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Hi, my name is Patrick Prokop from Savannah, GA. I am a retired broadcast meteorologist and amatuer astrophotographer. My goal for this page/blog is to share and to show that great deep-space and planetary images can be photographed in one's own backyard, even with bright city lights around. I live in a moderately high light polluted area ... Bortle rating of 4.5. I have camera filters to delete some of the emitted artificial light resulting in better and more vivid pictures of the heavens. I hope you are able to learn more about the heavens in a sky near you. Click on the different catagories in the yellow boxes above for more information and pictures. Until then, unless you need rain, "Clear heavenly skies!"
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Recent Astro Views From the Garden: 
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My Blog
Added: August 5, 2022 ... Narrowband image of the Tulip Nebula
This nebula takes the shape of the tulip flower. However, it is much larger and over 6,000 light-years away. I took this image using a monochrome camera and narrowband filters to arrive at a false color image. Within this nebula area is a Black Hole ... Cygnus X-1. Click on the image to see and read more about this fascinating deep space object.
Added: January 28, 2022 ... Narrowband image of the Horsehead Nebula
Since I captued a great image of the Horsehead Nebula from a one-shot-color camera ... 'Broadband' ... I wanted to venture in a narrowband image of the nebula. The results were rather spectacular ... generating a color image from 3 black & white images. I also descibe on this page how the nebula glows with these bright colors.
Added: December 6, 2021 ... Testing the Optolong L-eNhance Filter
I recently acquired the Optolong L-eNhance light pollution filter for the One-Shot-Color (OSC) dedicated astronomy cameras and ran a test on an unexpected clear night. The targets that I choose are heavily illuminated in the red emission light. They were the Flaming Star nebula and the horsehead nebula. The results were spectacular
Added: December 3, 2021 ... Comet Leonard Together With Messier 3
Comet Leonard was in the eastern morning sky on this day passing in front of the great globular cluster Messier 3. I was able to capture the combo using the Orion EON 130mm Refractor Telescope via automation through the astro-capture program N.I.N.A. The comet was in my telescopic view beginning around 5 AM. I had the system set to start recording the target then. However, I did wake up at that time to make sure all was working well, which it was.
Added: July 22, 2021 ... The M27 Project ... How Did We Do This?
This is an interesting project that I was involved where two other astrophotographers imaged the same target, in this case, the Dumbbell Nebula, also known as Messier 27. The two other photographers were Joe Navara from SE Colorado and Glenn Clouder from just east of London, England. This is how we captured this amazing image.
Added: June 17, 2021 ... The Western Veil Nebula ... NGC 6960
This is an interesting remant of a star that exploded several thousand years ago with a stream of hot ionized gas. This is sometimes called the "Witch's Broom Nebula" due to the semblance of such type broom. This is a summer time object but I was able to capture it in the early morning hours in middle June using a capture program called N.I.N.A. while I slept. Click on the image to review them all.
Added: May 7, 2021 ... The Trifid Nebula ... Messier 20
This nebula is one of the most beautiful deep space objects with the red emmisions and blue reflections. I have taken several vews of this object with different telescopes and cameras going back to 2018. This is a summer time object but I was able to capture it in the early morning hours in early May using a capture program called N.I.N.A. while I slept. Click on the image to review them all.
Added: April 12 2021 ... The Needle Galaxy ... NGC 4565
This is a galaxy containing about a trillion stars ... yes ... TRILLION. It is about 41 million light-years from us, meaning this is what it looked like 41 million years ago. I used the new Orion EON 130mm Triplet refractor telescope and the ZWO ASI 1600mm Pro monochrome camera using the red-green-blue filters.
Added: April 4 2021 ... Galaxies M95 & M96
These two galaxies are in the confines of the constelation of Leo the Lion, among many other galaxies. These two are about 31 million light-years from us. I used the Orion EON 130mm Triplet Refractor to capture this 2 hour image with the Altair Astro Hypercam 294c Pro camera.
Added: March 9 2021 ... The Markarian Chain of Galaxies
This is one of those views that just simply blows my mind!!!
In this small view there are numerous galaxies some of which form a chain. Within this view are Messier 86 & 84 on the far right side. This is a composite of two different exposures of 2 hours each.
