sony Vegas.

Misc:
Satellites identified using Stellarium and the UCS Satellite database: https://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear-weapons/space-weapons/satellite-database

 

Fullres Still Image:
https://flic.kr/p/2djdGFu

 

 

Cheers.

Expand  

Very nice. I manged to get a quick look at 46P Wirtanen on the 15th of November. Hoping for some clear skies here now that it's getting brighter.

[LaydeeDem]

  On 12/8/2018 at 1:13 AM, Reactordrone said:

Very nice. I manged to get a quick look at 46P Wirtanen on the 15th of November. Hoping for some clear skies here now that it's getting brighter.

-snip-

Expand  

Great shot!

 

  On 12/7/2018 at 3:23 PM, cubinator said:

Those are some great shots of the GEO satellites!

Expand  

Thank you!

 

 

Another, better shot of 46P/Wirtanen taken on 12-11. Was more prepared to shoot in the cold this time. Definitely getting closer and brighter now. Was able to spot it with averted vision on the night I shot this. Last night when I was watching the Geminids with my GF I was able to spot it clearly even with the Moon. Fingers and toes crossed for clear skies and good seeing on the 16th. Weather has taken quite a wintry turn as of late, this might end up being my best shot of comet Wirtanen. On the plus side, taking advantage of every clear sky I get has given me an excuse to try out the new tripod I got for Christmas early. Naughty me.

 

Image Details:

  Reveal hidden contents

Comet Wirtanen approaching perihelion on 12-11. The comet is now naked-eye visible. It's possible to sight it clearly as a faint-fuzzy patch even under a moonlit sky. It stands out ever clearer using averted vision. No visible color yet, though it does show up strongly on long-exposure photographs. The blue-green color is due to strong emission of Cyanogen [ (CN)₂ ] and diatomic Carbon. (C₂)

 

 

Gear Used:

• Camera - Canon EOS 350D
• Lens - Canon EF 75-300mm
• Tripod - Pedco Ultrapod II

 

Acquisition Details:

• 91x6" sub exposures
• 9.1 minutes total integration time
• f/4
• ISO-1600
• 75mm focal length

 

Software:

• Adobe Camera Raw
• DeepSkyStacker
• Adobe Photoshop CS5.1

  

Processing Details:

Noise reduction, lens correction and a linear tone curve applied in Adobe Camera Raw. Images converted to lossless TIF format and then stacked in Deep Sky Stacker using Stars + Comet Stacking, Kappa-Sigma Clipping and 2x Drizzle. Final stack sent to Photoshop for gradient removal, color correction and a nonlinear stretch. HLVG plugin was applied on "weak" settings to remove the green cast on some stars, comet was masked so green reduction was less in that area. Image finally had a saturation boost applied and was cropped slightly.

 

Fullres: https://flic.kr/p/2cti5Mw

 

 

Edited December 15, 2018 by LaydeeDem

[Adstri]

  On 12/15/2018 at 11:16 AM, LaydeeDem said:

-snip-

Expand  

Beautiful! I managed to acquire some data of the comet yesterday. Now I just might get around to processing it 

Edited December 17, 2018 by Adstriduum

[Reactordrone]

The Orion time of year,

 

Twelve 45 sec exposures stacked. 10" Meade SN with Canon 500D.

[LaydeeDem]

Spoiled myself for my 21st birthday and bought a star tracker. My photos have improved immensely! Only problem is my wide lens has really bad coma. I have to do some heavy cropping to make these look good. I'm hoping purchasing a fast prime lens in the future will fix some of this. Also been playing with the PixInsight trial and holy crap it's powerful! The color calibration and ACDNR tools have allowed me to accomplish a lot more than Photoshop ever allowed. I'll definitely need to buy it when I have the cash!

 

Orion & Friends:

Image details:

  Reveal hidden contents

Wide angle view of the constellation Orion. Many deep sky objects can be seen in this wide view. Including The Great Nebula (M42) in Orion's sword, the Horsehead (Barnard 33) and the Flame Nebula (NGC 2024) in Orion's Belt, to the left of Betelguese is the Rosette Nebula (Caldwell 49) in Monoceros, and faint traces of the Witch's Head Nebula (IC 2118) and Barnard's loop can also be seen along with a plethora of dark nebulae.

