Starship Asterisk*

Interstellar dust in Cepheus and VdB 152


Vdb-152 by Zoran Novak, on Flickr

Copyright: Zoran Novak

Dark shark nebula. Interstellar dust in Cepheus, contains few interesting objects, LDN 1235, VdB 150, VdB 149 and distant galaxy PGC 67671 hidden behind interstellar dust.


LDN 1235 - Dark shark nebula by Zoran Novak, on Flickr

Copyright: Zoran Novak

Greek legend over the Christian chapel
Copyright: Petr Horálek
The chapel on image, captured on 4th August 2016, was built in 1773 in Grun of Beskids mountains and dedicated to St. Mary. Since 2002, the chapel belongs to the Czech national heritage. While the chapel is affected by the Christianity, the sky over it has different stories – Greek legends related to the antique gods. Prominent Cassiopeia constellation, shaped as letter „W“, reminds Ethiopian haughty queen who had to sacrifice her beautiful daughter Andromeda to Kraken monster of angry Poseidon, the god of seas. The beautiful Andromeda was saved by brave Perseus, son of the Zeus. Both of them, Perseus and Andromeda, can be identified as the constellations on the image as well. Perseus is on the left, above the trees. Andromeda is just above the chapel, containing the majestic Andromeda galaxy. A green trail left from the center of the image is Perseid meteor. The chapel is located in relatively young Beskids Dark Sky Park. More and image in higher resolution: http://www.astronom.cz/horalek/?p=2560

Summer stars over the Czech historical observatory
Copyright: Petr Horálek
The Historical part of Czech Astronomical Institutef was built in 1898 by Josef Jan Frič in a small village Ondřejov, located 35 km south-east of Prague. This small observatory was donated to the state of Czechoslovakia, more specifically to Charles University in Prague, in 1928. The site of the Ondřejov Observatory, at an elevation of 500 m in the relatively unpolluted environs of Prague, proved to be well chosen. After the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences was established in 1953, it was merged with the State Astronomical Observatory to create the Astronomical Institute, now belonging to the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. More and image in higher resolution: http://www.astronom.cz/horalek/?p=2550

Fisherman against the storm
Copyright: Petr Horálek
End of the August 2016 brought strong storms over the Czech Republic, Europe. While I was standing on the beach late night of 28th August, a beautiful storm created over the lake, slowly moving towards the north. A fisherman went to check his rodes when a wonderful out-of-clouds flash lighted up. This kind of flash made the image very unusual - with the calm fisherman against the wild storm. More and image in higher resolution: http://www.astronom.cz/horalek/?p=2531

Cocoon Nebula - HaRGB
http://www.far-light-photography.at
Copyright: Arno Rottal
Cocoon Nebula - HaRGB
10x900sec Ha
9x1200sec Ha
each 3x600sec RGB
Moravian G2-8300 on Esprit80.

full resolution:
http://www.astrobin.com/263245/

Lynds Bright Nebula 437 and Sh2-126
http://www.mauricetoet.nl
Copyright: Maurice Toet

This is in Lacerta (the Lizard) roughly halfway between Deneb and the Andromeda Galaxy. This area of the sky isn't imaged very often. LBN 437 is the dense (relatively speaking!) S-shaped molecular cloud just to the top right of the image centre. You might even recognise a lizard in it, making it a lizard in the Lizard. Sh2-126 is the red emission nebula. Technical details can be found on my website.

IC 166, Lynds Dark Nebula 1332, 1334, 1337 - 1339 & 1341 - 1348, NGC 654, Van den Bergh 6, NGC 663, NGC 659 and M103
http://www.mauricetoet.nl
Copyright: Maurice Toet

Dark nebulae and star clusters in a rarefied molecular cloud. Old versus new: IC 166 (the cluster with densely packed yellow stars) is 1 Gyr old while NGC 654, NGC 663, NGC 659 and M103 are 10 - 20 Myr old. Technical details can be found on my website.

NGC6727: With a stick like this, Yoda appears to walk very slowly ...

Iris nebula with DSRL
Copyright: Andrea Pistocchini

Shark nebula with DSRL
Copyright: Andrea Pistocchini

M27 - The Dumbbell Nebula
http://www.azstarman.net
Copyright: Bernard Miller

IC5057 - The Pelican Nebula in narrowband
http://azstarman.net
Copyright: Bernard Miller

NGC 5363 / NGC 5364 Galaxy Group
http://www.distant-lights.at/ngc5363-2016_05_07.htm
Copyright: Thomas Henne

Eta Carinae Nebula


Eta Carinae Nebula by Artem, on Flickr

LDN 1251 with DSRL
Copyright: Andrea Pistocchini

van den Bergh 136: A Rare Yellow Flower
http://www.buckeyestargazer.net/Pages/N ... vdB136.php
Copyright: Joel Short

M31 Andromeda Galaxy
http://observatorioelche.blogspot.com.e ... curos.html
Copyright: Juan Lozano de Haro

Roughly 4X6 degrees centered on Deneb in Cygnus at 20h 41m +45d 16m. The image includes the Pelican Nebula at the lower right. North is to the left. This image was acquired over several nights July 5-12, 2016.