Added: January 15 2021 ... The Monkey Head Nebula ... Using a One-Shot_Color Camera
The areas in and around the constellation of Orion the Hunter are just full of nebulosity and color including the great Orion Nebula, Horsehead and Rosette Nebulae and this one, the Monkey Head Nebula. I took this image on the night of January 14 into the morning hours of the 15th. Two nights later, I took the same target in narrowband filters using the monochrome camera.
Added: January 5 2021 ... Messier 78 ... January 5, 2021
The areas in and around the constellation of Orion the Hunter are just full of nebulosity and color including the great Orion Nebula, Horsehead, Rosette, and Monkey Nebulae. This is another one, Messier 78 with lots of blue colors. I took this image on the night of January 5, 2021.
Added: November 26 2020 ... The Horsehead Nebula ... Using a Monochrome Camera
One of my favorite deep space objects is the Horsehead Nebula. It was one of my first targets that I sought after when I started in my astrophotography quest in 2016. In this session, I used the ZWO ASI 160mm ProTEC monochrome camera with red-green-blue filters. The final results are from 3 different nights of imaging, dealing with passing clouds. Here I show this capture plus several other captures from the past couple of years using different equipment and software.
Added: November 21 2020 ... The Pleiades ... Using a Monochrome Camera
I had several nights of clear weather and I was able to gather several nights of imaging of the Pleiades star cluster using the new ZWO ASI 160mm ProTEC camera with red-green-blue filters. The Pleiades has always been one of my favorite targets after first seeing it while in Jr. College in 1970. I was able to capture it until recently and my techniques continue to improve along with better equipment and software.
Added: November 2020 ... The Andromeda Galaxy ... Using a Monochrome Camera
After still yet after another extended period of cloudy nights, the sky cleared in early November which gave me the opportunity take a stab at the Andromeda galaxy using the new ZWO ASI 1600mm monochrome camera. Beyond a shadow of doubt, this is my best picture of this galaxy which took 3 nights of imaging.
Added: September 22, 2020 ... Mars ... Using a Monochrome Camera
After still yet after another extended period of cloudy nights, the sky briefly cleared which gave me the opportunity to open the large Celestron 11" telescope and point it at Mars. I was excited to try to image the 'Red' planet using the new monochrome camera and the Red, Green, and Blue filters in my quest to get a higher quality image. Guess I'll have to wait for a better clear and dry night, but this image came out better than I would expect under such poor 'seeing' conditions.
Added: September 10, 2020 ... Planetary Roundup in 1 Night
After yet after another extended period of cloudy nights, the sky cleared to some degree which gave me the opportunity to open the large Celestron 11" telescope and point it at 5 planets, 3 shining brightly in the hot and humid nighttime sky with the far distant gas giants hiddend in the murky sky. The planets: Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars with Uranus and Neptune.
Added: September 1, 2020 ... 3 Planets in 1 Night
After yet another extended period of cloudy nights, the sky cleared to some degree which gave me the opportunity to open the large Celestron 11" telescope and point it at 3 planets shining brightly in the hot and humid nighttime sky. The planets: Jupiter, Saturn and Mars. Mars will continue to put on an astronomical show throughout the autumn months.
Added: August 18, 2020 ... The North America Nebula
This is my '2nd' First Light using a monochrome camera to produce a color image. This 2nd target for the new ZWO ASI 1600mm Pro TEC camera was the North America Nebula, also known as NGC 7000. This is the first image that I am able to show in the standard Pallet (RGB ... Red, Green, and Blue filters)
Added: August 9, 2020 ... The Wizard Nebula
The first page of my new chapter in astrophotography; using a monochrome camera to produce a color image. The first target for this new ZWO ASI 1600mm Pro TEC camera was the Wizard Nebula, also known as NGC 7380. This is the first image that I am able to show in the 'Hubble Pallet'(SHO ... Sulfur, Hydrogen, Oxygen filters)
Added: July 22, 2020 ... The Crescent Nebula
An exciting deep space object high in the NE sky in mid July is this gem. Even though you can't see it with the naked eye, with the use of a small telecope and many long exposure frames, a nebula can be detected in the form a a crescent. Click on the picture for more information.
