Starship Asterisk*

Echoes of Eternity: Memnon and the Comet (Comet C/2023 A3 Graces the Colossi of Memnon)

The Colossi of Memnon stand tall and majestic, like silent guardians that have witnessed the rise and fall of empires and civilizations. Their stony gaze, fixed across thousands of years, holds countless stories of the ancient past.

On this particular night, the night sky is adorned with a unique spectacle that adds a special magic to the atmosphere. Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) steals the show, painting a magnificent work of art across the vibrant space. Its light dances around one of the statues, erected in 1350 BC for the King Amenhotep III, as if reviving the spirit of the past and recalling the grandeur of the Pharaohs.

This comet, which completes its cosmic journey once every 80,000 years, has not been witnessed even by the oldest civilizations that inhabited this land. It is a rare guest from the depths of time, reminding us of the insignificance of our existence in the face of the vastness and eternity of the universe.


Date: Oct12
Time: 7:00 pM Local Time


Comet C2023 A3 and the Colossi of Memnon by osama Fathi, on Flickr

Gears:
NikonZ6 Mod
samyang 135 mm

Exif:
Comet (stacked): 20photos ( 3 sec, ISO 400, f2.8 )
Foreground: 5sec , Hdr



memnon2 by osama Fathi, on Flickr
Gears:
NikonZ6 Mod
Sigma 28-70 at 70 mm

Exif:
Comet (stacked): 30 photos ( 1/5 sec, ISO 200 , f2.8 )
Foreground: 1, 2, 5 sec, Hdr


Credit :
Osama Fathi / https://www.instagram.com/osama.fathi.nswatcher85/
Social:
https://www.instagram.com/osama.fathi.nswatcher85/
https://www.facebook.com/NSWatcher/



Luxor, Egypt

C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) on October 13th. Slightly higher in the horizon showing a faint Anti Tail (front of Comets head/nucleus) and its long tail.

VDB152 ,sometimes called the "wolf's cave" nebula in Cepheus is my first image after re-installing my dual telescope rig on a lower pier to make it more resilient against wind gusts. Sounds easy , right not really as everything needed to be re-aligned and calibrated.
We also took the opportunity to drift align the mount to get a true mount alignment rather than a guide scope. I have to thank John Adler for his assistance in this.
When deciding on a first image to take I thought about whether to go for a Planetary nebula, maybe Supernova remnant, Dark nebula, Reflection nebula?

In this image all these are present! Cepheus is the most amazing region in the sky.
VDB 152 is the bright bluish area in the middle of the image. To me it looks like a birds beak not a wolfs cave. The red tendrils are from an ancient supernova remnant SNR 110.3+11, and to the lower right is the planetary nebula DeHt5 , the dusty dark nebula in the center is LDN1217

Tech stuff:
Takahashi FSQ106 EDX4, A-P 1600 GTO AE Mount, QHY 600 Mono Camera, chroma filters
HALRGB image, processed in Pixinsight and slightly tweaked in PS
Image Acquistion Location , Dark Sky New Mexico, Animas, NM, USA
All Unguided subs
RGB 10 min, L 5 min, Ha, 15 min - Total 30 hours

M45 OSC & an NBZ filter

M45 The Pleiades. What a wonderful part of the sky, when ever I see it rising in the East I know that the winter of on its way. It still amazes me what can be done with a OSC camera and dual band filters.
Imaged remotely from Spain in One Shot Colour and Ha/O3 Dual band IDAS NBZ UHS filter ultra wide 105 Sigma and the Player One Poseidon-C Pro. Exposure times were 260s x 60s in OSC and 60x 180s in Ha/O3.

This is something I have been meaning to do for ages and combine some H-alpha with RGB. There were always signs of there being enough in the field to make an interesting image. What really surprised me was the amount visible using the dual band and OSC combination.



The animation is just a way of showing how much of an effect the H-alpha makes. You will need to click the link to view the animation.
https://cdn.astrobin.com/images/25750/2 ... da8cdd.gif

The Ha/O3 dual band IDAS NBZ UHS filter really brings something quite lovely to M45. I split the channels to create the Ha and O3 data channels that were then added with continuum subtracted techniques so not to contaminate the overall main colour. Although the O3 did contain some signal it seemed to get lost in the RGB data and only create a colour cast that then needed to be corrected out. So I am not sure what benefit it brought in this case.

https://cdn.astrobin.com/ckeditor-thumb ... d4d0bb.png
https://cdn.astrobin.com/ckeditor-thumb ... 56975e.png

Thanks for looking
Peter Shah

I've been waiting a long time for this shot!

