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NGC/IC Objects { 503 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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$This is the faint but large planetary nebula known as the Medusa Nebula, but officially Abell 21 or PK 205+14.1 in Gemini. It was discovered in 1955 and was once classified as a supernova remnant. The very sparse open cluster NGC 2395 is at upper right from the nebula. The nebula is thought to be 4 light-years across and 1500 light-years away. This is a blend of filtered and unfiltered exposures: a stack of 4 unfiltered at ISO 1600 for 8 minutes each, and a stack of 8 filtered shots at 10 minutes each and ISO 3200, through the Optolong L-Enhance filter. All with the red-sensitive Canon EOS Ra camera through the SharpStar 100QII astrographic refractor at f/5.8, a quadruplet lens apo refractor. All stacked, aligned and blended in Photoshop.$

Abell 21 Medusa Nebula (SS100Q EOS R...jpg
$Abell 21, the Medusa Nebula, a large but faint planetary nebula in Gemini. Above and to the right of it is a very loose open cluster NGC 2395. This is a stack of 15 x 8-minute exposures at f/4.4 with the TMB apo refractor and Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600. Taken from the backyard of the Silver City, New Mexico, house, March 15, 2015.$

Abell 21, the Medusa Nebula (92mm 5D...jpg
Abell 426, the Perseus Galaxy Cluste...jpg
$A framing of the field around the bright white star Altair (lower left), and the orange giant star Tarazed above, with the dark nebula complex B142 (lower dark lane) and B143 (the top pair of dark lanes), together known as Barnard's E. These are all in Aquila. This is a stack of 12 x 4-minute exposures at ISO 800 with the Canon Ra camera, on the Starfield Optics Géar90 EDT f/6 refractor with its 0.8x Reducer/Flattener for f/4.8 effective. Taken from home October 23, 2022. On the AP Mach1 mount and autoguided and dithered with the Lacerta MGEN3 autoguider.$

Altair & Barnards E (Géar90 Ra).jpg
Antares Region (200mm 5DII).jpg
Antares & Rho Ophiuchi Area (77m...jpg
Auriga Clusters and Nebulas (Askar23...jpg
$This is a framing of the main area of central Auriga filled with an array of Messier star clusters and faint IC emission nebulas. The nebula at right is the Flaming Star, aka IC 405. The nebula below centre is IC 410 with the star cluster NGC 1893. The nebula above centre is IC 417 with the star cluster Stock 8. The nebula at upper left is Sharpless 2-235; while the large elongated patch of nebulosity at top centre is Sharpless 2-230. The star cluster at top is Messier 38 with the small cluster NGC 1907 below it, while the large cluster left of centre is Messier 36. The group of stars between IC 405 and IC 410 right of centre is Melotte 31, aka the Little Fish or Flying Minnow asterism. This is a stack of: 10 x 6-minute exposures at ISO 3200 through a IDAS NB1 dual narrowband nebula filter in a dark moonless sky, blended with 8 x 4-minute exposures at ISO 800 with an Antlia RGB multi-band filter, with the latter set taken in bright moonlight a week later, with all frames with the filter-modified (by AstroGear.net) Canon R camera. These were all with the SharpStar 61mm EDPH II refractor at f/4.5, on the Sky-Watcher EQM-35 mount autoguided with the ASIAir Mini and ZWO 30mm guidescope, as a test of the combination of entry-level gear, and of the Antlia filter to work under bright skies. However, the moonlit RGB filtered image stack was quite muddy when the blue moonlight was color corrected out, and doesn't contribute a lot to the final image. So most of this scene is from the narrowband filtered image stack, which records the nebulosity well but doesn't provide well-balanced natural star colours. Diffraction spikes added with AstronomyTools actions to add a sparkling effect to the stars to partly counter their off-colour. Taken in late March 2023, late in the season for this area of sky, so it was well over in the west with only a limited time each night to shoot it. Cloudy nights prevented getting a non-filtered set in a dark sky.$

Auriga Field (SS61 RMod).jpg
Auriga Nebulas (FRA500 Ra).jpg
Auriga Nebulas (RedCat 51 + EOS Ra w...jpg
$This is a 140° panorama of the northernmost section of the Milky Way, from Auriga at left to Aquila at right. Perseus, Cassiopeia, Cepheus and Cygnus are across the centre. I added in labels on the mosaic for the constellations, and major nebulas and star clusters. Surrounding the panorama is a collage of close-up images of the major emission nebulas (and one dark nebula) pointing to the area in the wide-field mosaic. The close-ups were shot with various astrographic telescopes such as the William Optics RedCat 51mm and Sharpstar 61, 76 and 94mm refractors, usually employing filters such as the Optolong L-eNhance and IDAS NBX. The background panorama was shot on October 30, 2021, but the close-ups were shot on various nights over two years from 2019 to 2021. The panorama is a stitch of 4 segments, each a stack of 8 x 4-minute expsures at ISO 800 with the Canon Ra and with the RF 28-70mm lens at 28mm and f/2.8. It was on the Star Adventurer Mini tracker. Another panorama of 4 segments taken through a Kase StarGlow filter and layered in added the glows on the bright stars.$

