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Orion's Radiant Echo: A Celestial Bond

My name is Ali Alobaidly

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


Orion's Radiant Echo: A Celestial Bond by Ali Alobaidly, on Flickr
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/534 ... 7c15_k.jpg

Image description:

In the vast Kuwaiti desert, beneath a star-studded canvas, a 382mm telescope aimed at the heart of Orion can be a transcendent experience. The Orion Nebula, a stellar nursery, unfurls its cosmic tapestry through 17 hours of imaging—capturing both the broadband and the ethereal Hydrogen Alpha emissions. Orion, the mighty hunter, graced the ancient skies, revered by Arab astronomers for centuries. His presence was not merely myth; it was an enduring connection to the celestial wonders above. In the ancient Arab world, Orion held significance as a guide across the vast desert, a constellation embraced in stories and navigation. A resonance of ancient wisdom can still be felt in the modern era as Arab astrophotographers, heirs to the ancient stargazers, continue the tradition. I and many others can attest to it. Through advanced equipment and techniques, intricacies of Orion’s nebula brides the gap between ancient lore and contemporary exploration. 1,344 ± 20 light-years away, the crown jewel of the Milky Way spans 24 light-years of space, and so the celestial bond echoes through time and stands as a testament to the timeless curiosity that unites all those who wander.



Acquisition details:

Dates: December 13, 2023 · December 14, 2023 · December 15, 2023



Frames:

RGB with a One-Shot Colour Camera: 207×180s (10h21’)

Hydrogen- Alpha With a Mono Camera: 31x300s (7h35')



Setup:
Telescope: WO GT81 + small guide scope + WO Flat6A III 0.8x Reducer / Flattener
Mount: ZWO AM5
Imaging Cameras: ASI2600MM pro + ASI2600MC pro
Guiding Camera : ASI120MM-S for guiding

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/534 ... 3af2_b.jpg

Hi guys, I've always liked this picture and always wanted to, but I thought the light pollution would spoil the picture and it would be a wasted night, so I always used prime focus. This time I decided to go for it, and although I had to fight a lot against the LP, in the end I had a great time processing it, the main conclusion I have come to is that I must buy a quality lens, we'll see if Santa has pity on my soul next weekend hehe.
I hope you like it
Regards
INFO:
Mount: SW SA
Camera & Lense: Canon 550D + EF 50mm STM 1.8
Exposure: (60x30")+(30x60")+(12x300")+(6x600") f/3.5 ISO 200 RGB
(35x300") F/1.8 ISO 1600 w OPTOLONG L-Extreme
Capture: Backyard EOS 3.2
Calibration, stacking & HDR: Images Plus 6.5
Porcessing: PixInsight 1.8.9
Location: Cinctorres (Castellón-Spain) Bortle 4/5
Date: 2023/12/15>17

MINERAL MOON

MORE DETAILS
https://www.astrobin.com/full/dqhfej/0/?mod=&real=

EQUIPMENT:
ZWO ASI 6200MC COLED
Esprit 150mm
Baader Lunar Filter

Date: 12/18/2023
Location: Munhoz - MG - Brazil


PROCESSING AND CAPTURE: Software: Adobe Photoshop, SharpCap, AutoStakkert AutoStackert and Registax 6.
Copyright: Fernando Oliveira de Menezes
Email: Barretosmed@hotmail.com
(Organizing author of the book Astrofotografia Amadora no Brasil)
https://clubedeautores.com.br/livro/ast ... -no-brasil

The Old Man and Polaris

Location: The Stone Forest, Bulgaria
Date: 12.12.23
Story: Gazing into the night sky and spotting the North Star, you're actually looking at Polaris. It's not only the most luminous star in the Ursa Minor constellation (the Little Dipper), but its proximity to the north celestial pole (less than 1° away) renders it valuable for orienteering and navigation. Myth and science intertwine, as Polaris also symbolizes Santa's home, our most favorite old man in the entire planet.
Copyright: Rositsa Dimitrova
Website: http://tripswithrosie.com
Instagram: http://instagram.com/tripswithrosie

RCW 16
RCW (RCW stands for Rodgers, Campbell, and Whiteoak) catalogues a series of emission nebulae found in the southern hemisphere. RCW 16, in particular, is a stunning and intricate emission nebula located in the constellation Ara in the Milky Way.

RCW 16 is an active star-forming region characterized by the presence of young, massive stars. These stars emit intense ultraviolet radiation that ionizes the surrounding hydrogen gas, causing it to glow and emit light. This emission gives RCW 16 its vibrant appearance when observed through telescopes.
The nebula showcases various structures, including intricate filaments, pillars, and dense regions of gas and dust. These features are indicative of ongoing processes of star birth and the interaction of these newborn stars with the surrounding interstellar medium.

