Starship Asterisk*

What we can't see is still out there - North American Nebula from My Deck by Marsha Kirschbaum, on Flickr

At the Heart of the Cygnus Constellation

Copyright: Julien Looten





This photograph of a part of the Cygnus constellation reveals a region rich in nebulae around the supergiant star Gamma Cygni (also known as Sadr) and Deneb... By examining the annotated photograph, one can appreciate the vastness of these nebulae in the night sky. Their striking beauty makes them some of the most photographed objects during summer nights....

First image : The emission nebula on the left is partly famous due to its striking resemblance to the North American continent. To the right of the North America Nebula, also known as NGC 7000, there is a less luminous nebula that resembles a pelican, hence its name.
These two emission nebulae each span about 50 light-years in diameter and are located approximately 1,500 light-years from Earth. They are separated by dark clouds that absorb light. From a location with a particularly clear and dark sky, these nebulae can be observed with binoculars. They appear as a small nebulous spot to the southwest of the bright star Deneb in the constellation Cygnus. It is still unknown which stars ionize the hydrogen in these nebulae, giving them their characteristic red hue.

Second image : Sadr, located almost at the center of the image, is a supergiant with 12 times the mass of our Sun and about 150 times its radius. Throughout the image, complex clouds of gas and dust, as well as stars, are displayed. To the left of Sadr is IC 1318, nicknamed the Butterfly Nebula due to its shape resembling two bright wings separated by a long band of dark dust. At the bottom right, the small and bright Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888) can be seen. Located about 5,000 light-years from Earth, this emission nebula was created by the powerful stellar winds of the Wolf-Rayet star WR 136, visible at its center. Even lower, the Soap Bubble Nebula, a faint and difficult-to-photograph planetary nebula, perfectly spherical, can be observed. Discovered in 2007, it is the result of the expulsion of the outer layers of a dying star.

Exif: Askar Fra400 - NEQ6ProGoto - Canon 6D Astrodon (EosforAstro EOS 4Astro) - Optolong L-Extreme Optolong Astronomy Filter – Autoguiding Asi120mini - (first image : 50x300s ; second image :110x300) - Processing: Siril/Photoshop (Arras ; FRANCE)

Messier 16 (Eagle Nebula)
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/537 ... 81f8_o.jpg
Stacked over 3 nights, there are 276 photos of 180 seconds, totaling 13:48 hours of exposure.

The spikes on the stars are due to the secondary support having 3 legs.

EQUIPMENT:
Telescope 114/900(ATM)
Cam: SvBony Sv405cc, Gain 121, OffSet 30, 10⁰C
Mount Exos-2 with OnStep Brasil
Guide sv106 and 905c

LOCATION: Guapimirim – RJ – Brazil

PROCESSING AND CAPTURE:

NINA, Phd2, Siril, Gimp, PixInsight and LightRoom

Hi all,
I am Simone Curzi from Italy.
Barnard 150 is a dense molecular cloud primarily composed of cosmic dust and gas. Its opacity is such that it blocks the light from background stars, making it visible as a dark silhouette against the brighter stellar backdrop. The shape of the nebula is often compared to that of a seahorse due to its elongated and twisted structure.

Clear Skies
Simone
Full resolution at: https://www.astrobin.com/o2oidi/
my instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simone_curzi_skylover/
Imaging Telescopes Or Lenses
C9.25xlt F2.2
Imaging Camera
ZWO ASI 2600MC Pro
MountAZEQ& R Pro
Integration
45*300"
Location
San Benedetto del Tronto bortle 4

Western Veil with Witches Broom & Pickering´s Triangle.
A total of 12 Hours, RGB, Ha & OIII. Taken (over 4 nights) with ASI2600MM & FSQ130ED on Trident P75.
Click on above to enlarge

Lots of Info @ https://www.kinchastro.com/western-veil-2024.html

Major Lunar Standstill (2006)
http://www.perseus.gr
Copyright: Anthony Ayiomamitis

later this week we have a somewhat rare opportunity to observe a major lunar standstill and which occurs every 18 years. Attached is my effort from 2006 and where the rising Moon was captured at maximum positive and negative declination (+28deg, -28deg) over twelve days. The time series in the middle involves the rising Sun (near equinox) as reference and which highlights the dramatic swing involving the rising Moon.