Autumn Milky Way & Objects Colla...jpg
$The area around the Belt of Orion, with the Horsehead and Flame Nebulas at bottom flanking the bright star Zeta Orionis, aka Alnitak, with Messier 78 at upper left. Taken from home, on a slightly hazy and frosty night, Feb 7, 2013, using the Hutech modified Canon 6D at ISO 800 and the TMB 92mm apo refractor at f/4.8 for a stack of 6 x 7 minute exposures.$

B33 Horsehead & M78 in Orion (92...jpg
B87 Parrot Head Nebula (77mm 5DII).jpg
Barnard E B142-143 (200mm 5DII).jpg
$The dark nebulas catalogued by Edward Barnard as B142-3, and known as Barnard’s E, near the star Tarazed (lower left) in Aquila. This is a stack of 6 x 8-minute exposures with the Canon 5D Mk II at ISO 800 through the Astro-Physics Traveler apo refractor at f/6 with the Hotech field flattener. Taken from home on a very clear night August 1, 2019.$

Barnard's E - B142-3 in Aquila ...jpg
$The Belt and Sword region of Orion, with the Orion Nebula, Messiesr 42 and 43, at bottom. Below the left star of the Belt, Alnitak, is the famous Horsehead Nebula, while above it is NGC 2024, aka the Flame Nebula. At very top left is Messier 78, while part of Barnard’s Loop arc across the field at left. The field is filled with other faint red emission and blue reflection nebulas. The large loose open cluster Collinder 70 surrounds the middle star of the Belt, Alnilam. The field is similar to that of binoculars. This is a stack of 16 x 2- to 3-minute exposures with the filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 800 to 1250 and 200mm Canon L-Series lens at f/2.8. Taken with the Fornax Lightrack tracker as part of testing. Taken from home on January 8, 2019 in a clear couple of hours between haze patches, and while battling dying batteries for the drive and camera. Diffraction spikes added with Astronomy Tools. Main images stacked with Median stack mode to eliminate satellite trails from geosats that populate this area of sky.$

Belt and Sword of Orion with Barnard...jpg
Belt of Orion & B33 Horsehead (9...jpg
$The Belt of Orion with the Horsehead Nebula at botton, the dark nebula set in the bright emission nebula IC 434. The nebula at left of the Zeta Orionis (aka Alnitak) is the Flame Nebula, NGC 2024. The reflection nebula at upper left is the M78 complex with NGC 2071. The other Belt stars are Alnilan (centre) and Mintaka (upper right). The field contains a wealth of other blue reflection and red emission nebulas. Taken from Australia, March 2014 with the Borg 77mm astrographic apo refractor (330mm focal length) at f/4.3 for a stack of 5 x 10 minute exposures with the filter-modified Canon 5D Mark II at ISO 800.$

Belt of Orion with Horsehead & M...jpg
$This is a wide-field portrait of a set of nebulas with colourful names but rendered here in monochrome: The Bubble Nebula at upper left; the Lobster Claw Nebula below it (somewhat obvious for its shape); the Cave Nebula at upper right; and the Wizard Nebula at bottom. The small round nebula above the Wizard is Sharpless 2-152. Just below it and very small is Sh2-148. The star cluster right of centre is NGC 7419. The Bubble Nebula's spherical bubble is a little lost at this scale. It lies below the star cluster Messier 52. The Bubble is also NGC 7635. The Lobster Claw is Sharpless 2-157 and is sometimes called the Californietto. The Cave Nebula is Sharpless 2-155, while the Wizard is Sharpless 2-142 but also known as NGC 7380 though that designation applies to the star cluster associated with it. All are located on the Cassiopeia-Cepheus border. North is more or less up in this portrait orientation. This is a stack of 12 x 16-minute exposures with the SharpStar 61mm EDPH refractor with its reducer at f/4.4, and with the Canon EOS Ra camera at ISO 3200, with a clip-in Astronomik 12nm H-alpha filter to block all but red H-a light for a monochrome portrait. Luminosity masks with Lumenzia helped bring out the faint nebulosity. The initial exposures were taken in moonlight. I added a slight blue colour grade for artistic effect.$

