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NGC/IC Objects { 555 images } Created 19 Feb 2011

This Gallery contains objects (nebulas, star clusters and galaxies) in the New General and Index Catalogues of J.L.E. Dreyer in the late 1800s. The catalogues serve as a list of most of the sky's deep-sky objects accessible to the backyard astronomer. Most of these images will also appear in the other Deep-Sky Galleries under Nebulas, Star Clusters, etc. This Gallery does NOT contain any of the Messier objects.

To search for specific objects, simply the catalog number, or type NGC&1499, for example, to search for NGC 1499.
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  • This is the faint but large planetary nebula known as the Medusa Nebula, but officially Abell 21 or PK 205+14.1 in Gemini. It was discovered in 1955 and was once classified as a supernova remnant. The very sparse open cluster NGC 2395 is at upper right from the nebula.<br />
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The nebula is thought to be 4 light-years across and 1500 light-years away. <br />
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This is a blend of filtered and unfiltered exposures: a stack of 4 unfiltered at ISO 1600 for 8 minutes each, and a stack of 8 filtered shots at 10 minutes each and ISO 3200, through the Optolong L-Enhance filter. All with the red-sensitive Canon EOS Ra camera through the SharpStar 100QII astrographic refractor at f/5.8, a quadruplet lens apo refractor. All stacked, aligned and blended in Photoshop.
    Abell 21 Medusa Nebula (SS100Q EOS R...jpg
  • Abell 21, the Medusa Nebula, a large but faint planetary nebula in Gemini. Above and to the right of it is a very loose open cluster NGC 2395.<br />
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This is a stack of 15 x 8-minute exposures at f/4.4 with the TMB apo refractor and Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600. Taken from the backyard of the Silver City, New Mexico, house, March 15, 2015.
    Abell 21, the Medusa Nebula (92mm 5D...jpg
  • Abell 426, the populous cluster of galaxies in Perseus, that includes the active radio source galaxy, NGC 1275, aka Perseus A, at the heart of the cluster. To the right of 1275 is slightly dimmer NGC 1272. <br />
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The galaxies are about 235 million light years away, and appear as fuzzy stars scattered across this field. <br />
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This is a stack of 10 x 8-minute exposures with the Quattro 8-inch astrographic Newtonian reflector at f/4 with the coma corrector. The camera was the Canon 5D MkII at ISO 800. While shot with 800mm of focal length even that is not really enough to do the cluster justice — the galaxies are small smudges.
    Abell 426, the Perseus Galaxy Cluste...jpg
  • A framing of the field around the bright white star Altair (lower left), and the orange giant star Tarazed above, with the dark nebula complex B142 (lower dark lane) and B143 (the top pair of dark lanes), together known as Barnard's E. These are all in Aquila.<br />
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This is a stack of 12 x 4-minute exposures at ISO 800 with the Canon Ra camera, on the Starfield Optics Géar90 EDT f/6 refractor with its 0.8x Reducer/Flattener for f/4.8 effective. Taken from home October 23, 2022. On the AP Mach1 mount and autoguided and dithered with the Lacerta MGEN3 autoguider.
    Altair & Barnards E (Géar90 Ra).jpg
  • The colourful region around Antares in Scorpius, the yellow star at centre. To the right is the globular cluster Messier 4. Above right of Antares is the smaller globular NGC 6144. Above are the nebulas associated with Rho Ophiuchi. The area is filled with reflection (yellow and blue) and emission nebulas (red and pink). The field simulates a binocular field.<br />
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This is a stack of 5 x 2-minute exposures with the 200mm lens at f/2.8 and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600.
    Antares Region (200mm 5DII).jpg
  • The colourful region around yellow Antares (bottom) in Scorpius and blue Rho Ophiuchi (top) in Ophiuchus. The nebulas are largely reflection nebulas, taking on the colour of the stars embedded in the nebulas. However, the field also contains a lot of emission nebulosity, hydrogen gas glowing red and magenta. Plus there are fingers of brown dark dusty nebulosity. It is one of the most colourful regions of the sky.<br />
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At right of Antares are two globular clusters, NGC 6144 (small, at 2 o'clock from Antares) and the larger Messier 4 right of Antares. <br />
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This is a stack of 5 x 8 minute exposures with the Borg 77mm astrographic apo (330mm focal length) at f/4.3 and the filter-modified Canon 5D Mark II at ISO 800. I took this March 31/April 1 from Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia.
    Antares & Rho Ophiuchi Area (77m...jpg
  • This is a framing of the rich array of star clusters and nebulas in central Auriga. The large star cluster Messier 38 is at top left, with the small cluster NGC 1907 just below it. The smaller star cluster Messier 36 is at left. M38 is often called the Starfish Cluster, while M36 is the Pinwheel Cluster. <br />
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The complex of star cluster Stock 8 and IC 417 is left of centre, with the small emission nebula NGC 1931 between it and M36. The large nebula at lower centre is IC 410 with the star cluster NGC 1893 embedded in it. The large nebula at right is IC 405, aka the Flaming Star Nebula, with a mix of red emission and blue reflection nebulosity. The faint streak of nebulosity right of M38 at top is Sharpless 2-230. The tiny intense patch of red nebulosity at upper left is Sharpless 2-235.<br />
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The colourful asterism of stars between IC 410 and IC 405 is variously known as the Little Fish or the Flying Minnow., made of the stars 16, 17, 18 and 19 Aurigae.  <br />
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The field of view is just under 9° by 6°. <br />
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This is a stack of just 7 x 4-minute exposures with an Askar FMA230 astrograph (230mm focal length at f/4.5), and filter-modified Canon Ra camera at ISO 800. However, no filters were employed here. Nebulosity was brought out using successive curves with luminosity masks generated by Lumenzia. All alignment and layering in Photoshop. Taken from home on January 27, 2022. Autoguided with the MGEN3 guider and dithered. No LENR or dark frame subtraction was employed on this mild winter night. Some light haze in some frames added the star glows. This was a stack of the best 7 frames out of 30 taken this night!
    Auriga Clusters and Nebulas (Askar23...jpg
  • This is a framing of the rich array of nebulas in central Auriga. The complex of star cluster Stock 8 and IC 417 is at upper left. The large nebula at lower centre is IC 410 with the star cluster NGC 1893 embedded in it. The large nebula at right is IC 405, aka the Flaming Star Nebula, with a mix of red emission and blue reflection nebulosity.<br />
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The colourful asterism of stars between IC 410 and IC 405 is variously known as the Little Fish or the Flying Minnow., made of the stars 16, 17, 18 and 19 Aurigae.  <br />
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The field of view is just under 4° by 2.7°. <br />
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This is a stack of 10 x 6-minute exposures with an Askar FRA500 astrograph (500mm focal length at f/5.5), and filter-modified Canon Ra camera at ISO 800. However, no filters were employed here. Nebulosity was brought out using successive curves with luminosity masks generated by Lumenzia, plus an application of the Nebula Filter action in PhotoKemi Startools Photoshop action set. All alignment and layering in Photoshop. Taken from home on January 27, 2022. Autoguided with the MGEN3 guider and dithered. No LENR or dark frame subtraction was employed on this mild winter night. Some light haze in some frames added the star glows.
    Auriga Nebulas (FRA500 Ra).jpg
  • This is a portrait of the main glowing nebulas amid star clusters in central Auriga, the Charioteer. <br />
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The main nebula at right is the Flaming Star Nebula, aka IC 405. But in this long exposure its mass blends into the central roundish nebula, IC 410. At top left is the pair of Sharpless nebulas, Sh 2-232 and the small Sh 2-235. The fingerlike nebula at top centre is Sh 2-230. The star cluster just to its left is Messier 38, with the small cluster NGC 1907 just below M38. The star cluster at left centre is Messier 36. At centre frame is the nebula IC 417 around the cluster Stock 8. The line of colourful stars at lower right between IC 405 and IC 410 is the Little FIsh or Flying Minnow asterism, aka Mel 11. <br />
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This is a stack of 6 x 8-minute exposures at ISO 3200 through an Optolong L-Enhance dual-band nebula filter, blended another filtered set of 6 x 16-minute exposures at ISO 3200 with the Optolong L-eXtreme narrowband filter, all blended with a stack of 6 x 8-minute exposures without a filter (for more natural star colors and the blue reflection nebula in IC 405) at ISO 800. All with the Canon EOS Ra camera through the f/5 51mm William Optics RedCat astrograph with a Starizona filter drawer. Autoguiding was with the Lacerta MGEN3 autoguider which applied a dithering shift between each frame to help cancel out thermal noise when stacking. No darks or LENR were used here on this mild winter night at -5° C or so. <br />
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All stacking, alignment and blending was in Adobe Photoshop 2021. Luminosity masks (DM2, D and M) applied with Lumenzia helped bring out the faint nebulosity. The set was taken as part of testing the L-eXtreme filter to determine its effectiveness in bringing out more nebulosity. It did not contribute much to this stack and required even more exposure time that would have been better spent taking more unfiltered and L-eNhance frames.
    Auriga Nebulas (RedCat 51 + EOS Ra w...jpg
  • This is a 140° panorama of the northernmost section of the Milky Way, from Auriga at left to Aquila at right. Perseus, Cassiopeia, Cepheus and Cygnus are across the centre. I added in labels on the mosaic for the constellations, and major nebulas and star clusters. <br />
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Surrounding the panorama is a collage of close-up images of the major emission nebulas (and one dark nebula) pointing to the area in the wide-field mosaic. The close-ups were shot with various astrographic telescopes such as the William Optics RedCat 51mm and Sharpstar 61, 76 and 94mm refractors, usually employing filters such as the Optolong L-eNhance and IDAS NBX. <br />
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The background panorama was shot on October 30, 2021, but the close-ups were shot on various nights over two years from 2019 to 2021. The panorama is a stitch of 4 segments, each a stack of 8 x 4-minute expsures at ISO 800 with the Canon Ra and with the RF 28-70mm lens at 28mm and f/2.8. It was on the Star Adventurer Mini tracker. Another panorama of 4 segments taken through a Kase StarGlow filter and layered in added the glows on the bright stars.
    Autumn Milky Way & Objects Colla...jpg
  • Horsehead Nebula region with NGC2024 and 2023, and B33 dark nebula. Stack of two 15-minute exposures with Canon 20Da, at f/6 with 5-inch AP apo refractor, ISO400, and Long Exposure Nosie Reduction ON in camera. Ambient temp was about -3° C. Taken Dec. 29, 2005.<br />
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Noise reduction applied at RAW conversion stage, and Noise Ninja applied to both layers at start before processing and to single flattened layer at end after processing and stretching. Image showed dithered dark areas initially after Levels adjustment but this smoothed out after flattening of original image and adjustment layers.
