Starship Asterisk*

vdB 55
better resolution: https://www.astrobin.com/full/5yhsai/0/

(c) Patrick Winkler

NGC 1977
better resolution: https://www.astrobin.com/full/1bya0g/0/

(c) Patrick Winkler

NGC 2997
better resolution: https://www.astrobin.com/full/7rqq8x/0/

(c) Patrick Winkler

Hello

Here is my submission:

Polaris IFN with some friends lost in the dust



Link with access to details and full res :

https://www.astrobin.com/3yekig/

Blue 4×300,″(20′)
Blue 15×600,″(2h 30′)
Green : 5×300,″(25′)
Green: 21×600,″(3h 30′)
Red : 4×300,″(20′)
Red : 21×600,″(3h 30′)
Lum : 8×300,″(40′)
Lum : 20×600,″(3h 20′)
Intégration: 14h 35′

Integrated Flux Nebulae (IFN) are extremely faint, diffuse structures of interstellar dust illuminated by the integrated flux of nearby stars. These nebulae are challenging to observe and photograph due to their low surface brightness, making them elusive in traditional visual observations.

These IFN are predominantly composed of microscopic particles such as carbon and silicate dust, scattered throughout the interstellar medium. Unlike traditional emission or reflection nebulae, IFN does not emit light itself but becomes visible through the scattering of starlight by the dust grains it contains. This scattered light creates a subtle glow that can be detected only with quite long-exposure. Despite there isn't actually a map of where to find IFNs, some places are well known, like this one around Polaris.

I wish I could have chosen better exposure times. 600s is too much for this target, so the core was saturated. Even the 300" ones were too long. Even with the HDR composition the core was still saturated in a tiny zone around center

I aimed to create, with this image, an impression of softness combined with a certain icy atmosphere, unconsciously referencing the "Polar," while maintaining saturated stars, which are almost the sole contributors of color to this ambiance.
There are also tiny gems hidden in the dusts, like NGC3172.

Hope you enjoy it.

The Dolphin Head Nebula SH2-308

https://www.facebook.com/tommaso.m.stella
Copyright: Tommaso Stella
From: Taranto (Italy)

Total integration: 12,5h

Technical data

Sky: OIII Stigliano (MT) SQM 21.2, Ha Valle degli Ulivi (TA) SQM 20.5
Lights: 75x300s Ha + 73x300s OIII
Setup: TS APO triplet 102/714@564mm, QHY 294 Pro mono, AZEQ6 GT, Optolong Ha/OIII 3nm

Touching Rho Ophiuchi.
Copyright: Marcelo Maturana Rodríguez (@matuutex)
Location: Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park, Lakes Region, Chile
Date: 07 September 2021

The Llanquihue National Reserve is one of the oldest protected wild areas in the country, it was created in 1912 and is located in the Andes mountain range, in the province of Llanquihue, communes of Puerto Varas, Puerto Montt and Cochamó, in the Region . of Los Lagos. Geographically it is located west of the Reloncaví estuary, in the mountainous area it extends north of Lake Chapo.
It is part of the Temperate Rain Forests of the Southern Andes Biosphere Reserve.

We can appreciate the impact on the vegetation and its erosion, resulting from the eruption of the Calbuco volcano in 2015.

Instagram: @matuutex
Nikon d5600, Tokina lens 14/20mm f2
14mm f2 iso 1600 20 segs
180 degrees Panorama

Touching Rho Ophiuchi by Marcelo Maturana, en Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/535 ... 23a5_h.jpg

The Angel Nebula and the dust clouds of Monoceros
contain many interesting deep sky objects, principally NGC 2170 which is often interchangeable as a name.
NGC 2182, NGC2167 can also be seen in this deep, wide field shot. I also wanted to include VdB70 which is the red disk seen at the top right in this image.
This is the first image I've completed since having surgery in January, and it amazed me how much energy that sapped ! Many evenings I was too tired to care and with some pesky problems with my mount, I found that my problem solving skills were at an all time low.
However, that has now improved dramatically and my mojo has returned
The angel is getting lower and lower in the sky so I don't think I'll have chance to add more data this season, so this image is plain RGB.