Imaged with the Planewave CDK 24, QHY 600M camera, and Astrodon 3nm filters from El Sauce Observatory in Chile on May 5th, 2023.
Image Robert G. Lyons/Telescope Live

The Bubble Nebula in the constellation, Cassiopeia. The bubble is formed from the stellar wind coming from a star about 45 times larger than our own. I shot this from Vancouver, Canada, all the way back in August 2023, over 6 nights, for a total of 28 hours of total exposure. I used my Celestron Edge HD 8", with 0.7x reducer, ASI533 MM Pro, Antlia 3nm SHO filters, and Antlia RGB filters for the stars.

This is a wide-field view of Orion’s belt featuring the Flame, Horse Head, Running Man, and Orion Nebulae.
Imaged from Vancouver, BC on the nights of November 22nd and 23rd, 2023. I used my Sony A7R, Antlia Triband filter, and Altair 4nm Duoband.

The attached image was done from my driveway in Ellicott City, Maryland under Bortle 6 night sky. My neighbor showed me an article from ARSTechnica about the nebula so I thought I would give it a try. I originally tried with my Celestron EdgeHD 9.25 and ASI2600MC but the field of view wasn't enough to capture the whole nebula. So, I used my REDCAT 71 and ASI1600mm PRO to capture subs from three different filters (60 - Ha, 66 - Sii, 64 - Oiii) over three nights in December 2023 for almost 16 hours of imaging. Post-processing was about 8 hours.

Garlic Nebula (CTB-1)
December 14-16, 2023
Ellicott City, MD
Imaging Telescope: REDCAT 71
Imaging Camera: ASI1600mm Pro
Mount: SkyWatcher SkyWatcher EQ6-R Pro
Guiding Telescope: ZWO Mini Guider Scope
Guiding Camera: ASI290mm Mini
Filters: Ha Sii Oiii
Controller/Capture: N.I.N.A., PHD2
Processed in DSS, Pixinsight with NoiseXTerminator & StarXTerminator,
Photoshop CC with Topaz Sharpen AI
Frames/Subs
Lights 190 x 300 sec
Darks 20 x 300 sec
Flats 60 per filter
Total lights integration time: 15:50 hours

The Flaming Star Nebula (IC 405) is an emission and reflection nebula
approximately 1,500 light-years away. The nebula illuminated by the
hot blue variable star AE Aurigea.

The Tadpole Nebula (IC 410) is approximately 12,400 light-years away.
The tadpoles are gas globules, small dense knots of dust and gas that
give birth to young stars.

Ref: constellation-guide.com

Although it is one of the most recognizable star groupings on the sky, Orion's icons don't look quite as colorful to the eye as they do to a camera. In this shot, cool red giant Betelgeuse takes on a strong orange tint as the brightest star at the upper left. Orion's hot blue stars are numerous, with supergiant Rigel balancing Betelgeuse at the lower right, and Bellatrix at the upper right Lined up in Orion's belt are three stars all about 1,500 light-years away, born from the constellation's well-studied interstellar clouds. Below Orion's belt a reddish and fuzzy patch that might also look familiar -- the stellar nursery known as Orion's Nebula. Finally, just barely visible to the unaided eye but quite striking here by camera is Barnard's Loop -- a huge gaseous emission nebula surrounding Orion's Belt and Nebula discovered over 100 years ago by the pioneering Orion photographer E. E. Barnard.

Molecular cloud and NGC 7223 in lacerta constellation

Location:
Al Salmi desert, Kuwait (Bortle 6).

Acquisition details
Ha 40x600” ( 6hr 40min)
L 23x600” ( 3hr 50min)
R 15x300” ( 1hr 15min)
G 15x300” ( 1hr 15min)
B 20x300” ( 1hr 40min)

Total integration time 14hr 40min

Gears:
M: Sirius EQ-g
T: WO Z81 w/0.8x reducer
C: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro
F: Antlia

The Flying Bat and Squid Nebulae
Direct link to full res image: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/534 ... 296d_o.jpg

This is 110 hours 6 min of HaOiiiRGB exposure from a Bortle 9 zone. Captured using a 6" f/4 newtonian + ASI1600, on an Orion Sirius mount.

Additional acquisition/processing info can be found in the photo description: https://www.flickr.com/photos/leftysast ... 3414467623

The Wizard Nebula
Direct link to full res image: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/533 ... d6ce_o.jpg

This is 12hours 48min of OSH exposure from a Bortle 9 zone. Captured using a 6" f/4 newtonian + ASI1600, on an Orion Sirius mount.

Additional acquisition/processing info can be found in the photo description: https://www.flickr.com/photos/leftysast ... 3392676645

Pelican Nebula (IC 5067 in SHO Palette)
After lugging my entire telescope setup from inside my house out to my front yard in suburbia on 13 different nights, I came away with a 41+ hour SHO close-up of the Pelican Nebula (IC 5067). Not a light lift, but I think it's worth it!