Added: July 20, 2020 ... The Planets Saturn and Jupiter
Two gems in the southern sky in July of 2020 were the planets Saturn and Jupiter. I was able to capture Saturn the the night when it was at opposition. Opposition is when the earth is directly between and Sun and the planet in question. This is when they shine the most and offer the best potential for photographing. Along with this being one of my best view of the Ringed Planet, I have another one showing a few of its larger moons, including Titan.
Added: July 20, 2020 ... The Planets Saturn and Jupiter
Two gems in the southern sky in July of 2020 were the planets Saturn and Jupiter. I was able to capture Saturn the day before opposition while Jupiter on that night was just 10 days past opposition. Opposition is when the earth is directly between and Sun and the planet in question. This is when they shine the most and offer the best potential for photographing.
Added: July 18, 2020 ... Comet Neowise
A rare comet appeared in the summer of 2020. For many days, this allusive comet was kept out of my view from the heavenly backyard garden, but then by middle July, it had reached an altitude of just enough to clear the tree line and I was able to photograph it. I also made of video about it.
Added: June 21, 2020 ... The Eagle Nebula with the Pillars of Creation
The 'Eagle' Nebula, also known as Messier 16 is medium high in the south in the summer around midnight. This gaseous emmision nebula depicts that of an eagle, hence the nickname. Within this nebula is is the famous 'Pillars of Creation' and area rich in new star birth. I also explain a bit about the capture program; N.I.N.A. (Nighttime Imaging 'N' Astronomy)
Added: May 21, 2020 ... The Planet Venus
Venus was dominating the western evening sky for the winter and spring of 2020 but at this time, was approaching inferior conjunction in less than two weeks. The "Evening Star" shines brightly in the sky but through the telescope looks like a thin crescent moon.
Added: May 19, 2020 ... Messier 92, Globular Cluster
The heavens are filled with numerous stars with many residing in clusters, some of which contains hundred of thousands of stars. This cluster is part of our Milky Way Galaxy. I took this 27 minutes May 16, 2020 using the large Celestron 11" EdgeHD telescope using the 0.7x field reducer to widen the field of view.
Added: May 16, 2020 ... Messier 27, The Dumbbell Nebula
The Dumbbell Nebula is another example of the end of the life of a star, the remnants of a supernova explosion. I was able to capture this remarkable image on the night of May 16, 2020 using the large Celestron 11" EdgeHD telescope using the 0.7x field reducer to widen the field of view. This is nearly a 3 hour exposure.
Added: May 11, 2020 ... Messier 61, Spirial Galaxy with Supernova
With the news of a fresh supernova being experienced in the grand spiral galaxy of Messier 61, I turned my scope to that direction in the vicinity of Leo the Lion on the night of May 11. The supernova was first detect just 5 days earlier and I was able to detect it on this night. I also captured two other far distant galaxies within the same frame of view.
Added: March 8, 2020 ... Messier 101, The Northern Pinwheel Galaxy
This is a combination of two nights of imaging and a total of nearly 5 hours of exposure. The first night was with no filter on the 11" Celestron telescope with the 2nd night using the Altair Quad-Narrow Band filter. The was nearly full wich greatly interfered with the imaging. However, this turned out to be my best capture of this amazing galaxy.
Added: March 2, 2020 ... Galaxy Season Coming
My VIDEO of the Coming of GALAXY SEASON in March, April and May. I've have been getting a jumpstart by shooting several galaxies after midnight, but soon, they will be rising earlier in the night. I show several of them in this video, along with the Orion nebula and the planets that are visible.
Added: February 29, 2020 ... Messier 1, The Crab Nebula
With a super clear night, I pointed the large Celestron 11" telescope toward the constellation of Taurus the Bull and capture one of its stars that explosed in the year 1054 A.D. This today is known as the Crab Nebula.
Friday, February 28 ...
My goal for last night was to photograph the Crescent Moon and Venus in the western evening sky (See Pic). Then I will turn my attention to a couple of Galaxies ... the mighty "Pinwheel” Galaxy, Messier 101 (See Pic). and the "Hamburger" Galaxy, New General Catalog (NGC) 3628. I didn't take that one but instead captured a neighbor just to its north, NGC 3486 (See Pic).
The sky is expected to cloud over tonight, hence no projects planned.
