The Great Andromeda Galaxy

 

Really happy with this outcome. This was a tougher object to process so it is especially rewarding.

• Imaging telescope / lensGSO Newtonian 150/610 mm HPS Newtonian
• Imaging cameraZWO Optical ASI533MC Pro (CMOS)
• MountEquatorial Losmandy GM8
• Guiding telescope / lensQHYCCD Refractor 30/130 mm QHY MINI GUIDE SCOPE
• Guiding cameraQHYCCD QHY 5L-II
• FiltersOptolong Light pollution L-Pro Filter 2.00" 90%
• AccessoriesComa corrector Explore Scientific 2.00"
• Processed withSequence Generator Pro 3.1.0.544

FRAMES / SUBS

• Lights35 x 300 sec
• Darks30 x 300 sec
• Flats50 x 0.4 sec
• Dark Flats50 x 0.4 sec
• Total lights integration time2:55 hours
• 
  

ACQUISITION

• DateSat Sep 19th 2020
• Seeing3 / 5
• Transparency4 / 5
• Sky Darkness#7 Suburban/urban transition - 3/9
• Ambient Temperature8.0 ºC
• Camera Sensor Temperature-20.0 ºC
• Binning1x1
• Gain101
• Mean FWHM4.2 arcsec

M52 and the Bubble Nebula

Open Cluster M52 and the Bubble Nebula.

"To the eye, this cosmic composition nicely balances the Bubble Nebula at the upper right with open star cluster M52. The pair would be lopsided on other scales, though. Embedded in a complex of interstellar dust and gas and blown by the winds from a single, massive O-type star, the Bubble Nebula (aka NGC 7635) is a mere 10 light-years wide. On the other hand, M52 is a rich open cluster of around a thousand stars. The cluster is about 25 light-years across. Seen toward the northern boundary of Cassiopeia, distance estimates for the Bubble Nebula and associated cloud complex are around 11,000 light-years, while star cluster M52 lies nearly 5,000 light-years away."

- https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap091030.html

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Likely the best I can do with the L-Pro filter.

Technical Info:

Optics: SGO 6" f/4 Imaging Newtonian @ 610mm FL

Explore Scientific 2" HR Coma Corrector

Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro

Filter: 2" Optolong L-Pro

Mount: Losmandy GM8

Guiding: QHY Mini Guide Scope + PHD2 Software

Acquisition: Sequence Generator Pro

Exposure: Light (Gain 200) - 130 subs @ 120 Seconds

Calibration: 50 Bias, 30 Darks, 50 Flats

Temperature: 17 C

Camera Temperature: -10 C

Bortle: 7/8

​Processing:

• Deep Sky Stacker
• Adobe Photoshop
• Topaz Denoise AI
• Astronomy Action Set plug in for PS
• Astro Flat Pro plug in for PS

Limits of One Shot camera with a Light Pollution filter

So I've tested to see just how much detail one can capture before there are diminishing returns on my equipment.

So for me, that includes:

• Bortle 7/8 Skies
• SGO 6" f/4 Imaging Newtonian
  
• ZWO ASI 533MC Pro camera (3.76 x 3.76 micron sensor)
  
• Optolong L-Pro filter

I can't seem to improve details beyond 2 hours on small galaxies or 3 hours on nebula

Here are the results:

Draco Trio of Galaxies

Bubble Nebula

For nebulas, I'm receiving on Optolong L-Enhance tomorrow which will allow the Ha, Hb, and Oiii through.

The Fireworks Galaxy and an Open Cluster

NGC 6946, or "The Fireworks Galaxy", is one of a ~dozen nearby neighbors to the Milky Way. The galaxy, is a 9th magnitude face-on spiral galaxy positioned on the border between Cepheus and Cygnus. 

At ~22.5 Million light-years it's one of the nearest galaxies outside of the Local Group. In the past 100 years, 9 supernovae have been observed in NGC 6946, hence the nickname the Fireworks Galaxy!

I so enjoy capturing photons from two different objects and this photo contains a lovely open cluster, NGC 6939. Discovered by William Herschel in 1798, it contains some ~630 stars. With the use of photometric studies, the age of the cluster was estimated to be between 1,0 and 1,3 billion years

The Fireworks Galaxy and Open Cluster NGC 6939

This is one of my favorite photos even though it could use another hour of data. I may go back and add some to it.

Technical Info:

Optics: SGO 6" f/4 Imaging Newtonian @ 610mm FL

             Explore Scientific 2" HR Coma Corrector

Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro

Filter: 2" Optolong L-Pro

Mount: Losmandy GM8

Guiding: QHY Mini Guide Scope + PHD2 Software

Acquisition: Sequence Generator Pro 

Exposure: Light (Gain 100) - 57 subs @ 120 Seconds

Calibration: 50 Bias, 30 Darks, 0 Flats

​Processing: Deep Sky Stacker, Adobe Photoshop, Topax Denoise AI, Astronomy Action Set plug in for PS, Astro Flat Pro plug in for PS

The Apple Core Nebula

Messier 27 (M27) as known as the Apple Core Nebula, is a planetary nebula in Vulpecula. M27 is approximately 1,360 light years away. Discovered by Charles Messier in 1764 who added it to his now famous catalog used by amateur astronomers around the world. A planetary nebula has nothing to do with planets but is created when a star blows off its outer layers after it has run out of fuel to burn. Our own sun will suffer this fate without some external intervention in some 5 billion years.

M27; Apple Core Nebula

Technical Info:

Optics: SGO 6" f/4 Imaging Newtonian @ 610mm FL

             Explore Scientific 2" HR Coma Corrector

Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro

Filter: 2" Optolong L-Pro

Mount: Losmandy GM8

Guiding: QHY Mini Guide Scope + PHD2 Software

Acquisition: Sequence Generator Pro 

Exposure: Light (Gain 100) - 15 subs @ 120 Seconds

Calibration: 50 Bias, 30 Darks, 0 Flats

​Processing: Deep Sky Stacker, Adobe Photoshop, Topax Denoise AI, Astronomy Action Set plug in for PS, Astro Flat Pro plug in for PS

Whale and Crowbar Galaxies

Whale and the Crowbar or Hockey Stick Galaxies.

NGC 4631 is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici. The galaxy's shape gives it the appearance of a whale. It is located 30 million light years from Earth. NGC 4656/57 is a warped barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Canes Venatici and is nicknamed the Crowbar Galaxy.

Last frame is a single frame with a satellite running through it.

191, 60 second exposures stacked in Deep Sky Stacker and processed in Photoshop.

Capture Information:

Optics: SGO 6" f/4 Imaging Newtonian @ 610mm FL
Explore Scientific 2" HR Coma Corrector
Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro
Filter: 2" Optolong L-Pro
Mount: Losmandy GM8
Guiding: QHY Mini Guide Scope + PHD 2
Acquisition: Sequence Generator Pro
Exposure: Light (Gain 100) - 191 subs @ 60 Seconds
Calibration: 50 Bias, 50 Darks, 50 Flats
​Processing : Stacked in Deep Sky Stacker, Adobe Photoshop

Continuing Needle Galaxy and experiment on Globular

So, what I need to do tonight adding to my 26 minutes of time

1. Tune the RA axis on my GM8 (Done)
2. Calibrate PHD on the ecliptic.
3. Use Unity Gain (100 w/ 70 Offset)
4. Test out various times on M3 to see how the core does
5. Accumulate time on Needle Galaxy