Further details in relation to the result from 2006 at https://www.perseus.gr/Astro-Lunar-Scen ... l-2006.htm.

Hello,

My name is Ali Al Obaidly

This is my submission for APOD, captured in Al Salmy, kuwait.

Links to the Image:

Flicker: https://flic.kr/p/2pXZDSQ


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/537 ... 9d94_o.jpg
Mosaic - Rho Ophiuchi and IC 4592 by Ali Alobaidly, on Flickr

Title: Mosaic - Rho Ophiuchi and IC 4592

Description:
Rho Ophiuchi and IC 4592 are two stunning nebulae that offer a glimpse into the complex beauty of our galaxy. The Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex, located about 427 light-years away in the constellation Ophiuchus, is a vibrant mix of bright stars, blue reflection nebulae, and intricate dark dust lanes. It is one of the closest star-forming regions to Earth, providing a rich laboratory for studying the birth of stars and the role of interstellar dust. Just a short cosmic distance away lies IC 4592, the Blue Horsehead Nebula, in the constellation Scorpius. This reflection nebula, shaped intriguingly like a horse's head, is illuminated by the star Nu Scorpii and is composed of fine dust particles that scatter the starlight, creating its characteristic blue hue. Both nebulae are prominent in the summer skies of Kuwait and can be captured in a breathtaking two-panel mosaic using a 135mm lens, a dedicated cooled astronomy camera, and an equatorial mount. This region of the sky not only showcases the dynamic processes of stellar evolution but also offers a mesmerizing vista for astrophotographers and astronomers alike.

Acquisition Details;

Panel 1:
Date: June 10, 2023
Frames: 23×300" at f/2.8
Total integration:1h 55′
Avg. Moon age: 21.80 days
Avg. Moon phase: 53.70%
Locations: Al Salmy Desert, Al Jahra Governorate, Kuwait

Panel 2:
Dates: April 18, 2023
Frames: 87×120″ at f/2.8
Integration: 2h 54′
Avg. Moon age: 27.73 days
Avg. Moon phase: 3.62%
Locations: Al Salmy Desert, Al Jahra Governorate, Kuwait

Calibration:
Darks: 30
Flats: 30
Bias: 50

Equipment:
Lens: Rokinon 135mm f/2.0 ED UMC
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
Mount: ZWO AM5
Accessories: ZWO ASIAIR Plus · ZWO EAF

Thank you for taking the time to consider my image,

Clear Skies,

Ali.

______________________________________________________
My Socials:

Email: astrapharmaq8@gmail.com
Website: https://astrapharmaq8.com/
Instagram: @astrapharma_q8

M20 - Trifid Nebula in SHO with partial RGB blend

Astrobin Technical Card: https://www.astrobin.com/zos8t4/B/

I took the exposures from June 12 to June 14. Main composition and processing is done in SHO and blended in RGB data for extra details.
Copyright: Tushar Kulkarni

Pickering´s Triangle - a section of the Veil Nebula.
Click on above to enlarge.


Full info and higher resolution @ https://www.kinchastro.com/western-veil-2024.html

The Cygnus wall and a part of the North America nebula in SHO!

This image shows the star forming wall lit and eroded by bright young stars, and partly hidden by the dark dust they have created. The part of the North America nebula (NGC 7000) shown spans about 15 light years and lies about 1,500 light years away toward the constellation of the Swan (Cygnus).
https://www.astrobin.com/d51fjw/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/devesh_pa ... ool-apods/

Thanks,
Devesh Pande
AstroDarks

The Ring Nebula (HDR processed)
URL: https://www.facebook.com/tommaso.m.stella
Copyright: Tommaso Stella
From: Taranto (Italy)

Telescope: Omegon CC Pro 203/2436 @ 1827mm, Mount: SW AZEQ6-GT
Camera1: Mono QHY 294m pro, Camera2: RGB ZWO ASI2600mc Pro
Lights: RGB 480x15s + 67x120s, 50x180s OIII 3nm, 47x180s Ha 3nm
Filters: Optolong Astronomy Filter OIII + Ha 3nm
Total Integration: 9h