The old church at Mwnt is one of my favourite places for night sky photography and when I saw that amazing northern lights forecast last week I knew I had to head to the Ceredigion coast to try to capture it. Worth the trip, I hope you agree!

Sony A7RIV
VILTROX 16mm f/1.8
ISO 1000
4 seconds
Edited with Luminar Neo


Mwnt Church, United Kingdom © Mathew Browne via PhotoHound

C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan–ATLAS

My name is Pau Montplet Sanz, I'm writing to you from Breda, Catalonia, Spain. I'm an astrophotographer, It's a pleasure for me to be able to show you my image of the comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan–ATLAS. Taken in the Pla de la Calma in the Montseny Natural Park the previous Sunday 13th, in Catalonia, Spain.

For the image I used a little refractor telescope and a dedicated DSO camera.

45 images of 20 seconds exposures each were stacked to get this image.
Image processed with SiriL and Pixinsight

Credits: Pau Montplet Sanz @astro_breda

Location of capture: Pla de la Calma, Montseny Natural Park
Date of capture: 2024-10-13

I hope you like it!!

Greetings!!!!
Pau Montplet Sanz
C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan–ATLAS by Pau Montplet Sanz, en Flickr

The one with Rings, Saturn

My name is Pau Montplet Sanz, I'm writing to you from Breda, Catalonia, Spain. I'm an astrophotographer, It's a pleasure for me to be able to show you my image of Saturn, one of my best images this season. Taken in the Pla de la Calma in the Montseny Natural Park the previous Sunday 13th, in Catalonia, Spain.Some hours after photographing the comet.

For the image I used a 11" SCT telescope and a dedicated planetary camera

The image was processed with Autostakkert, Astrosurface and Winjupos

Credits: Pau Montplet Sanz @astro_breda

Location of capture: Pla de la Calma, Montseny Natural Park
Date of capture: 2024-10-13

I hope you like it!!

Greetings!!!!
Pau Montplet Sanz
The one with Rings, Saturn by Pau Montplet Sanz, en Flickr
The one with Rings, Saturn by Pau Montplet Sanz, en Flickr
The one with Rings, Saturn by Pau Montplet Sanz, en Flickr

“Whirling Lights”: M83 – The Southern Pinwheel Galaxy

This stunning barred spiral galaxy, also known as M83, lies 15 million light-years away in the constellation Hydra. It’s one of the closest and brightest barred spiral galaxies in our sky, known for its vibrant star formation and chaotic supernova remnants scattered throughout its arms.

Bringing this galaxy to life with a 30yo scope felt like connecting the old and new. This telescope, paired with modern technology, still manages to reveal the breathtaking beauty of the cosmos. There’s something magical about capturing these distant wonders with gear that has seen so many skies over the decades.

Telescope: Celestron Ultima 9-1/4
Camera: ZWO Astrophotography ASI2600MM Pro
Mount: Sky-Watcher NEQ6-Pro

Frames:

Antlia 3nm Narrowband H-alpha 36 mm: 36×300″(3h)
Baader Blue (CMOS-Optimized) 36 mm: 75×180″(3h 45′)
Baader Green (CMOS-Optimized) 36 mm: 75×180″(3h 45′)
Baader Red (CMOS-Optimized) 36 mm: 75×180″(3h 45′)
Baader UV/IR CUT Luminance (CMOS Optimized) 36 mm: 140×180″(7h)

Integration Time: 21h 15′

Check out the HQ version on Astrobin: https://www.astrobin.com/hso9ya/
Flickr Link: https://flic.kr/p/2qnZCYM

Follow my socials here: https://linktr.ee/deepskyjourney

Hello everybody,

these days the Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS is being so popular.
Here my contribution with two photos taken in Rome, Italy.