Tech stuff:
Telescope Takahashi FSQ 106 EDX4
Mount A-P 1100 GTO AE
QHY 600 camera and QHY Filter wheel
Chroma RGB Filters
Nitecrawler Focuser
Eagle 4 Pro computer
Red 15 x15 min, Green 12 x 15 min, Blue 16 x 15 min
Location : Animas , NM, USA
Processed in Pixinsight and Photoshop

About me: My name is Rod Prazeres, an amateur astrophotographer from Brisbane, Australia. I started my Astrophotography journey in July 2023, and have been more and more excited about the journey ahead. It’s a steep learning curve but I am enjoying every step of the way - except the cloudy nights.

Today we're diving on my first target of 2024 - the Seagull Nebula, a fascinating spectacle in the winter sky. Located on the border between the constellations Monoceros and Canis Major, this nebula offers a stunning view resembling a seagull in flight.

Compressed Images attached. Full size image can be found here:
Cropped version: https://www.astrobin.com/s6dur4/
Full Size version: https://www.astrobin.com/s6dur4/0/
3D animation here: https://www.instagram.com/p/C3IxCncseC_/


Equipment used:

Imaging Telescopes: William Optics RedCat 51 II
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro


Acquisition details

Dates:
Jan. 3 - 5, 2024
Jan. 13 - 15, 2024
Jan. 20 - 22, 2024

Frames:
Antlia 3nm Narrowband H-alpha 36 mm: 85×300″(7h 5′) (gain: 100.00) -5°C bin 1×1
Antlia 3nm Narrowband Oxygen III 36 mm: 112×300″(9h 20′) (gain: 100.00) -5°C bin 1×1
Antlia 3nm Narrowband Sulfur II 36 mm: 64×300″(5h 20′) (gain: 100.00) -5°C bin 1×1

Integration:
21h 45′

Bortle 6

Stacked in DeepSkyStacker and processed in PixInsight

Social Media:

Astrobin: https://www.astrobin.com/users/deepskyjourney/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deepskyjourney
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@deepskyjourney

About me: My name is Rod Prazeres, an amateur astrophotographer from Brisbane, Australia. I started my Astrophotography journey in July 2023, and have been more and more excited about the journey ahead. It’s a steep learning curve but I am enjoying every step of the way - except the cloudy nights.

While some may process this image in SHO or using a beautiful red palette in HOO, I decided to combine the best of both worlds. I processed this image in Foraxx SHO, which gave it a really nice red wavelength, but darkened the more subtle parts of the nebula. So I also processed a SHO version of the image highlight those dim areas, then I used the SHO as a luminosity layer and combined the two, which brought those dim areas to life. The result is a portrait of the Carina Nebula that not only captures its inherent beauty but also highlights the photographer’s innovative spirit in the face of astronomical photography’s challenges.

Compressed Image attached. Full size image can be found here:
HQ Version: https://www.astrobin.com/22veif/B/
3D animation here: https://www.astrobin.com/eclxqv/ -> I also strongly recommend you watch this 3D animation of my image. In it, I zoom in and highlight the explosion of colours, the dark nebulosity and intricate details.


Equipment used:

Imaging Telescopes: William Optics RedCat 51 II
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro


Acquisition details

Dates:
Jan. 25 - 26, 2024
Jan. 31 - Feb. 4, 2024

Frames:
Antlia 3nm Narrowband H-alpha 36 mm: 58×300″(4h 50′) (gain: 100.00) -5°C bin 1×1
Antlia 3nm Narrowband Oxygen III 36 mm: 52×300″(4h 20′) (gain: 100.00) -5°C bin 1×1
Antlia 3nm Narrowband Sulfur II 36 mm: 73×300″(6h 5′) (gain: 100.00) -5°C bin 1×1

Integration:
15h 15′

Bortle 6

Stacked in DeepSkyStacker and processed in PixInsight

Social Media:

Astrobin: https://www.astrobin.com/users/deepskyjourney/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deepskyjourney
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@deepskyjourney

"The Witch"

The Witch by Ahmed Waddah, on Flickr

This is the Witch Head Nebula in HaRGB, a reflection nebula in the constellation Eridanus, the nebula is believed to be an ancient supernova remnant or gas cloud illuminated by the superstar Rigel in the constellation of Orion. I had imaged this target a couple of times before, but I really wanted to capture it in mono. I imaged the target over 6 nights in January and February. After collecting my RGB data and processing the data I decided to add Ha data instead of Luminance to add more red the background of the Witch Head and make it pop against the background. I did use a synthetic luminance from the combined RGB. Also data was drizzled x2 to enhance details. I am very satisfied with the result I got, and I must have processed the data like 8 times before reaching this final edit. I am glad to share this with the astro community.

Each month I travel 4 hours outside of Cairo to a Bortle 2 location in Al Fayoum desert to do my astrophotography. So I do 2-4 imaging nights each month when cloud condition allows.

Image title: "The Witch"

Gear & data acquisition Info:

William Optics Redcat 51ZWO ASI2600MM ProZWO AM5Filters: Antlia 3nm Narrowband H-alpha 2" · Antlia V-Pro Blue 2" · Antlia V-Pro Green 2" · Antlia V-Pro Red 2"

Software: Adobe Photoshop · Aries Productions Astro Pixel Processor (APP) · Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight

I stack each channel in APP, process it in PI and finalize in Photoshop. 

Dates: Jan. 6 - 7, 2024 - Jan. 11 - 12, 2024 - Feb. 7 - 8, 2024
Location: Alfayoum Desert, Egypt

Frames:

Antlia 3nm Narrowband H-alpha 2": 117×300″(9h 45′)Antlia V-Pro Blue 2": 71×300″(5h 55′)Antlia V-Pro Green 2": 72×300″(6h)Antlia V-Pro Red 2": 72×300″(6h)Integration: 27h 40′

Astrobin  https://www.astrobin.com/hjzk16/

Ahmed Waddah

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

NGC 3521 - The Bubble Galaxy and surrounding stellar streams



NGC 3521 - The Bubble Galaxy and surrounding stellar streams by .zombi., on Flickr

TELESCOPE LIVE CHI-1-CMOS

Imaging Telescopes: Planewave CDK24
Imaging Cameras: QHYCCD QHY600 Pro M
Mounts: Mathis Instruments MI-1000/1250

Frames:
L: 30×300″ (2h 30′)
R: 32×300″ (2h 40′)
G: 32×300″ (2h 40′)
B: 36×300″ (3h)

Photographic technique: LRGB
Integration: 10h 50′

Dates: January/February, 2024
Location: Rio Hurtado valley, Chile

Description: NGC 3521 is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Leo, about 26 million light-years away from Earth. It has unusual “flocculent” arms that are irregular and fragmented. This means that its spiral arms are not smooth and continuous, but consist of many dust clouds and young star clusters. These arms create a beautiful contrast with the bright and round core of the galaxy, which contains a region of H II and low ionization. NGC 3521 also has streams of stars that originated from smaller galaxies that it absorbed in the past. NGC 3521 was discovered in 1784 by the famous astronomer William Herschel

Image processed by Przemysław Ząbczyk, original data from Telescope Live

Links to my other photos:
http://www.astrobin.com/users/zombi
https://www.astropolis.pl/tags/zombi

HDW 3
Click on above to enlarge.

Full info @ https://www.kinchastro.com/hdw-3.html

“Atardecer” de luna llena

Fecha: 23/02/2024 - 20:04
Ubicación: Cerro Arequita, Minas, Lavalleja, Uruguay
Datos Exif: Sony a7iv - lente Sony 100-400 GM - 20s / f4.5 / ISO 400 a 104 mm
Creador: Daniel Facelli
Instagram: @danielfacelli
Full image
https://photonoa.blob.core.windows.net/ ... ras-ps.jpg
Muchas gracias.