Added: February 21, 2020 ... Messier 51, NGC 5195, the Sun, Venus & Betelegeuse
After several days of clouds and rain, the sky finally cleared so I took advange of great seeing conditions shooting several targets; the Sun, Venus, the sar Betelgeuse, and the Whirlpool galaxy. All taken in my Heavenly Backyard
Added: February 14, 2020 ... Messier 105, NGC 3384 & 3389
Another 'Trio in Leo 1'. Besides the famous 'Trio in Leo' of M65, 66 and the 'Hamburger Galaxy' this triplet of galaxies is also found in the constellation of Leo just to the west. Two bright irregular galaxies and a far distant spiral blue galaxy. These are classified as Messier 105, NGC 3384 and NGC 3389.
Added: February 8, 2020 ... Video of M82, The Cigar Galaxy
My VIDEO of how I captured the vivid galaxy of M82 ... The Cigar Galaxy ... using a special filter on the telescope's camera to filter out the stray light pollution and to enhance the light emitted from the enigmatic galaxy. Plus, a view of Venus in the Evening sky that night.
Added: February 8, 2020 ... Messier 82 ... The Cigar Galaxy
The sky was super clear on this evening, however, the moon was nearly full and was bright. I wanted to investigate the value of the Altair Quad-narrow-band filter under such conditions and pointed the scope to the NE sky at the galaxy M82. Boy was I surprised at the details coming in on the sub-frames I decided to try to get a multi-hour exposure. It turned out great.
Added: February 2, 2020 ... Groundhog Astronomy Video
Sunday, February 2 was Groundhog Day, a day set aside between the first day of winter and the first day of Spring, to predict (with tongue in cheek) the arrival of spring. However, it is an astronomical day as well. Click on the picture to watch my video. And while you're there, please subscribe to my YouTube page.
Added: January 30, 2020 ... Venus
The Planet Venus is that extremly bright object shining in the SW Evening Sky (Jan 2020). This is sometimes refered to as "The Evening Star" and "The Goddest of Love". Venus will continue to dominate the western evening sky for the rest of the winter and most of spring, 2020. Click on the picture for more information.
Added: January 30, 2020 ... Orion Nebula ... Messier 42
This is my best attempt on the Orion Nebula yet. I was experimenting on adding filters to my One-Shot-Color CMOS camera using two different narrowband filters ... Hydrogen Alpha and Oxygen 3. These filters did help in bringing out more color tha just the 'no-filter' view. Click on the picture for more information.
Added: January 21, 2020 ... Messier 81 & 82
It was one of those rare nights when the sky was super clear with low humidity and no lunar interference. I pointed the telescope high toward the NE near the pointer stars of the Big Dipper to catch these two galaxies. Click on the picture for more information.
Added: January 18, 2020 ... The Rosette Nebula
This is a Rose in the Heavenly Gardens of the sky ... The Rosette Nebula near the constellation of Orion the Hunter. The sky was cloudy for 10 nights, but a brief clearing of around a half hour allowed me to turn the telescope toward this beautiful flower in the sky. Click on the picture for more information and larger view
Added: January 2, 2020 ... The Sun
A bright view of the sun, our closest star. The sun has been very quiet over the past few years as it is at its solar minimum of activity. However, I did detect a lone sunspot.
Added: December 6, 2019 ... Stars of the Milky Way
With the new capture program called N.I.N.A. (Nighttime Imaging 'N' Astronomy, I programed it to capture several targets. These were the "Christmas Tree Nebula, THe California Nebula and the Stars in the Orion Arm of the Milkway Galaxy.
Added: November 28, 2019 ... The Crab Nebula
What happens when a star explodes? Here is an amazing view of such a star in Taurus the Bull about a thousand years after that event. I used the big 11" Celestron Edge HD telescope on the Crab Nebula, the remnants of a star that exploded
Added: November 22, 2019 ... The Planet Venus
What is that BRIGHT shining star in the SW evening sky? It's not a star but instead is the planet Venus. This bright object will dominate the sky for the remainder of 2019 and and the beginning of 2020 as the "Evening Star"
Added: November 20, 2019 ... A Nebulous Night
After several days of gloomy wet weather, the sky became crystal clear with no moon Tuesday, November 19, 2019. I opened the Celestron 11" Edge HD telescope and captured the Pleiades, The Horsead Nebula, and the Orion Nebula.
