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NGC/IC Objects { 507 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
Antares Region (200mm 5DII).jpg
Antares & Rho Ophiuchi Area (77m...jpg
Auriga Nebulas (RedCat 51 + EOS Ra w...jpg
$Horsehead Nebula region with NGC2024 and 2023, and B33 dark nebula. Stack of two 15-minute exposures with Canon 20Da, at f/6 with 5-inch AP apo refractor, ISO400, and Long Exposure Nosie Reduction ON in camera. Ambient temp was about -3° C. Taken Dec. 29, 2005. Noise reduction applied at RAW conversion stage, and Noise Ninja applied to both layers at start before processing and to single flattened layer at end after processing and stretching. Image showed dithered dark areas initially after Levels adjustment but this smoothed out after flattening of original image and adjustment layers.$

B33 Horsehead (5in f6).jpg
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
B87 Parrot Head Nebula (77mm 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 (105m...jpg
Belt and Sword of Orion (135mm 6D).jpg
$The Belt and Sword region of Orion, with the Orion Nebula, Messiesr 42 and 43, at bottom. Below the left star of the Belt, Alnitak, is the famous Horsehead Nebula, while above it is NGC 2024, aka the Flame Nebula. At very top left is Messier 78, while part of Barnard’s Loop arc across the field at left. The field is filled with other faint red emission and blue reflection nebulas. The large loose open cluster Collinder 70 surrounds the middle star of the Belt, Alnilam. The field is similar to that of binoculars. This is a stack of 16 x 2- to 3-minute exposures with the filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 800 to 1250 and 200mm Canon L-Series lens at f/2.8. Taken with the Fornax Lightrack tracker as part of testing. Taken from home on January 8, 2019 in a clear couple of hours between haze patches, and while battling dying batteries for the drive and camera. Diffraction spikes added with Astronomy Tools. Main images stacked with Median stack mode to eliminate satellite trails from geosats that populate this area of sky.$

Belt and Sword of Orion with Barnard...jpg
Belt of Orion (77mm 20Da).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
Belt & Sword of Orion (135mm 5DI...jpg
$This is a wide-field portrait of a set of nebulas with colourful names but rendered here in monochrome: The Bubble Nebula at upper left; the Lobster Claw Nebula below it (somewhat obvious for its shape); the Cave Nebula at upper right; and the Wizard Nebula at bottom. The small round nebula above the Wizard is Sharpless 2-152. Just below it and very small is Sh2-148. The star cluster right of centre is NGC 7419. The Bubble Nebula's spherical bubble is a little lost at this scale. It lies below the star cluster Messier 52. The Bubble is also NGC 7635. The Lobster Claw is Sharpless 2-157 and is sometimes called the Californietto. The Cave Nebula is Sharpless 2-155, while the Wizard is Sharpless 2-142 but also known as NGC 7380 though that designation applies to the star cluster associated with it. All are located on the Cassiopeia-Cepheus border. North is more or less up in this portrait orientation. This is a stack of 12 x 16-minute exposures with the SharpStar 61mm EDPH refractor with its reducer at f/4.4, and with the Canon EOS Ra camera at ISO 3200, with a clip-in Astronomik 12nm H-alpha filter to block all but red H-a light for a monochrome portrait. Luminosity masks with Lumenzia helped bring out the faint nebulosity. The initial exposures were taken in moonlight. I added a slight blue colour grade for artistic effect.$

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-Centaurus Nebula Mosaic v1 (2...jpg
Carina-Centaurus Nebula Mosaic v2 (2...jpg
Carina-Centaurus Spectacular Field M...jpg
Carina Nebula & Chi Velorum (77m...jpg
Carina Nebula & Clusters (77mm 5...jpg
Carina Nebula in Haze (77mm 5DII).jpg
Carina Nebula & NGC 3532 (200mm ...jpg
$The spectacular region of sky around the Carina Nebula, NGC 3372, in Carina, with its adjacent nebulas and open star clusters. NGC 3532, the Football Cluster is at left, while NGC 3293, the Gem Cluster, is at upper right. At far right is the ear-lobed shaped Crescent Nebula, NGC 3199, a remnant of a Wolf-Rayet star and its stellar winds. This is a two-panel mosaic, with each panel a stack of 4 x 6-minute exposures with the Borg 77mm f/4 astrographic refractor and filter modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600. Stitched in Photoshop. Shot April 3/4, 2016 from Tibuc Cottage, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia. Autoguided with the SBIG SG-4 guider.$

