A Stargazers Journey into Astrophotography
On the night of August 23, 2024, I was doing a lot of bouncing around. I saw Pluto was out. I did not change the ROI in SharpCap, I just kept the camera on 26 megapixels, and pointed to Pluto. I did not even bother centering it in the field of view. It is the … Read More “Pluto” »
As I wait for nebula and galaxies to come into view, I usualy look at stars and star clusters. Now that is is all about EAA, why not take pictures. Altair is the brightest star in the constellation of Aquila and the twelfth-brightest star in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation Alpha Aquilae, … Read More “Altair” »
M25 (Messier 25) is also known as IC 4725; is an open cluster of stars in the southern constellation of Sagittarius. The cluster is located near some obscuring features, with a dark lane passing near the center. M25 is at a distance of about 2,000 light-years away from Earth and is 67.6 million years old. … Read More “M25 also known as IC 4725” »
This is one of 2 images of the Butterfly Cluster (cataloged as Messier 6 or M6, and as NGC 6405) is an open cluster of stars in the southern constellation of Scorpius. The Butterfly Cluster is 1600 light years from Earth. I took this picture August 10, 2024 just after 10pm using my Celestron 8″ … Read More “M6 – Butterfly Cluster” »
Vega is the brightest star in the northern constellation of Lyra. It is relatively close at only 25 light-years (7.7 parsecs) from the Sun, and one of the most luminous stars in the Sun’s neighborhood. It is the fifth-brightest star in the night sky, and the second-brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere, after Arcturus. … Read More “Vega” »
Located in the handle of the big dipper, Mizar is actually 2 stars even though to the naked eye it looks like one. Mizar was the first telescopic binary discovered in 1617. I took these pictures on 7/28/2024. The first clear night we had in over 20 days. The first picture is a zoomed in … Read More “Mizar” »
This is one of 2 images of the Butterfly Cluster (cataloged as Messier 6 or M6, and as NGC 6405) is an open cluster of stars in the southern constellation of Scorpius. The Butterfly Cluster is 1600 light years from Earth. I took this picture June 28, 2024 just after 12am using my Celestron 8″ … Read More “M6 – Butterfly Cluster – W/ Hyperstar” »
The Eagle Nebula also known as Messier 16i or M16 is a bright nebula in Serpens. It is about 5700 light years away. I took this picture on June 27, 2024 starting at 10:30 PM using my Celestron 8″ SCT with my ZWO ASI2600 MC Pro mounted to my Hyperstar. The image is 300 15 … Read More “M16 – Eagle Nebula” »
Messier 39 / NCG 7092 is an open cluster in Cygnus. I took this picture June 27, 2024 with my 8″ Celestron SCT, ZWO ASI2600 MC Pro and my Starzona Hyperstar. I used Sharpcap and set the ROI to 3000 x 3000. This image is 20 minutes of integration; There 80 15 second subs @ … Read More “M39 – Open Cluster” »
25,0000 Lightyears away. M13 Hercules Globular Cluster is a bright cluster of over 300,000 stars. I took this picture on June 15, 2024. I used my ZWO ASI2600MC, 41 2 minute subs from 11PM through Midnight. I had the gain set at 0.
