Starship Asterisk*

The Watermelon Aurora!
Captured on the night of Aug 12th 2024. Michigan got a glimpse of this rare phenomenon called "watermelon aurora". This term is used when the aurora borealis (or northern lights) display colors is reminiscent of a watermelon—typically shades of green and pink/red. This specific combination is not common, as most auroras are predominantly green due to oxygen atoms at lower altitudes. The pink or red hues occur due to nitrogen molecules or oxygen atoms at higher altitudes.

This image was captured with a Nikon D7200 and a Rokinon 16mm f2 lens with an ISO of 1600 and 5 sec exposure.

Higher quality image at https://flic.kr/p/2q9T27i

Thanks,
Devesh Pande
AstroDarks

Good morning!

Yesterday night we drove 4hours from the Netherlands to the Eifel region of Germany to shoot the Milkyway and Perseïds, although, that was the plan.

Ofcourse we saw the aurora parameters so we knew that there was chance of seeing aurora aswell, the night before the Perseïd peak I also shot some Perseïds with aurora from my hometown (see second shot).

So when we arrived at our spot for the night we found out as soon as it became dark that the aurora was slightly visible already and a sar arc was going in front of it, photobombing the Milkyway.

At about 23:30 the first substorm was going on so I quickly ran down the hill to shoot a 'fast' Panorama which was quite hard at this time of the year.

I shot 2x 8 vertical panels for the sky at 14mm to fit the Milkyway and after that 6 horizontal for the foregrond.
Single shots, 15s, f2.8, iso 2500. Sigma 14/24mm at 14mm.

In post processing I added a few Perseïds back in the shot (I tried to place them back in original place as much as possible, to get the Radiant feeling).


Hope you like the shots! In the attachments you'll find the panorama and the shot of the night before from my hometown Katwijk in The Netherlands.

Greetings,
Corné Ouwehand

Messier 31, The Andromeda Galaxy and a small early Perseid meteor, a 2 x 2 mosaic.

Panels have 8 hours 10 min (98x 5min), 6 hours 45 min (81x 5 min), 7 hours 10 min (86x 5 min) en 6 hours 30 min (78x 5 min) of intergration, and data was aqcuired in the nights of July 31, August 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 2024. Calibration with 50 darks, 25 flats and 25 darkflats. The resulting image is 9180 x 6995 pixels, resulting in a resolution of 64 megapixels.

In the image, I inserted a small early Perseid Meteor that was present in one of the subframes from the first panel in the night of August 9 2024.

Telescope: Skywatcher QUATTRO150 @F/3.45
Camera: Altair Astro Hypercam 269C ProTec @0°C, 282 LCG, offset 150.
Filter: Optolong L-pro
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Mount: Skywatcher NEQ6
Guiding: QHY5 9x50 Finderguider
Software: N.I.N.A (EQmod/ASTAP/PHD2)
Pre- and Post-Processing: PixInsight (WBPP / RC astro BxT star repair / Gradiënt Correction / SPCC / Merge By Coordinates / dnaLinearFit / Gradient Merge Mosaic / RC astro BxT/NxT / GHS ).

Messier 31, The Andromeda Galaxy and a small early Perseid meteor, a 2 x 2 mosaic.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/199090376@N08/
Copyright: Tim Schuurman

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/539 ... 9d7d_k.jpg

Star formation area of Cygnus , including the Pelican , North America nebulae and Cygnus wall.Shot with my Takahashi
FSQ106 in the SW New Mexico desert, SHO Palette.

Antares / Rho Ophiuchi
48 x 180 s
Samyang135f2 /apsc camera color
FILTRO quad band
Jalisco México atemajac de brizuela bortle 4
photographer Emmanuel Delgadillo


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/539 ... cca6_o.jpg

Large Magellanic Cloud

https://www.instagram.com/max.nti/

Copyright: Max Inwood
Location: New Zealand
Date: 11th January 2024

The LMC is one of the Milky Way's closest satellite galaxies, at around 163,000 light years away. It can be seen high overhead from southern latitudes as a bright fuzzy patch in the sky, but even a short exposure reveals a distorted barred spiral structure and numerous star forming regions.