NGC 6888 Crescent Nebula by Andre van der Hoeven, on Flickr

Unique Bubble in Lower's Nebula
Sharpless 2-261 is a faint emission nebula located near the outer edge of the Orion arm of our Milky Way Galaxy. Named for the father-son team of astronomers who discovered it in 1939, it is simply classified as an HII region. It is energized by a rogue O-type star identified as HD41997 travelling rapidly through the surrounding material. It contains a unique multi-layered bubble or shock wave forming in the center of this nebula. It appears similar to bubbles formed around Wolf-Rayet stars but no such stars are known in this area.

Stellarvue SVX127D scope
QHY268M Camera
Astronomik Ha, Oiii, and Sii filters
12.5hrs total integration

Venus-Mars conjunction
Venus and Mars will align in the sky, passing 38' to the north of each other

At roughly the same moment, the two objects will make a close approach, known as an appulse.

Venus-Mars Conjunction by osama Fathi, on Flickr

Venus-Mars Conjunction by osama Fathi, on Flickr

the black desert, Egypt

23-24 Feb 2024

Gears:
Nikon Z6 (Mod), Skywacher star adventurer tracker , redcat 51

Settings :
50 photos, 1 sec, Iso 800, f4.5


Osama Fathi
Social:
https://www.instagram.com/osama.fathi.nswatcher85/
https://www.facebook.com/NSWatcher/

Cosmic Horse Pawing up a Dust cloud






https://www.astrobin.com/sgv7bo/C/

https://cdn.astrobin.com/images/102875/ ... 137958.jpg


Imaging Telescopes Or Lenses
Askar FRA400 · Askar FRA600
Imaging Cameras
Canon EOS R8 · Player One Poseidon-M Pro
Mounts
ZWO AM5
Filters
Antlia H-Alpha Pro Ultra Filter - 2.8 nm Ultra Narrowband - 36 mm · Antlia O-III Pro Ultra Filter - 2.8 nm Ultra Narrowband - 36 mm · Antlia S-II Pro Ultra Filter - 2.8 nm Ultra Narrowband - 36 mm

Dates:
Dec. 14, 2023
Jan. 24, 2024
Jan. 29 - 31, 2024
Feb. 7, 2024
Feb. 9 - 10, 2024
Frames:
120×180″(6h)
Antlia H-Alpha Pro Ultra Filter - 2.8 nm Ultra Narrowband - 36 mm: 22×600″(3h 40′)
Antlia O-III Pro Ultra Filter - 2.8 nm Ultra Narrowband - 36 mm: 10×600″(1h 40′)
Antlia S-II Pro Ultra Filter - 2.8 nm Ultra Narrowband - 36 mm: 26×600″(4h 20′)
Integration:
15h 40′

Ahmed Wegdan https://www.astrobin.com/users/Xeebok/
Alaa ElBedewi https://www.astrobin.com/users/alaabedewi/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/awegdan

Raining Stars
Location - Israel| Egypt Border
Credit - Roi.L
(redit 2024)

man Vs the universe showing how small we are comparing to the mighty milkyway core
I took this image on a magical night full of stars witha canon 6d astro modified and a 85mm Sigma art lens
it was taken in 2020 in august when the milkyway is stright for a protrait shot i hope you like my new editing

NGC 6888 in high definition
Full version : https://cdn.astrobin.com/thumbs/JqETqYP ... TZ0INm.png
Full version : https://cdn.astrobin.com/thumbs/k8Z0P1p ... TZ0INm.jpg

The Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888) is an emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus, around 5,000 light years away.

This envelope of matter is produced by a very special type of star, a "Wolf-Rayet star", named after the two astronomers from the Paris Observatory who discovered this type of star using spectroscopy in 1867: these are hot stars, probably the offspring of stars of spectral type O and B (i.e. the hottest and most massive stars in existence) that have just left the main sequence and are therefore entering the final stages of their lives.