Region of IC 1318 in hubble palette SHO
35x300 H alpha
35x 300 OIII
35 x 300 SII
3 nm filter
William optics redcat 51
Zwo asi 6200 mm camera to -10°C
From Guadalajara jalisco city
Photographer Emmanuel Delgadillo

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/538 ... 2367_o.jpg

Apus and Chameleon dancing in the South Pole's dust

Experiencing the southern sky had been one of my dreams for a long time. It finally came true. It was a few wonderful and incredibly busy nights and a few fantastic days spent in full contact with nature.
First up, the dusty area between the Chameleon Constellation, the Bird of Paradise, and... the South Pole. The whole thing is a mosaic of 2 frames taken with the immortal Samyang 135/2 and a modified Nikon D610.
It is so incredible that both poles are, in fact, hidden in the dust. When I look at the picture, I still hear the sound of a male impala calling...
Whoever has heard it up close at night knows.
Location: Waterberg/South Africa
Credit: Ireneusz Nowak

Astrobin location of the full size picture: https://www.astrobin.com/full/z76gje
Author Astrobin link: https://www.astrobin.com/users/iro/

Moon on enhanced colors the night of June 16th, 2024 from Monterrey, Mexico.
Telescope Celestron Evolution 8 with 6.3 focal reducer, camera ZWO ASI533MC with Baader UT/IR cut filter. Processed with AutoStakkert!3, Registax and Photoshop.

Luis Jorge Manzanero, https://www.facebook.com/ljmanzaneroAstro

Sequence of the total solar eclipse of April 8th, 2024 from Cuatrocienegas, Coahuila, Mexico.
Telescope Astrotech72 with Astrozap Baader Solar filter for the partial images, camera Canon T7i, mount Skywatcher Staradventurer GTi. Processed with Photoshop.
Luis Jorge Manzanero, https://www.facebook.com/ljmanzaneroAstro

Hires image: http://www.astrosurf.com/comolli/ecl24-01h.jpg
Midres image: http://www.astrosurf.com/comolli/ecl24-01.jpg

HDR corona with TEC140
The HDR corona from the TEC140+ASI6200MM setup. A great quantity of fine details is visible all along the corona. Prominences were added from C2 and C3 contacts, red coloured. Moon edge is clearly oval due to the long duration of this eclipse (more than 4 min), and during the image acquisition the Moon moved. This is the biggest setup of our eclipse expedition and it was extremely difficult to take this setup from Italy. The telescope has beed dismounted in 3 pieces, and two big suitcases were necessary for transportation via airplane. The camera is a ASI6200MM, a full frame of 61 Mpix 16 bit monochrome, and it was a first time for us uf using an astronomical camera instead of a reflex camera. This was possible thanks to the big improvement in download speeds of modern camera, e.g. this big frame sensor is downloaded to PC in less than half a second!

TEC140 apochromatic refractor (dia 140 mm, FL 1011 mm, f/7.2), ASI 6200 MM camera (CMOS full frame 62 Mpix, 16 bit monochromatic, binning 1, 3.76 um/pixel, cooling at 0°C), ZWO AM5 mount, Luminance filter, exposures between 1 ms and 512 ms at 1 EV stops at gain 100 (equivalent to 680 ISO, EV stops from 15.9 to 3.9), 381 frames used summing for a total of 52.2 s of net exposure captured during 187 s of gross duration. Image capture via an automated sequence in SharpCap recording data at 2 fps with a data flux of 242 MB/s into a SER file.

Image processing by Lorenzo Comolli. Image setup controlled by Lorenzo Comolli.
Image collaboration and Copyright 2024 Lorenzo Comolli, Emmanuele Sordini and Alessandro Gambaro.


Much more images and videos on this web page: http://www.astrosurf.com/comolli/ecl24a.htm
Here are some preview, please refer to the above link for all details and hires. http://www.astrosurf.com/comolli/ecl24-07.jpg
http://www.astrosurf.com/comolli/ecl24-12.jpg
http://www.astrosurf.com/comolli/ecl24-09.jpg
http://www.astrosurf.com/comolli/ecl24-10.jpg
http://www.astrosurf.com/comolli/ecl24-15.png
http://www.astrosurf.com/comolli/ecl24-51.jpg

A picture of Trifid Nebula (M20) taken in Grazalema, Cádiz (Spain) on 15-06-2023
Trifid Nebula, it's one of the most famous astronomic objects, specially between astrophotographers. I tried to do a close up view of this fascinating object. With my humble 12 cm diameter refractor and... This was the result. It's exciting to see the results that can be achieved in a handful of hours with amateur equipment!