The first one has been taken in Sep 30th at about 6 a.m. CET, right before sunrise.
Second one has been taken yesterday, Oct 15th at 18:49 CET.


by Emanuele Colonnelli, on Flickr
The photo above was taken on September 30th, just before dawn, from a hill near the center of Rome. You can see a panoramic view of the entire city and the distant mountains. The comet was clearly visible despite the first light of dawn


by Emanuele Colonnelli, on Flickr
The photo above is a composite of two images taken with a tripod using an Olympus OM-1 and M.Zuiko 40-150mm f/2.8 lens at 40mm and f/2.8. The location is known as the "Park of the Aqueducts," named after the well-preserved ruins of the ancient Roman aqueduct that once carried water from the mountains to the city center nearly 2,000 years ago.

Cheers,

Title:
Omega Nebula - Cosmic inferno


M17 Omega NB by Giancarlo Melis, su Flickr

Full res image:
https://flic.kr/p/2qo63ti

Description:

The Omega Nebula, or M17, is one of the brightest and most spectacular nebulas, often featured in the old astronomy books I read as a child.
This star-forming region, located in the constellation Sagittarius about 5,000-6,000 light-years from Earth, has captured my attention since I was young.
Spanning 15 light-years and composed of ionized gas and dust, it shines thanks to the massive young stars within it.
Fascinated by the historic images in star atlases, having moved to a dark place with an unobstructed southern horizon,
I decided to capture M17 with my amateur equipment.

Date and Location:

Date: Fri Jul 12th 2024 starting at 10:30 pm
Barrali is a small village in the south of Sardinia, Italy.
I live in a place where light pollution is low (Bortle 4).
My shootings are made from my backyard;
I live on the outskirts and can capture the entire sky without obstructions.

Technical data:

This picture was obtained by the well-known technique of image stacking.
To emphasize the haziness of the emission in the HII wavelength, I used a bi-narrow-band filter (HII+OIII).
Because the camera I use has a reduced dynamic range, I performed a session of short shots to capture the stars that, at long exposures, are generally oversaturated.
The nebulosity was instead captured with exposures of 2 minutes each.
I applied an HOO palette in processing to make the most of the dual narrowband filter Ha and OIII.


Imaging scope: Celestron RASA 8 (400mm @f/2)
Imaging camera: ZWO ASI 183 MC-Pro
Guiding scope: ZWO Mini guide (168mm)
Guiding camera: ZWO ASI 120 M-Mini
Filter: IDAS Nebula Booster NBZ (Ha+OIII)
Lights: 30x10sec (stars) + 164x120sec (nebula)
Darks: x20

Thanks for watching.

Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan - Atlas from Meteora Greece!

We had a very stressful adventure yesterday to be able and travel on time to the wonderful site of Meteora Greece to capture the comet. The image is an integration of 520sec for the sky and the ground below with a Sony A7s full frame dslr and a 24mm lens set at f/4. The bright moonlight did make the process a lot harder but it also lit the majestic rocks of Meteora (we actually call them meteora in Greek!)

This is the third comet I image from that location and finally we get to see one at the right moment and location in the nightsky!!!

Sending my best regards to all the imagers out there and enjoy the comet for as long as it is visible.
Constantine Emmanouilidi
www.facebook.com/conemmilpics

Comet C/2023 A3, aka Tsuchinshan-Atlas
https://www.naikonpixels.com/
Copyright: Prashant Naik

I went chasing the comet a couple of nights this past weekend. On October 12th, it made its closest approach to Earth and was brighter than Jupiter, visible to the naked eye just after sunset. It was a rare sight in our evening sky to see something that traveled from the outer reaches of our solar system. This image was shot from the summit of Brasstown Bald in Georgia, USA

Technical details: Multiple exposure image (x30) with exposure time of 6sec at f5.6; ISO 1600.