Carina Nebula Panorama (77mm 5DII).jpg
Carina Nebula & Southern Pleiade...jpg
Cassiopeia (135mm 5DII).jpg
Cassiopeia Clusters and Nebulas (RF2...jpg
Cassiopeia Clusters & Nebulas (8...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 Nebulas & Clu...jpg
Cat's Paw Nebula Area (77mm 5DII).jpg
Central Cygnus (85mm EOS Ra).jpg
$The Coal Sack and Jewel Box Cluster area on the east side of Crux, the Southern Cross. The Coal Sack, which to the eye looks like a large dark patch, under photography breaks up into small patches, the darkest just south of the Jewel Box Cluster, here just below and left of Becrux, or Beta Crucis. Other star clusters in the scene are NGC 4852 at top left, Trumpler 20 at right. and NGC 4609 at lower right. The small intensely red area is the nebula Gum 46. This is a stack of 5 x 8 minute exposures with the Borg 77mm astrographic apo refractor (330mm focal length) at f/4.3 and with the filter-modified Canon 5D Mark II at ISO 800. Taken from Coonabarabran, Australia, March 2014.$

Coal Sack and Jewel Box (77mm 5DII).jpg
Coal Sack to Lambda Centauri Mosaic ...jpg
$Taken with 4-inch apo refractor at f/4.5 with Canon 20Da camera at IS0800 for 5 minutes. Stack of two exposures. One layer median filtered and gaussian blurred to enhance glows around stars.$

Coathanger CR399 (4in f4.5).jpg
$The asterism known as the Coathanger, aka Cr 399, in Vulpecula, at upper right here. The faint blue reflection nebula above it is Sharpless 2-83; the small reflection nebula at bottom is Sh-2-82. The small open cluster off the left tip of the Coathanger is NGC 6802. The Coathanger asterism is a fine one for binoculars. The 7.5 x 5° field is close to a binocular field of view. This is a stack of 12 x 6-minute exposures with the SharpStar 61mm apo refractor at f/4.5 and with the Canon R6 at ISO 1250. Taken from home Sept. 30, 2021. Diffraction spikes added with Astronomy Tools actions.$

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

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

Coma-Virgo Galaxies (SS76 EOS Ra).jpg
Coma-Virgo Galaxy Field (WO51 EOS Ra...jpg
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
Crux, the Southern Cross (200mm 5DII...jpg
Cygnus Nebulosity (135mm 5DII).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 (200mm 5DII).jpg
Cygnus Nebulosity (RF28-70 @ 50 with...jpg
Cygnus Nebulosity (RF28-70 @ 70 with...jpg
Cygnus Starcloud (135mm Bino Field 2...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
Double Cluster and Stock 2 (Borg 77m...jpg
Eta Carinae & Crux Pan (135mm 5D...jpg
False Comet Area of Scorpius (135mm ...jpg
False Cross & Gamma Velorum (85m...jpg
Funnel Cloud Nebula (200mm 6DII).jpg
$The nebulosity around the central star of Cygnus, Gamma Cygni (aka Sadr), with the nebulosity generally taking the catalog name IC 1318, The bright open star cluster above Sadr is NGC 6910; the cluster at right, above centre, is IC 1311. The prominent patch of dark nebulosity at right, below centre, is B 343. Messier 29, M29, is at the bottom edge, left of centre. This is a panoramic stitch of 2 segments, each a stack of 4 x 7-minute exposures at ISO 1600 with the filter-modified Canon 5D MkII, shooting through the TMB 92mm apo refractor at f/4.5 with the Borg 0.85 flattener/reducer. Stitched with Photoshop. Taken on a night with some high clouds, so some frames have haze, which adds the natural sky glows. Diffraction spikes added in post with Astronomy Tools Actions.$