The Crescent, visible in the photograph shown here, represents the zone of influence of the stellar wind from the central star WR-136, whose surface temperature is extremely high, estimated at 70,000K. The size of this bubble is considerable, extending over 25 light-years! By way of comparison, the Sun's heliosphere, i.e. the zone of influence of its solar winds, is no more than 12 light-years long.

The material making up the envelope was ejected from the star 400,000 years ago, so we can estimate its current expansion speed at around 50 km/s. At the time of the ejection, however, the speed was much higher, estimated at 1400 km/s.

Astronomers estimate that WR-136 should explode as a supernova in the "near future" (on the scale of the Universe), in 100,000 to 1 million years.

TEC 140 - Temma 200 - ASI 6200 MM pro - Chroma Filters (3nm)
Ha : 217 x 120s
OIII : 910 x 120s
Total : 37h34
23 July to 20 August 2023 - Corsica (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/

A cosmic helmet!

Thor's Helmet, given its similarity in shape to the Norse god's famous headwear is an emission nebula located 12,000 lightyears away in Canis Major catalogued as NGC2359.

The nebula originates from a scorching Wolf-Rayet star ejecting a flow of charged particles termed a stellar wind, which expands outward to form an interstellar bubble. This bubble interacts with adjacent molecular clouds, inducing ionization by radiation, thereby illuminating the nebula.

Equipment used:
Skywatcher Esprit 120ED
ZWO ASI294MM Pro
Skywatcher EQ6R Pro
Astronomik Ha and Oiii filters
Total Exposure: 10h

Dates: 2/3/2024, 2/5/2024, 2/14/2024

Astrobin: https://www.astrobin.com/r1f2gu/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astrodarks/
Website: www.astrodarks.com

The X.6 Class Solar Flare Player

This sparky sunspot region AR3590 has been travelling across the face of the sun all week sending out some of the biggest solar flares so far this solar cycle, including the X .6 flare earlier this week. Using your solar eclipse glasses you could see this giant sunspot from earth without a telescope

The unstable magnetic fields in this sunspot are more becoming and more common as we approach solar maximum.

Imaged with a Quark chromosphere solar filter Feb 25th, 2024. A monochrome planetary camera was used and false colour added in Photoshop

The X.6 Class Solar Flare Player by Andrea Girones, on Flickr

Monochrome Version
The X.6 Class Solar Flare Player

This sparky sunspot region AR3590 has been travelling across the face of the sun all week sending out some of the biggest solar flares so far this solar cycle, including the X .6 flare earlier this week. Using your solar eclipse glasses you could see this giant sunspot from earth without a telescope

The unstable magnetic fields in this sunspot are more becoming and more common as we approach solar maximum.

Imaged with a Quark chromosphere solar filter Feb 25th, 2024. A monochrome planetary camera was used .

The X.6 Class Flare Player on Feb 25th by Andrea Girones, on Flickr

Aurora & Big Dipper
Location : Iceland, over mount kirkjufell
Date - 11 septmber 2023
Camera - Canon Eos Ra
Credit - Roi Levi https://www.instagram.com/astroi_levi/

Exxplnation

"Behold the celestial dance captured in a single frame: the awe-inspiring aurora borealis paints the night sky
with hues of red, pink, and green, while the iconic Big Dipper constellation gleams proudly in the midst.
This captivating image, taken over Mount Kirkjufell during a photography aurora chase tour in the middle
of the night on September 11, 2023, showcases the majestic beauty of Earth's magnetosphere interacting with the solar wind.
With all visitors departed, I had the place entirely to myself,
offering a rare and serene opportunity to witness a cosmic spectacle that
epitomizes the mesmerizing allure of our celestial neighborhood."

Version -1 is Annotated

Jellyfish Nebula (IC443)
January 2 & February 3-7, 2024
Ellicott City, MD
Imaging Telescope: REDCAT 71
Imaging Camera: ASI1600mm Pro
Mount: 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, FORAXX
Frames/Subs
Lights 288 x 300 sec per filter
Darks 20 x 300 sec
Flats 60 per filter
Bias 60 x .001 sec
Total lights intergration time: 24 hours

Moon from February 26, 2024 using the SeeStar S50