    B33 Horsehead (5in f6).jpg
  • Horsehead and Flame Nebula area of Belt of Orion. Taken Jan 17, 09 with 77mm f/4 Borg astrograph lens (300mm focal length) and Canon 20Da camera at ISO 400 for 4 x 15 minute exposures. On AP Mach 1 mount. Autoguided with SBIG ST402 camera and PHD Guider. Excellent night but lots of snow and sky was good but somewhat lit by snow illumination.
    B33 Horsehead & Belt (77mm 20Da).jpg
  • The area around the Belt of Orion, with the Horsehead and Flame Nebulas at bottom flanking the bright star Zeta Orionis, aka Alnitak, with Messier 78 at upper left. Taken from home, on a slightly hazy and frosty night, Feb 7, 2013, using the Hutech modified Canon 6D at ISO 800 and the TMB 92mm apo refractor at f/4.8 for a stack of 6 x 7 minute exposures.
    B33 Horsehead & M78 in Orion (92...jpg
  • The Parrot Head Nebula, Barnard 87, located here to the lower right of frame as the curled dark nebula shape amid the rich star clouds near the galactic centre region in Sagittarius. <br />
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This is a stack of 5 x 6-minute exposures with the Borg 77mm astrograph at f/4 and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600. Taken from Tibuc Cottage, Australia, April 2016.
    B87 Parrot Head Nebula (77mm 5DII).jpg
  • Barnard's E, the Double Dark nebula B 142-143, off Altair and Tarazed in Aquila, in a wide-field image simulating the field of binoculars. Taken July 24, 2012, from home with the Canon 5D MkII at ISO 800 and Canon L-series 200mm lens at f/3.5 for a stack of 5 x 4.5 minute exposures.
    Barnard E B142-143 (200mm 5DII).jpg
  • The dark nebulas catalogued by Edward Barnard as B142-3, and known as Barnard’s E, near the star Tarazed (lower left) in Aquila.<br />
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This is a stack of 6 x 8-minute exposures with the Canon 5D Mk II at ISO 800 through the Astro-Physics Traveler apo refractor at f/6 with the Hotech field flattener. Taken from home on a very clear night August 1, 2019.
    Barnard's E - B142-3 in Aquila (105m...jpg
  • The Belt and Sword of Orion, taken from home, Feb 1, 2013. Taken as part of testing of a Hutech-modified Canon 6D camera. This is with the 135mm lens at f/2.8 and is a stack of 2 x 4 minute at ISO 800 and 2 x 2 minute at ISO 1600. Some light haze moving in.
    Belt and Sword of Orion (135mm 6D).jpg
  • The Belt and Sword region of Orion, with the Orion Nebula, Messiesr 42 and 43, at bottom. Below the left star of the Belt, Alnitak, is the famous Horsehead Nebula, while above it is NGC 2024, aka the Flame Nebula. At very top left is Messier 78, while part of Barnard’s Loop arc across the field at left. The field is filled with other faint red emission and blue reflection nebulas. The large loose open cluster Collinder 70 surrounds the middle star of the Belt, Alnilam. <br />
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The field is similar to that of binoculars. <br />
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This is a stack of 16 x 2- to 3-minute exposures with the filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 800 to 1250 and 200mm Canon L-Series lens at f/2.8. <br />
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Taken with the Fornax Lightrack tracker as part of testing. Taken from home on January 8, 2019 in a clear couple of hours between haze patches, and while battling dying batteries for the drive and camera. Diffraction spikes added with Astronomy Tools. Main images stacked with Median stack mode to eliminate satellite trails from geosats that populate this area of sky.
    Belt and Sword of Orion with Barnard...jpg
  • Belt of Orion with Horsehead and Flame Nebulas. Taken Jan 19, 09 with 77mm f/4 Borg astrograph lens (300mm focal length) and Canon 20Da camera at ISO 400 for 4 x 18 minute exposures. On AP Mach 1 mount. Autoguided with SBIG ST402 camera and PHD Guider. Excellent night but lots of snow and sky was good but somewhat lit by snow illumination.
    Belt of Orion (77mm 20Da).jpg
  • The Belt of Orion, enmeshed in nebulosity, emission and reflection, including the famous Horsehead Nebula at left below Zeta Orionis, aka Alnitak, and with NGC 2024 the Flame Nebula above Zeta. Numerous bits of dark and reflection nebulosity fill the area as well as a large cluster of blue stars, Collinder 70.
    Belt of Orion & B33 Horsehead (9...jpg
  • The Belt of Orion with the Horsehead Nebula at botton, the dark nebula set in the bright emission nebula IC 434. The nebula at left of the Zeta Orionis (aka Alnitak) is the Flame Nebula, NGC 2024. The reflection nebula at upper left is the M78 complex with NGC 2071. The other Belt stars are Alnilan (centre) and Mintaka (upper right). The field contains a wealth of other blue reflection and red emission nebulas. <br />
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Taken from Australia, March 2014 with the Borg 77mm astrographic apo refractor (330mm focal length) at f/4.3 for a stack of 5 x 10 minute exposures with the filter-modified Canon 5D Mark II at ISO 800.
    Belt of Orion with Horsehead & M...jpg
  • Belt and Sword of Orion, with Barnard's Loopp. This is a stack of 5 x 8 minute exposures at f/2.8 and ISO 1000 (set too high by mistake!) with the Canon 5D MkII and Canon L-series 135mm lens. The originals were overexposed but processed up nicely. Skyglow from Orion's altitude at home in Alberta adds the brighter glow at bottom of frame.
    Belt & Sword of Orion (135mm 5DI...jpg
  • This is a wide-field portrait of a set of nebulas with colourful names but rendered here in monochrome: The Bubble Nebula at upper left; the Lobster Claw Nebula below it (somewhat obvious for its shape); the Cave Nebula at upper right; and the Wizard Nebula at bottom. The small round nebula above the Wizard is Sharpless 2-152. Just below it and very small is Sh2-148. The star cluster right of centre is NGC 7419. <br />
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The Bubble Nebula's spherical bubble is a little lost at this scale. It lies below the star cluster Messier 52. The Bubble is also NGC 7635. The Lobster Claw is Sharpless 2-157 and is sometimes called the Californietto. The Cave Nebula is Sharpless 2-155, while the Wizard is Sharpless 2-142 but also known as NGC 7380 though that designation applies to the star cluster associated with it. All are located on the Cassiopeia-Cepheus border. North is more or less up in this portrait orientation. <br />
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This is a stack of 12 x 16-minute exposures with the SharpStar 61mm EDPH refractor with its reducer at f/4.4, and with the Canon EOS Ra camera at ISO 3200, with a clip-in Astronomik 12nm H-alpha filter to block all but red H-a light for a monochrome portrait. Luminosity masks with Lumenzia helped bring out the faint nebulosity. The initial exposures were taken in moonlight. I added a slight blue colour grade for artistic effect.
    Bubble, Cave and Claw Nebulas (SS61 ...jpg
  • A mosaic of the region in Cassiopeia and Cepheus containing the main nebulas: the Bubble Nebula (NGC 7635) at lower left, and the Cave Nebula (Sh 2-155) at upper right. At left is also the bright Messier open cluster M52. The small yellowish cluster at right is NGC 7419. The small cluster at lower centre is NGC 7510. The small nebula just left of centre is NGC 7538.  This is a mosaic of 4 panels, each segment being a stack of 10 x 6-minute exposures taken over two nights with the TMB 92mm apo refractor at f/4.4 with the Borg 0.85x field flattener/reducer and the filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 800. Images stacked and merged in Photoshop. Shot from New Mexico.
    Bubble & Cave Nebulas Mosaic (92...jpg
  • The Bug Nebula, NGC 6302, a tiny bi-polar planetary nebula in the tail of Scorpius, set in a nebula-rich field.<br />
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This is a stack of 5 x 6-minute exposures with the Astro-Physics Traveler at f/6 and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600. Taken from Tibuc Cottage, Australia. Not really enough focal length to do this object justice but I shot it to add to the files. Another bug in the collection!
    Bug Nebula, NGC 6302 (106mm 5DII).jpg
  • This is the California Nebula (aka NGC 1499) in Perseus, a classic red emission nebula emitting mostly at the red wavelength of hydrogen-alpha light but also with a strong hydrogen-beta emission line in the blue-green part of the spectrum. <br />
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By contrast, below is the small blue reflection nebula known only as IC 348, a cloud of dust surrounding hot blue stars and reflecting their light. But the region also contains some dim red emission nebulosity. <br />
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Also throughout the field are patches of yellow-brown dust that form obscuring dark nebulas. The main dark nebulas are Barnard 5 (above IC 348) and Barnard 4 below.<br />
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This is a stack of 8 x 8 minute unfiltered exposures at ISO 800 blended with a stack of 9 x 15-minute exposures through an Optolong L-Enhance narrowband filter, to bring out the emission nebulas. All were with the Canon EOS Ra camera through the William Optics RedCat 51mm astrograph at f/4.9, equipped with the Starizona filter drawer. Autoguiding was with the Lacerta MGEN3 stand-alone autoguider on the Astro-Physics Mach 1 mount. All stacking, alignment and blending was with Photoshop. Luminosity masks applied with Lumenzia to do selective curves adjustments to various tonal ranges. <br />
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Shot from home November 15, 2020.
    California Nebula and IC 348 (RedCat...jpg
  • A wide-field image of the region of Perseus and Taurus from the pink California Nebula (NGC 1499) at top, to the blue Pleiades star cluster (M45) at bottom. In between and surrounding the main bright objects are many tendrils of interstellar dust clouds, varying in shades of brown and pale blue. <br />
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Around the Pleiades the faint clouds reflect some of the lblue light of the young stars, but away from the Pleiades the clouds take on a warm reddish tone, or appear as just dark fingers blocking all light from behind. At centre right are some brighter patches known as IC 348 around the star Atik, aka Omicron Persei. The glow at left in the darkest cloud is IC 2087. The small star cluster at upper right is NGC 1342.<br />
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This is a stack of 30 x 4-minute exposures with the Canon EOS Ra camera at ISO 800, and the low-cost Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 lens at f/4 and shooting through a NISI Natural Night light pollution filter, a mild broadband filter. The lens, despite being stopped down, is still subject to some chromatic aberration, which lens corrections help with but cannot fully eliminate at the raw development stage. <br />
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All stacking, alignment and processing with Photoshiop 2021, with luminosity masks created with Lumenzia v9 extension panel , which was very helpful in bringing the faint dust clouds out from the dark background. No dark frames or LENR applied on this cool winter night.