The Rim Nebula (NGC6188) a.k.a. ‘The Fighting Dragons of Ara’


The Rim Nebula (NGC6188) a.k.a. ‘The Fighting Dragons of Ara’ by .zombi., on Flickr

Imaging telescopes: Takahashi FSQ-106EDXIII
Imaging cameras: Moravian G3-16200EC
Accessories: Reducer-QE 0.73X
Mounts: ZWO AM5
Software: N.I.N.A. · PixInsight · Adobe Photoshop

Frames:
O3: 12×600″(2h)
S2: 10×600″(1h 40′)
Ha: 11×600″(1h 50′)

Photographic technique: SHO

Integration: 5h 30′
Bortle Dark-Sky Scale: 1/2

Location: RPA - Blesfontein Guest Farm
Dates: April 18, 2023

Description:
The Fighting Dragons of Ara nebula is a spectacular sight in the southern sky. It gets its dramatic name from the way its gas clouds and dust formations resemble two intertwined, battling dragons. Located within the constellation Ara, this emission nebula is a rich tapestry of star-forming regions, with bright young stars illuminating the swirling gas around them. The contrast between the glowing hydrogen gas and the dark interstellar dust lanes creates an almost mythical, mesmerizing scene. The universe at its most cinematic.

Other objects appearing in the picture: NGC6193, NGC6164, NGC6165, NGC6200, PN Henize 2-169 (WRAY 15-1508), PCG11.

Picture taken in April 2023 during an astrophotography safari in South Africa.

Image Credit & Copyright: Przemysław Ząbczyk

Links:
http://www.astrobin.com/users/zombi/
https://www.astropolis.pl/tags/zombi/

Dear APOD editors,

I would like to share with you this image of the Comet C/2023 A3 captured just 40km from the light polluted Barcelona city center.



Is it possible to see the Comet C/2023 A3 from the Barcelona region? The night of the Sunday 13th of October 2024 we drove almost 100km from our home dark sky in Prades in order to see the comet for the first time. Close to Barcelona city we found a hill, close to the Turó de l'Avellana summit (717 m above sea level), high enough to see the comet above the central mountain ranges of central Catalonia (Serra de Miralles among others).

The image shown is the result of a stacked image and the landscape image, both captured the same night within minutes of delay.

Details:

Comet: 10" image 400ISO f/2.0 tracked 18:29 UTC
Landscape: 0.8" 2500ISO f/6.3 17:57 UTC

Aleix Roig, Prades 16th October 2024

Link to the image description on my webpage:

https://astrocat.info/comet-2023-a3-fro ... na-region/

Thanks for all your work. Best regards,

Aleix Roig
@astrocatinfo

Here is Comet C2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS and Messier 5 from this evening at the side of the road just north of my apartment in Tucson. When looking at Stellarium this morning I know I had to get it so I did! This is 30x 60s as ISO 400 with my Pentax K1ii, Williams Optics GTF81 f/5.9, and iOptron CEM25EC with guiding via MGEN II and 30mm f/4 guidescope. Processing was in APP and Photoshop.

C2023_A3_and_M5 by Scotty Bishop, on Flickr

Check out the full size image on my Astrobin:

Association of clusters in the constellation of Mensa

In this image we can see several star clusters such as NGC1845, NGC 1833, NGC 1837, NGC 1813, NGC 1815, NGC 1791 and NGC 1775.

BEST DETAILS
https://www.astrobin.com/full/xbtce9/0/

EQUIPMENT:
Esprit 150mm triplet
Zwo asi 6200mc
Mount CEM120
Frames 39 x 100" ( 1 hour)


LOCATION: Munhoz - MG - Brazil
DATES: From 09/24/2023 to 26/09/2023


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

Author: Fernando Oliveira de Menezes
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/menezes_fo?ig ... _source=qr

Email: Barretosmed@hotmail.com

(Organizing author of the book Amateur Astrophotography in Brazil)
https://clubedeautores.com.br/livro/ast ... -no-brasil

Title : The Tsuchinshan-Atlas Comet Over a Neolithic Menhir (France)
Copyright ; Julien Looten (https://linktr.ee/julienlootenphotographie)
France.



Discovered in January 2023, the comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS quickly captured the attention of astronomers and stargazing enthusiasts alike. It takes its name from two observatories: the Tsuchinshan Observatory in China and the ATLAS system (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) based in South Africa.

This comet follows an extremely long orbit, with a cycle of about 80,000 years, meaning it hasn’t been observed since the Middle Paleolithic era, a time when Homo sapiens had not yet reached Europe. Some have dubbed it the “comet of the century,” although this title might be a bit exaggerated, even if the view is worth the praise.

