Starship Asterisk*

stefanz wrote: ↑Mon Jul 01, 2024 7:51 pm Detection of an OIII arc in Gemini

An arc-shaped emission nebula in the constellation Gemini with dominant OIII lines and an apparent length of about 14° is presented. The object has already been recorded in far UV surveys. What is new, however, is that this object can be seen in visible light and that it is an OIII emitter.

Click on the images for more information and high resolution pictures.


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This is part of the Monogem supernova remnant.

NGC 6357 in Scorpion
HSO Version

https://storage.googleapis.com/dso-brow ... iginal.jpg


Celestron RASA 8 + ZWO ASI 183 Mc-Pro

RGB Stars:
30x10" with Optolong L-Pro

Ha + OIII (+ synthetic green channel)
70x180" with IDAS NBZ

All seeing eye - Milky Way over Desert Valley

All seeing eye - Milky Way over Desert Valley by Ahmed Waddah, on Flickr

Image is a composite of Milkyway rising over desert valley in Al Fayoum desert area in Egypt, where foreground was imaged during blue hour and sky imaged later that night using a fisheye lens that gives an almost 180 degree view of the valley from one end to the other.

Sky
Nikon Z6II - TTartisan 11mm fisheye
60x 15sec - ISO 4000 - F/2.8 (untracked)

Foreground
Nikon z6II - TTartisan 11mm fisheye
1x1/6sec - ISO 100 - F/8

​​​​​​​Date: 5th of July, 2024
Location: Al Wady Al Gaded Desert, New Valley Government, Egypt
The Valley of Whales, Western Desert in Al Fayoum, Egypt
https://www.astrobin.com/d3uwjc/

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

The Dark Galactic Hourse and Ro by Tihomir Yosifov, on Flickr

The Dark Galactic Hourse and Ro Ophiuchi

The Milky way core is right next to the tail of the Dark Galactic Hourse. It faces the Rho Ophiuchi nebula enlighted by Antares and a few blue stras around. The yellow color of the core is due to old stars population. The bule halo is from yоung stars at the edge. The dust insterstallar structure that stands between us and the core is cleary visible.
Taken on 7th of July 2024 from Bulgaria, Kara tepe, Rodopes mountain, 1600m elevation, bortle 3. Pentax K-5II, Pentax DA 50 1.8. 43x2 min, ISO 800. Process with Siril and LR.

My gallery: https://www.flickr.com/photos/87347265@ ... 541330577/
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/538 ... 958f_k.jpg

Comet 13P/Olbers taken on July 7, 2024.
It is a periodic comet, with an orbital period of about 69 years, belonging to Halley's comet family, which reached perihelion, the point of its orbit closest to the Sun, on June 30. It is currently visible, low on the northwest horizon shortly after sunset with binoculars or, better, with a small telescope. In this image, taken remotely from Utah, using a very short window of visibility, two tails are clearly visible yellowish-grey one made of dust and the blue one made of ions.
Technical data: Takahashi FSQ 106ED with ZWO ASI 2400MC and Optolong L-PRO filter. 7x120s bin 1x1.

Comet 13P/Olbers - July 7th 2024 by Alessandro Carrozzi, su Flickr

Comet 13P/Olbers

This Halley-type comet with a period of 69 years just passed perihelion a couple of weeks ago. Captured here is the typical green glow of the coma (from CN and C₂ emissions) and reflected sunlight from a diffuse trailing dust cloud. Very prominent is the blue ion tail which shows complex structure due to its interaction with the solar wind. This object could definitely use more exposure time, but I only have about a 30 minute window between late twilight and the comet setting below my observatory wall. Imaged on 8 July 2024.

Details:
QSI 660 camera on 250mm RC, Astronomic RGB filters.
6 minutes each red, green, and blue.
Processed with PixInsight and Photoshop.
Final image resolution 0.93 arcsec/pixel, 21 arcminute wide field.
_

The Wizard of the North (NGC7380)

NGC 7380, commonly known as the Wizard Nebula is a spectacular emission nebula located in the constellation Cepheus. Discovered by Caroline Herschel in 1787, this celestial marvel is approximately 7,200 light-years away from Earth and spans about 110 light-years across.