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
Bug Nebula, NGC 6302 (106mm 5DII).jpg
California Nebula and IC 348 (RedCat...jpg
California to Pleiades (85mm EOS Ra).jpg
Carina and Centaurus Nebulas Portrai...jpg
Carina-Centaurus Nebula Mosaic v1 (2...jpg
Carina-Centaurus Nebula Mosaic v2 (2...jpg
$A framing of the Carina Nebula below and the colourful double star, Chi (or 𝛘) Velorum (in Vela) above. The Gem Cluster, NGC 3293, is also resolved at the upper right of the nebula. Taken for the purposes of illustrating where the star is, though it is just resolved at this image scale into its blue and yellow components. It is sometimes referred to at Albireo Australis because of its resemblance to the famous northern double star Albireo in Cygnus This is a stack of 8 x 5 minutes with the Sharpstar 61mm EDPH refractor at f/4.4 and modified Canon R at ISO 800. Taken from Australia in March 2024.$

Carina Nebula and Chi Velorum (SS61 ...jpg
Carina Nebula and Clusters (RF135 Ra...jpg
$This is the showpiece nebula of the southern skies, the Carina Nebula, aka the Eta Carinae Nebula. Surrounding it are smaller patches of emission nebulosity: NGC 3603 and 3579 at lower left; and NGC 3247 in the far upper right corner. The bright and rich Football Cluster, aka the Black Arrow Cluster or Pincushion Cluster, NGC 3532, is at upper left, partly immersed in faint nebulosity. At upper right embedded in an extended bit of the Carina Nebula is the Gem Cluster, NGC 3324. This is a blend of several stacks of images: 12 x 5-minutes with no filter, and 8 x 10 minutes with an IDAS NBZ dual narrowband filter to bring out the red H-alpha nebulosity; and 8 x 1-minute for the bright central core of the nebula to prevent it from overexposing. All blended with luminosity masks. All were with the Sharpstar EDPH III refractor at f/4.4 and filter-modified Canon R at ISO 3200 for the filtered shots and ISO 800 for the unfiltered shots, long and short. On the Astro-Physics AP 400 mount autoguided with the Lacerta MGEN 3 stand-alone autoguider. Taken on a superb night, March 8, 2024 from the Warrumbungles Mountain Motel near Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia, on the first night of the 2024 OzSky Star Safari.$

Carina Nebula and Environs (SS61 RMo...jpg
Carina Nebula & Chi Velorum (77m...jpg
Carina Nebula & Clusters (77mm 5...jpg
Carina Nebula & NGC 3532 (200mm ...jpg
$This is the spectacular region of sky around the Carina Nebula, NGC 3372, in Carina, with its adjacent nebulas and open star clusters. NGC 3532, the Football Cluster, aka th e Black Arrow Cluster, is at left, while NGC 3293, the Gem Cluster, is at upper right. At far right is the ear-lobed shaped Southern Crescent Nebula, NGC 3199, a remnant of a Wolf-Rayet star and its stellar winds. This is a two-panel mosaic, with each panel a stack of 4 x 6-minute exposures with the Borg 77mm f/4 astrographic refractor and filter modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600. Stitched in Photoshop. Shot April 3/4, 2016 from Tibuc Cottage, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia. No filter was employed in shooting the frames. Autoguided with the SBIG SG-4 guider. Re-processed in 2024.$

Carina Nebula Panorama (77mm 5DII).jpg
Carina Nebula & Southern Pleiade...jpg
Cassiopeia Clusters and Nebulas (RF2...jpg
Cassiopeia Clusters & Nebulas (8...jpg
Cassiopeia Clusters (SS76 R5).jpg
$The starfield in eastern Cassiopeia containing an abundance of open star clusters. The most prominent is NGC 663, aka the Letter S Cluster, at bottom. Above it is NGC 654; to its right is NGC 659. At centre is Messier 103. At far right is NGC 457, the ET or Owl Cluster. Above it is NGC 463. The star at far left is Epsilon Cass; the star at right of centre is Delta Cas, aka Ruchba. The 7.5 x 5° field is close to a binocular field of view. This is a stack of 15 x 4-minute exposures with the SharpStar 61mm apo refractor at f/4.5 and with the Canon R6 at ISO 800. Taken from home Oct. 1, 2021. Diffraction spikes added with Astronomy Tools actions.$