As comets approach our star, the ice within their core sublimates, releasing a long trail of dust that reflects sunlight, creating a spectacular glow.

Over the past week, weather conditions have often made observing the comet difficult, especially in northern France (unsurprisingly), missing its optimal visibility period. However, tonight a brief break in the clouds allowed for a photograph to be taken. Here it is, seen over a Neolithic menhir (from the time when humans were settling), located near Arras in the Pas-de-Calais.

The comet will remain visible in the coming days, gradually moving farther away from Earth. If the weather holds, grab your binoculars and look southwest to west at dusk!

Exif: Sigma FP L2-Astronomik (EOS 4Astro- Richard Galli) – Sigma 28mm f.1.4 – 10x2s – iso1250.

Hello and thank you in advance for taking my upcoming submission into consideration.

The image I'm submitting is an integration of Planetary Nebula SH2-188.

The data was acquired in the following dates:
06.08.2024, 07.08.2024, 10.08.2024, 11.08.2024, 05.09.2024, 06.09.2024, 07.09.2024, 08.09.2024, 09.09.2024, 13.09.2024 [dd/mm/yyyy]

Location:
Dâmbovița, România

My name:
Radu Marinescu

Total integration time:
33h 10′

Description:
With its one-sided, semicircular, filamentary gas structure, SH2-188 is a weak and unusual planetary nebula in the Cassiopeia Constellation. It represents one of the most extreme examples of interstellar medium contact, or how planetary nebulas interact with space. It is a good candidate for examining ISM effects because of its large angular dimension (in comparison to many oother such nebulae) and apparent high proper motion. The central star of Sh2-188 is an evolved entity that has shed most of its material and is on the verge of transitioning into the white dwarf phase. Based on its age and structure, it is generally thought to be an old planetary nebula. It is located at a distance of around 850 light-years, close to Ruchbach Star and was photographed for the first time in 1965 by Gaze V.F. and Shain G.A.

Equipment:
SkyWatcher 10" 250PDS / 250mm 1200mm, Hypertuned EQ6R-Pro, ZWO ASI294MM Pro, ZWO EAF, ZWO EFW, ZWO LRGBHSO, ZWO OAG w/ ZWO ASI120MM-Mini

Processing details:
Pixinsight - WBPP, local normalization, DBE with GraXpert, SCNR, generalised hyperbolic stretch, local histogram equalization, wavelet transformation, HDR combination for the faint and bright regions of the Ha, narrowband combination, narrowband normalization, selective color correction, noise reduction with a blending between NXT, GraXpert Denoise and Topaz Denoise for an ultra clean result. Sharepening and detail enhancement was only performed by deconvolution with BXT and wavelets.
Stars were processed separately, SXT, SCNR, morphological transformation to fix saturated star cores typical for Newtonian, lightness reduction by iterative stretching and deconvolution, selective color saturation. Small final touches, crop and export from Photoshop.

Links:
Astrobin: https://www.astrobin.com/q3q8rt/
Full resolution: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1m1C7bw ... drive_link

Pentre Ifan is neolithic burial chamber in Wales that is believe to have stood on this site for over 5,000 years. Stonehenge, the world famous stone formation in England, was constructed using the very same Pembrokeshire bluestones that made Pentre Ifan, but Pentre Ifan is 1000 years older. Where better to photograph a rare display of the northern lights at low latitudes.

Sony A7R4
Lens: Viltrox 16mm F1.8 FE
Focal Length: 16mm
Exposure: 4 seconds
F Stop: 2.0
ISO: 3200

Pentre Ifan Burial Chamber, United Kingdom © Mathew Browne via PhotoHound

NGC 281 The Pacman Nebulae

The Pacman Nebula (NGC 281) is a cosmic cloud of space gas located in the constellation Cassiopeia.

The nebula’s resemblance to the classic video game character Pac-Man is quite striking, and it’s interesting that it can also look like a heart from certain angles.

NGC 281 is a rather diffuse red-glowing emission nebula. It includes a small, yet noticeable open star cluster (IC 1590) and dynamic dust lanes located in the middle of th image.

Take a look at the famous Bock globules which are small isolated dark nebulae containing dense amounts of dust and gas that are the formation of new stars.

Below are the details of this image taken in our backyard observatory.