Added: November 17, 2019...The Triangulum Galaxy ... Messier 33
After several days of gloomy wet weather, the sky clear briefly Sunday evening and I pointed the 3.1" refractor telescope to the Triangulum galaxy and tied 5 minute exposures. I was very pleased with the outcome.
Added: November 9, 2019...The Bubble Nebula, M52, the Moon and Venus
Saturday evening was rather busy as I captured images of Venus in the daylight, the nearly full moon and the Bubble nebula along with Messier 52 open star cluster
Added: November 1, 2019...Testing New Equipment
I was testing new equipment and used the Moon and The Triangulum Galaxy as my targets. Click on the title or the picture for more information, views and the video.
Added: October 27, 2019...Stephan's Quintet & The Deer Lick Group
Two clusters of distant galaxies can be seen in this nearly 3 hour image containing more than many stars, it contains many galaxies. I have a video that goes along with it. Click on the title or the picture for more information, views and the video.
Added: July 21, 2019...The North America Nebula ... NGC 7000
This nebula can not be seen without optical aids such as a small telescope or powerful binoculars. It is located high in the ENE Sky in July. Click on the title or the picture for more information and views.
Added: June 30, 2019... Clobular Cluster in Scorpius ... M 4
Another beautiful globular cluster that can be seen by the naked eye under ideal seeing conditions. It is medium high in the southern sky around midnight in early July. Click on the title or the picture for more information and views.
Added: June 28, 2019... The Lagoon Nebula ... M 8
The Lagoon Nebula. This is a beautiful deep space object in the southern sky It is rather large in visual size being more than 2 moon diameters. Click on the title or the picture for more information and views.
Added: June 25, 2019... The Trifid Nebula ... M 20
This is the Trifid Nebula. This is one of the most beautiful deep space objects in the southern sky. Click on the title or the picture for more information and views.
Added: June 25, 2019... Globular Cluster in Coma Berenices ... M 53
Messier 53 is a globular cluster of around 500,000 of mostly old stars about 58,000 light-years away. Click on the title or the picture for more information and views.
Added: April 21, 2019 ... The Crab Nebula ... M 1
This is the Crab Nebula named for its apperance of that of a crab. It was the first entry to Charles Messier's catelog ... M 1. The nebula is the results of the end of the life of a star which blew up. Click on the title or the picture for more information and views.
Added: April 21, 2019 ... Galaxy ... M 106
Here is a galaxy with an intense black hole in its core, Messier 106. Click on title or picture for more information.
Added: April 3, 2019 ... The Sombrero Galaxy ... M 104
I waited until after midnight until the Sombrero galaxy cleared the trees and was visible to my scope. I captured a 1hr and 12mn exposure of the 'Mexican Hat' galaxy. Click on title or picture for more information.
Added: March 5, 2019 ... The Sunflower Galaxy ... M63
The sky was crystal clear Tuesday night, March 5 after the passage of a cold front and the target I picked was this beautiful 'flower' of the nighttime garden, a 'Sunflower'. Click on title or picture for more information.
Added: February 25, 2019 ... The Rosette Nebula
A rare clear night in late February and the target I picked was this beautiful 'Rose' of the nighttime garden. Click on title or picture for more information.
Added: February 5, 2019 ... The Silver Sliver Galaxy
This is a galaxy far far away located high in the northern sky in early February. Click on image for more information
Added: January 25, 2019 ... The Total Lunar Eclipse of January 20/21, 2019
The sky was perfectly clear for the viewing of the total lunar eclipse of January 20/21, 2019. I captured the entire event. Click on title or picture for more information.
Added: December 25, 2018 ... The Great Orion Nebula
The great Orion Nebula is one of the most photographed nebulae in the heavens, and for good reasons ... IT'S GORIOUS! This located below the triplet of stars that forms Orion's belt within his sword. Click on title or picture for more information.
Added: December 5, 2018 ... The Horsehead Nebula
The Fame Horsehead Nebula is due to what appears to be a horse's head. This along with the Flame Nebula. These are located just below the left most star in the triplet of stars that forms Orion's belt within the Orion Nebula. Click on title or picture for more information.
Added: November 8, 2018 ... The Andromeda Galaxy (M31)
This is our closest galaxy which is part of a cluster of galaxies including our very own Milky Way galaxy. This galaxy is so large in apperance that it is too big to view through my telescopes, so in this image, I just used my camera with a 300mm zoom lens. Click on the picture for more information.