Gear Used:
Camera - Canon EOS 350D
Lens -Canon EFS 18-55mm
Mount - NyxTech NyxTracker

Acquisition Details:
69x60" sub exposures
1h9m total integration time
18mm focal length
f/3.5
ISO-1600

Software Used:
Adobe Camera Raw
Deep Sky Stacker
PixInsight 1.8
Adobe Photoshop CS5.1

Processing details:
Lens-corrected and converted to lossless TIF in Adobe Camera Raw.
Converted TIFs were stacked in Deep Sky Stacker using Kappa-Sigma Clipping. Stacked image was sent to PixInsight for Background Extraction, ACDNR noise reduction, background neutralization, color calibration and a non-linear histogram stretch. Green cast removed from stretched image using SCNR and a star reduction was done using a Star Mask and MorphologicalTransformation. Final image was saved as lossless TIF and cropped in Adobe Photoshop.

 

The Jewels of Taurus:

Image details:

  Reveal hidden contents

Wide angle view of the constellations Taurus and Perseus. Several deep sky objects can be seen in this image, including the Hyades cluster, the Pleiades and the California Nebula. Also visible are the dark dust lanes of the Milky Way.

Gear Used:
Camera - Canon EOS 350D
Lens - Canon EFS 18-55mm
Mount - NyxTech NyxTracker 2.0

Acquisition Details:
68x60" sub exposures
68 minutes total integration time
18mm focal length
f/3.5
ISO-1800

Software Used:
Adobe Camera Raw
Deep Sky Stacker
PixInsight 1.8

 

Processing details:
Lens-corrected and converted to lossless TIF in Adobe Camera Raw.
Converted TIFs were stacked in Deep Sky Stacker using Kappa-Sigma Clipping. Stacked image was sent to PixInsight for Background Extraction, ACDNR noise reduction, background neutralization, color calibration and a non-linear histogram stretch. Green cast removed from stretched image using SCNR. Cropped using DynamicCrop and saved as lossless .png.

Also got up early to capture Venus and Jupiter in conjunction on 1/16. Lots of ice particles in the air. Caused oval coronae around both and it started snowing!

 

That's it for now. Clear skies everyone.

[Green Baron]

A few days ago i participated in a guided tour around the observatory here.

Before i thought that dark- and bias frame subtraction was mainly an amateur thing, because of the lower quality sensors and electronics. Wrong. The professionals do the same thing. Biggest difference, especially for infrared imaging, is the sensor temperature and shielding, e.g. from thermal radiation from the housing/cupola. While an amateur sensor can be cooled to -20 to -40°C below ambient, they cool their sensors down to ~70K (~ -200°C). Liquid Helium is a cost factor ...

Brrrrr ... sniff :-)

 

Edited March 4, 2019 by Green Baron

[Reactordrone]

  On 3/4/2019 at 7:14 PM, Green Baron said:

A few days ago i participated in a guided tour around the observatory here.

Before i thought that dark- and bias frame subtraction was mainly an amateur thing, because of the lower quality sensors and electronics. Wrong. The professionals do the same thing. Biggest difference, especially for infrared imaging, is the sensor temperature and shielding, e.g. from thermal radiation from the housing/cupola. While an amateur sensor can be cooled to -20 to -40°C below ambient, they cool their sensors down to ~70K (~ -200°C). Liquid Helium is a cost factor ...

Brrrrr ... sniff :-)

 

Expand  

The neighbours might complain if you have a pulse tube cryocooler running overnight.

[Green Baron]

  On 3/4/2019 at 11:09 PM, Reactordrone said:

The neighbours might complain if you have a pulse tube cryocooler running overnight.

Expand  

Its a telescope. No vibrations. A softly humming pump circulates the helium.