The Structure and Composition

The Wizard Nebula is named for its resemblance tc a robed figure, reminiscent of a wizard. This intricate structure is shaped by the intense radiation and stellar winds from young, hot stars within the open star cluster NGC 7380, which lies a the nebula's heart. These stars, primarily O-type and B-type, are responsible for ionizing the surrounding hydrogen gas, causing it to emit the characteristic red light seen in many emission nebulae.

Star Formation and Evolution

NGC 7380 is a region of active star formation. The intense radiation from the young stars not only shapes the nebula but also triggers the collapse of surrounding gas and dust clouds, leading to the birth of new stars. This ongoing process makes the Wizard Nebula a fascinating subject for studying the lifecycle of stars and the dynamics of nebulae.
Title: The Wizard of the North

Link to Images:

Astrobin: https://www.astrobin.com/550uwf/
Flickr: https://flic.kr/p/2q3hqcf

Thanks,
Devesh Pande
AstroDarks

Jones-Emberson 1
Full version : https://team-ouranos.fr/wp-content/uplo ... _vdef3.jpg

Jones-Emberson 1 (PK 164+31.1) is a planetary nebula located in the constellation Lynx, at an estimated distance of 1600 light-years.
It is a large planetary nebula (4 AL in diameter) with a low surface luminosity (mag 14), and its annular structure is completed in an atypical way by 2 main 'lobes' connected by opposite arcs of fainter nebulosity. The origin of the formation of this particular structure is still poorly understood...
The central star, of magnitude 16.8, is a very blue white dwarf, whose colour is clearly visible in this image ; the first made with our new Cassegrain 520mm telescope.

Cassegrain 520mm (focale 4300mm) - ASI 6200 MM - Paramount MEII - Filters Astronomik LRGB + Ha6nm
L : 192 x 120s
R : 33 x 180s
G : 23 x 180s
B : 20 x 180s
Ha : 76 x 120s
Total : 12h44
13/02/2024 (France)
Pixinsight & PS

Copyright: Team OURANOS (Jean-Baptiste Auroux, Jean Claude Mario, Mathieu Guinot & Matthieu Tequi).
https://team-ouranos.fr/
https://www.astrobin.com/users/Team_OURANOS/

SH2-54 and NGC 6604



The often overlooked SH2-54 and NGC 6604 and their surroundings in the constellation Serpens, which I call the Serpent's Nest, are star-forming regions rich in ionized gasses, dust, and protostars. They are rarely photographed due to their proximity to iconic targets like the Eagle, Omega, Lagoon, and Trifid Nebulae, which are part of the same larger HII region as the Serpent's Nest.

I imaged over four nights from Robservatory (Rob's Observatory) in Vancouver, Canada. I used a Celestron Edge HD 8" with 0.7x reducer, ASI2600MC Pro, Altair Astro 4nm Ha/OIII, and SII/OIII dual narrowband set. The Total Integration time is 17.25 hours.

Barnard150 and Sh2-129 in Cepheus

Full resolution:
https://aipastroimaging.com/wp-content/ ... MC_AIP.jpg

Copyright: Alvaro Ibanez Perez (www.aipastroimaging.com)

"Cosmic Machines"
Copyright: Danijel Bosnjak Photo was taken on Sunday, 7 July 2024 at 00:50.

Location:
Old WWII airport in Grabovnica, City of Čazma, Croatia, Europe.

EXIF information:
Single shot
Sony A6400
Sigma 16mm f/1.4
1x10s exposure, ISO1600
Processed in Adobe Lightroom

Story behind the photo:
Our friend spotted this airport from his airplane and sent us the location info. The July 6 and 7 weather forecast was favorable for astrophotography and we decided to make the 1hr (one-way) trip and have some fun. This is just one of the photos we managed to capture during the night. This small airport is currently a public property and is used by the locals as a playground area. There is a local agricultural and livestock facility which produces some local light pollution (static flood light arrays and utility vehicles activity at night), but we could still take pictures without much interference. In addition, I also managed to set up my telescope and capture 2.5hrs of Elephant Trunk nebula while taking this and other photos on the location. All in all, it was a good night of fun.

