Imaging Projects
In this blog, I will share the results of all of my imaging projects. The newest will be at the top and the oldest will be further down the stack. Going back in time here is interesting - some of my early stuff was pretty rough - but I did not see it that way at the time - I was thrilled to get anything back that looked like an image! Hopefully, you will see how my work has progressed with time!
Sh2-54 - The Serpent Nebula - 8.9 Hours of SHO
Sh2-54 is an interesting HII region with some dark dust located in the constellation Sperpens Cause (The Tail). Also seen is the open cluster NGC 6604. This image is a result of 8.9 hours of SHO Data.
A Reprocess of SH2-157, The Lobster Claw Nebula - 4.25 hours in SHO.
SH2-157, The Lobster Claw Nebula, is located 11,000 light-years away in the constellation of Cassiopeia. This is a Reprocess Project - working with data in 2024 that was captured in 2021. I wanted to see if I could improve on this image. I think I did!
IC 1848 - The Soul Nebula - 6.8 hours in SHO (and a Change in Horses Mid-Stride!)
IC 1848, Better known as The Soul Nebula, is an emission nebula located 6,500 light-years away in the cancellation of Cassiopeia.
This image results from 6.8 hours of narrowband data collected with my Askar FRA400 Astrograph and my ZWO classic ASI1600MM-Pro camera on the nights of Oct 20 and 22 and Nov 23 of 2022.
The first two nights were collected using the IOPtron CEM26 mount, and the third night was collected using a brand new ZWO AM5 Harmonic mount. This was the first time using the AM5, and it did an exceptional job with tracking errors reduced by 400%!
NGC 281 - The Pacman Nebula - 8 hours in SHO (Fighting a Strange Artifact!)
NGC 281, better known as the “Pacman” Nebula, is located 9,500 light-years away in the constellation of Cassiopea.
This was the second time I shot this target. This image is the result of 8 hours of narrowband data rendered in the Hubble SHO palette.
This data was collected on my Astro-Physics 130mm f/8.35 APO refractor, and a ZWO ASI2600MM-Pro camera - all mounted on my IOptron CEM 60 Mount.
This image suffered from a strange circular artifact that took the form of nested rings in the corner of the image. Dealing with this caused me to make my background sky a bit darker than I would have preferred, but I think the image has a certain amount of drama and pop because of it!
Messier 81/82 Wide Field: 3.5 hours LRGB - A Failed Quest for IFN!
I decided to try using my widefield Askar FRA400 platform to image the region around M81 & M82 to try and capture IFN (integrated Flux Nebula). This effort failed miserably! The resulting image was not too bad, but I was not able to get the kind of integration needed to capture this elusive feature! While this was a major disappointment, the resulting image shows M81, M82, and a third small galaxy NGC 3077 in a very nice part of the sky.
SH2-157 The Lobster Claw Nebula - with NGC 7635 (The Bubble Nebula) in SHO - 4.25 hours.
SH@-157, The Lobster Claw Nebula, is located 11,000 light-years away in the constellation of Cassiopeia. A faint object, this was captured on the night of November 8th when I hoped to have two more nights of clear weather. That did not happen and this image was created with only 4.25 hours of data. I hope to revisit this object, collect more hours and do it justice. This was shot on my wide-field FRA400 rig and is rendered in the Hubble SHO palette.
IC 1805 - The Heart Nebula in SHO - 11.5 Hours
IC 1805 is also known as SH2-190 and more commonly as the Heart Nebula. It is located 7500 light-years away in the constellation of Cassiopeia. First discovered by William Herschel in 1787, the Heart Nebula is a region of glowing gas and dark dust lane.
This is a result of a 11.5 hour exposure on my widefield shot taken on my portable FRA400 camera platform - processed using the Hubble SHO palette.
IC 1396/1396A - The Elephant's Trunk Nebula
IC 1396, also known as The Elephant Trunk Nebula is rich region emission nebulae and dark dust regions. Located in the constellation Cepheus, the Lion Nebula is roughly 2400 light-years away.
This image was taken on the Askar FRA400 Platform with only 3 hours of exposure in narrowband - and was the first image where the FRA was used for portable operations on a trip to North Carolina.
NGC 6820 and NGC 6823 - An Open Cluster w/Nebula - A Grudge Match…
Located in the constellation Vulpecula, NGC 6823 is a small open cluster of stars and associated nebula, NGC 6820. The cluster is about 6000 light-years away and measures about 50 light-years across.
A year ago, I shot this, and it was one of the worst images in my collection. I came back again this year to reclaim my honor and vanquish this target foe!
IC4603/4604 and a Portion of the Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Complex in LRGB
The Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex is a dark nebula of gas and dust that is located near the star Rho Ophiuchi of the constellation Ophiuchus. At an estimated distance of 460 light-years, it is one of the closest star-forming regions to our Solar System. This region is quite large, covering an angular area of the sky that measures 4.5 x 6.5 degrees in size.
NGC 6823 & 6820 - An Open Cluster w/Nebula - Quite Possibly The Worst Image I Have Ever Taken!
Located in the constellation Vulpecula, NGC 6823 is a small open cluster of stars and associated reflection nebula, NGC 6820. The cluster is located about 6000 light-years away and measures about 50 light-years across.
This was one of the worst images I have ever done. Target not carefully chosen, no plan in place, poor shooting conditions. Just a real Bluh Image!
Messier 8 - The Lagoon Nebula
Messier 8, also known as the Lagoon Nebula, is a giant interstellar cloud located in the constellation Sagittarius and is 4000-6000 light-years away. This is a rich star-forming region - in fact, it is one of the two such regions that are bright enough to be seen with the naked eye under dark skies.
This is my second effort shooting this target.
Messier 17 - The Omega Nebula
M17 is one of those objects that has collected a lot of common names over the years. Most often known as the Omega Nebula, it has also been called the Swan, Horseshoe, and Check-Mark Nebula.
As you look towards the southern sky during summer, you are actually looking to a very bright portion of our own Milky Way Galaxy, and M17 is part of that region. The Omega Nebula is a large region of Hydrogen II Gas located in the constellation Sagittarius. It is between 5000 and 6000 light-years from earth and has a diameter of about 15 light-years.