Equipment:
Camera: Skywatcher Esprit120ED pro + ZWO ASI 183 MC Pro color
Guide sistem: ZWO ASI 120MM mini + Skywatcher Guidescope Evoguide 50ED
Mount: Skywatcher AZEQ6
Asiair Pro
Exif data:
30 lights 180s Gain 180
60 Darks
60 BIAS
60 Flats
Copiright: Jesús Carmona Guillén

I couldn't be happier with this one, I think it's my best photo yet.

I usually take it slow with astrophotography, but this time I took it extra slow. I spent over 50 hours collecting data on this nebula, and then I threw the majority of that away, to keep only the highest quality frames.

I give you the Statue of Liberty Nebula (NGC 3576) in the Hubble colour palette (SHO).

Full image on my astrobin

https://www.astrobin.com/5ozspf/


________
Technical info

The ATLAS Observatory

Celestron CGX mount
Celestron C11 EdgeHD at native focal length
QHY268M main camera
ZWO ASI 120 mm guide camera
Atik 7nm narrowband filters -- Ha, OIII, SII


Main camera:

1300 second exposure
35 gain
-15°C
DSO mode
16 bit full capture area
1x1 binning

The final image is made up of:

Ha: 12 * 1300s
SII: 16 * 1300s
OIII: 18 * 1300s

Total Integration Time: ~16.6 hours

Colour: SHO

Processed in PixInsight and PhotoShop (Frame selection, calibration, integration, alignment and colour creation/correction). NoiseX and BlurX were used.

Hello

Here is my submission : NGC1365

NGC 1365 is a striking barred spiral galaxy located approximately 56 million light-years away in the constellation Fornax.
Known as the Great Barred Spiral Galaxy, NGC 1365 spans about 200,000 light-years and exhibits a prominent central bar and well-defined spiral arms.
This bar plays a crucial role in transporting gas and dust toward the center, fueling star formation and the activity of the central part.
Its core then contains a supermassive black hole that represents 2 million solar masses. It rotates at close to the speed of light. These observations, announced in February 2013, were made using the X-ray telescope satellite NuSTAR
The central bar of NGC 1365 completes a full rotation in just a few hundred million years, which is pretty fast for structures of this size. This rotation contributes to the internal dynamics and the distribution of material within the galaxy.
 Data were acquired via Telescope Live, a CDK 24 telescope and  a QHY600M, with a total exposure time of around 8h45min  .

The aim of this processing was to preserve and reveal the intricate details of the galaxy’s structure, including its vibrant star-forming regions and dark dust lanes, without fallling into overprocessing or artifacts.
I also tried to take special care in processing the stars, focusing on their color, size, and halo.

I hope you will like it  !

My name is Fabio Carbonara, I live in Torino (Turin), first capital of Italy and photography is one of my passion since 1976 …
“Meeting at the beginning of summer”.
The sun is rising exactly behind the Basilica of Superga, probably the most famous church at the top of hills eastern of the city.
The scene was captured on June 22nd at 0554:23 hrs from a small village called San Dalmazzo in the surroundings of Torino.
The distance from the Basilica is about 21 Km. Shot with 1200mm of focal length (600+teleconverter 2x), ISO 64, 176400s, f.45. The extremely closed aperture gives such a contrast that also solar spots can be noticed. Sun borders are not so sharp due to some humidity in the air.
I welcome any sharing and forwarding you might consider, if deserved.
Thank you very much for your attention.

M65 (right) and M66 (left) are two of the interacting galaxies of the famous Leo Triplet. They are about 35 million light years away in the 'Leo spur', a small cluster of galaxies between the Local Group (where the Milky Way is located) and the Virgo Cluster.
Technical data: Planewave CDK 14" (aperture 355 mm, focal length 2563 mm) on Astro-Phisics 1100-AE mount. Moravian C5A-100M camera. 24x300s L, 5x300s RGB all in bin 1 taken remotely from New Mexico.