Story behind the location:
In the summer of 1944., by decision of the Headquarters of the X. Corps of the Zagreb NOV and POJ (National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia), the people and the youth together with the Engineers Company of the 33rd Division of NOV built this airport. Here the Allies delivered military aid to units of the X. Corps and airlifted the wounded to Italy for treatment. The memorial plaque was recently restored by the Association of Anti-Fascist Fighters and Anti-Fascists of the City of Čazma. As seen in the photo, a Lockheed T-33 (TV-2) training aircraft is on display (commonly referred to as "Tevejac" in ex. Yugoslavia). This is the first type of jet fighter aircraft that was acquired by the JNA (Yugoslav People's Army) back in 1953. for jet training purposes. Unfortunately, the aircraft on display is overgrown with brush and has not been preserved in its entirety. The airport runway itself is concrete, 800 meters long, and the people of Čazma have big plans regarding its restoration and putting it into active use.

WR134 by Giancarlo Melis, on Flickr
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/538 ... 5497_k.jpg

The location:
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:
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 + 164x120sec
Darks: x20

The subject:
WR 134 is a dynamic Wolf-Rayet star situated roughly 6,000 light years from Earth in the Cygnus constellation. It is enveloped by a faint nebula formed by the powerful radiation and high-velocity stellar winds emanating from the star. WR 134 is approximately five times the Sun's radius, and with a scorching temperature exceeding 63,000 K, it shines with a luminosity 400,000 times greater than that of the Sun.

In 1867, WR 134 was one of three stars in Cygnus noted for their peculiar spectra, marked by prominent emission lines instead of the usual continuum and absorption lines. This distinctive characteristic led to the identification of Wolf-Rayet stars, named after the astronomers Charles Wolf and Georges Rayet who first documented these unique spectral features. WR 134 belongs to the nitrogen-rich category of Wolf-Rayet stars, whereas the other two stars (WR 135 and WR 137) belong to the carbon-rich category and have OB-type companion stars. WR 134’s spectrum is dominated by strong emissions from ionized nitrogen (NIII and NIV) that are two to five times more intense than those from NV, which classifies it as a WN6 type star. Its spectrum also exhibits pronounced HeII emissions, with fainter lines from HeI and CIV.

Good Morning. I miss astrophotography since I moved to Florida. The skies just don't work and it's too humid. In the past, I gathered my own data with sophisticated equipment like many of you on this forum - but no more. In the past I also have had fun processing Hubble Legacy Archive data, and recently I have been having fun with it again to help with the absence of imaging.

This subject caught my eye - NGC 1073 in Cetus. It just seemed quite detailed and appealing (what Hubble images aren't?) and has a couple of quasars in the frame to boot. I didn't deface the image by labeling them, but on the ESA Hubble site https://esahubble.org/images/heic1202b/ they are labeled. Maybe if it is chosen for publication, the capable folks at APOD can do a mouseover.

Two frames from the WCF camera were chosen. The image was assembled using FITS liberator v4 with Asinh set to 1000. Resulting TIFF frames were these: 434nm assigned to both the blue and green channels (since only two wavelengths were available on the archive) and 606nm assigned to red. Processed and polished on the simple software Photoshop Elements.

I think that this image shows how easy it is to produce a decent product with readily available software, so that the average person interested in astronomy can be involved.

Hunter Wilson
https://hwilson.zenfolio.com/f129011888

A song of Ice and Fire! Presenting WR134 in Cygnus!
Title: A Song of Ice and Fire

Although there is anything but icy in this image, the cooler colors of oiii and the fiery hydrogen made me title it this way.

This image has been on my bucket list for over a year. I dedicated around 40 hours of total integration time, with 27 hours focused on the Oxygen band. The result is a mesmerizing display of cosmic beauty!

WR 134 is a Wolf-Rayet star located in the constellation Cygnus, about 6,000 light-years away from Earth. These stars are known for their intense stellar winds, which create stunning nebulae as they shed their outer layers. WR 134 is particularly fascinating because of its strong emission lines and the powerful ultraviolet radiation it emits. This radiation ionizes the surrounding hydrogen gas, causing it to glow and form beautiful, intricate structures.