Higher resolution:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/199702830 ... ateposted/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/199702830 ... otostream/

Hello,

I would like to share with you this image which was a product of 3 days spent camping at Al Salmy desert in my home country in Kuwait, using a 384mm refractor

Sh2-126 - An interplay of reflections and emissions! (2-Panel Mosaic)! by Ali Alobaidly, on Flickr

Links to the Image:
Flicker: https://flic.kr/p/2qa82qF
Astrobin: https://www.astrobin.com/c08ti6/

Description:
Sh2-126, also known as the Ionized Hydrogen Region LBN 428, is a large and faint emission nebula located in the constellation Lacerta. I've seen some call it the Gecko Nebula, though to me it looks more like a swimming dolphin. This region was a challenge to process due to the richness of the stars and the multiple wavelengths that I needed to combine. While my monochrome camera was occupied over at Cepheus, I decided to have a go at this target with my 382mm refractor. Shortly after giving it the command to slew to Lacerta, I quickly realized that my FOV was not satisfactory and started planning a mosaic on the spot. Then there was another issue: after 12 hours of broadband data, I found that my Hydrogen Alpha signal was pretty weak in my One Shot Color dedicated astrophotography camera, so I found myself in the desert the next day, armed with a 3nm Dual-Band filter and another 6 hours of my life to burn away under the stars (No regrets).

Then came the challenge of continuum subtraction and merging the Hydrogen data after stacking and stitching all the frames—and that was where the fun began. Trying to figure out how to make all this data come together in a satisfying way was immensely fulfilling, and it made resisting the heat of the Kuwaiti desert for 3 nights absolutely worthwhile!

This is what I came up with, and I hope to continue this mosaic in the future, but for now, I have to step back to reality and spend some quality time with my family and dedicate some of my attention to my day job. At least until the next new moon!

Mosaic Details:
Panel 1:
RGB: 72*300s
Ha from Dual-Band: 36*300s
Total 9h

Panel 1:
RGB: 72*300s
Ha from Dual-Band: 36*300s
Total 9h

Equipment:
Telescope: William Optics Gran Turismo 81 IV / GT81 IV
Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
Mount: ZWO AM5
Filters: Optolong L-Ultimate 2" (3nm dual- band Hydrogen Alpha and Oxygen III)
Accessories: William Optics Flat6A III (Flattener and 0.8 reducer)

Acquisition details
Dates:
Aug. 1, 2024
Aug. 8, 2024
Aug. 10, 2024

Frames:
RGB- No filter 144×300″(12h)
Optolong L-Ultimate 2" 3nm Dual-Band filter: 72×300″(6h)
Integration: 18h
Avg. Moon age: 11.94 days
Avg. Moon phase: 17.94%

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Kindest regards,

Ali Alobaidly.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/539 ... f2a9_o.jpg

____________________________________________________________________________

My Socials:
Email: ali.sulaiman1997@gmail.com
Website: https://astrapharmaq8.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astrapharma_q8/

The summer Milky Way from Pintura di Bolognola with the background of the Sibillini Mountains, with the galactic center framed between Pizzo Tre Vescovi and Monte Rotondo.
Technical data: Canon EOS 6D with Samyang 14mm. 13x80s f/4 6400 ISO chased with SkyWatcher Staradventurer + 150s f/4 6400 ISO not chased for landscape.
Despite this complicated processing all the details are in the position they would be if a single shot had been taken. No generative AI was used.

Milky Way from Pintura di Bolognola by Alessandro Carrozzi, su Flickr

Return of Orion & Zodiacal Light - All Seeing Eye

Return of Orion & Zodaical Light by Ahmed Waddah, on Flickr

Image is a composite of Orion Constellation rising over White Desert "Al 3akabat Area" in a bortle 1 location on the night of the 12th of August. I had planned to take a series of shots of Orion rising after finishing the Perseids meteor shower timelapse but lucky I was able to capture the Zodiacal light at the same time. A single long exposure was taken for foreground. I wasn't lucky this year with meteors but I had always wanted to capture the zodiacal light, this makes me remember Alyn Wallace as he was very passionate about it, may he rest in peace.

"Zodiacal light is a faint glow of diffuse light in the sky scattered by interplanetary dust, particularly a zodiacal cloud, along the ecliptic, and therefore the zodiac. It is mostly only visible in very dark conditions." Wiki

Sky
Nikon Z6II - TTartisan 11mm fisheye
30x 13sec - ISO 6400 - F/2.8 (untracked) 

Foreground
Nikon z6II - TTartisan 11mm fisheye
1x120sec - ISO 800 - F/8

Date:12th of August, 2024
Place: White Desert, New Valley, Egypt

Astrobin: https://www.astrobin.com/61p7zd/

Social:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/waddah.photography
Astrobin: https://www.astrobin.com/users/WolfHeart/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/waddahphotography/

Tulip in Cygnus
SH2-101, commonly known as the Tulip Nebula, is a striking emission nebula located approximately 6,000 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus. This nebula is part of the Cygnus X region, a massive star-forming area in our galaxy, and owes its vibrant appearance to the ionization of hydrogen, sulfur, and oxygen gases by the powerful ultraviolet radiation from nearby massive stars.

