Starship Asterisk*

The Silent Route



The A-1702 in Teruel, Spain, is known as "The silent route" . There are 63 kilometers of incredible landscapes for the delight of the eyes, to enjoy doing "slow driving". Sometimes we will find landscapes straight out of a western movie. It is not surprising, since the geology of this place is similar to what we will find in the State of Utah.

Millions of years ago, when there was only one continent called Pangea, this place and Utah occupied the same place. The rocks and fossils found on both sides of the Atlantic prove it.

At kilometer 17,300 we find a very peculiar viewpoint with a mountain goat state and spectacular views. From the first moment I visited it, I imagined the view of the Milky Way from here and several years later I was able to make the dream photograph come true. A meteor was also captured in one of the stacked photographs since we were in the Perseid days.

Be very careful if you plan to visit the site at night as there are many scorpions in the area, do not leave bags on the ground!
TELESCOPIO / TELESCOPE: Objetivo Samyang 8mm
CÁMARA / CAMERA: Canon EOS 600D
MONTURA / MOUNT: SW Star Adventurer
ACCESORIOS / ACCESSORIES:
AUTOGUIADO / AUTOGUIDE:
EXP: 4×180″ ISO1600
TRANSPARENCIA: 4/5 SEEING: 4/5
FECHA Y LUGAR / PLACE AND DATE: 20 de agosto de 2023, Teruel
PROCESADO / PROCESSING: DSS, Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop

Diana Sánchez & Roberto Ferrero www.cielosboreales.com

Starless version


Normal version


Sadr region and Crescent nebula
Nikon Z6 + Nikon AF-S 300mm F/2.8 IF-ED + Astronomik UHC-E
Total exposures 21x300'' @F/2.8 800 ISO

Location: Sibillini Mountains, Italy
Credits: Michele Guzzini

Hi everyone,

Here is a picture of the Perseids 2023 from the city of Marseille, France.
It's a composite with a total exposure of 56 mn, taken with a Sony a7s + 24mm 1.4.
I was in a special place, a semaphore station built in 1863 to spot enemy ships and for communication.

Thanks for watching

Comet debris falling from the sky by Clément Brustel, sur Flickr

A Season of Saturn
Andy Casely



A sequence of images taken over the course of nearly one Saturnian season between 2018 and 2023 (upper left to lower right), one image every year for six Earth years. It goes from midsummer to nearly the autumn equinox in Saturn's northern hemisphere, and the rings tilt from widest open to be approaching edge-on as seen from Earth and Sun.

A large storm is visible in 2018, and in 2023 we now see some transits of Saturn's icy moons - Tethys is transiting with its shadow. The polar hexagon fades from view under high latitude hazes, and Saturn's cold blue south pole emerges from a decade of winter darkness.

Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia
Dates: 22nd June 2018 to 1st May 2023, one image per year
Equipment: Celestron C14 Schmidt-Cassegrain, ZWO ASI290MM & QHY5III200M cameras, RGB filters, standard lucky imaging video capture process with Firecapture, stacking and processing in Autostakkert, Registax and WinJupos, ~15-35min per capture.

Credit: Andy Casely https://www.instagram.com/interplanetary_storm_chaser/

Astro Fest

The Perseids are considered to be one of the best meteor showers of the year. 90 meteors per hour is a celestial heaven under the dark sky on a moonless night. This year, the display of Perseid meteor shower at Joshua Tree National Park proved to be truly awe-inspiring. The sheer number of people that gathered to watch the event is a testament to growing trend of astro tourism.

I usually seek out secluded spots and never had the slightest idea that Joshua Tree national park attracts significant number of nocturnal tourists. As the darkness engulfed the night sky and Milky Way took the center stage, I could hear screams of “wow” echoing through the air whenever the shooting stars streaked across the sky. And there was also occasional cry of “No lights please” from those determined to get a perfect shot.