[Reactordrone]

The Moon passing by Venus 3-3-19

And a little Earthshine the same morning,

 

And the Moon near Saturn the previous morning,

Composite image to allow correct exposure of Saturn.

Edited March 6, 2019 by Reactordrone

[LaydeeDem]

Summer skies are finally coming back! \o/

 

Stayed up til dawn to get the Milky Way about 2 weeks ago.

 

I forgot how dang bright the MW is. You do NOT need a lot of integration time to get a good image of it! The above is a stack of 2x60" exposures.

Image Details

  Reveal hidden contents

Gear Used:
Canon 350D
Canon EFS 18-55mm
NyxTech NyxTracker

Acquisition Info:
2x60" sub exposures
ISO 1600
f/3.5
18mm focal length

Software Used:
Adobe Photoshop CS5.1
-DeepSkyColors HLVG plugin
PixInsight

 

[Green Baron]

Nicely done !

Sagittarius and the galactic centre rise pretty high here at 28°N. Let's compete in spring/summer ;-)

 

[Reactordrone]

Had a daylight lunar transit by the ISS today which I've never tried before.

 

 

[Ol’ Musky Boi]

I don't know much about astrophotography, but I tried my hand at taking a photo of the moon for a school art project.

It's not the greatest quality (certainly doesn't hold a candle to the amazing stuff in this thread!), but for a first try I don't think it's too bad. I might invest in a slightly better set up in future.

Edited April 4, 2019 by Ol’ Musky Boi

[Epox75]

Hello fellow astrophotographers!  It's quite some time (about a year) that I don't post any of my pictures here. Not that I've been inactive... quite the opposite, I have 18 new pictures and many of the old ones have been reviewed. Let's star with a couple I took in May last year, I hope you like them!

NGC 5963, NGC 5965 and other galaxies in Draco (14,2 Hours integration)

 

The Draco Triplet - NGC 5985, NCG 5982, NGC 5981 and other galaxies (15,3 Hours integration)

 

A pic of my gear from about a week ago, since last year in August  I got a new focuser, bought a DEC counterweight and I upgraded the handles of my mount:

Edited April 19, 2019 by Epox75

[Reactordrone]

Eta Carina. Canon 500D with 250mm lens on Meade LXD55 mount. Seven, 3min subs stacked.

Edited April 29, 2019 by Reactordrone

[Epox75]

Today I've been awarded with the Image of the Day on astrobin! Yay!!!

Edited May 17, 2019 by Epox75

[LaydeeDem]

Whew it's been a while! I promise I'm not dead. Just been really busy. Not a lot of time to play KSP let alone get out and shoot

 

That said I have been enjoying the return of the summer skies. Even ordered a new lens for Milky Way season, it hasn't arrived yet though.

 

The Great Rift:

 

 

The Great Rift is an area of dark bands stretching from the constellation Cygnus to the constellation Centaurus. They are thought to be clouds of interstellar dust in our galaxy's spiral arms.

Two satellites can be seen crossing the sky in this mosaic. The first (bottom left) is likely USA 182 aka Lacrosse 5, a radar reconnaissance satellite and the second (center) is likely a spent stage from the Soviet Zenit-2 rocket that launched Cosmos 1697, a Tselina-2 radio surveillance satellite.

 

Info and Fullres:

  Reveal hidden contents

Gear Used:
Canon 350D
Canon EFS 18-55mm
NyxTech NyxTracker

Acquisition Info:
6 panel mosaic
1x60" sub exposures per panel
6 min total integration time
ISO 1600
f/3.5
18mm focal length

Software Used:
Adobe Photoshop CS5.1
PixInsight

Notes:
-A sliver of the bottom-right corner is cloned data.

 

https://flic.kr/p/RAVphM

 

May 14 Daytime Moon:

https://flic.kr/p/2fViZAK

Daytime view of the waxing gibbous moon from 5-14. Visible towards the lunar terminator is the Moon's "golden handle", caused by mountain peaks on the western end of Sinus Irdium being illuminated by sunlight. Stack of ~14 individual frames. Stacked using AutoStakkert! 2 with 1.5x drizzle and sharpened using RegiStax. Taken with a Canon 350D with a 75-300mm lens at f/11. Proof you don't need a lot of aperture to squeeze some detail out of the Moon!

