Starship Asterisk*

Leo Triplet
TS 115/800
ZWO ASI 1600 mono cooled
LRGB (150 - 35 - 24 - 24)
Total: 233 minutos
PixInsight + PS6


LRGB Pronto by maicon germiniani, no Flickr

Messier 78
TS 115/800
ASI ZWO 1600 Mono Cooled
Optolong: LRGB (180 - 35 - 24 - 24)
Processamento: PixInsight + PS6


LRGB2 by maicon germiniani, no Flickr

Messier 78 LRGB
Copyrights: Themis Karteris

NGC3718
LRGB

Larger images and info:
http://www.astrobin.com/286094/?nc=user

Thanks for looking up.

Nick Pavelchak
Altamont, NY

I started this on an unusually steady night on December 8th. Then it's been mostly cloudy since then.

I saw high cloud wisps during sundown on March 3rd and figured it would not be a clear night. It's very difficult to see high clouds at night.

I decided to start shooting at 8:30 PM to see what might happen. I was pleasantly surprised to find the air was super steady, even better than December 8th! I guess the high clouds dissipated and left a very steady situation up until 3:36 AM when clouds moved in again.

Hard to say when I might be able to add color and maybe more luminance given the mostly cloudy evenings this year in Southern California. But I figured I'd share what I have so far and what's possible on two super steady nights with an 8" SCT in 19.75 SQM skies.

M94. Copyright KQ Observatory.

Imaging telescope or lens: Celestron 8" EdgeHD
Imaging camera: QSI 660 WSG
Mount: Losmandy G-11
Guiding camera: Starlight Xpress Ultrastar
Focal reducer: Celestron 0.7X
Software: PixInsight 1.8, PHD Guiding 2, Neat Image V7, Sequence Generator Pro, Maxim DL6, Adobe Photoshop CC 2014
Filter: Astrodon 1.25" L
Accessories: Innovations Foresight ONAG SC, Optec FocusLock, Starizona MicroTouch Autofocuser
Frames: Astrodon 1.25" L: 122x120" -20C bin 1x1
Darks: ~20
Flats: ~20
Flat darks: ~20
Bias: ~20
Mean SQM: 19.75
Locations: Home, Rancho Santa Fe, California, United States

M106, NGC 4217 and surroundings
www.mauricetoet.nl
Copyright: Maurice Toet

Occultation of Aldebaran by the Moon
http://www.skiesbyafrica.com
Copyright: Enrico Africa

November 2016 Super Moon vs. February 2017 Penumbral Eclipse
http://www.skiesbyafrica.com
Copyright: Enrico Africa

The Night Sky over Monemvasia, Greece
The constellation of Cassiopeia (left), the Double Cluster in Perseus (left) and the Andromeda Galaxy (right) on a crystal clear night over the island of Monemvasia in Laconia, Greece. Monemvasia is a small rocky island off the east coast of Peloponnese. It was separated from the mainland by an earthquake in 375 AD.

https://alexandrosmaragos.com
Copyright: Alexandros Maragos

Large Magellanic Cloud,

Captured at Barreal, a small village in the argentinean Andes at 1700m altitude near Cerro Mercedario.
Tamron 85mm f/1.8 at f/2.2 Eos6da Iso 800 76x2min subs
full size and data: http://www.astrobin.com/285694/

There is big faint halo and some IFN filaments in the field, not often seen.

cheers, Tommy

Shadows of the Montes Alpes
Copyright: Chuck Manges



Shadows of the Montes Alpes by Chuck Manges, on Flickr

tommy_nawratil wrote:Large Magellanic Cloud,

Captured at Barreal, a small village in the argentinean Andes at 1700m altitude near Cerro Mercedario.
Tamron 85mm f/1.8 at f/2.2 Eos6da Iso 800 76x2min subs

Click to view full size image

full size and data: http://www.astrobin.com/285694/

There is big faint halo and some IFN filaments in the field, not often seen.

cheers, Tommy

Interesting picture! The muted colors give the Large Magellanic Cloud a new appearance. The yellowish hues bring out the old to intermediate populations, and we can see that they are widespread. The blue populations are bright, and we can see some prominent pink Hα nebulas, too. The Tarantula Nebula is so bright that it looks white. Fascinatingly, that large halo appears to consist mostly of old to intermediate stars.

Thanks! Your image shows the LMC in a new light!