I was upset in the beginning by the prospect of not getting any clear shots but then I realized it’s probably a good thing that a lot of people are embracing the night sky. I begin to think of our place in nature and how the definition of nature itself has changed in modern times and what it means to different people. There were people who just wanted to be under the stars and appreciate the beauty of the celestial brilliance and there were others with purpose of getting a shot. In essence, nature has a place for everyone’s inclinations and aspirations.

Post Processing: Panoramic stitch of 18 vertical images of exposure 13s at f2.8; ISO 6400.

Copyright: Prashant Naik
https://naikonpixels.com/

OBSERVING IN THE ATACAMA DESERT


BEST DETAILS
https://www.astrobin.com/full/qrc06i/0/


EQUIPMENT:
Canon 6D
Canon 24mm 1.4 Lens
Smarteq pro assembly

CAPTURE:
1X30" @ ISO6400 F3.2

LOCATION: San Pedro de Atacama - Chile
DATE 04/22/2023

Author: Fernando Oliveira de Menezes
Email: Barretosmed@hotmail.com

Category: Single Shot
Social IG: @victorlimaphoto
Story:
A Window to the Infinite: Iguazu Falls Under the Night's Cloak
The image unveils the magnificence of the Iguazu Falls at night. In this mystical setting, the darkness is punctured only by the tapestry of twinkling stars that adorn the sky. The water, in its perpetual descent, seems to flow directly from the depths of the universe, suggesting a meeting of the celestial and the earthly.
In the backdrop, the nocturnal sky stretches out, a vastness dotted with stars, galaxies, and nebulae. Each luminous point, a mystery; each sparkle, a tale. These stars, so distant and countless, hint at the numerous planets yet to be discovered. Among them, hidden within these constellations, might be habitable worlds, waiting to be unveiled.
The Falls, with their power and grandeur, become a metaphor for the boundless fountain of possibilities that the universe presents. They embody the constant flow of life, time, and the relentless human quest for discovery and understanding.
In this photograph, the natural beauty of the Iguazu Falls merges with the wonder of the cosmos, crafting a profound reflection on our place in the vast universe and the eternal search for new horizons and meanings.

EXIF:
17/August/23 10:57pm
Canon 6D Ha-mod | Rokinon 12mm f/2.8 fisheye
15 sec | f/2.8 | ISO 8000

A Window to the Infinite: Iguazu Falls Under the Night's Cloak by Victor Lima, no Flickr

Category: Panorama
Social IG: @victorlimaphoto
Story:
A Window to the Infinite: Iguazu Falls Under the Night's Cloak
The image unveils the magnificence of the Iguazu Falls at night. In this mystical setting, the darkness is punctured only by the tapestry of twinkling stars that adorn the sky. The water, in its perpetual descent, seems to flow directly from the depths of the universe, suggesting a meeting of the celestial and the earthly.
In the backdrop, the nocturnal sky stretches out, a vastness dotted with stars, galaxies, and nebulae. Each luminous point, a mystery; each sparkle, a tale. These stars, so distant and countless, hint at the numerous planets yet to be discovered. Among them, hidden within these constellations, might be habitable worlds, waiting to be unveiled.
The Falls, with their power and grandeur, become a metaphor for the boundless fountain of possibilities that the universe presents. They embody the constant flow of life, time, and the relentless human quest for discovery and understanding.
In this photograph, the natural beauty of the Iguazu Falls merges with the wonder of the cosmos, crafting a profound reflection on our place in the vast universe and the eternal search for new horizons and meanings.
This image is a crop of a 360° panoramic photograph made from 16 shots using a 12mm fisheye lens.
EXIF:
Canon 6D Ha-mod / Rokinon 12mm f/2.8 fisheye
16x 10 sec / f:2.8 / ISO 8000

A Window to the Infinite: Iguazu Falls Under the Night's Cloak by Victor Lima, no Flickr