 

And best for last, a nice zoomed in view of the Milky Way Core from a few nights ago. My first attempt doing RAW conversion for astrophoto work in RawTherapee! I love the control it gives me.

Milky Way Core Widefield:

 

Annotated Version:

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

 

Image Info:

  Reveal hidden contents

The central region of the Milky Way at the intersection of Sagittarius, Ophinicus and Scorpius.

Gear Used:
-Camera: Canon EOS 350D (APS-C)
-Lens: Canon EF-S 18-55mm
-Mount: Nyxtech NyxTracker

Aquistion Details:
15x42" sub exposures
10.5 min total integration
ISO-1600
f/4.5
35mm focal length

Software Used:
RawTherapee
DeepSkyStacker
Pixinsight 1.6
rnc-colorstretch
Adobe Photoshop CS5.1
-HLVG Plugin

 

Edited May 30, 2019 by LaydeeDem

[Reactordrone]

Had a half decent view of Jupiter last night.

 

[cubinator]

Do you suppose I can catch a GEO-ish sat with my phone? Gorizont 25 might transit Jupiter tonight, about 39690 km away.

Edited August 19, 2019 by cubinator

[LaydeeDem]

Got my hands on a Canon 50mm f/1.8 STM lens in July. Lets in lots of light and is pretty sharp when stopped down to f/3. Have been a very busy bee since!
 

Galaxies of Mirach

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Two of our largest galactic neighbors, the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) and the Triangulum Galaxy (M33) framed up nicely inside the FoV provided by the Canon 50mm f/1.8. Very near to Mirach the galaxy NGC 404 can also be seen.

Gear Used:
Camera - Canon EOS 350D
Lens - Canon 50mm f/1.8 STM
Mount - Nyxtech NyxTracker V2

Acquisition:
Aperture - f/2.5
ISO-1600
37x30" sub exposures
~18min total integration time

Software Used:
Adobe Photoshop
Deep Sky Stacker
Pixinsight 1.8

 

 

The Serpent's Tail

 

  Reveal hidden contents

A dusty region of the Milky Way at the intersection of Serpens Cauda and Aquila. Part of the Great Rift, a dark band of dust that stretches from Cygnus to Centaurus. Wild Duck Cluster is visible in the lower left

Gear Used:

• Camera - Canon EOS 350D unmodded
• Lens - Canon 50mm f/1.8
• Mount - NyxTech NyxTracker

Acquisition Info:

• 19x30" lights
• 9.5 minutes total integration
• no darks, flats, bias
• f/3.2
• ISO-1600

Software Used:

• Adobe Camera Raw
• Deep Sky Stacker
• PixInsight 1.8
• Adobe Photoshop CS5.1

 

The Southern Crown:

  Reveal hidden contents

A fleeting glimpse into the Southern Sky. Corona Australis (Bottom left) is a faint constellation just beneath Sagittarius and is home to the Corona Australis Molecular Cloud, a star-forming region 430 light-years away from our Solar System, adjacent to the nebulosity is the globular cluster NGC 6723, though close in the sky, NGC 6723 is actually ~28,000 light years further away. Imaging was quite a challenge as Corona Australis was only 14 degrees above the horizon at the time of imaging and the afternoon's storms were still clearing out. Thankfully enough subs were cloud-free to provide a decent SNR.

Acquisition Details:

• Captured just before moonrise, 8/21/19
• 15x30" lights
• 7.5 mins total integration
• f/3.2
• ISO-1600
• Bortle Class 4 skies

Gear:

• Camera - EOS 350D
• Lens - Canon 50mm f/1.8
• Mount - NyxTech NyxTracker V2
• Tripod

Software Used:

• Adobe Camera Raw
• Deep Sky Stacker
• PixInsight 1.8
• Adobe Photoshop CS5.1

Notes:
-Image is displayed at 75% final resolution
-Image is processed for natural color

 

Cygnus: From Cepheus to Vulpecula

  Reveal hidden contents

2 pane mosaic of the constellation Cygnus and some of the constellation Vulpecula using my previous 2 images of the region. Cygnus is home to an incredibly active star-forming region and a large population of hot, young blue stars known as the Cygnus OB2 association, though most of it is obscured by a patch of interstellar dust known as the Cygnus Rift.