Ann

Crescent Moon and Anglo-Australian Telescope



The Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT, Siding Spring Observatory, NSW, Australia) is ready for another night observing with the SAMI (Sydney-AAO Multiobject Integral-field spectroscopy) instrument. A crescent Moon is seen towards the west through the opening of the dome.

Photo taken using a CANON EOS 5D Mark III, 0.6 seconds integration, 70mm lens at f2.8, 400 ISO. Thursday 2nd March 2017, 8pm AEST.

Credit: Ángel R. López-Sánchez (Australian Astronomical Observatory / Macquarie University).

More information and full size image in: https://www.flickr.com/photos/angelrls/33076675731

Widefield view of Gemini
Original Image: https://lfs.0101010101.com/image/WFGemini.jpg
Copyright: Jiyong Youn Annotated image:

Milky Way rising, Large Magellanic Cloud and Anglo-Australian Telescope



Milky Way, Large Magellanic Cloud, and Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT, Siding Spring Observatory, NSW, Australia).

Combination of 6 frames, each of 30 seconds, CANON EOS 5D Mark III, 16mm, f/2.8, ISO 1600. Thursday 2 March 2017. The dome was illuminated in one of the frames by a car leaving the building.

Credit: Ángel R. López-Sánchez (Australian Astronomical Observatory / Macquarie University).

More information and full size image in: https://www.flickr.com/photos/angelrls/32426711153/

Milky way and Northern lights by Alfredo Madrigal, en Flickr

[English]
I present a panoramic photograph of the last week in Iceland. At the same time you can see the Winter Milky Way, several arcs of Aurora Borealis and Venus reflected in the most incredible glacial lagoon I have visited (Jökulsárlón). In the background we can see the mountains of Vatnajökull, forming the largest glacial in Europe in volume of ice and the second in extension. Another thing I love about photography is that we see several objects in the sky combined with the auroras, the California nebula, the Pleiades, the double cluster of Perseus, the North American nebula, and the Andromeda galaxy. The Boreal auroras have a power of color with all green and violets were of a certain intensity that night, around KP = 4-5. In the lower left corner we can observe my setup 2 making a timelapse and in the background, the top of a small mountain a photographer.

[Spanish]
Les presento una fotografía panorámica de la semana pasada en Islandia. En ella se puede apreciar al mismo tiempo la Vía Láctea de invierno, varios arcos de Aurora Boreal y Venus reflejado en la laguna glacial más increíble que he visitado (Jökulsárlón). Al fondo podemos observar las montañas de Vatnajökull, formando el mayor glacial de Europa en volumen de hielo y el segundo en extensión. Otra cosa que me encanta de la fotografía es que vemos varios objetos del cielo combinados con las auroras, la nebulosa california, las pléyades, el doble cúmulo de Perseo, la nebulosa Norteamérica y la galaxia de Andrómeda. Las Auroras Boreales tienen una potencia de color con todos verdes y violetas fueron de cierta intensidad esa noche, alrededor de KP=4-5. En la esquina inferior izquierda podemos observar mi setup 2 haciendo un timelapse y al fondo, la cumbre de una pequeña montañita un fotógrafo.

Atardecer con estrellas
https://www.facebook.com/lanocheysuencanto/
Copyright: Damián Avila

Copyright: Aldo Mottino

M94. Copyright KG Observatory.

I started this on an unusually steady night on December 8th. Then it's been mostly cloudy since then.

I saw high cloud wisps during sundown on March 3rd and figured it would not be a clear night. It's very difficult to see high clouds at night.

I decided to start shooting at 8:30 PM to see what might happen. I was pleasantly surprised to find the air was super steady, even better than December 8th! I guess the high clouds dissipated and left a very steady situation up until 3:36 AM when clouds moved in again.

Luckily March 6th was clear from 8 PM to 4 AM, so I captured 7 hours of RGB.