Cassiopeia Clusters with M103 (SS61 ...jpg
Cassiopeia & Perseus Clusters (1...jpg
Cat's Paw Nebula Area (77mm 5DI...jpg
Central Cygnus (85mm EOS Ra).jpg
$This framing of the Milky Way in central Cygnus contains a rich assortment of types of nebulas: - Throughout is the pinkish-red lacework of star-forming emission nebulas made of glowing hydrogen gas, most prominent at top around the star Sadr, in a complex called IC 1318, here partly cut off. - At bottom right is the flower-shaped Tulip Nebula, aka Sh2-101. - A small round nebula at centre left is Sh2-104. - At centre is the magenta Crescent Nebula, aka NGC 6888. While this is also an emission nebula, it is a bubble blown out by a hot star called a Wolf-Rayet star near the end of its life. - The pale arc below it is another example of a Wolf-Rayet nebula, known only as WR134. - The field is also laced with lots of dusty dark nebulas, some very dark such as the distinct Barnard nebula called B145 at right of centre. - Below it is a large region of yellower sky created by less opaque but still light-absorbing dust, a region with a distinct edge catalogued as LDN 862 (Lynds Dark Nebula). So the area is a rich mix of dust and gas in the spiral arm of the Milky Way in which we live, with examples of star formation and star death. This is a blend of filtered and unfiltered images: a stack of 14 x 8-minute exposures at ISO 3200 through an IDAS NBZ dual narrowband filter which recorded the nebulas best, blended with a stack of 15 x 6-minute exposures with a UV/IR cut filter only to record the normal range of visible wavelenghts for the naturally coloured stars and sky colours. All with the Sharpstar 61mm EDPH III refractor at f/4.4, and with the filter-modified Canon EOS R camera, on the Astro-Physics 600E mount and autoguided with the Lacerta MGENIII autoguider. No darks taken; but each frame was dithered (shifted) slightly by a few pixels to help eliminate hot pixels when stacking and aligning. All stacking, alignment and blending in Photoshop. Applications of the Nebula Filter and Dark Details actions in PhotoKemi actions, and of the Detail Extractor filte$

Central Cygnus Nebulosity (SS61 RMod...jpg
Clusters and Nebulas in Ara (RF135 R...jpg
Clusters and Nebulas in Norma & ...jpg
Clusters and Nebulas in Norma & ...jpg
Clusters and Nebulas in Northern Can...jpg
Clusters and Nebulas in Puppis (RF13...jpg
Clusters and Nebulas near Sirius (RF...jpg
$This frames the dark Coal Sack nebula in Crux, the Southern Cross, here recorded as multiple dark lanes, though to the eye the Coal Sack appears as one solid dark region in the Milky Way. The bright star at bottom is Acrux, or Alpha Cruxis, while the star at top is Becrux, or Beta Cruxis. Acrux is a superb double star in a telescope but it is not resolved here at this scale. The field is filled with a variety of open star clusters. Below left of Becrux is the bright and famous Jewel Box, NGC 4755. By contrast, the larger but dimmer cluster below right of Becrux is Trumpler 20. To the far left of Becrux is NGC 4852. To the left of Acrux is the small cluster NGC 4609, which I call the Coal Dust Cluster as visually it sits in the Coal Sack. Above Acrux is the large cluster NGC 4349. Two bright red nebulas appear in and around the Coal Sack. The most obvious is Rodgers-Campbell-Whiteoak (RCW) 71. The smaller, almost starlike red nebula to the right is RCW 65. While obvious on photos, these nebulas are not included in many atlases both printed and digital. The field is about 7º by 5.5º. This is a stack of 8 x 5 minute exposures with the Sharpstar 61mm EDPH III refractor at f/4.4 and the filter-modified Canon R at ISO 800, on the Astro-Physics AP 400 mount. No filter was used here. Shot from Australia in March 2024.$

Coal Sack and Clusters in Crux (SS61...jpg
$The Coal Sack and Jewel Box Cluster area on the east side of Crux, the Southern Cross. The Coal Sack, which to the eye looks like a large dark patch, under photography breaks up into small patches, the darkest just south of the Jewel Box Cluster, here just below and left of Becrux, or Beta Crucis. Other star clusters in the scene are NGC 4852 at top left, Trumpler 20 at right. and NGC 4609 at lower right. The small intensely red area is the nebula Gum 46. This is a stack of 5 x 8 minute exposures with the Borg 77mm astrographic apo refractor (330mm focal length) at f/4.3 and with the filter-modified Canon 5D Mark II at ISO 800. Taken from Coonabarabran, Australia, March 2014.$

Coal Sack and Jewel Box (77mm 5DII).jpg
Coal Sack to Lambda Centauri Mosaic ...jpg
$The colourful region in and around the Coathanger asterism in Vulpecula the Fox. The grouping is not a star cluster per se, though it is catalogued as one, Collinder 399. It is also known as Brocchi's Cluster. A true star cluster, NGC 6802, is located at the east (left) end of the Coathanger, as the small clump of stars. The area is also rich in faint nebulosity, notably: the Sharpless 2-83 reflection nebula complex above the Coathanger, and the small, round Sharpless 2-82 emission and reflection nebula below the Coathanger. The large area of red emission nebula at bottom right is not catalogued or labelled in any of the star atlases I have, including the Millenium Star Atlas and Uranometria. However, the small round red "nebula" on the bottom edge of the large nebula is actually a highly reddened globular cluster, Palomar 10. This area of the Milky Way is rich in dark nebulas and absorbing dust, yellowing the fields. This is a stack of 10 x 5-minute exposures through the SharpStar 61EDPH II refractor with its flattener/reducer at f/4.5 and the red-sensitive Canon Ra, though with no filter employed here. The mount was the little Star Adventurer GTi portable GoTo mount undergoing testing, and autoguided with the ZWO ASIAir and its little 30mm guidescope, with the Air also controlling the Ra and performing dithering moves between each exposure. The guiding worked very well. No darks or LENR were applied here, but the stacking averaged out the thermal noise hot pixels on this fairly warm autumn night, September 27, 2022. All stacking and alignment with Photoshop. A mild Orton Glow effect added with Luminar AI, plus an application of PK Actions Dark Detail Hard action (a form of high-pass sharpening), two somewhat opposing effects -- i.e. fine sharpening plus overall softening. But the result does punch up the nebulosity, as does some luminosity masked curves adjustment layers from TK Actions and Lumenzia. Noise reduction was with RC Astro's Noise XTerminator.$