    California to Pleiades (85mm EOS Ra).jpg
  • A mosaic of the amazingly rich area of Carina and Centaurus with their many superb nebulas and star clusters in this southernmost area of the Milky Way. <br />
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The Carina Nebula (NGC 3372) is at upper right; the Running Chicken Nebula (IC 2948) is at lower left (aka the Lambda Centauri Nebula). The small red and magenta nebulas at centre are NGC 3603 and NGC 3576. <br />
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The Southern Pleiades cluster (IC 2602) is at bottom right. The Pearl Cluster (NGC 3766) is above the Running Chicken at left. The cluster IC 2714 is to the right of the Chicken amid dark nebulas. The Gem Cluster (NGC 3324) is above and right of the Carina Nebula but small and unresolved here. The Football Cluster (NGC 3532) is top centre, though partly lost amid the rich starfield. <br />
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This is a mosaic of three segments, taken with the camera in portrait orientation, stitched with Photoshop to make a square framing of the area. Each segment was a stack of 4 x 2-minute exposures at f/2.8 with the 200mm Canon L-series lens and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 2500. Tracked on the AP400 mount but unguided. Shot from Tibuc Gardens Cottage, Coonabarabran, Australia.
    Carina-Centaurus Nebula Mosaic v1 (2...jpg
  • A mosaic of the amazingly rich area of Carina and Centaurus with their many superb nebulas and star clusters in this southernmost area of the Milky Way. <br />
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The Carina Nebula (NGC 3372) is at upper centre; the Running Chicken Nebula (IC 2948) is at lower left (aka the Lambda Centauri Nebula). The small red and magenta nebulas at centre are NGC 3603 and NGC 3576. <br />
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The Southern Pleiades cluster (IC 2602) is at bottom right. The Pearl Cluster (NGC 3766) is above the Running Chicken at left. The cluster IC 2714 is to the right of the Chicken amid dark nebulas. The Gem Cluster (NGC 3324) is above and right of the Carina Nebula but small and unresolved here. The Football Cluster (NGC 3532) is top centre, though partly lost amid the rich starfield. The Southern Crescent Nebula (NGC 3199) is at upper right.<br />
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This is a mosaic of six segments, taken with the camera in landscape orientation, stitched with Photoshop to make a square framing of the area. Each segment was a stack of 4 x 2-minute exposures at f/2.8 with the 200mm Canon L-series lens and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 2500. Tracked on the AP400 mount but unguided. Shot from Tibuc Gardens Cottage, Coonabarabran, Australia.
    Carina-Centaurus Nebula Mosaic v2 (2...jpg
  • Eta Carinae and Lambda Centaurus area, vertical format (north up) with Canon20Da and Canon 135mm L lens at f/2.8 for 2-frame mosaic, each frame a stack of 4 x 6 minute exposures at ISO400. Stitched together with Photoshop CS3 and Auto-Align and Auto-Blend functions. Taken from Coonabarabran, NSW, March 2008. Shows Eta Carinae, Southern Pleiades, NGC 3532, NGC 3293, NGC 3766 and Lambda Centauri nebulosity and many other smaller clusters and nebulas.
    Carina-Centaurus Spectacular Field M...jpg
  • The Carina Nebula framed to include the double star Chi Velorum, at top, also known as the Southern Albireo, or Albireo Australis. The Gem Cluster, NGC 3293, is above and to the right of the main nebula. <br />
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This is a stack of 5 x 6-minute exposures with the Borg 77mm f/4 astrograph and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600. Taken from Tibuc Cottage, Australia, April 11, 2016.
    Carina Nebula & Chi Velorum (77m...jpg
  • The Carina Nebula, NGC 3572, and surrounding clusters. To the upper left is NGC 3532, the Football Cluster. To the upper right is NGC 3293, the Gem Cluster To the lower left is the nebula complex NGC 3576/81. This is a stack of 5 x 10 minute exposures at f/4.3 with the Borg 77mm astrograph (330mm focal length) and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 800. Taken from Coonabarabran, Australia, March 2014.
    Carina Nebula & Clusters (77mm 5...jpg
  • The Carina Nebula, NGC 3572, and surrounding clusters, embedded in high haze adding the glow effect, accentuating star colours. To the upper left is NGC 3532, the Football Cluster. To the upper right is NGC 3293, the Gem Cluster To the lower left is the nebula complex NGC 3576/81. This is a stack of 4 x 6 minute exposures at f/4 with the Borg 77mm astrograph (300mm focal length) and Canon 5D MkII at ISO 800. Taken from Coonabarabran, Australia, March 2014.
    Carina Nebula in Haze (77mm 5DII).jpg
  • The Carina Nebula, NGC 3372, and the Football Cluster, NGC 3532, at left, in a wide-field view with a 200mm telephoto lens to match a binocular field of view. At upper right is the Gem Cluster, NGC 3293. At lower left are the nebulas NGC 3576 and NGC 3603.<br />
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This is a stack of 4 x 2-minute exposures with a 200mm lens at f/2.8 and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 2500. Tracked but unguided on the AP 400 mount.
    Carina Nebula & NGC 3532 (200mm ...jpg
  • The spectacular region of sky around the Carina Nebula, NGC 3372, in Carina, with its adjacent nebulas and open star clusters. NGC 3532, the Football Cluster is at left, while NGC 3293, the Gem Cluster, is at upper right. At far right is the ear-lobed shaped Crescent Nebula, NGC 3199, a remnant of a Wolf-Rayet star and its stellar winds. <br />
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This is a two-panel mosaic, with each panel a stack of 4 x 6-minute exposures with the Borg 77mm f/4 astrographic refractor and filter modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600. Stitched in Photoshop. Shot April 3/4, 2016 from Tibuc Cottage, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia. Autoguided with the SBIG SG-4 guider.
    Carina Nebula Panorama (77mm 5DII).jpg
  • The Carina Nebula, NGC 3372, above the Southern Pleiades star cluster, IC 2602. At upper left is the Football Cluster, NGC 3532. At left are the colurful nebula NGC 3603 and NGC 3576. <br />
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This is a stack of 4 x 2-minute exposures with the 200mm lens at f/2.8 and filtger-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 2500. Tracked on the AP 400 mount. Taken from Coonabarabran, Australia.
    Carina Nebula & Southern Pleiade...jpg
  • Cassiopeia, with the 135mm telephoto lens, at f/2.5 for a stack of 6 x 2 minute exposures with the Canon 5D MkII at ISO 800. Plus star glows added with a layer of 2 x 2 minute exposures with the Kenko Softon filter. Field is similar to binoculars. Taken on a frosty night Feb 6, 2013, using the new iOptron SkyTracker tracking platform with the iOptron ballhead. It worked very well, though another 4 shots taken in the series were trailed slightly. 6 were fine.
    Cassiopeia (135mm 5DII).jpg
  • This is a wide shot encompassing the constellation of Cassiopeia the Queen in the northern autumn sky, showing the variety of colours in the starclouds and nebulas that populate this section of the Milky Way. The colours are brought out by the long exposure used and by contrast enhancements in processing. But yes, they are real! This is not false colour. <br />
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The pink emission nebulas of the Heart and Soul Nebulas (IC 1848 and IC 1805 respectively), at left, and the NGC 7822/Ced 214 complex, at top, dominate. The small pink patch at bottom is the Pacman Nebula, NGC 281. At upper right are the faint nebulas around the star cluster M52, including the Bubble Nebula, NGC 7635. The purple glows near the star Gamma Cassiopeiae, aka Navi, at centre are the reflection nebulas IC 59 and IC 63. <br />
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Lots of star clusters populate the area, including the Double Cluster in Perseus at lower left, and NGC 7789, Caroline's Rose, at right. NGC 663 and NGC 457 are the star clusters below the left side of the W that marks Cassiopeia. <br />
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This is a stack of 14 x 2-minute exposures with the Canon RF 28-70mm lens at 62mm and f/2.5 on the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 1600, and on the Star Adventurer Mini tracker. The lens had a URTH Night filter on it to reduce light pollution and airglow discolouration. Taken from home October 1, 2021 on a night with some loss of transparency due to haze. Nebulosity was brought out with the aid of luminosity and colour range masks created with Lumenzia. An additional exposure through an Alyn Wallace/Kase Starglow filter layered in adds the subtle star glows to make the "W" stars pop. <br />
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All stacking, alignment and blending done in Photoshop.
    Cassiopeia Clusters and Nebulas (RF2...jpg
  • A portrait of the W-shaped constellation of Cassiopeia, with her various star clusters and emission nebulas, and with the area laced with dark nebula. .  <br />
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For nebulas — At upper left is IC 1805 and IC 1848, the Heart and Soul Nebulas. At upper right is NGC 7822 and Ced 214. At bottom is NGC 281 the Pacman Nebula. Just below centre is the faint IC 59 and IC 63 reflection nebulas near the star Gamma Cassiopeiae.  <br />
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For star clusters — at far left is the Double Cluster NGC 869 and NGC 884. Left of  centre is NGC 663. Below centre is NGC 457. At bottom right on the edge of the frame is NGC 7789.  I should have framed the scene a bit farther to the south! <br />
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This is a stack of 11 x 6-minute tracked but unguided exposures at f/2.8 with the Rokinon 85mm lens and Canon EOS Ra at ISO 1600, blended with a single simular exposure through a Kenko Softon A filter to add the star glows. All were also shot through an Astronomik CLS clip-in filter,  to reduce sky glow and enhance the nebulas.  Taken December 4, 2020 from home on the AP Mach 1 mount.
    Cassiopeia Clusters & Nebulas (8...jpg
  • A framing of some of the main open star clusters in eastern Cassiopeia, including: NGC 663 at lower left and NGC 457 at upper right. NGC 457 is known as the Owl or ET Cluster. Above NGC 457 is smaller NGC 436 and above NGC 663 is smaller NGC 654. To the right of NGC 663 is NGC 659. Between NGC 663 and the bright blue star Ruchbah is Messier 103. The yellowed cluster in the extreme lower left corner is Be 6.<br />
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This is a stack of 20 x 5-minute exposures with the SharpStar 76mm EDPH with its f/4.5 reducer/flattener, and the Canon R5 at ISO 800, on the Star Adventurer GTi mount, autoguided with the Lacerta MGEN3. No filters were employed.