Category: Panorama
Social IG: @victorlimaphoto
Story:
A Window to the Infinite: Iguazu Falls Under the Night's Cloak
The image unveils the magnificence of the Iguazu Falls at night. In this mystical setting, the darkness is punctured only by the tapestry of twinkling stars that adorn the sky. The water, in its perpetual descent, seems to flow directly from the depths of the universe, suggesting a meeting of the celestial and the earthly.
In the backdrop, the nocturnal sky stretches out, a vastness dotted with stars, galaxies, and nebulae. Each luminous point, a mystery; each sparkle, a tale. These stars, so distant and countless, hint at the numerous planets yet to be discovered. Among them, hidden within these constellations, might be habitable worlds, waiting to be unveiled.
The Falls, with their power and grandeur, become a metaphor for the boundless fountain of possibilities that the universe presents. They embody the constant flow of life, time, and the relentless human quest for discovery and understanding.
In this photograph, the natural beauty of the Iguazu Falls merges with the wonder of the cosmos, crafting a profound reflection on our place in the vast universe and the eternal search for new horizons and meanings.
This image is a crop of a 360° panoramic photograph made from 16 shots using a 12mm fisheye lens.
EXIF:
Canon 6D Ha-mod / Rokinon 12mm f/2.8 fisheye
16x 10 sec / f:2.8 / ISO 8000

A Window to the Infinite: Iguazu Falls Under the Night's Cloak by Victor Lima, no Flickr

Summer Milkyway Mosaic
Milky Way Mosaic Masterpiece from Al Sadeem Observatory, Abu Dhabi, UAE

From the silent vastness of Abu Dhabi's deserts, beneath the whispering sands and ancient skies, emerges a celestial tapestry unparalleled in its splendor. This intricate Milky Way mosaic, captured over two laborious months at the renowned Al Sadeem Observatory, is not just an image—it's an odyssey of stardust and dreams.

Spanning the vibrant expanse from the enigmatic rho Ophiuchi cloud complex to the majestic realms of Cygnus, this masterpiece is the result of unwavering dedication. It brings together the prowess of four distinct cameras, each capturing nuances of the cosmos with delicate precision, and the might of four telescopes and lenses, diligently gazing upwards, collating whispers from the universe. With over 50 hours of detailed data, every speck of light, every swirling nebula, and every distant star tells its own millennia-old story.

As your eyes traverse this panoramic expanse, you're not just witnessing a section of our galaxy; you're journeying across eons of cosmic history. From the bright, bustling stellar nurseries of rho Ophiuchi, where stars are birthed in dramatic displays of color, to the sprawling, winged silhouette of Cygnus, where stars end their tales in spectacular supernovae, every inch of this mosaic is a tribute to the ineffable beauty of the universe.


Copyright: Mohamed Usama Ismail/Ursamo Astrophotography - Rejie Acope - Surender Ponnalagar
Location: Al Sadeem Observatory - Abu Dhabi - UAE
Integration: 55h 15′
Dates: June-July-August 2023

Equipment used:
Imaging Telescopes and Lenses: Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM · Samyang 135mm 2.0/1E5 · Samyang 14mm F2.8 ED AS IF UMC · William Optics Whitecat 51 · William Optics ZenithStar 61ii / ZS61ii
Imaging Cameras: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV (modified) · Canon EOS 80D · Canon EOS Ra · ZWO ASI1600MC
Mounts: Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer · ZWO AM5
Filters: Astronomik H-alpha CCD 12 nm APS-C Clip Filter · Radian Triad Tri-band 2" · Spencer's Camera & Photo LP-Extreme (Dual Band)

Software: Adobe Lightroom · Adobe Photoshop · Astro Pixel Processor (APP) · DeepSkyStacker (DSS) · PixInsight

Astrobin Image Link: https://www.astrobin.com/61prci/



https://cdn.astrobin.com/thumbs/ZdkfTau ... 5jV2eO.jpg

Close to the popular Veil Nebula, NGC7013 is a rarely imaged lenticular galaxy in Cygnus of the LINER type, about 40 millions l.y. away from us. This image is centered on a faint reflection nebula, that looks a bit like the Witch Head Nebula of Orion, and seems to be about to swallow the galaxy.