This image was processed to highlight the hydrogen, SII nebula to the north, left, of Deneb. In doing this the stars of that area were supressed. An additional intent was to highlight what appears to be a blue reflective nebula around Deneb. This blue nebula is in addition to the Halpha and dust nebula in that area. The image was framed in an attempt to balance the image with the very popular Pelican nebula without distracting from the lesser known subjects.

higher resolution image at: http://www.astrobin.com/full/256492/0/

copyright: Dave Erickson
http://www.hbastro.com

Copyrights: Raul Villaverde Fraile
NGC7293_halfa by Raul Villaverde, en Flickr

Double Cluster in Perseus
http://www.stefanofocosi.altervista.org ... _2016.html
Hi res: http://www.stefanofocosi.altervista.org ... 6_HiHi.jpg
Copyright: Stefano Focosi

crepuscular rays the moon between an oak

Rothkko wrote:sunspots #hot

mérida, spain. 2016-09-06, 44'3 ºC. 20:45, 34'5 ºC

equiv 640mm, tv 1/60, av 5.6, iso 100, saharan dust filter, visible 70'2 % (cropped 29'8 %). record temperature in september
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2X8r_XEGY3g/ ... 600/SK.gif
see also http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php? ... 00#p261560

sunspots II equiv 640mm, tv 1/8000, av 13, iso 100
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a4qJyf1VdAk/ ... 600/sk.gif

LDN 1251
Copyright: Sebastiano Recupero



Full resolution: http://www.astrobin.com/full/263752/C/?real=&mod=

LDN1251 is an elongated molecular cloud on the eastern edge of the Cepheus molecular cloud complex, an extended region containing giant molecular clouds and very young and bright blue stars associations. It is one of the closest star-forming regions to us and it appears considerably obscured, especially as regards the OB associations, by extensive dark nebulae placed along our line of sight. The comet shape of LDN1251 suggests that it is in interaction with the large super-bubble caused by the explosion of a supernova. Its distance from us has been determined in various ways and different emission lines have been detected, such as the 13CO, the SiO, NH3, HCN and others. Two small galaxies are visible in the field, PGC69472 e PGC166755, just near the edge of the cloud body, along with numerous Herbig-Haro objects, visible as small patches of nebulosity associated with newly born stars.

Image details
Telescope: FSQ-106EDX3 @f/3.6
Camera: QSI 683 wsg8
Filters: Astrodon Gen2 Tru-Balance LRGB
Mount: Paramount MyT
Integration: L:R:G:B —> 32:14:16:15 x 600s, total: 12h 50m
Data acquired in 4 nights:
July 30-31, 2016, from Starparty dalle Madonie, Italy
August 5-6, 2016, from Nebrodi mountains, Italy
Software: Voyager, PixInsight.

The Milky Way under moonlight in wharariki beach
As a windows10 desktop wallpaper which The South Island of New Zealand most north of the beach wharariki that Attracts countless photographers waiting at sunset shine,But my love is still in the dark to take pictures of stars.There are three difficulties to be overcome in the sky,the first one is have enough courage in the dark night, with 30 minutes walk to the beach and I have a portable camera equipment,four camera lens,The Mac Pro,the instrument and battery tripod accessories such as number, weight of your brain can make up their own；the second one is the accurate calculation of time and tide when the tide rises the Milky Way range, not only to pay attention to the foot of the surging wave, but also beware of being the wind blowing sand lost eyes and mouth and nose；the third one is sea clouds come on, in the shortest time to complete the composition of the shot, the photographer is a big test of the value of experience,again kneel thanks New Zealand perfect transparent air, in order to realize my dream of the sea moonlight Galaxy.

Well,how i take it?
the shooting parameters i write are only suggestions:30s + 35mm + f2.5 + iso1600 x 24,and the camera is Nikon D810a.used Photoshop and PTGui to complete this photo.

copyright:alvin wu
email:412924302@qq.com
flickr URL:https://www.flickr.com/photos/awuphoto/ ... ed-public/
facebook:https://www.facebook.com/AwuNP/photos/a ... =3&theater