Coathanger Cluster Cr399 (SS61 Ra).jpg
$A rich starfield in the constellation of Vulpecula the Fox, in the Milky Way, with a mix of nebulosity. At bottom is the Coathanger asterism of stars, aka Collinder 399, or Brocchi's Cluster. At top left is the emission nebula NGC 6820. Other dark nebulas from the Lynds Dark Nebula catalogue populate the field. The blue glow above the Coathanger is reflection nebulosity which does not appear to have a catlogue number. A small reflection nebula around the blue stars at right is van den Burgh 126. The small round red emission nebula at lower left is Sharpless 2-82. The yellow star at top right is Anser, or Alpha Vulpeculae. The pervasive interstellar dust in the area tints the starfield yellow. This is a stack of 10 x 6-minute exposures with the Sharpstar 61EDPH III refractor at f/4.4 and the filter-modified Canon R at ISO 800 on the Astro-Physics 600E mount autoguided with the MGEN III guider. No filter employed other than a UV/IR Cut filter.$

Coathanger to NGC 6820 (SS61 RMod).jpg
$The asterism known as the Coathanger, aka Cr 399, in Vulpecula, at upper right here. The faint blue reflection nebula above it is Sharpless 2-83; the small reflection nebula at bottom is Sh-2-82. The small open cluster off the left tip of the Coathanger is NGC 6802. The Coathanger asterism is a fine one for binoculars. The 7.5 x 5° field is close to a binocular field of view. This is a stack of 12 x 6-minute exposures with the SharpStar 61mm apo refractor at f/4.5 and with the Canon R6 at ISO 1250. Taken from home Sept. 30, 2021. Diffraction spikes added with Astronomy Tools actions.$

Coathanger with NGC 6802 (SS61 R6).jpg
$Several types of deep-sky objects are represented here: an emission nebula, dark nebulas, and star clusters, in this rich field in Cygnus. The field frames the bright and magenta Cocoon Nebula (at lower left), aka IC 5146, at the end of the dark nebula B168, aka The Dark Cigar, which itself is southeast of the bright but sparse star cluster Messier 39 at upper right. The field is also wrapped in faint red emission nebulosity. A dimmer smaller star cluster, Platais 1, sits above M39. This is a rich field about 6° by 4°, embedded in the main band of the Milky Way in northern Cygnus. This is a blend of: a stack of 8 x 6-minute exposures at ISO 1600 through a clear Astronomik UV-IR cut filter, layered with a stack of 11 x 12-minute shots at ISO 2000 through an IDAS NB1 narrowband filter for the red H-alpha nebulosity. All were with the 76mm SharpStar apo refractor with its matching flattener/reducer for f/4.4, and with the red-sensitive Canon EOS Ra camera. Autoguiding and inter-frame dithering was with the MGEN3. No darks or LENR were applied here on this cooler autumn night. All stacking, alignment and blending with Photoshop. I brought out the faint nebulosity with the use of luminosity and color range masks created with Lumenzia and Zone System Express 7. Diffraction spikes added for artistic effect with Astronomy Tools Actions. A mild Orton glow added with Luminar AI for fun.$

Cocoon Nebula & M39 (SS76 EOS Ra...jpg
$The large star cluster in Coma Berenices catalogued as Mel111, at right, and two prominent galaxies at left: the Needle Galaxy, NGC 4565, at lower left, and NGC 4559 at upper left. NGC 4494 is between NGC 4565 and the star cluster at bottom. This is a stack of 19 x 4-minute exposures with the Sky-Watcher Evolux 82ED refractor and its 0.9x Corrector/Reducer for a focal length of 477mm at f/5.8. The Canon EOS Ra was at ISO 800. Images taken as part of testing this telescope in April 2022.$