    Cassiopeia Clusters (SS76 R5).jpg
  • The starfield in eastern Cassiopeia containing an abundance of open star clusters. The most prominent is NGC 663, aka the Letter S Cluster, at bottom. Above it is NGC 654; to its right is NGC 659. At centre is Messier 103. At far right is NGC 457, the ET or Owl Cluster. Above it is NGC 463. The star at far left is Epsilon Cass; the star at right of centre is Delta Cas, aka Ruchba. The 7.5 x 5° field is close to a binocular field of view. <br />
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This is a stack of 15 x 4-minute exposures with the SharpStar 61mm apo refractor at f/4.5 and with the Canon R6 at ISO 800. Taken from home Oct. 1, 2021. Diffraction spikes added with Astronomy Tools actions.
    Cassiopeia Clusters with M103 (SS61 ...jpg
  • A framing of some of the main star clusters (and some nebulas) in Cassiopeia and Perseus. <br />
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At left are the Heart and Soul Nebulas in Cassiopeia, aka IC 1805 and IC 1848 respectively, plus the smaller and more intense patch of nebulosity NGC 896. With these nebulas are the star clusters NGC 1027 and Mel 15. At bottom is the famous Double Cluster, NGCs 884 and 869. The small cluster NGC 957 is to the left of the Double Cluster. At upper right below the line joining the two bright stars in Cassiopeia is the prominent star cluster NGC 663, with NGC 654 above and M103 to the right. The reddened object left of NGC 663 is the cluster IC 166. At far right is NGC 457, the ET Cluster. <br />
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This is a stack of 15 x 2-minute tracked but unguided exposures with the Canon EF135mm lens at f/2.8 and Canon Ra at ISO 1250, with a NISI Natural Night broadband filter on the lens to enhance the nebulosity. Taken from home on a very clear night September 20, 2022. Taken with the Star Adventurer GTi tracker/equatorial mount as part of testing the mount.
    Cassiopeia & Perseus Clusters (1...jpg
  • A telephoto lens shot of the cluster and nebula region of the Cassiopeia-Perseus border, with the Double Cluster at lower right, and the Heart and Soul Nebulas at centre. They are also known as IC 1805 andf IC 1848 respectively. The bright patch off the top right of IC 1805 is NGC 896. Cluster NGC 663 is at top right edge in Cassiopeia. This is a stack of 5 x 6 minute exposures at ISO 800 with the Canon 5D MkII and 135mm lens at f/2.8. Taken from home.
    Cassiopeia-Perseus Nebulas & Clu...jpg
  • A telephoto lens shot of the cluster and nebula region of the Cassiopeia-Perseus border, with the Double Cluster at lower right, and the Heart and Soul Nebulas at centre. They are also known as IC 1805 andf IC 1848 respectively. The bright patch off the top right of IC 1805 is NGC 896. Cluster NGC 663 is at top right edge in Cassiopeia. This is a stack of 5 x 6 minute exposures at ISO 800 with the Canon 5D MkII and 135mm lens at f/2.8. Taken from home.
    Cassiopeia-Perseus Nebulas & Clu...jpg
  • The region in the tail of Scorpius around the Cat’s Paw Nebula, NGC 6334, centred, with NGC 6357 above at the top and the tiny planetary, the Bug Nebula, NGC 6302, at bottom right. Shaula or Lambda Scorpii, is the brightest star at lower left, along with Lesath, the stars marking the stinger in the tail of Scorpius. <br />
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This is a stack of 5 x 6-minute exposures with the Borg 77mm f/4 astrograph and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII taken from the Tibuc Cottage, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia.
    Cat's Paw Nebula Area (77mm 5DII).jpg
  • The bright Cygnus Starcloud (at right) and collection of red emission nebulas in central Cygnus, including the North America Nebula (NGC 7000) at left near the bright star Deneb. The dark Northern Coalsack is to the right of the North America Nebula. The IC 1318 emission nebula complex is at centre. The star cluster NGC 6819, aka The Foxhead, is at far right. The cluster NGC 6866, aka The Kite, is to the left of 6819. At top right is the cluster NGC 6811. <br />
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This is a stack of 4 x 2-minute exposures at f/2.8 with the Rokinon 85mm RF lens on the Canon EOS Ra camera at ISO 1600, and through the Kase Neutral Night broadband filter, with an additional exposure layered in taken through a Kase/Alyn Wallace StarGlow filter for the glows. Taken from the Alberta Star Party site on September 3, 2021, with the camera on the Star Adventurer Mini tracker. Stacked, aligned and blended in Photoshop. Luminosity mask adjustments applied with Lumenzia and Zone System Express v7.
    Central Cygnus (85mm EOS Ra).jpg
  • The Coal Sack and Jewel Box Cluster area on the east side of Crux, the Southern Cross. The Coal Sack, which to the eye looks like a large dark patch, under photography breaks up into small patches, the darkest just south of the Jewel Box Cluster, here just below and left of Becrux, or Beta Crucis. Other star clusters in the scene are NGC 4852 at top left, Trumpler 20 at right. and NGC 4609 at lower right. The small intensely red area is the nebula Gum 46.<br />
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This is a stack of 5 x 8 minute exposures with the Borg 77mm astrographic apo refractor (330mm focal length) at f/4.3 and with the filter-modified Canon 5D Mark II at ISO 800. Taken from Coonabarabran, Australia, March 2014.
    Coal Sack and Jewel Box (77mm 5DII).jpg
  • A panaoramic mosaic of the southern Milky Way region from the Coal Sack dark nebula and Alpha Cruxis, (aka Acrux) at left, to IC 2944/8, the Running Chicken Nebula, at right, with the star cluster, NGC 3766, above. The cluster IC 2714 is at the lower right corner. The star cluster NGC 4609 is left of Acrux, in the Coal Sack. <br />
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This is a 3-panel mosaic, each panel a 4 x 6-minute exposure with the Borg 77mm f/4 astrograph and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600. Stacking and stitching in Photoshop CC 2015. Taken from Tibuc Cottage, Australia, April 11, 2016.
    Coal Sack to Lambda Centauri Mosaic ...jpg
  • The colourful region in and around the Coathanger asterism in Vulpecula the Fox. The grouping is not a star cluster per se, though it is catalogued as one, Collinder 399. It is also known as Brocchi's Cluster. A true star cluster, NGC 6802, is located at the east (left) end of the Coathanger, as the small clump of stars. The area is also rich in faint nebulosity, notably: the Sharpless 2-83 reflection nebula complex above the Coathanger, and the small, round Sharpless 2-82 emission and reflection nebula below the Coathanger. The large area of red emission nebula at bottom right is not catalogued or labelled in any of the star atlases I have, including the Millenium Star Atlas and Uranometria. However, the small round red "nebula" on the bottom edge of the large nebula is actually a highly reddened globular cluster, Palomar 10. This area of the Milky Way is rich in dark nebulas and absorbing dust, yellowing the fields. <br />
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This is a stack of 10 x 5-minute exposures through the SharpStar 61EDPH II refractor with its flattener/reducer at f/4.5 and the red-sensitive Canon Ra, though with no filter employed here. The mount was the little Star Adventurer GTi portable GoTo mount undergoing testing, and autoguided with the ZWO ASIAir and its little 30mm guidescope, with the Air also controlling the Ra and performing dithering moves between each exposure. The guiding worked very well. No darks or LENR were applied here, but the stacking averaged out the thermal noise hot pixels on this fairly warm autumn night, September 27, 2022. <br />
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All stacking and alignment with Photoshop. A mild Orton Glow effect added with Luminar AI, plus an application of PK Actions Dark Detail Hard action (a form of high-pass sharpening), two somewhat opposing effects -- i.e. fine sharpening plus overall softening. But the result does punch up the nebulosity, as does some luminosity masked curves adjustment layers from TK Actions and Lumenzia. Noise reduction was with RC Astro's Noise XTerminator.
    Coathanger Cluster Cr399 (SS61 Ra).jpg
  • Taken with 4-inch apo refractor at f/4.5 with Canon 20Da camera at IS0800 for 5 minutes. Stack of two exposures. One layer median filtered and gaussian blurred to enhance glows around stars.
    Coathanger CR399 (4in f4.5).jpg
  • The asterism known as the Coathanger, aka Cr 399, in Vulpecula, at upper right here. The faint blue reflection nebula above it is Sharpless 2-83; the small reflection nebula at bottom is Sh-2-82. The small open cluster off the left tip of the Coathanger is NGC 6802. The Coathanger asterism is a fine one for binoculars. The 7.5 x 5° field is close to a binocular field of view. <br />
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This is a stack of 12 x 6-minute exposures with the SharpStar 61mm apo refractor at f/4.5 and with the Canon R6 at ISO 1250. Taken from home Sept. 30, 2021. Diffraction spikes added with Astronomy Tools actions.
    Coathanger with NGC 6802 (SS61 R6).jpg
  • Several types of deep-sky objects are represented here: an emission nebula, dark nebulas, and star clusters, in this rich field in Cygnus. <br />
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The field frames the bright and magenta Cocoon Nebula (at lower left), aka IC 5146, at the end of the dark nebula B168, aka The Dark Cigar, which itself is southeast of the bright but sparse star cluster Messier 39 at upper right. The field is also wrapped in faint red emission nebulosity. A dimmer smaller star cluster, Platais 1, sits above M39. <br />
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This is a rich field about 6° by 4°, embedded in the main band of the Milky Way in northern Cygnus.<br />
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This is a blend of: a stack of 8 x 6-minute exposures at ISO 1600 through a clear Astronomik UV-IR cut filter, layered with a stack of 11 x 12-minute shots at ISO 2000 through an IDAS NB1 narrowband filter for the red H-alpha nebulosity. All were with the 76mm SharpStar apo refractor with its matching flattener/reducer for f/4.4, and with the red-sensitive Canon EOS Ra camera. Autoguiding and inter-frame dithering was with the MGEN3. No darks or LENR were applied here on this cooler autumn night. <br />
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All stacking, alignment and blending with Photoshop. I brought out the faint nebulosity with the use of luminosity and color range masks created with Lumenzia and Zone System Express 7. Diffraction spikes added for artistic effect with Astronomy Tools Actions. A mild Orton glow added with Luminar AI for fun.