Added: October 5, 2018 ... The Triangulum Galaxy (M33)
This is one of our closer galaxies which is part of the Andromeda Cluster (which also includes our very own Milky Way galaxy). This was the longest exposure image that I have ever taken up to this date, being over 3 hours long. Click on the picture for more information.
Added: August 28, 2018 ... The Eagle Nebula (M16)
I took this 'Test' picture as a preview to a future project. The exposure time of this image was 39 minutes. My plans are to take a 2-3 hour exposure of it to bring out more of the nebulosity and explore more of the 'Pillars of Creation' contained within the nebula. Click on the picture for more information.
Added: August 28, 2018 ... The Great Globular Cluster in Hercules(M13)
I took this picture on the night of August 27 under a rare somewhat clear sky. The exposure time of this image was 40 minutes. Hercules is hight overhead during the month of August at 9 pm. Click on image for more information.
Added: August 26, 2018 ... The Planet Mars
The 4th planet from the sun, Mars. I took this picture on the night of August 26, 2018 around midnight. The planet that night had already moved 5 million miles further away from us since its closest approach of 35 million miles in late July. Click on picture for more information.
Added: July 3, 2019 ... The Planet Saturn
This has become (so far) my best picture of Saturn, even though it was about 33 million miles further away from a month earlier. Better weather and better procession skills resulted in a better picture. Click on the picture for more information.
Added: June 15, 2018 ... The Planet Jupiter
The 5th planet from the sun, Mighty Jupiter. I say 'Mighty' because you could fit two earths within it giant red spot. I took this picture on the night of June 15. Click on the picture for more information.
Added: July 12, 2018 ... The Dumbbell Nebula (M27)
This is one of the finest planetary nebulae in the night sky. Its name is because it resembles a dumbbell or hourglass figure. It is sometimes called the 'Apple core' nebula. It is located nearly overhead at midnight in the July skies. It is about 1,360 light-years in distance. Planetary nebulae are what our Sun will produce when it nears the end of its life and nuclear fusion stops in its core. These nebulae are formed when evolved giant stars eject their outer envelopes, exposing the hot core of the star, which then ionizes the surrounding cloud of expelled material with ultraviolet light.
Particulars:
Telescope: Celestron 11" Edge HD with 0.7X Field reducer
Camera: Canon T7i
No Filters used
Capture Software: Backyard EOS 3.1.16 Classic Edition
Exposure: 3200 ISO at 60 seconds per frame
70 Subframes
26 Dark Frames
37 Bias Frames
Stacked and Processed in PixInsight
Post processing in Photoshop CC
Telescope Mount: CGEM ii
Guiding: PHD2 with Orion Starshoot camera
Outside temperature: 82° at midnight
Added: July 9, 2018 ... The Planets
The Planets are dominating the nighttime sky with Venus brilliantly shining in the west at sunset with dimmer Mercury well below it. Mighty Jupiter is high in the south at sunset followed by Saturn around 11 pm then fiery Ruddy Red Mars high in the SE at midnight. Mars is now brighter than Jupiter and will dominate the night sky through August. This photo is a combination of 4 separate views on the night of July 9th through the 11" telescope in my 'Heavenly Backyard'.
Particulars:
Telescope: Celestron 11" Edge HD w/ 2X Barlow
Camera: Altair Hypercam 183C
Capture Software: SharpCap 3.1
Processing: AutoStakkert 2.6.8
Best 50 frames staked out of 1000 taken
Post Processing: Photoshop CC
Added: June 21, 2018 ... Heavenly Backyard Astronomy Video
A Heavenly Backyard Astronomy Video unveiling the new Orion Premium 190mm f/5.3 Maksutov-Newtonian Astrograph telescope and photographing the Whirlpool Galaxy.
Particulars:
Telescope: Orion 190mm Maksutov-Newtonian f/5.3
Camera: Altair Hypercam 183C
Guiding: Orion Starshoot autoguider
Guiding Software: PHD2 (RMS Error only 0.42)
Capture Software: Altair Capture 3.7
118 Subframes at 60 seconds
13 Dark Frames
Stacked in DSS 64bit
Added: June 20, 2018 ... The Whirlpool Galaxy (M51)
This is my first Deep Space Object (DSO) with the new Orion Premium 190mm f/5.3 Maksutov-Newtonian Astrograph telescope. M51 is about 23 million light-years away from us and contains over 100 billion stars. This picture represents full field of view as seen through the scope. To the far lower right, you can even see the much smaller spiral galaxy, IC4263.