Coma Berenices Cluster with Evolux 8...jpg
$The large star cluster in Coma Berenices known officially as Melotte 111, at right, with two of the most prominent galaxies in Coma at left: NGC 4559 at top and the Needle Galaxy, NGC 4565, at bottom. Several other fainter galaxies are in the field. I shot this April 2, 2021 on a less-then-ideal hazy night as a test of the new SharpStar 94mm EDPH refractor telescope and its matching field flattener/reducer. The high haze added the star glows and accentuated the star colours, so did make for a nice image in the end. And despite the haze, galaxies as faint as 14th magnitude are recorded, such as tiny NGC 4562 below the Needle Galaxy. This is a stack of 10 x 6-minute exposures at ISO 800 with the Canon EOS Ra, autoguided on the Astro-Physics Mach 1 mount with the Lacerta MGEN3 stand-alone autoguided set to dither 5 pixels between each exposure. The field of view is about 3.3° x 5°.$

Coma Berenices & Galaxies (SS 94...jpg
$The large star cluster in Coma Berenices known officially as Melotte 111, at right, with two of the most prominent galaxies in Coma at left: NGC 4559 at top and the Needle Galaxy, NGC 4565, at bottom. Several other fainter galaxies are in the field, including NGC 4494 between the Needle Galaxy and the star cluster, but looking very star-like at this image scale. I shot this April 11, 2021 on a fairly clear night as a test of the new SharpStar 94mm EDPH refractor telescope and its matching field flattener/reducer. A bit of passing haze added a touch of star glows. There is a version of this same field shot a week earlier in hazy skies with much fuzzier stars. This is a stack of 20 x 6-minute exposures at ISO 800 with the Canon EOS Ra, autoguided on the Astro-Physics Mach 1 mount with the Lacerta MGEN3 stand-alone autoguided set to dither 5 pixels between each exposure. No dark frames or LENR were applied. The field of view is about 3.3° x 5°.$

Coma Berenices Galaxies (SS94mm EOS ...jpg
$The immensely rich galaxy cluster Abell 1656 in Coma Berenices with two giant elliptical galaxies NGC 4889 and NGC 4874 at its heart. Both are about 11th magnitude. The face-on spiral galaxy NGC 4921 is at lower left at 12th magnitude; the tilted spiral NGC 4839 is at lower right, also 12th magnitude. The field is peppered with dozens of fainter galaxies from the NGC and PGC catalogues, all around 13th to 15th magnitude. The two bright blue stars are 7th magnitude. I shot this on a less than ideal night, with haze moving in, so this is a stack of only 6 x 8-minute exposures at ISO 1600 with the Canon EOS Ra through the Astro-Physics 130mm EDT refractor at f/6 with the 6x7 field flattener. Shot May 5, 2021. Haze prevented more images to smooth the noise more. Autoguided with the MGEN3 stand-alone autoguider.$

Coma Berenices Galaxy Cluster (130mm...jpg
$The Coma Berenices star cluster, aka Mel 111, with a smattering of galaxies, taken under dark skies on a spring evening. The edge-on galaxy NGC 4565 is at left. I shot this as a test of the William Optics RedCat 51mm f/5 astrographic refractor (which provides a focal lengthof 250mm). This was on the iOptron SkyGuider Pro tracker, a popular portable mount to use with the RedCat. I used it unguided for a set of 2-minute exposures. Of the 20 exposures, 12 were relatively untrailed and so were selected for stacking for this image. This is a stack of 12 x 2-minutes at ISO 1250 with the Canon EOS Ra. Stacked and blended in Photoshop CC. The little RedCat astrograph is very sharp to the corners. The field is about 8° by 5.5°.$

Coma Berenices in Dark Sky (WO51 EOS...jpg
$The Coma Berenices star cluster, aka Melotte 111, at right, with two prominent galaxies at left: NGC 4559 at top left and edge-on NGC 4565 at bottom left. This is a stack of 6 x 8 minute exposures with the SharpStar 76mm apo refractor with the EDPH field flattener for f/4.5 and with the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 800. Diffraction spikes added for effect using Astronomy Tools actions.$

Coma Berenices Star Cluster and Gala...jpg
$The large star cluster in Coma Berenices called Mel111, accompanied by several galaxies, notably the edge-on NGC 4565 at lower left and the spiral NGC 4559 at upper left. The field of view is 7.5° by 5°, so similar to binoculars. This is a stack of 12 x 6-minute exposures with the Sharpstar 61mm EDPH II telescope at f/4.6 with its reducer (for a focal length of 280mm), and Canon EOS Ra at ISO 800. Sub-frames dithered with the MGEN3 auto-guider. No darks applied. Diffraction spikes added in post for artistic effect.$

Coma Berenices Star Cluster (SS61 Ra...jpg
$This is a wide-field framing of the heart of the Coma-Virgo cluster of galaxies in the northern spring sky, with galaxies galore in the frame, including a dozen Messier objects. The field is 7.5° by 5°, so similar to binoculars. The faintest galaxies here are about 12th magnitude. Just below the centre is the Marakarian's Chain of galaxies including the Messier galaxies M84 and M86. The giant elliptical M87 (famous for having its central black hole imaged) is below and to the left of the Chain. There are many other Messier objects in the field — At top right around the blue star 6 Comae is the trio of M98 (at the far edge), M99 (below and right of 6 Comae) and M100 (at top). At left are M88, M91, M90 amd M89. At bottom left is M58 and M59. M60 just squeaks onto the frame. This is a stack of 10 x 6 minute exposures with the SharpStar 61 EDPH II refractor at f/4.5 and the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 100. This is a single framing, not a mosaic. Taken from home April 24, 2022. Haze moving in spoiled exposures taken after this set. Dithered with MGEN3 autoguider; no darks applied.$