M65 and M66 by Alessandro Carrozzi, su Flickr

The Large Magellanic Cloud taken on 13.09.2023 in Namibia. Thanks a lot to consider it for APOD

Undoubtedly a cool object to see with the naked eyes and also to take pictures of with a small equipment

Equipment:
- Camera: Nikon D7200 Nikkor 50-100mm f2.8
- Mount: Benro Polaris

EXIF data:
- 70 Lights f2.8 iso 2500 30s
- 10 Darks
- 10 Flats
- 30 Bias






Copyright: Jesús Carmona Guillén

Cosmic Horror, LBN 406
Copyright: Pawel Radomski
I am thrilled to share with you my latest astrophotographic achievement: capturing the enigmatic LBN 406. This stunning object, located in the constellation of Draco, is often overlooked by astrophotographers due to its faintness and the challenges associated with imaging it at a high resolution. However, I believe I am one of the few who have managed to photograph this cosmic marvel at such a small scale, achieving high magnification and revealing intricate details seldom seen in other images. To be honest, I have not found any photo of this object at such a scale.

Clear skies and happy imaging!

My IG: https://www.instagram.com/astroscapes_pawel_radomski/
My Astrobin site: https://www.astrobin.com/users/Pav1007/

Bloody IFN

Located in the constellation of the great bear, near the famous M81 and M82, here is a field whose alpha hydrogen remains relatively rarely imaged.
35 hours of integration time overs 2 monthes.

Taken in the Atlas, Morocco.
Author : Christophe Vergnes, Julien Dufour, Gaëtan Maxant
Details here : https://www.astrobin.com/qmyfzn/0/
https://cdn.astrobin.com/thumbs/phVDbtB ... TZ0INm.jpg

---
Takahashi Epsilon 160ED
Player One Astronomy Poséidon mono
Avalon-instruments M-uno
Filtres Astrodon LRGB
Astronomik max fr Ha 6nm

Saint Peter's and the Moon
by Emanuele Colonnelli, on Flickr

I've been contemplating submitting this photo to APOD for a while. Honestly, I feel a bit nervous about being judged after struggling so much to achieve this result, but I think you might find the story behind it interesting and appreciate how I made it. I'll do my best to keep it simple and short.

For almost two years, I've been trying to capture the moon fading behind St. Peter's dome in Rome. Initially, I failed due to poor night photography skills, so I studied hard, practiced a lot, and invested my savings in better tools. Even then, it wasn't enough! Luck plays a considerable part in night photography. I meticulously planned this shot five times between 2023 and 2024, and every time I had the conditions I wanted (blue hour, full moon, clear sky), it started to rain. I began to think there was a spell preventing me from capturing it!

Last week, on June 17th, 2024, at almost 2 a.m. CET, I knew there was another alignment. I calculated it in advance, but I almost gave up since the moon wasn't as full as I wanted and the sky was too dark. In my dreams, I wanted to take this photo as "pure photography," meaning no HDR and minimal post-production. To achieve this, I needed the blue hour, but it's okay—some work in Photoshop won't kill me.

So, it happened. I captured a clear photo of the moon fading behind Saint Peter's, which is pretty meaningful for a native Roman like me.

A few words about the process:

The photo of the perfect alignment was taken at 2:06 a.m. on June 17th, 2024.
Shooting location: 41.90885120287977, 12.480983029723275
Camera: Olympus OM-1 mk1, ISO: 400
Lens: M.Zuiko 100-400 at 400mm, f/6.3
Tripod + remote shutter

I took several pictures of the moon every 10 seconds and selected only three of them. Moon exposure was 1 second at ISO 400. After the moon set, I kept the tripod in the same position to take a long exposure photo of the landscape, otherwise, I would have only captured the silhouette. In the end, I merged everything in Photoshop and did some tone mapping to harmonize it all.

If you want, you can verify the EXIF information in the JPEG file, even if some information is not 100% correct since it's the result of a time-blend in Photoshop. I know I'm paranoid, but I take honesty seriously.