    Cocoon Nebula & M39 (SS76 EOS Ra...jpg
  • The large star cluster in Coma Berenices catalogued as Mel111, at right, and two prominent galaxies at left: the Needle Galaxy, NGC 4565, at lower left, and NGC 4559 at upper left. NGC 4494 is between NGC 4565 and the star cluster at bottom. <br />
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This is a stack of 19 x 4-minute exposures with the Sky-Watcher Evolux 82ED refractor and its 0.9x Corrector/Reducer for a focal length of 477mm at f/5.8. The Canon EOS Ra was at ISO 800. Images taken as part of testing this telescope in April 2022.
    Coma Berenices Cluster with Evolux 8...jpg
  • The large star cluster in Coma Berenices known officially as Melotte 111, at right, with two of the most prominent galaxies in Coma at left: NGC 4559 at top and the Needle Galaxy, NGC 4565, at bottom. Several other fainter galaxies are in the field. I shot this April 2, 2021 on a less-then-ideal hazy night as a test of the new SharpStar 94mm EDPH refractor telescope and its matching field flattener/reducer. The high haze added the star glows and accentuated the star colours, so did make for a nice image in the end. <br />
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And despite the haze, galaxies as faint as 14th magnitude are recorded, such as tiny NGC 4562 below the Needle Galaxy. <br />
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This is a stack of 10 x 6-minute exposures at ISO 800 with the Canon EOS Ra, autoguided on the Astro-Physics Mach 1 mount with the Lacerta MGEN3 stand-alone autoguided set to dither 5 pixels between each exposure. The field of view is about 3.3° x 5°.
    Coma Berenices & Galaxies (SS 94...jpg
  • The large star cluster in Coma Berenices known officially as Melotte 111, at right, with two of the most prominent galaxies in Coma at left: NGC 4559 at top and the Needle Galaxy, NGC 4565, at bottom. Several other fainter galaxies are in the field, including NGC 4494 between the Needle Galaxy and the star cluster, but looking very star-like at this image scale.<br />
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I shot this April 11, 2021 on a fairly clear night as a test of the new SharpStar 94mm EDPH refractor telescope and its matching field flattener/reducer. A bit of passing haze added a touch of star glows. There is a version of this same field shot a week earlier in hazy skies with much fuzzier stars. <br />
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This is a stack of 20 x 6-minute exposures at ISO 800 with the Canon EOS Ra, autoguided on the Astro-Physics Mach 1 mount with the Lacerta MGEN3 stand-alone autoguided set to dither 5 pixels between each exposure. No dark frames or LENR were applied. The field of view is about 3.3° x 5°.
    Coma Berenices Galaxies (SS94mm EOS ...jpg
  • The immensely rich galaxy cluster Abell 1656 in Coma Berenices with two giant elliptical galaxies NGC 4889 and NGC 4874 at its heart. Both are about 11th magnitude. The face-on spiral galaxy NGC 4921 is at lower left at 12th magnitude; the tilted spiral NGC 4839 is at lower right, also 12th magnitude. The field is peppered with dozens of fainter galaxies from the NGC and PGC catalogues, all around 13th to 15th magnitude. The two bright blue stars are 7th magnitude. <br />
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I shot this on a less than ideal night, with haze moving in, so this is a stack of only 6 x 8-minute exposures at ISO 1600 with the Canon EOS Ra through the Astro-Physics 130mm EDT refractor at f/6 with the 6x7 field flattener. Shot May 5, 2021. Haze prevented more images to smooth the noise more. Autoguided with the MGEN3 stand-alone autoguider.
    Coma Berenices Galaxy Cluster (130mm...jpg
  • The Coma Berenices star cluster, aka Mel 111, with a smattering of galaxies, taken under dark skies on a spring evening. The edge-on galaxy NGC 4565 is at left.<br />
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I shot this as a test of the William Optics RedCat 51mm f/5 astrographic refractor (which provides a focal lengthof 250mm). This was on the iOptron SkyGuider Pro tracker, a popular portable mount to use with the RedCat. I used it unguided for a set of 2-minute exposures. Of the 20 exposures, 12 were relatively untrailed and so were selected for stacking for this image. <br />
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This is a stack of 12 x 2-minutes at ISO 1250 with the Canon EOS Ra. Stacked and blended in Photoshop CC. The little RedCat astrograph is very sharp to the corners. The field is about 8° by 5.5°.
    Coma Berenices in Dark Sky (WO51 EOS...jpg
  • The Coma Berenices star cluster, aka Melotte 111, at right, with two prominent galaxies at left: NGC 4559 at top left and edge-on NGC 4565 at bottom left. <br />
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This is a stack of 6 x 8 minute exposures with the SharpStar 76mm apo refractor with the EDPH field flattener for f/4.5 and with the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 800. Diffraction spikes added for effect using Astronomy Tools actions.
    Coma Berenices Star Cluster and Gala...jpg
  • The Coma Berenices star cluster, aka Mel 111, with star glows added from haze in the sky to accentuate the star colours. The edge-on galaxy NGC 4565 (the Needle Galaxy) is at lower left; the spiral galaxy NGC 4559 is at upper left. Several other smaller NGC galaxies are in the field, which is similar to the field of view of binoculars. <br />
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This is a stack of 7 x 4-minute exposures in a clear sky blended with 2 x 4-minutes with the haze moved in, all with the Sharpstar 61mm EDPHII refractor at f/4.5 and Canon EOS Ra camera at ISO 1600 (with no filters used). Taken April 1, 2022 from home.
    Coma Berenices Star Cluster in Haze ...jpg
  • The large star cluster in Coma Berenices called Mel111, accompanied by several galaxies, notably the edge-on NGC 4565 at lower left and the spiral NGC 4559 at upper left. The field of view is 7.5° by 5°, so similar to binoculars.<br />
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This is a stack of 12 x 6-minute exposures with the Sharpstar 61mm EDPH II telescope at f/4.6 with its reducer (for a focal length of 280mm), and Canon EOS Ra at ISO 800. Sub-frames dithered with the MGEN3 auto-guider. No darks applied. Diffraction spikes added in post for artistic effect.
    Coma Berenices Star Cluster (SS61 Ra...jpg
  • This is a wide-field framing of the heart of the Coma-Virgo cluster of galaxies in the northern spring sky, with galaxies galore in the frame, including a dozen Messier objects. <br />
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The field is 7.5° by 5°, so similar to binoculars. The faintest galaxies here are about 12th magnitude. <br />
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Just below the centre is the Marakarian's Chain of galaxies including the Messier galaxies M84 and M86. The giant elliptical M87 (famous for having its central black hole imaged) is below and to the left of the Chain. There are many other Messier objects in the field — At top right around the blue star 6 Comae is the trio of M98 (at the far edge), M99 (below and right of 6 Comae) and M100 (at top). At left are M88, M91, M90 amd M89. At bottom left is M58 and M59. M60 just squeaks onto the frame. <br />
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This is a stack of 10 x 6 minute exposures with the SharpStar 61 EDPH II refractor at f/4.5 and the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 100. This is a single framing, not a mosaic. Taken from home April 24, 2022. Haze moving in spoiled exposures taken after this set. Dithered with MGEN3 autoguider; no darks applied.
    Coma-Virgo Galaxies (SS61 Ra).jpg
  • A wide-field image of the Coma-Virgo Galaxy Cluster including the Messier galaxies around the star 6 Comae at top right, down to the galaxies of Markarian’s Chain at bottom left, including several other Messiers. The field is about 4 degrees high and 6 degrees wide. <br />
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This is a stack of 5 x 8-minute exposures through the SharpStar 76mm EDPH refractor and with the SharpStar flattener/reducer for f/4.5, and with the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 800. An additional exposure taken through light cloud layered in added the star glows. Clouds prevented more exposures.
    Coma-Virgo Galaxies (SS76 EOS Ra).jpg
  • The main field of galaxies in the Coma-Virgo Galaxy Cluster, centred on the Markarian’s Chain line of galaxies, including bright ellipticals Messier 84, 86 and 87. At upper right is the star 6 Comae flanked by the spirals M98, M99 and M100. At lower left is the group of M58, M59 and M60, with M89 and M90 above them at left of centre. M88 and M91 are above those at upper left.  Numerous NGC galaxies populate the field. The collection contains a variety of galaxy types: giant elliptical as well as spirals, both edge-on and face-on. <br />
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This is a stack of 14 x 3-minute exposures, with the William Optics RedCat 51mm astrograph at f/5, and with the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 1250, on the Astro-Physics Mach1 mount, tracking but not guided. The field is 8° x 5°.  Taken May 13, 2020 from home on a very clear moonless night. Despite the scope being out for a while before I started shooting, its focus shifted slightly during the hour of exposures as the night cooled, making the last exposures a little soft.  All stacked and median combined in Photoshop CC as there were satellite trails in many frames.
    Coma-Virgo Galaxy Field (WO51 EOS Ra...jpg
  • The constellation of Corona Australis and the dark nebula area known as the Field of Nothing, as in a telescope at moderate power, there is nothing in the eyepiece. The small globular cluster NGC 6723 is at left. The field simulates a binocular field of view.<br />
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This is a stack of 5 x 2-minute exposures with the 200mm lens at f/2.8 and Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600, Tracked on the AP400 mount in Australia.
    Corona Borealis (200mm 5DII).jpg
  • The Coathanger asterism of stars, aka Cr399, in Vulpecula, with the small open cluster NGC 6802 at left. <br />
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I shot this from home on a very clear night on July 31, 2019, using the Astro-Physics Traveler and Hotech f/6 field flattener for a stack of 5 x 8-minute exposures at ISO 800 with the now 10-year-old filter-modified Canon 5D Mark II. Diffraction spikes added with Astronomy Tools actions..