Telescope: RC Ø400mm” (resolution 0.28” /pixel)
Mount: Direct Drive mount (unguided)
Reducer+Flattener: 0.75xFilter: UV/IR + L+Quadband
Camera Sensor: IMX571C (Color CMOS)
Total integration: 22h (262x300sec)Processing: Pixinsight + PS

https://www.flickr.com/photos/astrotolva/
Copyright: Lluís Romero Ventura

VdB14, VdB 15 and SH2-202


VdB14 and VdB15 are stunning reflection nebulae situated approximately 2600 light years away, within dense cloud in the constellation Camelopardalis. VdB14 is illuminated by the bright variable blue supergiant HD 21291, while VdB15 is lit by HD 21389. These nebulae lie close to each other, as well as to the large emission nebula SH2-202, creating a visually captivating region of space.

The photograph was taken between 01st October 2024 to 03rd October 2024, at the Hanle Dark Sky Reserve Star Party 2024, hosted by the Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO) in Hanle, India— one of the few remaining Bortle 1 zones in India. Operated by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, the IAO sits at an altitude of 4,500 meters (14,764 ft) in the Western Himalayas, providing some of the finest conditions for deep-sky observation through optical, infrared, and gamma-ray telescopes. However, shooting in such an extreme environment presented unique challenges, including sub-zero temperatures, low oxygen levels, and arid air. Despite these challenges, the unwavering support from the IAO staff, the residents of Hanle, and fellow participants made sure I was never without help.

Imaging Telescopes: William Optics ZenithStar 73iii / ZS73iii
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
Mount: ZWO AM3
Accessories: Beelink U59 Mini PC · William Optics Flat73A · ZWO EAF
Filter: ZWO UV/IR Cut 2”, Optolong L’Ultimate 2”
Guiding Telescopes : SVBony SV165 30mm Mini Guide Scope
Guiding Cameras: ZWO ASI120MC-S
Acquisition software: NINA, Cartes Du Ciel, PHD2
Image Processing Softwares: Pixinsight, Serif Affinity Photo, SIRIL, Graxpert
Lights: Optolong L-Ultimate 2": 24×600″(4h)
ZWO UV IR CUT 2": 96×300″(8h)
Total Integration: 12 hours
Astrobin: https://www.astrobin.com/users/Mintakaite/

Yet another mineal moon


Mineral Moon by Giancarlo Melis, on Flickr

This image is the result of merging numerous shots and videos of the Moon taken over several months. The "illuminated" part of the Moon, in its waxing gibbous phase, was obtained through a mosaic of various tiles, each of which is the result of stacking the best frames from several AVI videos. The videos were captured using the MagZero MZ-5 monochromatic camera on a Celestron C8 Edge HD optical tube (2032mm focal length at f/10).

The Earthshine and colors, on the other hand, come from several shots also taken with the Celestron C8 Edge HD and the Canon EOS 1Dx. All the images, taken during different lunar phases, were blended and adjusted to give a bit of "three-dimensionality" to the Moon. Through multiple selective saturation enhancements, it is possible to reveal interesting information about the composition of the lunar surface.

The bluish areas indicate the presence of titanium-rich basalts, while the yellow/red areas are typically iron-rich regions.

The Perseus Double Cluster  NGC869 and NGC884, surrounded by clouds of Hydrogen.
I remember as a teenager stumbling across this with my telescope thinking it looked like a firework in the eyepiece. Such a beautiful visual object, it never really had the same impact for me when photographed. With the added Hydrogen its completely changed the way I look at it. There was some tantalising hints of some  faint fluff sitting in the background, I might go back and get a bit more see if I can add to it.

Imaged remotely from Spain with the FSQ106ED in OSC and Antlia ALP-T Ha/O3  5nm.  Exposures were 120x 60s in OSC and 70x 300 in Ha/o3. I did a pretty simple process with the OSC data set.


I then set about splitting the Ha from the dual band set and added it to the colour image. I did use a continuum subtraction but it really didn't have much to take out in this case. All of the processing was done using Pixinsight and Photoshop. 



Thanks for looking

Peter Shah

Dear APOD editors,

As Halloween approaches (halfway between an equinox and a solstice in the mid fall of the northern hemisphere) I would like to share with you this 102 hour exposure image of the Witch Head nebula, IC 2118.