Gamma Cygni Area Panorama.jpg
$A portrait of the complex of emission nebulas in central Cygnus near the bright star Gamma Cygni (at left). The field includes the IC 1318 complex around Gamma Cygni itself and the Wolf-Rayet arc of nebulosity, NGC 6888, aka the Crescent Nebula, at right. The sparse star cluster Messier 29 is at bottom. This was through the SharpStar 94mm apo refractor at f/4.4 and with the Canon EOS Ra. It is a blend of 6 x 6-minute exposures at ISO 1600 through an Astronomik UV-IR-Cut filter for the base image, and a stack of 4 x 12-minutes at ISO 3200 through IDAS NB1 and Optolong L-eNhance filters for the enhanced red nebulosity, plus 6 x 12-minutes at ISO 3200 through Optolong L-eXtreme and IDAS NBZ filters which contribute only the enhanced cyan OIII emission, all taken as part of testing the filters. Normally, using four filters would not be required! Autoguided and dithered on this warm summer night with the Lacerta MGEN3 autoguider. No darks or LENR applied as the dithering effectively eliminated the thermal noise speckling which was prominent on the individual sub-frames. Taken from home August 13, 2021. All stacked, aligned, and blended in Photoshop.$

Gamma Cygni & NGC 6888 (SS94 EOS...jpg
Gamma Velorum and NGC 2547 (200mm 5D...jpg
Gemini Nebulas Mosaic (HNT150 EOS Ra...jpg
$This is the region of central Cassiopeia containing a rich assortment of deep-sky objects: The so-called Ghosts of Cassiopeia nebulas at top, the Owl Cluster, aka the ET Cluster, at bottom, and the Pacman Nebula at right. The Ghosts of Cassiopeia are the magenta/cyan reflection and emission nebulas officially called IC 59 and IC 63. Both are reflecting the light of bluish Gamma Cassiopeiae, aka Navi. The "Ghost" name for these objects is a recent appellation. See https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap191025.html The star cluster at bottom is NGC 457, with smaller NGC 436 above it. It is variously called the Owl Cluster or the E.T. Cluster. The emission nebula at right is the Pacman Nebula, NGC 281, below the stars Eta (Achird) and Alpha (Schedar) Cassiopeiae. The blue star at far left is Delta Cassiopeiae, aka Ruchbah. It along with Gamma and Alpha form the middle three stars of the W of Cassiopeia. The field here is 7.5° x 5°, similar to binoculars. This is stack of 8 x 16-minute exposures through an IDAS NB1 nebula filter to bring out the faint nebulosity, blended with a stack of 15 x 8-minute exposures with an Astronomik UV/IR Cut filter for a white light normal colour image. All with the Canon Ra (at ISO 1600 for the NB1 filter shots and at ISO 1000 for the normal shots) through the SharpStar EDPH 61mm refractor at f/4.5. All stacking, alignment and blending with Photoshop. No LENR or darks applied, just inter-frame dithering to eliminate thermal noise specks which were prominent in the long high-ISO filtered shots. Autoguiding and dithering was with the MGEN3 stand-alone autoguider. Faint nebulosity was brought out with luminosity mask adjustments with Lumenzia.$

Ghost, ET and Pacman in Cassiopeia (...jpg
$A portrait in monochrome of the rich nebulous region around the North America and Pelican Nebulas in northern Cygnus, with the star Deneb at right of centre. This is shot through a deep-red narrow-band filter that lets through only Hydrogen-alpha light, the emission line that nebulas like these primarily radiate at. This was taken in a bright moonlit, though rural sky (with a waxing gibbous Moon in the opposite side of the sky) as a test of a new autoguider system and through the William Optics RedCat 51mm f/4.9 astrographic refractor, also under test. The camera was the Canon EOS Ra, sensitive to H-a light. The filter was the 12nm Astronomik clip-in filter. The field is about 8° x 5°. This is a stack of just 6 x 12-minute exposures at ISO 2500. Due to the low signal through the dense filter and the fact that only 1/4 of the Bayer-array pixels are receiving signal, such images really need lots more exposure time and sub-frames to do the best job and keep noise down. Local contrast adjustments made with luminosity masks created by Lumenzia extension panel.$