Imaging telescope or lens: Celestron 8" EdgeHD
Imaging camera: QSI 660 WSG
Mount: Losmandy G-11
Guiding camera: Starlight Xpress Ultrastar
Focal reducer: Celestron 0.7X
Software: PixInsight 1.8, PHD Guiding 2, Neat Image V7, Sequence Generator Pro, Maxim DL6, Adobe Photoshop CC 2014
Filters: Astrodon 1.25" R, Astrodon 1.25" B, Astrodon 1.25" G, Astrodon 1.25" L
Accessories: Innovations Foresight ONAG SC, Optec FocusLock, Starizona MicroTouch Autofocuser
Resolution: 1814x1724
Dates: Dec. 8, 2016, March 3, 2017, March 6, 2017
Frames:
Astrodon 1.25" B: 60x120" -20C bin 1x1
Astrodon 1.25" G: 60x120" -20C bin 1x1
Astrodon 1.25" L: 122x120" -20C bin 1x1
Astrodon 1.25" R: 90x120" -20C bin 1x1
Darks: ~20
Flats: ~80
Flat darks: ~80
Bias: ~20
Mean SQM: 19.75
Locations: Home, Rancho Santa Fe, California, United States

Molecular Cloud MBM 25 (Lynx)


More resolution 2500x2000 and acquisition data: : http://afesan.es/Deepspace/slides/MBM%2 ... nx%29.html

MBM 25 is a very diffuse molecular cloud that covers practically the whole image, extending in the constellation of the Lynx. These molecular clouds, also referred to as flow nebulae or galactic cirrus, are made up of gigantic dust and gas clouds of very low density (estimated to be between 25-50 particles per cubic centimeter), basically H and CO.

They belong to our own galaxy but are located in high latitudes galactic, that is, above and below the main disk or galactic plane of the Milky Way. They are at distances of the order of thousands or tens of thousands of light years, much closer that distant galaxies that glows in the background
(in this case, literally hundreds of them in the background) and whose vision and light filter us by getting in our visual. The dust disperses the blue light and reinforces a broad spectrum of red light, known effect known as "ERE "(Extended Red Emission). This sensibly attenuates blue glimpses and enhances the reds in visual images.

These structures were first detected in 1984 by the infrared IRAS satellite and later studied in depth by Magnani, Blitz and Mundy constituting the MBM catalog.

[English]
I present a panoramic photograph of the last week in Iceland. The glacial lagoon of Jökulsárlón and the mountains Vatnajökull form the largest glacial of Europe in volume of ice and the second in extension.
The Boreal auroras have a power of color with all green and violets were of a certain intensity that night, around KP = 4-5. In the lower left corner we can see my setup 2 doing a timelapse movie.

[Spanish]
Les presento una fotografía panorámica de la semana pasada en Islandia. La laguna glacial de Jökulsárlón y las montañas Vatnajökull forman el mayor glacial de Europa en volumen de hielo y el segundo en extensión.
Las Auroras Boreales tienen una potencia de color con todos verdes y violetas fueron de cierta intensidad esa noche, alrededor de KP=4-5. En la esquina inferior izquierda podemos observar mi setup 2 haciendo un timelapse movie.


Aurora in glaciar lagoon of Jökulsárlón by Alfredo Madrigal, en Flickr

The bridge of Soul nebula - IC 1848

Image Credit & Copyright: José Jiménez Priego
https://flic.kr/p/SGJaF5

https://www.facebook.com/jose.jimenezjj
https://twitter.com/JJastromet

Tarantula
NGC 2070
Tarântula Nebula
TS 115/800
ZWO ASI 1600 MONO COOLED

Composição:
HA 40%
RGB 60%
HA: 180 Minutos
RGB: 40 - 32 - 32
Total: 4:44 Horas
PixInsight + PS6

Description:

Located about 180,000 light-years away, in the constellation of Dorado The Tarantula Nebula, is part of the Great Magellanic Cloud, satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. It is a region of intense star formation, and has a diameter that exceeds 1000 light-years. The star cluster R136 in the center of the nebula produces much of the energy that makes the nebula visible. It is the largest known emission nebula. It is about 100 times as far away as the Great Orion Nebula, and if it were In the same distance that Orion is of us (1500 Light Years) would cover an area of ​​60 full moons, being able to cause shadows (Wikipedia) Initially it was considered a star, however in 1971 Nicolas Louis de Lacaille identified it like a nebula.


NewHaRGB by maicon germiniani, no Flickr

Júpiter, Gran Mancha Roja, Ganimedes y su sombra. 10.03.2017

Buenos Aires, Argentina
©Carlos Di Nallo
http://carlosdn-alfacentauri.blogspot.com.ar/

Zodiacal Light and Milky Way over the Pertusa church in the Montsec (Catalonia)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/magi_sanjose
Copyright: Magí Sanjosé https://www.flickr.com/photos/magi_sanj ... /lightbox/