In this image, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) palette is employed to emphasize the different ionized elements present within the nebula. The HST palette assigns specific colors to different ionized gases: sulfur II (SII) is represented in red, hydrogen-alpha (Ha) in green, and oxygen III (OIII) in blue. This mapping allows us to visually dissect the chemical composition and structure of the nebula, revealing the intricate interplay of stellar winds, radiation, and gas dynamics within this stellar nursery.

Notably, SH2-101 is situated near the microquasar Cygnus X-1, a well-known X-ray source powered by a black hole in a binary system. The radiation and stellar winds from Cygnus X-1 likely influence the surrounding interstellar medium, contributing to the complex shapes and filaments observed in the nebula.

of course I agree to post this image on APOD social media and to be considered to APOD.
Astrobin: https://www.astrobin.com/fzrpwz/

Equipment:
Telescope: @teleskop_service Newton 8" f/5 Carbon
Mount: @sky_watcher_official AZ EQ6
Camera: @zwoasi 2600MM-C

Exposure times:
Ha: 60x300sec
OIII: 100x300sec
SII: 100x300sec
RGB: 10x60sec each channel

Sadr Region: A Bounty of Sights
www.hellascope.space
Copyright: Adam Wong-Brooks



When exploring the Sadr Region (IC 1318) and its numerous uncanny features, one can't help but let their imagination run wild. Is that a butterfly? On a wider look, maybe it's a crocodile! And is that an egg (NGC 6888) that it's guarding? With a sharp eye, you might even be able to spot the near-perfectly-round Soap Bubble Nebula (PN G075.5+01.7) not far from the "egg," otherwise known as the Crescent Nebula, and sometimes even called the Brain Nebula. From late July to early August of 2024, I spent 11 nights and over 50 hours imaging this large mosaic of Cygnus's central star and its surrounding regions. All data was captured from Starfront Observatories in Texas.

6-panel mosaic
50+ hours total imaging time / 8+ hours per panel
36x300s SII
24x300s HA
36x300s OIII
20x30s R, G, B

Askar FRA500
iOptron CEM40
ZWO ASI294MM-Pro

Astrobin:
https://www.astrobin.com/vs3jiv/
https://cdn.astrobin.com/thumbs/PJsCnvP ... TZ0INm.jpg

• The Perseids, as in the old ages!

Along with 2 nights in the White Desert of Egypt and 1300 photographs, we enjoyed, observed, and captured the most famous meteor shower, the Perseids. Glowing and glorified in the photo The Perseids, as in the old ages! by osama Fathi, on Flickr

This time, we used sophisticated equipment known as the Astrolabe: all generations' computer!
The Astrolabe was used to determine time, observe the stars, and perform many other functions. For example, around 1000 years ago, Al-Birunu managed to measure the radius of the Earth using the astrolabe

In mankind's golden ages, humans have done their stargazing nights just as in the photo!
You camp, set down, take the astrolabe, determine time, and enjoy indulging in the beauty of nature & the night sky

It feels like you own it all with a night like that.

The sky is a magical world, a captivating one, and a precious treasure from previous nations and generations.

Location: the white desert , the western Egyptian desert, Egypt
August 12–13, 2024


Gears:
Nikon z6 Mod
Nikkor 14-24 mm
Skywatcher Staradventurer 2i

Exif:
Sky (tracked): 3 rows*4 columns*120 sec, iso 800, f2.8,
Foreground: 10 Sec, IS 2000, f2.8 at the blue hour

Credit :
Osama Fathi

Social:
https://www.instagram.com/osama.fathi.nswatcher85/
https://www.facebook.com/NSWatcher/
White Desert
Egypt

The Right Shoulder of Cygnus



This is a wide-field view of the rich molecular clouds in Cygnus. In this image, we see NGC 6914, the Propeller nebula, and what appears to be a massive supernova remnant on the right side of the frame.

I imaged this region over four nights (Aug 4,5, 6,15, 2024) from the Bortle 9 city centre of Vancouver, Canada. The total integration time is 20 hours of 300-second subexposures.

This narrowband palette is SH|OH|O, which is a nice change of pace from the classic Hubble palette.
Tech Specs:
Redcat 51\ASI2600MC Pro\Altair Ha\OIII + SII\OIII 4nm\ZWO AM3 RC Edition\20 Hours\Bortle 9

Aurora with Meteor and Observatory

Copyright: Marco Ludwig

On the night of August 12th, I managed to take this picture at the Neumünster observatory (Germany). There are two astronomical highlights to see: a Perseid meteor and the northern lights. At the same time, something like that never came before my lens. The meteor appears to fall directly into the open dome or into the 19-inch Newtonian telescope there.



https://static.spektrum.de/fm/1027/f20 ... on%20B.jpg



www.sternwarte-nms.de

Where mountains touch the Sky!