Image acquired on August 21 from my light-polluted Bortle 7 backyard near Paris with a home-made carbon 8" f/4 Newtonian astrograph with optics from Romano Zen on an Astro-Physics AP900 mount, with a 2.5" Wynne corrector, a ZWO ASI183mm monochrome camera and LRGB filters. 240 *60sec for the luminance data and 30*20sec for R, G and B filters. Preprocessing and stack with Siril, processing with Pixinsight.



Flickr link
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/531 ... 4a87_h.jpg

The surface of the Sun is a very busy place.
Jaime Fernandez

Full disk:

https://www.cloudynights.com/uploads/ga ... 164248.jpg

AR3402 & AR3404 detail:

https://www.cloudynights.com/uploads/ga ... 714358.jpg

AR3413 detail:

https://www.cloudynights.com/uploads/ga ... 324293.jpg

AR3405 detail:

https://www.cloudynights.com/uploads/ga ... 257445.jpg

AR3406 detail:

https://www.cloudynights.com/uploads/ga ... 144692.jpg

Over the span of 11 years, the Sun’s activity waxes and wanes as magnetic field lines that are wound and tangled inside the Sun periodically break through to the surface. These breakthroughs produce a pair of sunspots of opposite magnetic polarity, one positive and the other negative, that travel together across the face of the Sun.

The heightened magnetic activity associated with sunspots can lead to solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and other far-reaching electromagnetic phenomena that endanger astronauts and damage or disrupt satellites.
(From Nasa EarthObservatory web site)

Set of pictures explained:
I am very proud of these images because I am using for the very first time a new processing technique that has been taught to me by a colleague from my local astronomy association in Spain, "Agrupacion Astronómica Madrid Sur", Mr. Javier "Mintaka", and because of the rather modest PST40 telescope used to capture it.

It is based on partial inversion of the contrast published by several authors, one of them Michael H.F. Wilkinson mentioned on Filip Szczerek's Impgg software web page (https://greatattract...ithub.io/imppg/).

Capture and processing details:
Telescope Coronado PST40, camera ASI 178MM, captured with ASICap 2.9.1, 4000 frames SER video @36fps (16bit), processed with Autostakkert 3.1.4, ImPPG 1.9.1-beta and PixInsight 1.8 Ripley. Taken on 22/aug/2023 from the province of Soria, Spain, at an height 1100 mts ASML. A Barlow x2 lens have been used for the detailed images.

Credit: Jaime Fernandez https://www.astronopithecus.es

Stephan's Quintet. KG Observatory, Julian CA.

https://www.astrobin.com/1fupv8/

Trail of volcanoes and lakes in southern Chile.
Copyright: Marcelo Maturana Rodríguez (@matuutex)
Location: Ensenada, Lakes Region, South of Chile
Date: 11 Ago 2021
Instagram: @matuutex
Nikon d5600, Tokina lens 14/20mm f2 iso 1600 15 segs
Panorama (21 Photos)

Trail of volcanoes and lakes in southern Chile. by Marcelo Maturana, en Flickr

The Wizard Nebula - NGC 7380 by Ali Alobaidly, on Flickr

The Wizard Nebula - NGC 7380 by Ali Alobaidly (Instagram: AstraPharma_Q8)

Title: History in data.

Description:
Looking for a starry spectacle that's out of this world? Say hello to NGC 7380, the celestial cotton candy of the cosmos! Nicknamed the "Wizard Nebula" for its uncanny resemblance to a magician's hat, this star formation region was discovered by Caroline Herschel in 1787, the sister of the great William Herschel himself. Fun fact, the first woman to receive a salary for her contribution to science was the discoverer of this very target! The King of England gave her 50 pounds per year, and a great voyage for science started thereafter. So grab your cameras and start imaging, the sky is rich in both data and history. Who needs a wand when you've got a telescope?