Coma-Virgo Galaxies (SS61 Ra).jpg
$A wide-field image of the Coma-Virgo Galaxy Cluster including the Messier galaxies around the star 6 Comae at top right, down to the galaxies of Markarian’s Chain at bottom left, including several other Messiers. The field is about 4 degrees high and 6 degrees wide. This is a stack of 5 x 8-minute exposures through the SharpStar 76mm EDPH refractor and with the SharpStar flattener/reducer for f/4.5, and with the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 800. An additional exposure taken through light cloud layered in added the star glows. Clouds prevented more exposures.$

Coma-Virgo Galaxies (SS76 EOS Ra).jpg
Coma-Virgo Galaxy Field (WO51 EOS Ra...jpg
$This is a wide-field framing of the heart of the galaxy-ruch region of Coma Berenices and Vrigo – the Coma-Virgo Supercluster of galaxes. This is with a 135mm telephoto lens so is a field 15° tall and 10° wide. It contains 16 Messier galaxies and numerous NGC catalogue galaxies. Just above centre is Messier 87, the gravitational core of the cluster. Above it is the arc of galaxies known as Markarian's Chain. This is a stack of 18 x 1-minute exposures with the Canon RF135mm lens at f/2.2 and Canon R5 at ISO 1000. A starless "galaxies-only" layer created with Star XTerminator helped bring out the galaxies independently of the background stars. An action in AstronomyTools added the diffraction spikes on the stars ito help distinguish them from the galaxies. This is an image that needs to be viewed or presented large in order to see the galaxies well, but they are all there and quite sharp. It serves as a good finder chart or mao of the region.$

Coma-Virgo Region (RF135mm R5).jpg
$This is a wide-field framing of the heart of the galaxy-ruch region of Coma Berenices and Vrigo – the Coma-Virgo Supercluster of galaxes. This is with a 135mm telephoto lens so is a field 15° tall and 10° wide. It contains 16 Messier galaxies and numerous NGC catalogue galaxies. Just above centre is Messier 87, the gravitational core of the cluster. Above it is the arc of galaxies known as Markarian's Chain. This is a stack of 18 x 1-minute exposures with the Canon RF135mm lens at f/2.2 and Canon R5 at ISO 1000. A starless "galaxies-only" layer created with Star XTerminator helped bring out the galaxies independently of the background stars. An action in AstronomyTools added the diffraction spikes on the stars ito help distinguish them from the galaxies. This is an image that needs to be viewed or presented large in order to see the galaxies well, but they are all there and quite sharp. It serves as a good finder chart or mao of the region.$

Coma-Virgo Region with Labels (RF135...jpg
Corona Borealis (200mm 5DII).jpg
$The Coathanger asterism of stars, aka Cr399, in Vulpecula, with the small open cluster NGC 6802 at left. I shot this from home on a very clear night on July 31, 2019, using the Astro-Physics Traveler and Hotech f/6 field flattener for a stack of 5 x 8-minute exposures at ISO 800 with the now 10-year-old filter-modified Canon 5D Mark II. Diffraction spikes added with Astronomy Tools actions..$

Cr399 Coathanger Asterism (105mm 5DI...jpg
$This is the rich area of nebulosity in central Cygnus that includes the Crescent Nebula (aka NGC 6888) at left, and the Tulip Nebula (aka Sharpless 2-101) at right near the star Eta Cygni. The small circular red HII nebula at lower left is Sh 2-104, while the faint arc of whitish OxygenIII nebulosity below centre is the Wolf-Rayet nebula WR134. The Crescent Nebula is another Wolf-Rayet object, WR136, made of material expelled by stellar winds from a very hot central star. The long dark nebula above centre is B145, from Edward Emerson Barnard's catalog, while the mass of large dark nebulas of varying densities at right is collectively catalogued by Beverly Lynds as Lynds Dark Nebula LDN 862. The star cluster Messier 29 is just in the field at lower left. Many other minor star cluster dot the field. This is a stack of 8 x 8-minute exposures at ISO 3200 through an IDAS NBX narrowband nebula filter to isolate the Ha and OIII emission lines, blended with a stack of 10 x 8 minute exposures with no filter (to retain natural star colours) at ISO 800, all with the AstroGear filter-modified Canon R, and on the Sharpstar 61 EDPH III refractor at f/4.5 with its Reducer. Autoguided on the Astro-Physics Mach1 mount with the MGENIII autoguider. Taken from home on a very fine night, May 15/16, 2023. Stacked, aligned and blended in Photoshop. A "starless" layer created with RC-Astro Star XTerminator provides most of the nebula content, enhanced with luminosity masks and a Nebula Filter action from PhotoKemi Tools.$