I captured this single exposure image of a Perseid meteor streaking through the clouds at Brasstown Bald Observatory in Georgia on the night of August 12th. The Perseids put on a spectacular show, but what made the night truly unforgettable was an unexpected geomagnetic storm that lit up the northern sky with a dazzling display of colorful auroras. Despite the partially cloudy skies, the crowd erupted in awe with each meteor that crossed the sky, and the aurora kept us all mesmerized until dawn. I was surprised to see so many people interested in stargazing—Brasstown Bald was packed that night.

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

Exif: Nikon Z8 using Nikkor 24-70mm at 24mm. Exposure time 15 sec; f2.8 at ISO 8000.

CORONA AUSTRALIS - MOSAIC OF 2 YEARS OF CAPTURE

BEST DETAILS
https://www.astrobin.com/full/mc6tvs/0/

This image is made with capture of 6 different frames, during the years of 2022 and 2023.

Foram made 6 frames with:

1) 122 frames of 300"
2) 130 frames of 300"
3) 105 frames of 300"
4) 180 frames of 300"
5) 175 frames of 300"
6) 188 frames of 300"

EQUIPMENT:
Esprit 150mm triplet
Zwo asi 6200mc
Mount CEM120
Frames 105 x 100""
ad1ae2bc-e9da-4b25-8bb0-d237e834e750.JPG

LOCATION: Munhoz - MG - Brazil
DATES: During August 21, 2022 until September 10, 2023


PROCESSING AND CAPTURE:
Adobe Photoshop, ASTAP, SGP, PHD2 and PixInsight

Author: Fernando Oliveira de Menezes
Email: Barretosmed@hotmail.com
(Organizing author of the book Amateur Astrophotography in Brazil)
https://clubedeautores.com.br/livro/ast ... -no-brasil

The past 2 weeks we were in Norway and I kept a close eye on the increased solar activity that could cause the Northern Lights. First, the Northern Lights were predicted for August 11, but it was raining and cloudy and fortunately the Northern Lights stayed away for a while.

The night of August 12 to 13, the Northern Lights were predicted again and it looked like it could be spectacular. However, the weather forecast was not favorable to me at first. There would be 80-90% cloud cover and the beginning of the evening looked downright bad. However, the kp values did shoot up and I decided to go and have a look. A light green glow could be seen on the camera, so it was there!

Around 1 o'clock in the morning the spectacle started to get going. The clouds broke up a bit and the green became more and more visible.

Then it really started and it became more and more visible to the naked eye and kept going. The sky seemed to wave and you could really see the light changing every second. Eventually it lasted until about 3 o'clock in the morning and me and my family had the night of our lives.

Open star cluster m48 (Messier 48, NGC 2548)


Best details
https://www.astrobin.com/full/fd62sk/0/

EQUIPMENT:
Esprit 150mm triplet
Zwo asi 6200mc
Mount CEM120
Frames 98 x 100""

LOCATION: Munhoz - MG - Brazil
DATES: From 06/11/2023 to 07/30/2023


PROCESSING AND CAPTURE:
Adobe Photoshop, ASTAP, SGP, PHD2 and PixInsight

Author: Fernando Oliveira de Menezes
Email: Barretosmed@hotmail.com
(Organizing author of the book Amateur Astrophotography in Brazil)
https://clubedeautores.com.br/livro/ast ... -no-brasil

The Lagoon Nebula M8 on August 12th. The Lagoon Nebula ( NGC 6523) is a giant interstellar cloud in the constellation Sagittarius. It is classified as an emission nebula and as a H II region. ( Ed80 APO, CGX-L Mount, ASI533mm Pro Cmos, EFW8, Astronomik Ha, OIII, SII Filters. ).

Greetings

I would love to submit our image of the Milky Way with an astrophotographer setting up his gears in the foreground.
This image is a collaboration with my friend Khalid Sanad and I (Ahmed Alqallaf)

Observing the night sky by Ahmed Alqallaf, on Flickr

“The Milky Way, our galaxy, stretches across the night sky like a river of stars, each one a distant sun. Captured under the dark skies, this image reveals the intricate dust lanes, stellar nurseries, and the glowing core that have inspired humanity for millennia. A glimpse into the universe's grand design, reminding us of our place among the stars."