Links for images:
Astrobin: https://www.astrobin.com/u82twa/
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/devesh_pa ... ool-apods/

Thanks,
Devesh Pande
AstroDarks

LAGOON & TRIFID WIDE FIELD

Sharpstar EDPH 3
ASI 2600MC (-10º) G-101
25X420"
Optolong L-eNhance
ASIAIR Mini
SW SA GTi
Cinctorres (Castelló) Bortle 3/4
3/4 julio 2024
Images Plus/PixInsight + DBeXtract script

Nebulosa Roseta
216x 180 segundos
45x300 segundos
Épsilon180ed
ASI2600mcpro
Emmanuel Delgadillo Jalisco México

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/538 ... f70a_o.jpg

The Blue Phoenix
Mega Colossal NLC over Hungary (Unusual)
Copyright: Rafael Schmall
https://www.astrobin.com/users/Rafeee/

Very spectacular nocturnal luminous clouds appeared over Hungary on 13.07.2021.
At first, only a small part of it was visible and I managed to notice it while driving home from an astrophotography.
But during the photo shoot, the NLC became more and more spectacular, finally it was already visible at the zenith, which is very unusual for Hungary.

Image Details:
Equipment: Canon EOS6D, Rokinon 24mm f/1.4, Manfrotto XPROB
Exif data: 2,5sec ( panorama 10 exposures ), ISO100, f4

Location: Hungary, Kassai ranch

This is a portion of the Veil Nebula in Cygnus. It's imaged frequently, but this is another set of data from the Hubble Legacy Archive processed with FITS Liberator v4 and Photoshop Elements. Again, it illustrates that having fun with data is at the fingertips of everyone with a computer and a love of astronomy.

This is two frames of data stitched together, each composed of 5 wavelengths - 502nm assigned to blue/green, 555nm assigned to blue, 657nm assigned to red, 673nm assigned to green, and 814nm assigned to red. FITS processed with FITS Liberator v4. TIFFS processed and assembled with Photoshop Elements. I had four frames processed and ready to assemble, but the other two didn't lend themselves to a complete picture.

Hunter Wilson

https://hwilson.zenfolio.com/p187515715?customize=3

MW Wady hitan by Wael Omar, on Flickr

There's nothing more I could wish for this night. I reached “Wadi El Hitan” or “Valley of Whales “after 5 hours driving from Home. I was escaping the heavy polluted night sky and finally I was away from nearest city by 55 km.Valley of Whales is a UNESCO world heritage location as it contains invaluable fossil remains of the earliest extinct whales, Archaeoceti. The Preserve is a well-known destination for adventurous people who would like to see the fossils at day and star gazing at night but mostly visits are within the weekend days.I planned to take a new foreground view, I wanted to make it very unique and reveal the special rock formation of that area. That was the reason I don’t choose a weekend day for that trip as I wanted to be alone over there and when I arrived at the main camping location outside the Preserve, I was completely alone. I was right
My day before the night time was fully occupied with scouting locations. I looked up at a mountain outside the preserve and I told myself THIS IS IT , this is the location I want and this cost me to climb a very steep cliff of height 150 meters and distance 1 km up two times to transfer all my astrophotgraphy gears. I was exhausted even before the night come
After climbing the mountain I started to hike the top to get familiar with the location and not get lost during the moonless night , I found a high rock massif that was never imaged or seen closely before , its very steep and looks like and arc with a horn shape ending, The ground was like a Lizard skin, it was so beautiful but very dangerous to get into it if you want to put it in the frame of your camera and this is why its not imaged before. To be in the right spot I had to jump over several solid rocks and pass over slippery sand cliffs then try to walk steady over a narrow passage like a tightrope walker until I finally reached the desired location as I planned. I had a vision of what the final product would look like, but in the end, it came out even better than I expected.You can see the Milkyway arc with its characteristic reddish Nebulae. Above all, the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex - a multi-star system in the Ophiuchus constellation, which is considered to be one of the closest constellations to us ( 360 light years ), and also the most colorful part of the visible sky.During my way back down the mountain ,I slipped and fell down two times and injured my elbow , My leg muscles were screaming , they were about to collapse from the efforts I put on them during the whole night but after I see the images and final stitched panorama I told myself it is absolutely worth every second of pain.
For technical details :
https://astrob.in/ug2dfh/0/

Location: Wady Elhitan , EGYPT.
Credit: Wael Omar WO/ https://www.instagram.com/waelomar_astrophotography/

Sh2- 115 & Abell 71.
Sharpless 115 stands just north and west of Deneb, the alpha star of the constellation Cygnus, the Swan. Noted in the 1959 catalog by astronomer Stewart Sharpless (as Sh2-115) the emission nebula lies along the edge of one of the outer Milky Way's giant molecular clouds, about 7,500 light-years away. Hot stars in star cluster Berkeley 90 power the nebular glow. The cluster stars are likely only 100 million years old or so and are still embedded in Sharpless 115.

