M27, The Dumbbell Nebula

Once in a while everything during an imaging session works right. No meridian flip, no guiding issues, no focus problems--everything was clicking along for this one. I've been using a camera cooler for the last couple of shots, and am pleased with the improvement. It's amazing how much easier processing is with clean data to begin with!

I almost never image at f/10, but this is through the C11 at 2800mm focal length, There's some movement between the subs--probably from mirror flop--but in the end the stars are still pretty round. This CI-700 seems to be a keeper!

Heritage Park Observatory, Cedar Park, TX
Exposure: 45 @ 120 sec (1.5 hours), ISO 1600
Camera: Canon Digital Rebel XT (350D) (Modified)
Scope: Celestron C11
Mount: CI-700
Guider: ZS66, DSI
Filter: none
Software: Nebulosity, PHD Guiding, Photoshop

M57, The Ring Nebula

I've had the C11 for a while now, but this is the first time I've used it try shooting a DSO. This is the famous Ring Nebula, M57, a planetary nebula in Lyra. You can just see a barred spiral galaxy IC1296 below and to the right.

Heritage Park Observatory, Cedar Park, TX
Exposure: 45 @ 120 sec (1.5 hours), ISO 1600
Camera: Canon Digital Rebel XT (350D) (Modified)
Scope: Celestron C11
Mount: CI-700
Guider: ZS66, DSI
Filter: none
Software: Nebulosity, PHD Guiding, Photoshop

xkcd: The Orion Nebula

Also on the agenda: what's with his hips?

M42, The Orion Nebula

There's a reason this is one the most-photographed deep sky objects.


Heritage Park Observatory, Cedar Park, TX
Exposure: 20 x 30 sec (10:00) @ ISO 400, 10 x 300 sec (50:00) 10 flat, 10 dark
Camera: Canon Digital Rebel XT (350D) (modified)
Scope: AT6RC, AT2FF field flattener
Mount: CI-700
Guider: AT80EDT, Meade DSI
Filter: Astronomic CLS
Software: PHD Guiding, Nebulosity, Photoshop

M20, The Trifid Nebula

A beautiful night at the Eagle Eye Observatory. I neglected to completely tighten the guide scope mounting screws, so there's a slight trailing. Dumb mistake.

Eagle Eye Observatory, Burnet, TX
Exposure: 24 x 300 sec (2 hours) @ ISO 800, 0 flat, 8 dark
Camera: Canon Digital Rebel XT (350D) (modified)
Scope: AT6RC, AT2FF field flattener
Mount: Celestron CI-700/Skywalker
Guider: Zenithstar 66, Meade DSI
Filter: None
Software: PHD Guiding, Nebulosity, Photoshop

M51 Reprocessed

Better brightness & color.

M51, The Whirlpool Galaxy

I got a little aggressive with the noise reduction, but I kind of like the painterly effect it created.

Shot this in blowing wind while everyone else was breaking down their gear. Glad I stuck it out.

X-Bar Ranch, Eldorado, TX
Exposure: 42 x 300 sec (3.5 hours) @ ISO 1600, 20 flat, 12 dark
Camera: Canon Digital Rebel XT (350D) (modified)
Scope: AT6RC, AT2FF field flattener
Mount: Celestron CI-700/Skywalker
Guider: Zenithstar 66, Meade DSI
Filter: None
Software: PHD Guiding, Nebulosity, Photoshop

M65, M66: Galaxies in Leo

Messier 65 and make up part of the Leo Triplet, a small group of galaxies.

Photographed at X-Bar Ranch, between Eldorado and Sonora, Texas. There's no substitute for shooting from dark skies!

X-Bar Ranch, Eldorado, TX
Exposure: 36 x 300 sec (3 hours) @ ISO 1600, 10 flat, 10 dark
Camera: Canon Digital Rebel XT (350D) (modified)
Scope: AT6RC, AT2FF field flattener
Mount: Celestron CI-700/Skywalker
Guider: Zenithstar 66, Meade DSI
Filter: None
Software: PHD Guiding, Nebulosity, Photoshop

M81 & M82, Bode's Galaxy & Cigar Galaxy

It's time once again to take a shot at this pair of galaxies off the Big Dipper. Best one of the lot, for sure. I'm definitely liking the AT6RC on the CI-700.

Heritage Park Observatory, Cedar Park, TX
Exposure: 60 x 180 sec (3 hours) @ ISO 800, 10 flat, 20 dark
Camera: Canon Digital Rebel XT (350D) (modified)
Scope: AT6RC, AT2FF field flattener
Mount: Celestron CI-700/Skywalker
Guider: Zenithstar 66, Meade DSI
Filter: None
Software: PHD Guiding, Nebulosity, Photoshop

M1, The Crab Nebula

I had a case of photon fever, and didn't get this quite as focused as it should have been. Not terribly different than the 2006 version, maybe better tracking. Even that wasn't great--I threw out half of the frames for trailing in RA. Not sure where that's coming from.

Second light with the AT6RC, and I'm very happy with the new scope so far. Very little vignetting and a nice flat field with the AT2FF in place.

Heritage Park Observatory, Cedar Park, TX
Exposure: 15 x 120 sec (30:00) @ ISO 1600, 10 flat, 10 dark
Camera: Canon Digital Rebel XT (350D) (stock)
Scope: AT6RC, AT2FF field flattener
Mount: Meade LXD 650
Guider: Zenithstar 66, Meade DSI
Filter: None
Software: Nebulosity, Photoshop

IC 5070, The Pelican Nebula

The Pelican Nebula is a large area of emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus (the Swan), close to Deneb, and divided from its brighter, larger neighbor, the North America Nebula, by a molecular cloud filled with dark dust.

