Category: Astrophotography

SH2-171 Teddy Bear Nebula

The Teddy Bear Nebula

Acquisition Details;

Integration:

  • 134 – 300s  11.4 Hrs

The Teddy Bear Nebula, also known as SH2-171, is an emission nebula located in the constellation of Cepheus. 

The nebula is shaped like a teddy bear, with two bright stars acting as its eyes, a dark V-shaped region for its mouth, and two round, reddish areas for its ears. It is composed primarily of hydrogen gas, which is ionized by the ultraviolet radiation from the nearby hot young stars. This causes the gas to glow, creating the nebula’s distinctive red color

Pleiades Reflection Nebula

Pleiades M45

Acquisition Details:

Integration:

  • 62 – 300s 5.1 Hrs

M45 or the Pleiades Nebula is one of my absolute favorite targets.

Since I live in a light polluted urban area.  It’s difficult to photograph reflection nebula.  My skies rank at a Bortle class of 8 which is terrible.

To get this image, I traveled to a Bortle class 4 area and set up my astrophotography rig.  I did not have a dedicated pro one shot color cooled camera at the time.  So I used my Nikon D7100 with no filters at all.  This is a stock camera.

Right away on the first sub, I could see the reflection nebula.  It was awesome to finally see some blue.  If I tried this in the city, the sky glow would wipe out all of the blue and make it next to impossible to photograph. 

I got about 5 hours of data which is good, but I want to go back for more.  For a target like this, I will need about 7 to 10 hours to really bring out the nebula.  Now I own the ASI294MC Pro cooled camera.  I want to use this camera on the same target and see how much better the image will be.

Until next time…

2023 Annular Eclipse

The Annular Solar Eclipse of 2023: A Spectacle of Light and Shadow

On October 14, 2023, an annular solar eclipse graced the skies of North, Central, and South America. This celestial event captured the attention of astronomers and skygazers alike, offering a glimpse into the intricate dance between the Sun, Moon, and Earth.

What is an annular solar eclipse?

An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon aligns perfectly between the Sun and Earth, but the Moon is too far away in its elliptical orbit to completely block the Sun’s light. This results in a dazzling ring of fire, where the Sun’s corona shines around the Moon’s silhouette.

Path of the 2023 eclipse

The path of the 2023 annular eclipse began in Oregon, USA, and swept across the continent, traversing through states like California, Nevada, Colorado, Texas, and Mexico. It then continued its journey over Central America and finally reached South America, culminating in Colombia.

Lobster Claw Nebula

Acquisition Details;

Integration:

  • 30 – 300s Panel 1 – 2.5Hrs

The Lobster Claw Nebula: A Cosmic Delicacy

The Lobster Claw Nebula, also known as Sh2-157, is an awe-inspiring emission nebula located in the constellation Cassiopeia, approximately 11,000 light-years away from Earth. Its distinctive shape, resembling a crustacean’s appendage, has earned it its popular name.

In one image, I was able to capture 3 nebula.  The Bubble, Lobster Claw, and the Northern Lagoon Nebula. 

The Visibility Feature in Stellarium Plus

The visibility feature in Stellarium Plus is a powerful tool that allows you to see which celestial objects will be visible at a given time and place. This information can be used to plan your observing sessions, or to simply learn more about the night sky.

The visibility feature is based on a number of factors, including your location, the date and time, the current sky conditions, and the brightness of the objects. You can use the visibility feature to see the following information for each object:

  • Highest altitude: The highest altitude that the object will reach above the horizon.
  • Setting and rising times: The times at which the object will set and rise.
  • Visibility time: The total amount of time that the object will be visible above the horizon.
The visibility features shows you now only the path of an object, but the time that it will be there.

The visibility feature is available in the Stellarium Plus app. To access it, simply click on the “Visibility” button in the toolbar. You can then use the controls in the visibility window to adjust the date and time, your location, and the sky conditions.

The visibility feature is a valuable tool for anyone who is interested in astronomy. It can be used to plan your observing sessions, to learn more about the night sky, or simply to see what objects will be visible at a given time and place.

Here are some additional tips for using the visibility feature:

  • Use the “Location” control to set your current location.
  • Use the “Date and Time” controls to set the date and time that you want to view.
  • Use the “Sky Conditions” controls to set the current sky conditions.
  • Use the “Filter” controls to filter the list of objects.

Note: Magnitude is a measure of the brightness of an object in the sky. The smaller the magnitude, the brighter the object. For example, the Sun has a magnitude of -26.74, while the faintest stars that can be seen with the naked eye have a magnitude of +6.0. The visibility feature in Stellarium Plus does not include magnitude, but it does include information about the brightness of objects.

How To Get The Visibility Feature

This feature is available only in Stellarium Plus.  You can download it on the Google Play store or for IOS. Note that for IOS, you can simply download the free version then upgrade to Plus right there in the app.

The cost is $20 on Google and as I recall about the same for IOS.

How To Add StarNet Star Removal Tool To Siril

Siril’s latest beta release software version 1.2.0 and later can now process with Starnet.  The StarNet star removal software is incredibly useful when you want to stretch a nebula’s data separate from the stars.  

 

How to Add The Script To Siril

I’m using Mac Os so these instructions pertain to this OS. If you are on Linux or a Windows PC then the software for those versions is also on this page. Download the command line tool for Starnet here.

Unzip the package and place is somewhere that makes sense.  I put mine in the Applications folder separate from Siril.  The reason I put it here is so that Siril can be updated without affecting the Starnet source files.

Open Siril and go to Preferences->Miscellaneous and then look for Software Location.

Click the open folder icon and navigate to the Starnet folder, and then select the application itself.

Once this is installed you will need to allow Mac Os to open the software.  This can be done by going to System Preferences->Security and allowing the software.

 

Once all of this is done, you can run the StarNet scripts right in the Siril application itself.