An SHO Pelican Nebula Close-Up (IC 5067) by The Heavens Declare, on Flickr

Image Details:
-S: 98x600sec
-H: 69x600sec
-O: 83x600sec
(41+ hours total of integration, as well as Darks, Flats, and Dark Flats)

Acquisition/Processing Details:
-Acquired in Virginia, United States (August - November 2023)
-Scope: Meade LX200 10" ACF w/ 0.62 Optec Lepus reducer
-Mount: Celestron CGX with OAG (ZWO 174mm mini with helical focuser)
-Imaging Camera: ZWO 533mm pro
-Filters: 5nm Hydrogen Alpha, 5nm Sulfur, 3nm Oxygen III (all Astrodon 1.25" mounted)
-Acquisition Software: NINA and PhD2
-Stacking and Processing: PixInsight

Quick image of the Orion Nebula (M42) while testing communication stability between my inside computer and my iOptron CEM70EC-NUC mount.

Orion Nebula (M42)
December 15, 2023
Ellicott City, MD
Imaging Telescope: Celestron EdgeHD 9.25" with .7 focal reducer
Imaging Camera: ASI2600MC Pro
Mount: SkyWatcher iOptron CEM70
Guiding Telescope: ZWO Mini Guider Scope
Guiding Camera: ASI290mm Mini
Filters: L Ultimate
Controller/Capture: N.I.N.A
Processed in DSS, PixInsight, Photoshop CC
Frames/Subs
Lights 40 x 90 sec per filter
Darks 20 x 90 sec
Flats 60 per filter
Bias 60 x .001 sec
Total lights integration time: 1 hour

The Twin Stones...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/julienlooten/
Copyright: Julien LOOTEN





Last weekend (12/17/2023) I ventured to a rather unusual place... Although far from Brittany (France) and its many megalithic sites, Pas-de-Calais (France) is home to several similar sites, where you can discover standing stones, commonly known as "menhirs".

These include the "Pierres Jumelles" or "Pierres du Diable", not far from Arras. These two imposing menhirs date back to the Neolithic era, a period marked by the sedentarization of man and the development of animal husbandry and agriculture. The precise function of these stones remains enigmatic.

The largest sandstone block reaches 3.3m. Its imposing weight - eight tonnes - prompts reflection on the considerable effort required to transport it from the surrounding hills to its present location. Several local legends have the power to explain this age-old feat...

Moreover, photographing such places alone at night is a singular experience. When these ancient structures are associated with a starry sky, the mysterious character of the place is intensified.

The photograph reveals the Milky Way emerging from the two stones. The summer triangle of Deneb, Altair and Vega is clearly visible (at the end of autumn..), disappearing rapidly after sunset. The reddish hue in the Milky Way corresponds to the constellation Cygnus, home to numerous nebulae.

On the horizon, greenish and yellowish bands reveal the presence of "airglow", an atmospheric phenomenon I had captured at Château de Losse the previous winter.

Although the moon is invisible in the photo, you can easily imagine it on the left of the image, casting enough light to create the shadow of the menhir on the ground.

Panorama of 9 tiles (10 x 12s per tile) - Sigma 28mm f.1.4 - Canon 6d Astrodon - Ciel Bortle 4/5

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/j.looten/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/Julien.Looten.Photographie/

Artemis and Apollo by Daniele Bonfiglio, su Flickr

I have just submitted to the APOD this photographic work that I have been thinking of since a long time, and it is now reality.
Composite image with the Moon and Sun half disks facing each other. Both moon and sun have been captured the same day, the 19h of December, with the Moon close to 50% illumination, from Montagnana (Italy). The colour of the sky is realistic taken from the Moon shot before sunset.

Suggested title:
Artemis and Apollo, sister Moon and brother Sun

Setup for the Moon:
Skywatcher AZ-GTi mount
Skywatcher Maksutov-Cassegrain 127/1500 telescope
Fujifilm X-T30 camera
Stack of still images with 1/80s exposure time and ISO800

Setup for the Sun:
Skywatcher AZ-GTi mount
80mm f6 achromat refractor
Daystar Quark filter taken from a Solar Scout DS
Fujifilm X-T30 camera
Stack of videos with 1/100s exposure time and ISO640
2 panels mosaic

Best, Daniele

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daniele.bonfiglio.astropics/

Stephan's Quintet- Don't they look a bit like Christmas Teee ornaments?
As the name suggestes this is a complex 5 galaxy group, where some galaxies are violently colliding and will likely merge together eventually. The orange coloured galaxies have a physical association, a true galaxy group, known as Hickson Compact Group 92.
Estimates place them 290 million light years away (!!) The blueish galaxy is much closer and is not connected to the others, only 40 million light years away.
These galaxies are located in the constellation Pegasus not far from the big galaxy in my last image NGC7331. This little grouping is often placed in a mosaic with that Deer Lick group.