H-Alpha N America NGC 7000 (WO51mm E...jpg
Heart and Soul Nebulas and Double Cl...jpg
$The Heart Nebula (aka IC 1805) at right, and the Soul Nebula (aka IC 1848) at left, in Cassiopeia. The round nebula at top right is NGC 896. The star cluster at right embedded in the Heart Nebula is NGC 1027. Shot from home in Alberta on November 21, 2019. This is a stack of 16 images, half of the set shot through a light pollution reduction filter to suppress sky background and enhance the colours of the nebulas, particularly in the red end of the spectrum from H-alpha emission. The eight filtered shots are all 8-minute exposures with the Canon EOS Ra mirrorless camera at ISO 1600, and through the Borg 77mm f/4 astrographic refractor at f/4 with an IDAS LPSv3 filter in place. The 8 unfiltered shots are all 8-minute exposures as well but at ISO 800 (with no filter the images require less exposure) and with the same camera and scope but without the IDAS filter for a set of “natural light” images. Blending the two versions provides the benefit of the enhanced nebulosity of the filter but the better colour balance of the unfiltered shots. The EOS Ra camera features a factory-modified IR block filter that transmits a higher level of the red H-alpha visible light, making such a photo possible. The additional IDAS filter does bring out the fainter parts of the nebulas but tends to make the nebulas quite “in-your-face” red, rather than present a more balanced look with magenta and blues adding to the colour. This was shot from a fairly dark rural site, so the IDAS filter wasn’t essential for urban sky glow suppression but for nebula enhancement. All images aligned and stacked in Photoshop 2020. We don’t need no Deep Sky Stacker.$

Heart and Soul Nebulas (EOS Ra 77mm ...jpg
$This is the pair of emission nebulas in Cassiopeia known as the Heart (upper right) and Soul (lower left) Nebulas, here recorded in monochrome shot through a deep-red filter to isolate the Hydrogen-alpha wavelength to allow shooting of the faint nebulas on a bright moonlit night. The Soul, aka Embryo, Nehula is officially IC 1848, while the Heart Nebula is IC 1805. The brightest portion at upper right is NGC 896 and IC 1795. The Moon was a bright waxing gibbous this night, setting toward the end of the 4 hours of shooting when frames did get much darker. This is a stack of 18 x 16-minute exposures at ISO 3200 through an Astronomik 12nm H-alpha clip-in filter inserted into the Canon EOS Ra camera, and shooting through the SharpStar 76mm apo refractor at f/4.4 with its field flattener reducer. Auto-guided with the MGEN3 guider and dithered from frame to frame to average out the thermal noise hot pixels which were abundant with such long exposures at a high ISO, despite this being a cool night. No LENR or darks applied. Nebulosity brought out via luminosity masks created with Lumenzia. Some colour grading applied to give the image a slight colour tone. High Pass Sharpen and TKActions Soft Pop action applied to the nebulas for added edge contrast.$

Heart and Soul Nebulas in Monochrome...jpg
$The Heart Nebula (IC 1805) in Cassiopeia with the star clusters Melotte 15 (at centre) and NGC 1027 (at left), with the nebula NGC 896 at upper right. I shot this October 6, 2016 from home with an Explore Scientific FCD102 apo refractor at f/7. This is a stack of 8 x 4.5-minute exposures at ISO 1600 with the filter-modified Canon 5D MkII. Stellar diffraction spikes added with Astronomy Tools Photoshop actions.$

Heart Nebula with ES FCD100 Apo.jpg
$The Heart Nebula (at right, aka IC 1805) and the Soul Nebula (at left, aka IC 1848, ad also the Foetus Nebula), in Cassiopeia. Just right of upper centre is the open star cluster NGC 1027. The star cluster in the middle of the Heart Nebula is called Melotte 15. The patch of nebulosity at upper right detached from the rest is NGC 896. The field is filled with numerous other clusters and dark nebulas from lesser known catalogs. The field lies right on the Galactic Equator, with most objects here located in the Perseus spiral arm, the next one out from ours, some 6000 to 7500 light years away. This is a 3-segment mosaic, taken Nov 15 and 16, 2014 from New Mexico. Each segment is a stack of 12 x 6 minute exposures with the filter-modified Canon 5D MkII camera at ISO 800, through the TMB 92mm apo refractor at f/4.4 using the Borg 0.85x field flattener/reducer. Stitched in Photoshop.$