    Cr399 Coathanger Asterism (105mm 5DI...jpg
  • The Southern Cross framed with a 200mm telephoto lens. The scene includes the open star cluster, the Jewel Box (NGC 4755) at left of Beta Cruxis (aka Becrux) at left, and the dimmer star clusters NGC 4609 (left of Acrux at bottom), Trumpler 20 (right of Becrux) and NGC 4349 (above Acrux). Reddish Gacrux or Gamma Cruxis is at top of the Cross. The dark Coal Sack is at lower left. <br />
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This is a stack of 4 x 2-minute exposures with the 200mm lens at f/2.8 and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 2500. Tracked on the AP400 mount,
    Crux, the Southern Cross (200mm 5DII...jpg
  • This is a framing of the rich complex of nebulosity in and around the constellations of northern Cygnus and southern Cepheus, in a blend of "white light" images and images shot through a deep red hydrogen-alpha filter that isolates the red emission line from the gas clouds, bringing them out in much more detail than is otherwise possible.<br />
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The North America Nebula (NGC 7000) and adjacent Pelican Nebula (IC 5070) are below centre beside blue Deneb. The Gamma Cygni complex, IC 1318, is at lower right. The main nebula at top left is IC 1396 in Cepheus. The Cocoon Nebula lies at the end of the long dark strreak, B168, left of centre. The wispy streak at bottom left is Sharpless 2-126, aka the Great Lacerta Nebula, though it does not look too great here! It is one of many faint arcs and patches of emission nebulosity that litter the field. The dark area below Deneb is the Northern Coal Sack. The darker region above Deneb is the Funnel Cloud Nebula, aka LeGentil 3. The bright area at lower right in the Milky Way is the Cygnus Starcloud, a region less obscured by dark interstellar dust. <br />
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This is a blend of: a stack of 14 x 5-minute exposures at f/2 and ISO 3200 with the Canon Ra equipped with a clip-in Astronomik 12nm H-alpha filter, plus a stack of 6 x 2-minute exposures at f/2.8 and ISO 1600, with the latter shot through a front-mounted URTH broadband filter to help block skyglow and gradients. All with the Canon RF 28-70mm lens at 50mm and on the Star Adventurer tracker for tracked but unguided shots taken from home October 2, 2022 on a very clear and mild night. Dew spoiled the last of the white light images, thus I used only the first 6 for the stack. The dew added the natural star glows. The initial H-alpha shots were taken with the waxing crecent Moon still up. <br />
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All stacking, alignment and blending in Photoshop. Luminosity masks applied with Lumenzia. The H-alpha stack was layered in with a Screen blend mode and with its own adjustment layers and masks, and colori
    Cygnus & Cepheus Nebulosity (28-...jpg
  • Nebulosity in the heart of Cygnus the Swan, including the North America Nebula and Pelican Nebula at left (NGC 7000 and IC 5070) and Gamma Cygni complex at right (IC 1318). The Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888) is at lower right. This is a stack of 5 x 4 minute exposures at f/2 with the 135mm lens and modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 800, plus another three similar exposure images but taken thru the Kenko Softon filter for the star glows. Taken from home Sept 10, 2013.
    Cygnus Nebulosity (135mm 5DII).jpg
  • Cygnus nebulosity including NGC 7000 North America Nebula), IC 5070 (Pelican Nebula) and IC 1318 (Gamma Cygni) areas. Includes the dark region known as the Northern Coal Sack. Bright star is Deneb in Cygnus. This is a stack of 5 x 4 minute exposures at ISO 1600 with the Canon 135mm lens at f/2.8 and Canon 5D MkII (modified). Taken from home.
    Cygnus Nebulosity (135mm 5DII - Sept...jpg
  • Cygnus nebulosity including NGC 7000 North America Nebula), IC 5070 (Pelican Nebula) and IC 1318 (Gamma Cygni) areas. Includes the dark region known as the Northern Coal Sack. Bright star is Deneb in Cygnus. This is a stack of 5 x 4 minute exposures at ISO 1600 with the Canon 135mm lens at f/2.8 and Canon 5D MkII (modified). Taken from home.
    Cygnus Nebulosity (135mm 5DII - Sept...jpg
  • This is the rich nebulosity in Cygnus captured in colour but with a blend of unfiltered and filtered images for an Ha-RGB mix to bring out the faint nebulosity.<br />
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At lower left is the North America Nebula region, NGC 7000, and at upper right is the complex around Gamma Cygni, called IC 1318. At far right is the Crescent Nebula, NGC 6888. The bright star Deneb is left of centre.<br />
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This is with the Canon 135mm L-series telephoto lens wide open at f/2 and with the red sensitive Canon EOS Ra camera, tracked but unguided, for:<br />
- a stack of 6 x 2-minute exposures at ISO 400 with no filter<br />
- a stack of 6 x 2-minute exposures at ISO 800 with a NISI Natural Night front-aperture filter<br />
- a stack of 6 x 2-minute exposures at ISO 800 with an Astronomik CLS clip-in filter<br />
- a stack of 11 x 4-minute exposures at ISO 3200 with an Astronomik 12nm H-Alpha clip-in filter. <br />
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These were taken as a demo set to use to compare filters but in this case I combined all of them into one image, just for fun! <br />
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All images aligned and stacked in Photoshop, with the H-Alpha set blended into the colour set using an image layer blended with Lighten mode (not Luminosity) and with a clipped Levels adjustment layer with the red channel adjusted in Levels to add the false colour red to the otherwise monochrome layer and then with the H-alpha layer backed off a lot in Opacity. This worked better than replacing the red channel with the H-alpha image, as it gave much more control over the intensity and contribution of the Ha image, and seemed to align better as the star images through the various filters did differ in size.<br />
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Luminosity masks created with Lumenzia extension panel used in part to bring out fainter nebulosity. <br />
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This was on June 9-10, 2020 with the sky lit by moonlight from the low waning gibbous Moon for the H-Alpha shots and by perpetual twilight, though the Milky Way was visible.
    Cygnus Nebulosity (135mm EOS Ra - Fi...jpg
  • This is the rich nebulosity in Cygnus captured in the narrow red light of hydrogen-alpha emission and rendered as a monochrome image. <br />
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At lower left is the North America Nebula region, NGC 7000, and at upper right is the complex around Gamma Cygni, called IC 1318. At far right is the Crescent Nebula, NGC 6888. The bright star Deneb is left of centre, though dimmed somewhat as this is a blue star and so appears less prominent in red light. <br />
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This is with the Canon 135mm L-series telephoto lens wide open at f/2 and with the red sensitive Canon EOS Ra camera, for a stack of 11 x 4-minute tracked but unguided exposures at ISO 3200, so fairly long and at a high ISO despite the fast aperture, due to the dense filter. The filter is the 12nm clip-in Astronomik H-Alpha. Processing was in part using luminosity masks created by Lumenzia extension panel in Photoshop.<br />
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This was on June 9-10, 2020 with the sky lit by moonlight from the low waning gibbous Moon and by perpetual twilight, though the Milky Way was visible.
    Cygnus Nebulosity (135mm EOS Ra-Ha F...jpg
  • A portrait of emission nebulas and dark dust lanes in Cygnus around Deneb, including the North America Nebula NGC 7000 at upper left and the Gamma Cygni or Butterfly Nebula IC 1318 at lower right. <br />
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I shot this with a waxing quarter Moon in the sky on November 21, 2020, using the red-sensitive Canon EOS Ra equipped with a clip-in Astronomik 12nm H-a filter to isolate just the deep red Hydrogen-alpha emission line, but resulting in a monochromatic image.<br />
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This is a stack of 24 x 3-minutes at ISO 3200 with the 135mm Canon lens wide open at f/2. Star images toward the bottom are aberrated, I think due to the filter being slightly tipped in the camera body. <br />
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For artistic effect I added a mild Orton Glow with Luminar 4 and then a blue tint and frame with Nik Collection SilverEFX Pro filter.  Some of the tonal stretching was done with luminosity masks created with Lumenzia.
    Cygnus Nebulosity (135mm Ra).jpg
  • The main complex of nebulosity in Cygnus, taken with a telephoto lens taking in a wide field of 15° by 10°. <br />
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At left is the brightest nebula in the region, NGC 7000, or the North America Nebula, left of the bright blue star Deneb. Between Deneb and the North America is the Pelican Nebula, IC 5067. At bottom right is the complex around Gamma Cygni catalogued as IC 1318. But there are lots of other arcs and patches of nebulosity here, such as Sharpless 2-119 at far left and Sharpless 2-115 at top. The small Crescent Nebula, NGC 6888, is just in frame at lower right. The star cluster NGC 6866 is at the right edge of the frame. The dark nebula known as the Northern Coalsack is at centre below Deneb. The yellowish region above and to the left of IC 1318 seems to be the little star clusters Bica 1 and 2. The colourful triple star Omicon Cygni is at upper right. <br />
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This is a blend of filtered and unfiltered stacks: 10 x 2 minutes at ISO 800 with no filter, and 6 x 2 minutes at ISO 1250 with a NISI Natural Night filter on the lens, the Canon EF135mm at f/2.8 on the Canon Ra camera, all on the Star Adventurer GTi mount/tracker (tracked but unguided) and taken as part of testing the mount on its first night under the stars. Taken from home on a very clear night Sept. 20, 2022. Nebulosity brought out with luminosity masks created with the Lumenzia panel for Photoshop and a mild application of the Nebula Filter action from the PK action set for Photoshop. Dew on the filter prevented me from using more filtered frames taken at the end of the shoot.
    Cygnus Nebulosity (135mm Ra).jpg
  • Emission nebulas in northern and central Cygnus, including the North America Nebula (NGC 7000) at lower left and the Gamma Cygni complex (IC 1318) at upper right. Deneb is the bright star at left, while Gamma Cygni itself is at upper right. <br />
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However, the image works well turned 90° to portrait with Deneb at top.<br />
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This is a stack of 8 x 2-minute exposures with the 200mm lens at f/2.8, and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600, taken from home on May 30, 2017 as part of testing the Star Adventurer Mini tracker. All exposures tracked but not guided.