Shot December 20th 2023
NGC7320, 7320c, 7318a 7318b 7319 and 7317 Also known as HCG92 and ARP319
Celestron C11 scope 0.7x reducer at 1960mm focal length
4 hours of 180 seconds Luminance data ( ASI 2600MM)
3 hours of RBG data from 2022 (ASI 2600MC)
Processed with bias, dark and flat frames (taken twice due to light leak)
Guided with the Celestron OAG and the ASI174MM
Processed with Pixinsight, Photoshop with some Star Spikes added for fun.
Merry Christmas everyone!





Stephan's Quintet by Andrea Girones, on Flickr

NGC 1333 (or the Embryo Nebula) from a Bortle 1 - 31.5 hours total with the RASA 8 and ASI2600MC, no filters.

NGC 1333 is a reflection nebula in the constellation Perseus, it is also known as the Embryo Nebula. This is a bright but small object surrounded by thick interstellar dust clouds, with some of them being so thick that they completely hide the light behind them.

The Embryo nebula is part of the Perseus Molecular Cloud, which is why you can see so much dust in the background of our image. NGC 1333 is one of the best-studied regions of active star formation, and is fairly young compared to others. Within the nebula lie several star clusters which help make the gasses in the vicinity bright and colorful.

NGC 1333, with Barnard 1 and Barnard 2, is part of the L1450 dark cloud, also known as Barnard 205.

More info: https://www.galactic-hunter.com/post/ngc-1333

NGC 1333 - The Embryo Nebula

GEAR USED:
Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC

Telescope: RASA8
Mount: 10Micron GM2000HPS

Guiding: N/A

Processing: PixInsight

ACQUISITION DETAILS:

Total Exposure Time: 31.5 hours

Exposure Time per frame: 300 seconds

Filters: N/A

Gain: 100


Credit:
Antoine and Dalia Grelin
http://www.galactic-hunter.com/

POLAR STRATOSPHERIC CLOUDS

Copyright: Alan C Tough

For the last four days very rare Polar Stratospheric (Nacreous) Clouds have been spotted all over the UK (and now continental Europe). On January 21st I was able to follow them for the entire day through gaps in the tropospheric cloud. This shot was taken about an hour before sunset.

Highest resolution image is here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/7776810@N07/53412517239/

NGC 3766 - Pearl Cluster - Open Cluster

BEST DETAILS
https://www.astrobin.com/full/3t294o/0/

EQUIPMENT:
Esprit 150mm triplet
Zwo asi 6200mc
Mount CEM120
Frames 86X100"

LOCATION: Munhoz - MG - Brazil
DATE: 05/29/2023

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

Author: Fernando Oliveira de Menezes
Email: Barretosmed@hotmail.com

Merry Christmas

Dear friends, I leave here in advance my sincere merry Christmas to all, may God enlighten and make a year full of achievements at all. In this medium of astrophotography I met wonderful people, friends, partners and very welcoming.

I anticipate my merry Christmas, because I will be away for a few days, so I made through the junction of two images my astronomical Christmas tree



Here in this image times:
1) cone nebula (Christmas tree): captured during the meeting in Mato Grosso: https://www.astrobin.com/full/332122/0/
2) Comet 46p / Wirtaner (would be the light at the tip of the star: https://www.astrobin.com/full/381842/0/

Some artificial spikes were placed to simulate Christmas balls.

Equipment

1) cone: Apo 80mm ts + cen60ec + asi1600mm + baader LRGB
20 * 150 "GB + 10 * 300" halpha + L
2) Comet 46p: Canon 6D + smarteq: 15 * 60 "

Chapada dos Guimarães - MT
Jales - SP

Orion molecular cloud complex

Nikon Z6a (h-alpha mod) + Nikkor Z 85mm F/1.8 S
56x120'' F/2.5 ISO 800
Location: Monti Sibillini (Italy)

Credits: Michele Guzzini

Dear All,

SETUP & SHOOTING DATA:
16 July 2023, Bortle 4 (sqm 22.5)
ASI 533MC Pro (gain 101, offset 40, -10°C)
ZWO OAG & ASI 120MM for guiding
TS Photoline APO 60/360mm with 1X flattener
EQM-35 Pro
Total acquisition 1.4 hours

California Nebula NGC 1499

Ha 20 x 600” (3hr 20min)
Oiii 20 x 600” (3hr 20min)
Sii 23 x 600” (3hr 50min)
R 20 x 30” (10min)
G 20 x 30” (10min)
B 20 x 30” (10min)

Total integration time - (11hr 00min)

Gears:
M: Sirius EQ-g
T: Sharpstar 15028
C: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro
F: Antlia

https://www.astrobin.com/full/kwi8lp/0/