Equipment:
Imaging Telescopes: Celestron EdgeHD 9.25"
Camera: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro
Mounts: Sky-Watcher EQ8-R Pro
Filters:
- Chroma H-alpha 3nm Bandpass 36 mm
- Chroma OIII 3nm Bandpass 36 mm
- Chroma Blue 36 mm
- Chroma Green 36 mm
- Chroma Red 36 mm

Acquisition details:
Dates: Aug. 16, 2023 · Aug. 25, 2023
Frames:

Stars:
Red: 30×20″(10′)
Green: 30×20″(10′)
Blue: 30×20″(10′)

Nebula:
H-alpha 3nm Bandpass: 48×300″(4h)
OIII 3nm Bandpass : 40×300″(3h 20′)

Integration: 7h 50′
Locations: Al Salmy Desert, Al Jahra Governorate, Kuwait

Lynds Dark Nebula 673 from Bortle 5-6 skies

Copyright: Tim Schuurman
Emmen, The Netherlands
Typical challenges for an astrophotographer in The Netherlands, having mostly poor weather conditions, whilst also having to battle a lot of light polution.

Data acquisition: August 11 - 16 and 19 - 23. 214 frames of 5 minutes, total integration of 17 hours and 50 min.
Optics: Skywatcher QUATTRO 150P/0.85x Aplanic Coma Corrector (F/3,45).
Filters: Optolong L-pro.
Camera: Altair Astro 269C PROTEC HYPERCAM, cooled to -10°C, GAIN 282 (HCG), offset 150.
Mount: Skywatcher NEQ6.
Guiding: 9x50 Finderguider/QHY5.
Focusing: ZWO EAF.
Control: N.I.N.A. (mount (EQmod)/camera/guiding (PHD2)/autofocus/platesolving (ASTAP)/meridian flip). Datareduction: 25 darks / 25 flats / 25 darkflats. Processing: PixInsight (Starless [RC Astro SxT] DBE / SPCC / RC Astro BxT / RC Astro NxT / GHS / SCNR).
https://www.flickr.com/photos/199090376 ... ed-public/

Typical challenging imaging conditions from my backyard observatory.

The Bat Nebula - NGC6995
@2023 Eddie Pons (aka Eduardo Ponsdomenech)
Taken from my front yard in Glendale, CA on Aug. 22 and 23, 2023

Telescope: Celestron EdgeHD 8"
Imaging Cameras: Player One Poseidon-M Pro
Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
Filters: Antlia 3nm Ha and Oiii
Reducer: Celestron 0.7X Reducer EdgeHD800 (94242)
OAG: Player One FHD-OAG MAX •
Filter Wheel: Player One Phoenix Wheel 7×2"
Focuser: ZWO EAF E
Exposures: 600sec x 24 Ha, 300 x 48 Oiii
Integration: 8 hours

NGC6992 – Eastern veil nebula.
Result of 11 hours exposure in the nights between 18th and 19th of August 2023 from the front yard of my house.

Setup
Imaging Telescope Skywatcher 200/1000mm
Imaging Camera QHY163M
Mount Skywatcher HEQ5
Guiding Telescope Sharp Guide 70mm
Guiding camera ZWO ASI120MM Mini

Imaging
Composition HOO
Ha 118x180sec
OIII 101x180sec
https://www.astrobin.com/raomrn/

Hello everyone, and here we are! All done. I present you my mosaic (7 panels) of the Cygne laces (IC1340+IC6960+IC6874). I had a bit of trouble finding the little extensions at the bottom, and was missing a little sky background at bottom left (long live clonestamp). This supernova afterglow is so large that even with a full-frame sensor, it barely fits... There are 2h30 (50x180s) of integration time per panel. So we have the equivalent of 2h30 of total integration time, even if it took me much longer to take this photo. This is a pure RGB version. There are no filters, which was made possible by the almost complete absence of moonlight over the last few days. At two panels a night, it took 4 nights to make this photo plus half a day of processing. Setup: Askar FRA 500 refractor, ZWO ASI 2600 MC Pro camera, Celestron mount, ZWO ASI 120 MM parallel guide, NINA sequencer, PegasusAstro focus engine, Siril pre-processing, PixInsight processing, Luminar Neo post-processing. The full jpeg is nearly 100 MB and can be viewed on my astrobin page (https://www.astrobin.com/full/dcyxvq/B/)
Thanks for your comments


https://scontent-cdg4-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/ ... e=64F04844