52 hours were captured using the Ha filter in order to show the faint galactic cirrus that surround our galaxy and can be seen looking towards the direction of IC 2118 nebula.

Together with the nebula we can also see some distant galaxies: the spiral galaxy NGC 1752 and PGC 16607 (both at the upper left side of the image), PGC 1797 (upper center) and NGC 1797 and NGC 1799 (right side of the image).



https://astrocat.info/the-witch-head-nebula-ic-2118/

https://www.astrobin.com/njy5v6/B/

Full description:

In the Eridanus constellation, and close to the Orion constellation, we find a very interesting and pretty faint reflection nebula, IC 2118. Also known as the Witch Head nebula, IC 2118 is believed to be made of gas, and dust and is about 50 light-years across. Located around 900 light-years away from Earth, the Witch Head Nebula is illuminated by Rigel, the bright blue supergiant star in the constellation Orion. The blue color of the Witch Head nebula contrasts beautifully with the dusty red clouds around the nebula, creating a striking visual spectacle. These red clouds are galactic cirrus, galactic filamentary structures that surround our galaxy.


This 102h 25' image was acquired from my backyard observatory during several winter nights this 2024. I used my dual Takahashi FSQ setup in order to get double the data. One telescope, the FSQ85, was focused solely on Ha data in order to capture the faint galactic cirrus. More than 50 hours were needed to show the final detail. I find it interesting trying to push the limits of my own amateur astrophotography work with such deep exposures that allows me to show several interesting details. If you look carefully, in the bottom right of the image (horizontal view) a galactic cirrus reveals the shape of a bat, just below the "mouth" of the witch. We called it pareidolia, but it's also a nice view of the deep universe. The other telescope, FSQ106, was used to capture the Luminance data along with the RGB.

Image details:

FSQ106:
L: 486 x 300" (40h 30')
RGB: (35,28,50 x 300") (9h 25')

FSQ85:
Ha: 630 x 300" (52h 30')

Calibrated with darks, flats and dark-flats.

Total exposure: 102h 25'

Moon at 30% (on average)
Image resolution: 1.46”/pixel
FOV (full image): 2º 31' x 1º 41'

Equipment:

FSQ106 EDX4 + ASI2600MM + LRGB Astrodon filters + Ha3nm Antlia - with ZWO EFW 7 pos
FSQ85 + ASI294MM + SHO LRGB Baader filters - with ZWO EFW 8 pos
Mesu200 mount
Guiding with ASI120MM and ZWO Mini Guide Scope

Aleix Roig, 2024
Prades (Tarragona, Catalonia - Spain).


Thanks so much for your work and dedication. Best regards,

Good Day,

Attached below is my image and supporting information for your kind consideration of a NASA APOD.

Image Title: Rise of Hunter's Supermoon

Explanation: The Hunter's Supermoon, occurring in October, is a full moon that aligns with the moon's closest approach to Earth, making it appear larger and brighter than usual. Traditionally named by Native American tribes, this moon signifies the time for hunting and harvesting, as animals are more visible against the autumn landscape. It is best viewed during its rise above the horizon, where atmospheric effects enhance its beauty. Additionally, the gravitational pull during a supermoon can lead to higher than normal tides, known as "king tides." The moon changes color from red to white as it rises mainly due to atmospheric scattering and refraction. When the moon is near the horizon, its light passes through more of the Earth's atmosphere, which scatters shorter wavelengths of light, making it appear red or orange. As it rises higher, it travels through less atmosphere, reducing scattering and allowing the moon to appear brighter and whiter.

Attached below are 2 composite photos with the first photo having 21 photos of the moon with the other photo having 41 photos of the moon

Details Regarding Data Acquisition:
Photographed by: Amaar Amir
Social Media: @_amaar_amir
Date: 18/10/2024
Location: Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Camera: Sony A7r3
Lens: Sony 70-200 f/4 Macro G
Software: Lightroom for basic exposure and color editing / Photoshop for blending the moons


Kindest Regards,
Amaar Amir

Rise of Hunter's Supermoon (v1) by Amaar Amir, on Flickr
Rise of Hunter's Supermoon (v2) by Amaar Amir, on Flickr