#SXVR-H18

[iliveinaspiralgalaxy]

Cederblad 214 by Ken Mackintosh Via Flickr: Also designated Sharpless 171, this is a young irregular emission nebula and star forming region of about 40 light-years across, located some 3,300 light-years away at the edge of a giant molecular cloud toward the northern constellation Cepheus. Cosmic pillars of cold molecular gas and clouds of dark dust lie within. Powering the nebular glow are the young, hot stars of the Berkeley 59 cluster. This includes one of the hottest stars discovered in the vicinity of our Sun, namely BD+66 1673, an eclipsing binary system containing a very bright star with a luminosity ~100000 times that of the Sun. Its been a while since my last astro image due to short summer nights, the mainly bad weather since then and work and other commitments, but good to get posting again. The data for this image was gathered a few months back over 6 separate nights during June through August 2012, just took a while to get to the processing! Tech details below: Skywatcher MN190 (@F5.3) Mount - EQ6 Starlight Xpress SXVR-H18 @ -20 degs QHY5 PHD guiding, guidesope Celestron ED80 Ha - Baader 7nm - 20x15min bin1x1 S2 - Baader 8nm - 16x15min bin2x2 O3 - Baader 8nm - 16x15min bin2x2 Total time 13h HST mapping: Red - SII, Green - Ha, Blue - OIII Captured in Nebulosity 2 Calibration, stack and DDP in Images Plus Curves + all other processing PS CS3

[hannahmayasblog]

Exhibition Review

Astronomy Photographer of the year

The astronomy exhibition that I visited last Tuesday was located in Greenwich, called the Royal Greenwich Observatory, Where I saw amazing photographs taken by a large group of people of all ages ranging from 13 upwards. I personally was fascinated with the theme of astronomy because you can only see it at certain times during the year or at certain locations, and so it’s not something that is available to see everyday, making it even more memorizing.

My first impression when I walked in to the exhibition was that it was very dark which related to the atmosphere of the photos being presented however, I considered this as a disadvantage because it made the room seem smaller than it actually was and it wasn’t always easy to see where you were going. Although it  was dark, it did make the images stand out more and seem more breathtaking and also make you focus all your attention on those photos, making the surroundings of the room seem less important.

Luc Jamet

Astronomy Exhibition

Luc Jamet managed to take a stunning shot of last years total solar eclipse, on his trip to the Arctic. In this landscape photograph, we can see arctic mountains in the background and the solar corona shining against a dark blue sky, as well as the moon’s shadow across the earth’s atmosphere surrounded by orange and yellow hues. The artist has composed the photograph so that there is negative space in the foreground and has stood a significantly large distance away from the mountains in order to catch all the scenery in.              

The photographer himself said “All of this (the eclipse)  lasted but two minutes and twenty seconds, yet we were so mesmerized, it took us quite a time before we could talk again!” which helps us to understand that he had a passion for astronomy.

During his photo shoot he face some problems such as “First, it was not easy to determine the ideal bracketing settings, and then framing the scene proved quite difficult, too. There were many beautiful mountains in the background but also an annoying close slope on the left. Additionally, I wanted the bright colors of the Moon’s penumbra to fill a large part of the image while keeping the solar corona not too small and close to the center. Hence, I had to set the camera orientation and focal length carefully”  

I agree with Jamet when he says “I love the way that the icy landscape of Svalbard reflects and intensifies the evocative colors of the sky – colors that only occur during the few minutes of totality, and which make any eclipse an unforgettable experience.”

Luc Jamet, March 20th 2015, Taken on: Canon EOS 7D, 15-85mm zoom lens

Michael van Doorn

This is taken approximately 3 million light years away and In this landscape photograph we can such an amazing sight of the Triangulum galaxy that can only be seen on certain days of the year. It is one of the most distant permanent objects in the night sky that can be seen with the naked eye in optimum conditions. Michael Van Doorn said “ We have excellent seeing conditions here in the Netherlands for just a few days every year. This time I used these days for shooting high-resolution luminance of our magnificent neighbouring galaxy”. He also Said “ The image is special for me because it can only be made once in a few years from my location.” which gives us an understanding of why he went out of his way in order to capture this mesmerizing photo.

Michael Van Doorn said “I shot the colour and H-alpha [Hydrogen-alpha] data with a super-fast f/2.0 telescope. Combined together, the data gave me a chance to create this picture of the inside structures of M33, the Triangulum Galaxy.”

One of the things I personally really like about this photo is the fact that it looks never ending however, it seems as if everything is being sucked in by change of color in the middle, which is probably why the photographer found it so intriguing and focused on that part of the galaxy.  

by astrophotographer Michael Van Doorn, Picture is called: constellation Triangulum, captured on a Celestron C11, ASA Reducer telescope lens, SXVR-H18 camera, 2156mm f/7.7 lens.   Almere, Flevoland, Netherlands.  

András Papp

This is a photograph of the Earth’s natural satellite taken by András Papp who’s from Hungary. We can see the dark half of the central moon as well as the lit half which emphasises the contrast between light and dark. Papp himself said “I started my project to capture the whole of the Moon’s face on camera by focusing on the dark half of the lunar disc” meaning he accomplished his initial intention. Papp took this photo not only for an entry in an astronomy themed competition, but also because you have to have the perfect timing in order to catch a symmetrical halves of the moon.

I personally this this picture is beautiful and would feel extremely proud if i had shot it myself. One of the things I love about it is the fact that it is so central, almost emphasizing the fact that it is floating in mid air.

The photographer himself said “To preserve the sense of the Moon caught at exactly at half phase, I recorded all the images on the same night.”

“Full face of our moon” GPU Optical telescope, Sky-watcher HEQ5 mount, 5-inch f/9.45 telescope lens,  

[h0rreur-blog]

Pacman nebula in H-a by Mickut on Flickr.

[spacettf]

Comet C/2013 R1 Lovejoy by Mickut on Flickr.

[uraniaproject-blog]

Messier 53 by Mickut on Flickr.

[spatiuminfinitum-blog]

Triangulum galaxy by Mickut on Flickr.

[auroradenight]

Elephant's Trunk and IC1396 (redo) by kappacygni on Flickr.

[keroros]

Rosette nebula 

[amotherrevolution]

Crescent Nebula by kappacygni on Flickr.

[spacettf]

The Andromeda Galaxy by Mickut on Flickr.

[ohaneth]

Rosette nebula in Ha by Mickut on Flickr.

[uraniaproject-blog]

Monkey head nebula by Mickut on Flickr.

[lunar-child-blog]

Crescent Nebula by kappacygni on Flickr.

[frozenangelgold]

Jellyfish Nebula (IC 443) by kappacygni on Flickr.

[h0rreur-blog]

Pacman nebula in H-a by Mickut on Flickr.

[spacettf]

Messier 13 by Mickut on Flickr.

Via Flickr: The very last deep sky image on the 2012-2013 astrophotography season. The M13 is a large globular cluster in Hercules. The image is stacked from six 5 minute exposures with LRGB filters.