X-Bar Ranch, Eldorado, TX
Exposure: 43 x 5 minutes (3:35)
Camera: Modified Canon Digital Rebel XT (350D)
Scope: AT80EDT
Mount: Meade LXD650
Guider: ST80, Meade DSI
Filter: None
Software: PHD Guiding, Nebulosity, Photoshop

NGC 7000, The North American Nebula

Wikipedia entry.

Photographed at X-Bar Ranch, between Eldorado and Sonora, Texas.

First time I've dealt with a "meridian flip." With a German Equatorial Mount, when an object passes from the eastern sky to the western sky, you have to turn the mount so that the scope switches sides. Getting the camera realigned close to where it was was a bit tricky, but not terribly hard.

X-Bar Ranch, Eldorado, TX
Exposure: 30 x 2 minutes + 30 x 5 minutes (3.5 hours)
Camera: Modified Canon Digital Rebel XT (350D)
Scope: AT80EDT
Mount: Meade LXD650
Guider: ST80, Meade DSI
Filter: None
Software: PHD Guiding, Nebulosity, Photoshop

M17, The Omega Nebula

Here's a third version (1) (2) of M17, aka the Swan Nebula.



Heritage Park Observatory, Cedar Park, TX
Exposure: 90 x 90 seconds (2:15)
Camera: Modified Canon Digital Rebel XT (350D)
Scope: Meade LX200 @ f/6.3
Mount: Meade LX200
Guider: ST80, Meade DSI
Filter: None
Software: PHD Guiding, Nebulosity, Photoshop

NGC 6888, The Crescent Nebula

Here's another look at NGC6888, the Crescent Nebula.



Heritage Park Observatory, Cedar Park, TX
Exposure: 90 x 90 seconds (2:15)
Camera: Modified Canon Digital Rebel XT (350D)
Scope: Meade LX200 @ f/6.3
Mount: Meade LX200
Guider: ST80, Meade DSI
Filter: None
Software: PHD Guiding, Nebulosity, Photoshop

NGC 4565

Edge on galaxy in Coma Berenices.

Heritage Park Observatory, Cedar Park, TX
Exposure: 72 x 2 1/2 minutes
Camera: Canon Digital Rebel XT (350D)
Scope: Meade LX200 @ f/10
Mount: Meade LX200
Guider: ST80, Meade DSI
Filter: Astronomik CLS
Software: PHD Guiding, Nebulosity, Photoshop

M81 & M82, Bode's Galaxy & Cigar Galaxy

Third time around for this pair of galaxies. Had a nasty gradient background that I haven't seen before. The scope was awful close to the roof of the observatory--I wonder if that might have had anything to do with it.

Heritage Park Observatory, Cedar Park, TX
Exposure: 30 x 2 minutes
Camera: Modified Canon Digital Rebel XT (350D)
Scope: Astro-Tech AT80ED 80mm APO refractor, AT field flattener
Mount: Meade LX200
Guider: Meade LX200 @ f/3, Meade DSI
Filter: Astronomik CLS
Software: PHD Guiding, Nebulosity, Photoshop

M42, The Orion Nebula

Because you can never have too many pictures of the Orion Nebula.

Heritage Park Observatory, Cedar Park, TX
Exposure: 30 x 45 seconds
Camera: Modified Canon Digital Rebel XT (350D)
Scope: Meade 10" LX200, Meade f/6.3 focal reducer
Mount: Meade LX200
Guider: Short Tube 80, Meade DSI
Filter: Astronomik CLS
Software: PHD Guiding, Nebulosity, Photoshop

M100, A Galaxy in Coma Berenices

As promised, here is a larger shot of M100 (right) and NGC 4312 (left). I didn't label them, but you can also see NGC 4328, 4323, 4322 and 4427 around M100. The 5-minute subs might have been ambitious--there was a little drift from, I'm assuming, mirror shift in the LX200.

Heritage Park Observatory, Cedar Park, TX
Exposure: 24 x 5 minutes
Camera: Modified Canon Digital Rebel XT (350D)
Scope: Meade 10" LX200, Meade f/6.3 focal reducer
Mount: Meade LX200
Guider: Short Tube 80, Meade DSI
Filter: Astronomik CLS
Software: PHD Guiding, Nebulosity, Photoshop

Only 10 Galaxies

Not quite as rich in galaxies, but still pretty good. First time I've shot 10-minute subs, and they came out OK. A very nice night on the back side of a cool front. M99 and M100 are the two big ones here, and each deserves a closer look in the big scope soon.

Heritage Park Observatory, Cedar Park, TX
Exposure: 12 x 10 minutes
Camera: Modified Canon Digital Rebel XT (350D)
Scope: Astro-Tech AT80ED 80mm APO refractor, AT field flattener (new!)
Mount: Meade LX200
Guider: Meade LX200 @ f/5, Meade DSI
Filter: Astronomik CLS
Software: PHD Guiding, Nebulosity, Photoshop

At Least 19 Galaxies

Trying out my new Astro-Tech field flattener in the AT80EDT. Look! Round stars out to the corners! I only got about an hour before the clouds rolled back in, so here's an abbreviated look at Markarian's Chain.

Heritage Park Observatory, Cedar Park, TX
Exposure: 7 x 6 minutes
Camera: Modified Canon Digital Rebel XT (350D)
Scope: Astro-Tech AT80ED 80mm APO refractor, AT field flattener (new!)
Mount: Meade LX200
Guider: Meade LX200 @ f/5, Meade DSI
Filter: Astronomik CLS
Software: PHD Guiding, Nebulosity, Photoshop