Heart & Soul Nebulas Mosaic (92m...jpg
Horsehead Nebula and Orion Belt (HNT...jpg
Hyades and NGC 1647 (135mm Bino Fiel...jpg
$The Hyades star cluster, with bright yellow Aldebaran, in Taurus, with the smaller, more distant star cluster NGC 1647 at left. The field is similar to that of binoculars. This is a stack of 5 x 2-minute exposures with the Canon 5D MkII at ISO 800 and 200mm Canon L-Series lens at f/2.8. An additional exposure taken through the Kenko Softon A filter is layered in to add the star glows to bring out their colours. Taken with the Fornax Lightrack tracker as part of testing. Taken from home on a rare fine and mild winter night, January 4, 2019. Diffraction spikes added with Astronomy Tools actions for artistic effect.$

Hyades with NGC 1647 Cluster (200mm ...jpg
IC 1318 and NGC 6888 (77mm 5DII).jpg
IC 1318 Cygnus Nebulosity (135mm 5DI...jpg
IC 1318 Gamma Cygni (5in f4.5).jpg
IC 1318 Gamma Cygni (92mm 5DII).jpg
IC 1318 Gamma Cygni area #2 (135mm B...jpg
$IC 1318 Gamma Cygni nebulosity, with Canon 20Da and TMB 92mm f/5.5 apo refractor with Borg 0.85x reducer/flattener at f/4.6, for stack of 4 x 15 minute exposures at ISO400. Taken on a superb night from home on October 1, 2008.$

IC 1318 Gamma Cygni (TMB92 20Da).jpg
IC 1318 Gamma Cygni (Vert) (92mm 5DI...jpg
$The large emission nebula complex in Cygnus catalogued as IC 1318, and known as the Butterfly Nebula. The main dark lane at left is LDN 889. The bright star at centre is Gamma Cygni, aka Sadr. Above it is the star cluster NGC 6910. The view is rendered in monochrome as it was shot on a moonlit night through a deep red filter in the light of H-alpha emission, prominent in such nebulas. This is a stack of 13 x 16-minute exposures with the SharpStar 94mm apo refractor at f/4.5 (with its reducer/flattener), and with the Canon Ra at ISO 1600 and equipped with an Astronomik clip-in 12nm Hydrogen-Alpha filter which lets through only very deep red light. The last few exposures were taken with a waning quarter Moon lighting the sky. Guided with the MGEN autoguider applying a dithering shift between each exposure to eliminate thermal noise when stacking the images. (Each sub-frame had a lot of thermal speckling, as when shooting in H-a with a colour camera only 1/4 of the pixels, the red ones, are recording any signal.) No darks or LENR employed. All stacking and alignment was with Photoshop. Faint nebulosity was brought out with luminosity-masked curves created with Lumenzia. ON1 NoNoise AI applied to the base stack. A mild application of Russell Croman's StarXTerminator plug-in backed off the stars within the regions of nebulosity to further enhance the nebula structures. StarXTerminator was applied selectively via the use of non-destructive layers, blend modes and masks. A mild colour grade was applied as a finishing touch to add the blue tint to the darks.$

IC1318 in Cygnus (SS94 Ra).jpg
$NGC 6888 and IC 1318 nebulosity in Cygnus, with Canon 20Da and TMB 92mm f/5.5 apo refractor with Borg 0.85x reducer/flattener at f/4.6, for stack of 4 x 15 minute exposures at ISO400. Taken on a superb night from home, Oct. 1, 2008.$

IC 1318 & NGC 6888 Area (TMB92 2...jpg
IC 1396 (135mm).jpg
IC 1396 (200mm)-2.jpg
$IC 1396 nebula in Cepheus for stack of 4 x 13 minute exposures with Borg 77mm apo refractor at f/4 and Canon 20Da camera at ISO 400. Taken on a superb night, Sept. 11, 2007. Garnet Star, Mu Cephei at top.$

IC 1396 (77mm 20Da).jpg