Image details:

• 2 pane mosaic captured over 2 nights.

Left Panel:

• 14x30" subs
• 7 minutes total integration
• ISO-1600
• f/3.2

Right Panel:

• 26x30" lights
• 13 minutes total integration
• f/3.2
• ISO-1600

Gear Used:

• Canon 350D unmodded
• Canon 50mm f/1.8 STM
• NyxTech NyxTracker V2

Software Used:

• Adobe Camera Raw
• Adobe Photoshop CS5.1
• PixInsight 1.8
• Deep Sky Stacker

Notes:

• Processed to the best of my ability for natural color

 

Dark Nebulae in Cygnus & Cepheus:

  Reveal hidden contents

Wide image of dark patches of interstellar dust on the border of the constellations of Cepheus and Cygnus, the two largest dark nebulae that dominante the frame and are visible to the naked eye under dark skies are Le Gentil 3 ( left) and the Northern Coalsack (right). Residing among the dust clouds are vast star forming hydrogen emission nebulae, including the Elephant's Trunk (left) and the famous North America Nebula (right). To the bottom right is Herschel's Garnet Star, aka Mu Cephei, a dying red supergiant star poised to go supernova within next few centuries.

Acquisition Details:
Captured late August 28, 2019
12x30" sub exposures
6 minutes total integration
ISO - 1600
f/3.2
Daylight White Balance

Gear Used:
Camera - EOS 350D
Lens - Canon 50mm f/1.8 STM
Mount - NyxTech NyxTracker V2

Software:
Adobe Camera Raw
Sequator
PixInsight 1.8
Adobe Photoshop CS5.1

Notes:
-Image has been mosaicked with my previous Cygnus image to provide better framing.
- My first attempt stacking using Sequator. I like how fast it is! However I don't think it has drizzle capability and I think images come out of it noisier than using Deep Sky Stacker, thought this could be error on my part.

 

 

Any my crowning achievement for the Summer, an image worth printing;

 

Farewell Fire:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

The Milky Way is setting 4 minutes earlier, every day. This late into August, the window of time to see the Milky Way this year is rapidly closing. While I plan to image it as much as possible before the Autumn and Winter skies bring their treasures, I thought it would be appropriate to give the Summer views of our home galaxy a send-off of sorts in the form of a jaw-dropping image. This is my first attempt at doing an advanced mosaic with a foreground landscape, unfortunately where the Milky Way sets is swamped with light pollution from Albuquerque but I tried to subtract as much as possible while still trying to be true to the scene.

Acquisition Details:
Image is a 3-pane mosaic covering roughly ~35 degrees of sky on the vertical axis. A still image of the ground has been blended in with the tracked mosaic
Captured on August 21, 2019 from my backyard near Santa Fe, NM

Top Panel:
2x30"

Middle Panel
2x30"

Bottom Panel
2x30" tracked
1x30" untracked for the ground

3 minutes 30 seconds total integration for the whole mosaic

ISO-1600
f/3.2
Bortle Class 4 skies

Gear:
Camera - EOS350D unmodded
Lens - Canon 50mm f/1.8 STM
Mount - NyxTech NyxTracker
Tripod

Software Used:
Adobe Camera Raw
Adobe Photoshop CS5.1
PixInsight 1.8

 

Excited for the Winter Skies now. Clear skies all!

[PakledHostage]

I'll revive this thread with my image from this evening of the Jupiter/Saturn conjunction, rather than start a new one. (Just because there's a lot of good stuff in here that deserves another look.)

I shot it through a 600mm lense at 1/200, f6.3,ISO200.  I then brightened Saturn by about a stop and dimmed Jupiter by about a stop using a linear gradient in Lightroom.