The small blueish circular object, is Abell 71. The nebula is also catalogued as PK 085+04.1, PN G084.9+04.4 and SH 2-116. Initially catalogued as a planetary nebula, the object is now recognized as a small patch of HII emission.
Click on above to enlarge.

Full info and higher resolution available @ https://www.kinchastro.com/leading-to-sh2-115.html

The Pleiades - Summer's Return of the Seven Sisters

Location: North Yorkshire
Telescopes: William Optics RedCat51
Cameras: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
Mounts: ZWO AM5
Frames: 64×300″(5h 20′)
Copyright: Hamza Ilyas

Messier 15: Great Pegasus Cluster ( NGC 7078, M15)


BEST DETAILS
https://www.astrobin.com/full/4znthg/0/

EQUIPMENT:
Esprit 150mm triplet
Zwo asi 6200mc
Mount CEM120
Frames 89 x 100""

LOCATION: Munhoz - MG - Brazil
DATES: From 08/08/2023 to 09/24/2023


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

Old Starry Stones (Lot, France)

Copyright: Julien Looten



Old Starry Stones (Lot, France)
Milky Way (and meteor, one of the first perseides of the year ?) from the heights of the Lot (Occitanie, France)

Last night (07/13/2024), I went to the left bank of the Lot, a river located in the southwest of France. Near the village of Albas, about twenty kilometers downstream from Cahors, at the top of a hill covered with vineyards, there is a small stone gariotte (or borie). From there, the view is breathtaking over the entire Lot Valley, with one of its meanders visible from an orientation table a few meters from the hut.

As a reminder, a gariotte is a small dry-stone hut, typical of the Southwest of France (they were mainly used in the Middle Ages). They were once used as shelters by shepherds and farmers.

You may notice in this photo that the site, like the village of Albas, has a real Tuscan feel... yet we are in the heart of France.

After photographing the borie at sunset, I waited for nightfall and moonset to capture images of the Milky Way. Between 1 and 2 am, the conditions were perfect. The Milky Way, our galaxy, stretches to the left of the hut. Just above the roof, you can see Rho Ophiuchi, a star-forming complex located 400 light-years away, remarkable for its multicolored nebulae and brown dust lanes.

To the right of Rho Ophiuchi, a small shooting star passed through the field of view at the moment of the shot. This gives me the opportunity to remind you that it's soon the perfect time to go outside in the evening and watch the Perseid meteors. The Perseids are a meteor shower active every year from mid-July to the end of August, peaking around August 12th.

One should imagine, through the photo, the sounds of crickets and frogs playing a fabulous concert during these starry nights... A timeless moment, far from the turmoil of the world and human folly.

Sigma FP L2-Astronomik - Sigma 28mm f1.4 - pano of 2 tiles (10 x 10s per tile)

https://linktr.ee/julienlootenphotographie

M1-Crab Nebula, 970 Years later in RGB-HOO

Copyright: Hamza Ilyas
Location: London, UK

Given this object is understood to have been reported in July 1054, I thought it apt to honour it this month. Shown here in RGB natural colour - though bolstered by Ha and OIII filters.

Telescopes: Celestron C8 SC XLT · Celestron EdgeHD 9.25"
Cameras: ZWO ASI294MC Pro · ZWO ASI294MM
Mounts: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro

Frames:
Astronomik H-alpha 6nm: 92×300″(7h 40′)
Astronomik L-2 Luminance UV/IR Block: 34×120″(1h 8′)
Astronomik L-2 Luminance UV/IR Block 1.25": 72×180″(3h 36′)
Astronomik L-2 Luminance UV/IR Block 1.25": 24×300″(2h)
Astronomik OIII 6nm: 95×300″(7h 55′)
Integration: 22h 19′

NGC 6164

Here are 2 versions:
HOO RGB and a Starless one.

Full resolution and details:
https://pbase.com/tango33

All the best,

Kfir Simon

https://a4.pbase.com/o12/85/890385/1/17 ... gc6164.jpg
https://a4.pbase.com/o12/85/890385/1/17 ... arles1.jpg