Crescent & Tulip Nebulas in Cygn...jpg
Crux, the Southern Cross (200mm 5DII...jpg
Cygnus & Cepheus Nebulosity (28-...jpg
Cygnus Constellation (RF28-70mm RMod...jpg
Cygnus Landscape Panorama (RF135mm R...jpg
Cygnus Nebulosity (135mm 5DII - Sept...jpg
Cygnus Nebulosity (135mm EOS Ra - Fi...jpg
Cygnus Nebulosity (135mm EOS Ra-Ha F...jpg
Cygnus Nebulosity (135mm Ra).jpg
Cygnus Nebulosity (135mm Ra).jpg
Cygnus Nebulosity (28-70mm with Ha).jpg
Cygnus Nebulosity (70mm EOS Ra).jpg
Cygnus Nebulosity Bright and Dark (R...jpg
Cygnus Nebulosity (RF28-70 @ 50 with...jpg
Cygnus Nebulosity (RF28-70 @ 70 with...jpg
Cygnus Starcloud (RF135 RMod).jpg
Cygnus Starclouds and Nebulas (RF28-...jpg
Cygnus Starcloud (WO51 EOS Ra).jpg
Dark Doodad Nebula in Musca (200mm 5...jpg
Dark Doodad & NGC 4372 (77mm 5DI...jpg
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
Diamond Cluster NGC 2516 (200mm 5DII...jpg
$The well-known Double Cluster (aka NGC 884 and NGC 869) framed at upper right to include two of its companion star clusters, NGC 957 at upper left and Trumpler 2 at lower left. Dotted through the field of young blue stars are numerous aging yellow giant stars. And the gradation in sky colour from the clearer, bluer sky with more stars at right to the dustier, yellower sky and fewer stars at left is subtle but obvious here, from interstellar dust in this part of the Milky Way. This is a stack of 8 x 6-minute exposures at ISO 800 with the Canon Ra and on the StarField Optics Géar80 apo refractor with its matching reducer/flattener for f/4.8. Taken from home through breaks in passing clouds as part of testing of this new scope. No darks or LENR used, just dithering between each frame using the MGEN autoguider. Diffraction spikes added with AstronomyTools actions in Photoshop for artistic effect.$

Double Cluster and Companion Cluster...jpg
$The famous Double Cluster (NGC 869, right and NGC 884, left) in Perseus, in a wide-field shot that includes the nearby stars clusters NGC 957 to the left, and Trumpler 2 at bottom left. The large and sparse cluster Stock 2, aka the Muscle Man Cluster, is at upper right. The field is filled with yellow supergiant stars. The field of view is similar to that of binoculars. This is a stack of 20 (!) x 3-minute exposures with the SharpStar 61EDPH II refractor with its reducer/flattener at f/4.5, and the Canon Ra at ISO 800. Autoguided with the MGENIII, on the Star Adventurer GTi mount taken as part of testing the mount. A slight camera tilt from the reducer's rotator mechanism being a bit loose produces slightly soft stars on the left side of the frame. Taken from home September 25, 2022.$

Double Cluster and Environs (SS61 Ra...jpg
Double Cluster and Nearby Nebulosity...jpg
Double Cluster and Stock 2 (Borg 77m...jpg
$This is the famous Double Cluster, a pair of open star clusters, in Perseus. On the left is NGC 884; on the right is NGC 869. The clusters are notable for the array of yellow supergiant stars amid the hot blue stars. The clusters are thougbt to be quite young, at 3.2 millon and 5.6 million years old, respectively. This is a stack of 12 x 4-minute exposures with the Canon R5 at ISO 800, on the Askar APO120 refractor with its 0.8x Reducer/Flattener for f/5.6. Taken from home October 17, 2023, as part of testing the then new telescope. The field of view is 3° by 2°.$

Double Cluster (APO120 Reducer R5).jpg
$The famous Double Cluster (NGC 869, right and NGC 884, left) in Perseus, in a wide-field shot that incl;udes the large and sparse cluster Stock 2, aka the Muscle Man Cluster, is at top, looking here as if it outlined by a square border of stars. The field is filled with yellow supergiant stars. This is a stack of 12 x 5-minute exposures with the SharpStar 76EDPH refractor with its reducer/flattener at f/4.5, and the Canon R5 at ISO 800. Autoguided with the MGENIII, on the Star Adventurer GTi mount taken as part of testing the mount. Taken from home October 1, 2022.$

Double Cluster & Stock 2 (SS76 R...jpg
Eta Carinae & Crux Pan (135mm 5D...jpg
False Comet Area of Scorpius (135mm ...jpg