    Cygnus Nebulosity (200mm 5DII).jpg
  • This is a framing of the rich complex of nebulosity in and around the constellation of Cygnus, in a blend of "white light" images and images shot through a deep red hydrogen-alpha filter that isolates the red emission line from the gas clouds, bringing them out in much more detail than is otherwise possible.<br />
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The North America Nebula (NGC 7000) and adjacent Pelican Nebula (IC 5070) are at upper left beside blue Deneb. The Veil Nebula, a supernova remnant, and catalogued as NGC 6995 and NGC 6960 for the main arcs, is at lower left. The Gamma Cygni complex, IC 1318, is at centre. However, the field is littered with other faint arcs and patches of emission nebulosity. The dark area below Deneb is the Northern Coal Sack. The bright area at lower right in the Milky Way is the Cygnus Starcloud, a region less obscured by dark interstellar dust. The "beak" star of Cygnus, Albireo, is at lower right, so the framing takes in most of Cygnus and all of the Northern Cross asterism. <br />
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This is a blend of: a stack of 20 x 5-minute exposures at f/2 and ISO 3200 with the Canon Ra equipped with a clip-in Asrtronomik 12nm H-alpha filter, plus a stack of 25 x 2-minute exposures at f/2.8 and ISO 1600, with the latter shot through a front-mounted URTH broadband filter to help block skyglow and gradients. All with the Canon RF 28-70mm lens at 70mm and on the Star Adventurer tracker for tracked but unguided shots taken from home October 1, 2022 on a very clear and mild night for a total of 150 minutes of exposure. The initial H-alpha shots were taken with the waxing crecent Moon still up. <br />
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All stacking, alignment and blending in Photoshop. Luminosity masks applied with Lumenzia. The H-alpha stack was layered in with a Screen blend mode and with its own adjustment layers and masks, and colorized with a Hue-Saturation layer. The H-alpha data was not added by replacing the red channel, as that provides no control of the blend of the H-alpha image. A mild and masked Orton Glow effect added wit
    Cygnus Nebulosity (28-70mm with Ha).jpg
  • A framing of the major areas of bright and dark nebulosity in Cygnus, showing pink emission nebulas contrasting with dark dusty regions in the Cygnus arm of the Milky Way. The main area of the bright Cygnus Starcloud is at upper right. <br />
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The bright blue star Deneb is above centre. Just below it and left of centre is the North America Nebula, NGC 7000, and its adjacent companion Pelican Nebula, IC 5070. The Gamma Cygni nebulosity complex, IC 1318, is right of centre. The Veil Nebula supernova remnant, NGC 6960 and 6992-5, is at lower right. The small Cocoon Nebula, IC 5146, is at lower left. The Tulip Nebula, Sh2-101, is at upper right. <br />
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Two obvious star clusters flank the scene: NGC 7209 in the lower left corner, and NGC 6940 in the lower right corner. The dark nebula Le Gentil 3, aka the Funnel Cloud Nebula, is at upper left. The dark Northern Coal Sack area is at centre. At top is the colourful "Patriotic Triple" stars of Omicron 1 and 2 Cygni. <br />
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This is a stack of 8 x 4-minute exposures with the Canon RF28-70mm lens at 70mm and f/2.8, on the Canon EOS Ra camera at ISO 1600. The lens was equipped with the 95mm URTH Night light pollution rejecton filter to help enhance the nebulosity. I shot this from home August 5, 2022 on a very fine dark transparent night with the field straight overhead. The camera was on the Star Adventurer Mini tracker. I rejected about half the frames and used only the best 8 that had no trailing. That was enough to average our the satellites that appeared on some frames. <br />
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All stacking and processing done in Photoshop. Curves and color grading applied in part using luminosity masks generated with TK8 Actions and Lumenzia. A mild Orton glow effect added with Luminar AI.
    Cygnus Nebulosity (70mm EOS Ra).jpg
  • The complex of red emission and dark dusty nebulas in Cygnus, with the bright Cygnus starcloud at bottom and the North America Nebula at top. At the very top is the dark Funnel Cloud Nebula. At lower left are the arcs of the Veil Nebula. Below them is the large star cluster NGC 6940 in Vulpecula. At centre is the IC 1318 nebula, aka the Butterfly.<br />
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This is a stack of 15 x 2-minute exposures with the Canon RF 28-70mm lens at 50mm and wide open at f/2, taken as part of testing the lens. The lens was shooting though a URTH Night broadband light pollution rejection filter to reduce the green airglow present this night in a shoot from home. The camera was the Canon Ra at ISO 1250, and was on the Star Adventurer Mini tracker. All stacking, alignment and blending with Photoshop 2021.
    Cygnus Nebulosity (RF28-70 @ 50 with...jpg
  • The complex of red emission and dark dusty nebulas in Cygnus, with the bright Cygnus starcloud at bottom and the North America Nebula at top. At lower left are the arcs of the Veil Nebula. At centre is the IC 1318 nebula complex, aka the Butterfly. <br />
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This is a stack of 20 x 2-minute exposures with the Canon RF 28-70mm lens at 70mm and wide open at f/2, taken as part of testing the lens. The lens was shooting though a URTH Night broadband light pollution rejection filter to reduce the green airglow present this night in a shoot from home. The camera was the Canon Ra at ISO 1250, and was on the Star Adventurer Mini tracker. All stacking, alignment and blending with Photoshop 2021.
    Cygnus Nebulosity (RF28-70 @ 70 with...jpg
  • Cygnus starcloud, shot from home, Sept 29, 2008 under superb conditions; with Canon 20Da and 135mm lens at f/2.8 for 6 minutes at ISO 400. Tracked on AP 600 mount but not guided (some slight trailing).
    Cygnus Starcloud (135mm Bino Field 2...jpg
  • This is a wide shot encompassing most of the constellation of Cygnus the Swan in the northern summer sky, showing the variety of colours in the starclouds and nebulas that populate this section of the Milky Way. The colours are brought out by the long exposure used and by contrast enhancements in processing. But yes, they are real! This is not false colour. <br />
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The red and pink emission nebulas of the North America Nebula (NGC 7000), at left, and the Butterfly Nebula (IC 1318), at centre, dominate. The small red patch at right in the Tulip Nebula, Sh2-101.<br />
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But the starclouds themselves go from being bluish at left, to more neutral at centre where the main Cygnus Starcloud shines brightest, to yellowish at right in southern Cygnus and northern Aquila, where obscuring dust tints the starlight a warm tone. <br />
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Other nebulas in this view include the tiny (at this scale) and purple Cocoon Nebula (IC 5146) at far lower left at the end of the B168 dark lane, and the magenta arcs of the Veil Nebula complex (NGC 6992-5 and NGC 6960) at bottom centre. <br />
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Numerous large star clusters show up, notably NGC 6940 and smaller NGC 6885 to the right of the Veil. NGC 6811 (centre top) and NGC 6819 (to the right) are at top. The yellowish dust-obscured clusters at centre may be Bica 1 and 2. <br />
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The field is laced with dark nebulas, as this is the area where the Great Rift begins in the Milky Way, formed from dust lanes that split the visible Milky Way.. The most prominent dark nebula is the Funnel Cloud Nebula, aka Le Gentil 3, at left, and the Northern Coal Sack beside and framing the North America Nebula.<br />
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Deneb is left of centre; at centre is Gamma Cygni, aka Sadr. Albireo is at far right, above centre. <br />
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This is a stack of 22 x 2-minute exposures with the Canon RF 28-70mm lens at 50mm and f/2.8 on the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 3200, and on the Star Adventurer Mini tracker. I shot 24 frames and only 2 were slightly trailed and were not used. The lens had a URTH Night filter on it to reduce lig
    Cygnus Starclouds and Nebulas (RF28-...jpg
  • This is the central area of Cygnus and its bright Milky Way starcloud surrounded by red nebulosity. At left is the star Sadr (gamma Cygni) with the complex of nebulosity catalogued as IC 1318. At centre is the distinct Crescent Nebula, NGC 6888, a expanding nebula created by winds from a hot Wolf-Rayet star.  At bottom left is the star cluster Messier 29,  though looking a little lost in the rich starfields here. At top is the cluster IC 1311, looking more obvious than M29 but not observed visually and included in the NGC catalog. Odd. At far right are the large and loose star clusters NGC 6883 and NGC 6871, the latter an obvious binocular sight. To the left of Sadr is the small cluster NGC 6910. The dark nebulas B145 and LDN 862 are at right. The small emission nebula at bottom is Sharpless 2-104.  This is a stack of 6 x 6-minute exposures at ISO 1600 without a filter, blended with 8 x 12-minute exposures at ISO 3200 taken through the Optolong L-Enhance dual narrowband filter to really bring out the faint nebulosity. All were with the William Optics RedCat 51mm f/5 astrograph and red-sensitive Canon EOS Ra full-frame mirrorless camera.   Blending the two sets of exposures brings out the nebulosity while retaining the more natural colours in the stars and background sky. All stacked, aligned and blended in Photoshop CC. Taken from home in the wee hours of the morning of May 15/16, 2020 before dawn’s light began to wash out the sky.
    Cygnus Starcloud (WO51 EOS Ra).jpg
  • The Dark Doodad dark nebula in Musca in the southern sky, in a telephoto lens shot to simulate a binocular field of view. The globular clusters NGC 4372 (right) and NGC 4833 (left) are in the frame. <br />
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This is a stack of 4 x 2-minute exposures at f/2.8 with the 200mm lens and Canon 5D MkII at ISO 2500.
    Dark Doodad Nebula in Musca (200mm 5...jpg
  • The so-called “Dark Doodad” dark nebula in Musca, with the adjacent globular clusters, NGC 4372 below and NGC 4833 at left. I shot this from the Tibuc Cottage at Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia on March 31, 2016. <br />
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This is a stack of 5 x 6-minute exposures with the Borg 77mm f/4 astrograph and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600.
    Dark Doodad & NGC 4372 (77mm 5DI...jpg
  • The Dark Doodad dark nebula in Musca the Fly, near the globular cluster NGC 4372 at lower right. The other globular cluster at upper left is NGC 4833.  <br />
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This is a stack of 5 x 8 minute exposures at f/4.3 with the Borg 77mm astrograph (330mm focal length) and Canon 5D MkII at ISO 800. Taken from Coonabarabran, Australia, March 2014.
    Dark Doodad & NGC 4372 (77mm 5DI...jpg
  • The variable star Delta Cephei (at right), also a double star just barely resolved here, and the prototypical Cepheid variable star, and with it in the field at left, the star cluster and emission nebula, NGC 7380, aka the Wizard Nebula. All in Cepheus. This is a stack of 8 x 6 minute exposures with the stock Canon 6D at ISO 800, and TMB 92mm apo refractor at f/5.5 with the Hotech field flattener, with no focal reduction. Taken from New Mexico, Nov 11, 2014.
    Delta Cephei & NGC 7380.jpg
  • The Diamond Cluster NGC 2516 below the star Avior, or Epsilon Carinae, the bottom star of the False Cross. The cluster is a bright naked eye cluster. <br />
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This is a stack of 4 x 2-minute exposures with the 200mm lens at f/2.8 and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 2500. Tracked on the AP400 mount.
    Diamond Cluster NGC 2516 (200mm 5DII...jpg
  • The well-known Double Cluster (aka NGC 884 and NGC 869) framed at upper right to include two of its companion star clusters, NGC 957 at upper left and Trumpler 2 at lower left. Dotted through the field of young blue stars are numerous aging yellow giant stars. And the gradation in sky colour from the clearer, bluer sky with more stars at right to the dustier, yellower sky and fewer stars at left is subtle but obvious here, from interstellar dust in this part of the Milky Way. <br />
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This is a stack of 8 x 6-minute exposures at ISO 800 with the Canon Ra and on the StarField Optics Géar80 apo refractor with its matching reducer/flattener for f/4.8. Taken from home through breaks in passing clouds as part of testing of this new scope. No darks or LENR used, just dithering between each frame using the MGEN autoguider. Diffraction spikes added with AstronomyTools actions in Photoshop for artistic effect.