Little Rosette Nebula or the "Question Mark Point"

EQUIPMENT:
Orion Optics 14"
ZWO ASI2600MM Pro
Mount Losmandy Titan
Captures: 18h (9h 50' Ha, 6h 50' OIII, 1h 20' SII)

LOCATION: Anysllum observatory, Àger (LLeida, Spain)
DATES: 08/13/23, 08/19/23, 08/23/23, 08/24/23

Credit: Jaume Zapata

https://www.instagram.com/jaumezr/

Jupiter, the king of the planets and Ganymede, the king of the moons 2023/08/24. The seeing conditios were excelent, and I was able to get nice details on the planet and the moon.
Setup: C11, Azeq6, barlow x2 apo vip Baader, ADC ts-optics, PlayerOne Mars-CII
Processed with Astrosurface and Winjupos

Credits: Pau Montplet Sanz
(@astro_breda)
Location: Breda, Spain
Date: 2023/08/24
https://i.postimg.cc/wxy7DdNq/2023-08-2 ... 3repro.png

Saturn, the lord of the rings, at oppostition right now Submission for APOD
Saturn 2023/08/20. Very good seeing conditions on this photo, Enke division is clearly visible.

Setup: C11, Azeq6, barlow x2 apo vip Baader, ADC ts-optics, PlayerOne Mars-CII
Processed with Astrosurface and Winjupos

Credits: Pau Montplet Sanz
(@astro_breda)
Location: Breda, Spain
Date: 2023/08/20

Jupiter, io, and eclipse of io

Rotation of Jupiter, time-lapse of a litle bit less than an hour. Look at the difference in speed between the rotation of the planet and the speed of the moon / shadow. This video gives a 3d sensation

Setup: C11, Azeq6, barlow x2 apo vip Baader, ADC ts-optics, PlayerOne Mars-CII
Processed with Astrosurface and Winjupos and PIPP

Credits: Pau Montplet Sanz
(@astro_breda)
Location: Breda, Spain
Date: 2023/08/21
https://www.flickr.com/photos/astrobred ... 16277@N24/
https://youtube.com/shorts/6BC3hMZzOo0? ... bWpOMx5jh-

Sequence of 3 images of the transit of Ganymede in front of Jupiter
Sequence of 3 images of the transit of Ganymede in front of Jupiter. The time between images is approximately 30 minutes. The seeing was excellent.

Setup: C11, Azeq6, barlow x2 apo vip Baader, ADC ts-optics, PlayerOne Mars-CII
Processed with Astrosurface and Winjupos and PIPP

Credits: Pau Montplet Sanz
(@astro_breda)
Location: Breda, Spain
Date: 2023/08/24
https://i.postimg.cc/rpnjDt0F/2023-08-2 ... 3repro.png

M27, THE DUMBBELL NEBULA

Messier 27, also known as "The Dumbbell Nebula", is a cloud of gas ionized by the white dwarf that is in his core. Located more than 1300 light years away from us in the constellation of Vulpecula was the first nebula of this type to be discovered in 1764 by Charles Messier. His brightness makes m27 a popular target for astrophotographers and observers.
This is a 20h integration with subs of 5 minutes each!

Setup: C11, OAG celestron, Player One Ares-C PRO, ZWO asi 120mc-s como guia, Optolong L-Enhance.
Processed with Siril and Pixinsight

Credits:

-Who has captured the data: Pau Montplet (@astro_breda)

-Who has processed the image: Pep Rodríguez (@_astro.dp_)

Location of capture: Breda, Spain

Date: Different nights of August

More quality: https://www.flickr.com/photos/astrobre ... ed-public/