———

8 Aug 2024

10 Aug 2024

————

Foreground
single shot

Canon R5

Canon rf 70-200mm f2.8



Sky

36x180 sec

Total integration time - (1hr 48min)

Gears:

M: AM5

T: Zeiss 50mm

C: ZWO ASI 2600MC Pro



Instagram: @astroaq, @khalidsnd
Astrobin:
https://www.astrobin.com/m6m2hz/

The night sky filled with stars and shooting stars!

Perseid Meteor Showers active since mid-duly peaked on the night of August 11. This image was captured from Brasstown Bald Observatory Tower in Georgia, USA.

Image Exif: Exposure time 15sec, f2.8 at ISO 8000. Multiple exposure images blended together in Lightroom and Photoshop.

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

The Cygnus Wall portion of the North America Nebula!
Telescope: Stellarvue SVX 130 f/7
Zwo ASI2600MM Pro
Exposure: 50-60 x 6min SHO, 15 x 1min RGB
Mount: iOptron Cem70
Guiding: ASI290mini, 60mm scope
Filter: Optolong SHORGB
Software: APT, DSS, Pixinsight
Sky: Bortle 4

Abell 85 Click on above for larger image.

High resolution & details @ https://www.kinchastro.com/abell-85-ctb-1-2024.html

Divergent Flow
Copyright: Rafael Schmall
https://www.astrobin.com/users/Rafeee/

After more than 5,500 pictures, this was the grand finale of the entire shooting star.

On what I thought would be the last day, when the night was still clear, I thought I would make a complete shot of the Zselic, where I could fit my collected shooting stars.

In this picture, the goal was to see the shooting stars leaving the radiant. Many people think that the shooting stars are in the evening and are spectacular. However, the Perseids are much more active after midnight, when the radiant rises high. In the first half of the evening, we practically do not see half of the shooting stars.

I would say that for me this occasion in 2024 was the most serious and longest occasion when I photographed shooting stars. We have a telescope show for 4-5 days every such season, this year for 6 days. The show starts at 21:30, so by the time the radiant is in the right place, you can go outside to enjoy the shooting stars. Of course, at 10 p.m. there is also a separate live performance in the open air.

Since I can't escape during a presentation, the systems had to work completely autonomously and take photos all night, then turn them off in the morning. Therefore, each camera was protected from the sun by a thermal mirror film and a timer switch was installed on the mechanism to stop at 5 o'clock (so as not to collide).

Image Details:
Equipment: Canon EOS6D, Rokinon 24mm f/1.4, Sigma 8mm f3.5, Omegon Minitrack LX3
10x10sec, ISO10000 és 10 x 30 sec, ISO3200, f2, 24mm
Processing: PtGui, Siril

Location: Hungary, Zselic Starry Sky Park, Zselic Park of Stars

NGC 2264: A Celestial Masterpiece

Explore the intricate details of the NGC 2264 region in this wide-view image, capturing the beauty and complexity of this stellar nursery.

Explore more of my celestial journeys and connect with me on all my socials here: linktr.ee/deepskyjourney.


1. Wide-view image
2. NGC 2264 - The Christmas Tree Cluster and Cone Nebula:
This section captures the iconic NGC 2264, featuring the Christmas Tree Cluster and the Cone Nebula. The dense star cluster, shaped like a festive tree, is surrounded by wisps of gas and dust, creating a stunning contrast. The Cone Nebula, a dark, pillar-like formation, adds an element of mystery as it juts out from the surrounding clouds.
3. NGC 2261 - Hubble’s Variable Nebula:
This cropped image focuses on NGC 2261, known as Hubble’s Variable Nebula. This reflection nebula is unique due to its variability in brightness and shape, influenced by the light from its central star, R Monocerotis. The nebula’s fan-like structure, with shifting patterns of light and shadow, makes it a dynamic and ever-changing sight.
4. LBN 902 and LBN 899 - The Whispering Nebulae:
This view focuses on the delicate and faint emission nebulae LBN 902 and LBN 899. These regions are ethereal and wispy, with soft glows that contrast against the darker surrounding space.
5. LDN 1609, B39, and LDN 1610 - The Dark Veils:
This section highlights the dark nebulae LDN 1609 and LDN 1610, along with Barnard 39 (B39). These dark clouds block out the background stars, creating a stark silhouette effect. The contrast between the dark nebulae and the bright stars around them is striking.
Equipment Used:

Telescope: @williamoptics RedCat 51 II
Camera: @zwoasi ASI2600MM Pro
Mount: @skywatcheraustralia NEQ6-Pro


Thanks for checking!

Rod Prazeres Astrophotography