    Double Cluster and Companion Cluster...jpg
  • The famous Double Cluster (NGC 869, right and NGC 884, left) in Perseus, in a wide-field shot that includes the nearby stars clusters NGC 957 to the left, and Trumpler 2 at bottom left. The large and sparse cluster Stock 2, aka the Muscle Man Cluster, is at upper right. The field is filled with yellow supergiant stars. The field of view is similar to that of binoculars. <br />
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This is a stack of 20 (!) x 3-minute exposures with the SharpStar 61EDPH II refractor with its reducer/flattener at f/4.5, and the Canon Ra at ISO 800. Autoguided with the MGENIII, on the Star Adventurer GTi mount taken as part of testing the mount. A slight camera tilt from the reducer's rotator mechanism being a bit loose produces slightly soft stars on the left side of the frame. Taken from home September 25, 2022.
    Double Cluster and Environs (SS61 Ra...jpg
  • The bright Double Cluster, at bottom, aka NGC 869 and NGC 884, below the large and scattered open star cluster, Stock 2, aka the Muscle Man Cluster, with a chain of stars between them. Stcok 2 is over the border in Cassiopeia. These are obvious in binoculars but less so in a long exposure photo. High haze this night added the natural star glows. <br />
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The field simulates the field of view of higher-power binoculars.<br />
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This is a stack of 7 x 8-minute exposures at ISO 800 with the Canon EOS Ra through the Borg 77mm f/4 astrograph, guided with the Lacerta MGEN-3 stand-alone autoguider and dithered, so no LENR or darks were employed. This was on the Mach1 mount. Star spikes added with Astronomy Tools Actions.
    Double Cluster and Stock 2 (Borg 77m...jpg
  • The famous Double Cluster (NGC 869, right and NGC 884, left) in Perseus, in a wide-field shot that incl;udes the large and sparse cluster Stock 2, aka the Muscle Man Cluster, is at top, looking here as if it outlined by a square border of stars. The field is filled with yellow supergiant stars. <br />
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This is a stack of 12 x 5-minute exposures with the SharpStar 76EDPH refractor with its reducer/flattener at f/4.5, and the Canon R5 at ISO 800. Autoguided with the MGENIII, on the Star Adventurer GTi mount taken as part of testing the mount. Taken from home October 1, 2022.
    Double Cluster & Stock 2 (SS76 R...jpg
  • 2-segment mosaic of the Carina Nebula and Crux area in the southern sky. Taken from Atacama Lodge, Chile (latitude -23°) on March 18, 2010. Taken with modified Canon 5D MkII camera and Canon L-series 135mm lens at f/2.8. Each half is a stack of 5 x 4 minute exposures, Mean combined, plus a stack of 2 x 4 minute exposures with Kenko Softon filter for star glows. All at ISO 800. Merged in Photoshop.
    Eta Carinae & Crux Pan (135mm 5D...jpg
  • Tail of Scorpius with False Comet area (NGC 6231 and IC 4628) and Ara )with NGC 6188 nebulosity), taken from Atacama Lodge, Chile, March 2010, with Canon 5D MkII (modified) and Canon L-series 135mm lens at f/2.8 for stack of 5 x 4 minute exposures at ISO 800. Focus a tad soft.
    False Comet Area of Scorpius (135mm ...jpg
  • The asterism of the False Cross in Vela and Carina, at left, with Gamma Velorum, a bright blue supergiant star, at right. In between are faint arcs of nebulosity in the Gum Nebula. To the left of Gamma Velorum is the open star clister NGC 2547. Below the bottom star of the False Cross, Epsilon Carinae or Avior, is the large naked-eye star cluster NGC 2516. To the right of the right star of the False Cross, Delta Velorum, is the loose open cluster IC 2391. <br />
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This is a stack of 5 x 2.5-minute exposures with the 85mm Rokinon lens at f/2 and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 2000, plus one exposure layered in taken through a Kenko Softon A filter to add the star glows. On the iOptron Sky-Tracker, from Tibuc Gardens Cottage at Coonabarabran, Australia.
    False Cross & Gamma Velorum (85m...jpg
  • The dark nebula on the Cygnus-Cepheus border nicknamed the Funnel Cloud Nebula (a name provided by Alan Whitman in a 2006 Sky and Telescope article) but that is a very prominent naked eye feature to the northern Milky Way, more obvious as a dark area than the Northern Coal Sack to the south. This is a fine object for binoculars and the telephoto lens shot here provides the field of most binoculars. <br />
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It is also known as Le Gentil 3, from the 18th century French astronomer, and also LDN 1003 and 1029. <br />
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It resembles a dark tornado with a large mass of dark nebulosity at top emerging from a narrow neck below.<br />
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This is a stack of 6 x 2-minute exposures with the Canon 200mm lens at f/2.8 and Canon 6D MkII at ISO 800. Taken May 28, 2019 on a not very transparent night.
    Funnel Cloud Nebula (200mm 6DII).jpg
  • The nebulosity around the central star of Cygnus, Gamma Cygni (aka Sadr), with the nebulosity generally taking the catalog name IC 1318, The bright open star cluster above Sadr is NGC 6910; the cluster at right, above centre, is IC 1311. The prominent patch of dark nebulosity at right, below centre, is B 343. Messier 29, M29, is at the bottom edge, left of centre. <br />
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This is a panoramic stitch of 2 segments, each a stack of 4 x 7-minute exposures at ISO 1600 with the filter-modified Canon 5D MkII, shooting through the TMB 92mm apo refractor at f/4.5 with the Borg 0.85 flattener/reducer. Stitched with Photoshop. Taken on a night with some high clouds, so some frames have haze, which adds the natural sky glows. Diffraction spikes added in post with Astronomy Tools Actions.
    Gamma Cygni Area Panorama.jpg
  • A portrait of the complex of emission nebulas in central Cygnus near the bright star Gamma Cygni (at left). The field includes the IC 1318 complex around Gamma Cygni itself and the Wolf-Rayet arc of nebulosity, NGC 6888, aka the Crescent Nebula, at right. The sparse star cluster Messier 29 is at bottom.<br />
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This was through the SharpStar 94mm apo refractor at f/4.4 and with the Canon EOS Ra. It is a blend of 6 x 6-minute exposures at ISO 1600 through an Astronomik UV-IR-Cut filter for the base image, and a stack of 4 x 12-minutes at ISO 3200 through IDAS NB1 and Optolong L-eNhance filters for the enhanced red nebulosity, plus 6 x 12-minutes at ISO 3200 through Optolong L-eXtreme and IDAS NBZ filters which contribute only the enhanced cyan OIII emission, all taken as part of testing the filters. Normally, using four filters would not be required! Autoguided and dithered on this warm summer night with the Lacerta MGEN3 autoguider. No darks or LENR applied as the dithering effectively eliminated the thermal noise speckling which was prominent on the individual sub-frames. <br />
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Taken from home August 13, 2021. All stacked, aligned, and blended in Photoshop.
    Gamma Cygni & NGC 6888 (SS94 EOS...jpg
  • Gamma Velorum (aka Suhail al Muhlif) in Vela and the open cluster NGC 2547, a bright binocular cluster. The field is also rich in faint nebulosity from the Gum Nebula. The field simulates a binocular field. <br />
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A stack of 4 x 2-minute exposures with the 20mm telephoto at f/2.8 and Canon 5D MkII at ISO 2500. Tracked on the AP 400 mount. Shot from Coonabarabran, Australia.
    Gamma Velorum and NGC 2547 (200mm 5D...jpg
  • This is a two-panel mosaic of nebulas and clusters in southern Gemini and northern Orion. <br />
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The Messier 35 star cluster is at top accompanied by the smaller cluster NGC 2158. At left near the orange star Eta Geminorum is the crescent-shaped Jellyfish Nebula, IC 443, a supernova remnant. The fainter, diffuse nebula at far left is IC 444. At bottom and over the border in Orion is the Monkeyhead Nebula, NGC 2174. The little round nebula above NGC 2174 is Sharpless 2-247.<br />
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This is a mosaic of two segments for the northern and southern halves of the scene, with each half being a stack of 6 x 8-minute exposures at ISO 800 with no filter, plus a stack layered in of 6 x 8-minute exposures at ISO 3200 with an Optolong L-Enhance filter to bring out the faint red nebulosity. So this is a stack and blend of a total of 24 exposures.  Alll were with the Canon EOS Ra camera on the SharpStar HNT150 Hyperbolic Newtonian astrograph at f/2.8.
    Gemini Nebulas Mosaic (HNT150 EOS Ra...jpg
  • This is the region of central Cassiopeia containing a rich assortment of deep-sky objects: The so-called Ghosts of Cassiopeia nebulas at top, the Owl Cluster, aka the ET Cluster, at bottom, and the Pacman Nebula at right. <br />
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The Ghosts of Cassiopeia are the magenta/cyan reflection and emission nebulas officially called IC 59 and IC 63. Both are reflecting the light of bluish Gamma Cassiopeiae, aka Navi. The "Ghost" name for these objects is a recent appellation. See https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap191025.html <br />
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The star cluster at bottom is NGC 457, with smaller NGC 436 above it. It is variously called the Owl Cluster or the E.T. Cluster. The emission nebula at right is the Pacman Nebula, NGC 281, below the stars Eta (Achird) and Alpha (Schedar) Cassiopeiae. The blue star at far left is Delta Cassiopeiae, aka Ruchbah. It along with Gamma and Alpha form the middle three stars of the W of Cassiopeia. The field here is 7.5° x 5°, similar to binoculars. <br />
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This is stack of 8 x 16-minute exposures through an IDAS NB1 nebula filter to bring out the faint nebulosity, blended with a stack of 15 x 8-minute exposures with an Astronomik UV/IR Cut filter for a white light normal colour image. All with the Canon Ra (at ISO 1600 for the NB1 filter shots and at ISO 1000 for the normal shots) through the SharpStar EDPH 61mm refractor at f/4.5. <br />
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All stacking, alignment and blending with Photoshop. No LENR or darks applied, just inter-frame dithering to eliminate thermal noise specks which were prominent in the long high-ISO filtered shots. Autoguiding and dithering was  with the MGEN3 stand-alone autoguider. Faint nebulosity was brought out with luminosity mask adjustments with Lumenzia.
    Ghost, ET and Pacman in Cassiopeia (...jpg
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