Particulars:
Telescope: Orion 190mm Maksutov-Newtonian f/5.3
Camera: Altair Hypercam 183C
Guiding: Orion Starshoot autoguider
Guiding Software: PHD2 (RMS Error only 0.42)
Capture Software: Altair Capture 3.7
118 Subframes at 60 seconds
13 Dark Frames
Stacked in DSS 64bit
Added: June 20, 2018 ... Jupiter & Galilean Moons
The 6th planet from the sun ...Jupiter
I had just finished setting up the new 190mm Maksutov-Newtonian telescope and started testing the equipment ... Here is a picture of Jupiter Tuesday night (June 19) around 11 pm with four of the Galilean moons. This new telescope has a very wide field of view (f/5.3) easily seeing the extent of those moons. (This was made from 2 pictures with one overexposed to bring out the moons with the other to expose the bands of clouds on the planet.)
Particulars:
Telescope: 190mm Maksutov-Newtonian f/5.3
Camera: Altair Hypercam 183C
Added: June 16, 2018 ... New Telescope
Here is the new Orion Premium 190mm f/5.3 Maksutov-Newtonian Astrograph telescope. This scope is superb for Deep Space Objects (DSO) such as galaxies, nebulae and star clusters. Here you can see the basic setup. The first pictures that I have recorded have 'blown my mind'. I am truly amazed at this scope.
Particulars:
Telescope: 190mm Maksutov-Newtonian f/5.3
Altair Hpercam 183C color camera
Orion 50mm Starshoot Autoguider
Celestron Starsense Auto-Align
Total weight of OTA is about 32 pounds
The Celestron CGEM II GoTo Equatorial Mount supports 40 pound payloads
Added: June 16, 2018 ... Jupiter
The 5th planet from the sun ...Jupiter
Here is Mighty Jupiter and its giant red spot. It is so big, you could fit two earths within it! It is like a giant hurricane that has been ongoing for centuries. Also, the dark little circle to the upper right of the red spot is the shadow cast by the moon Io. The moon itself can be seen as a dull white spot to the far right on the planet. The moon Europa can be seen to the upper left. Jupiter was very bright high in the southern Sky around 11 pm.
Particulars:
Telescope: Celestron 11" - 280mm Edge HD f/10 with the Orion 4 element 2X Barlow
Camera: Altair Hypercam 183C
Added: June 16, 2018 ... Saturn
The 6th planet from the sun ... SATURN ... The Ringed Planet
The sky was reasonably clear Friday evening, June 15/ morning of June 16 and I was able to open the 11" telescope for only the third time since May 10th. Here is the 'Ringed" planet, Saturn. Saturn was only 11 days away from opposition when it will be at its brightest for the year. Saturn was 843 millions miles from earth that night. Saturn rose then in the SE sky at 10 pm Saturn will be at opposition June 27 and will be 841 million miles away shining a bright yellow in the constellation of Sagittarius.
Particulars:
Telescope: Celestron 11" - 280mm Edge HD f/10 with the Orion 4 element 2X Barlow
Camera: Altair Hypercam 183C
Added: May 18, 2018 ... The Planets May 10, 2018
The Planets as seen from my backyard in Savannah, GA on May 10, 2018 between 3 - 5 am. I took these through the 11" Celestron Edge HD f/10 telescope using a 2X Barlow to enlarge the view. I used the Altair Hypercam 183C Camera and SharpCap 3.0 to capture the image files then RegiStax 6.0 to stack and process. Since then, clouds and rain have prevented any new viewing opportunities. Jupiter just passed opposition and is now moving further away but Saturn and Mars continue to get closer and brighter and will be very prominent in the sky during the summer months. Expect a lot more pictures of them then along with Venus
Added: May 12, 2018 ... Saturn
The 7th planet from the sun ... SATURN ... The Ringed Planet
I took this picture on the morning of May 10, 2018 at 4:37 am. The telescope was the Celestron Edge HD 11" with 2X barlow lens using the Altair Hypercam 183C camera. I took 300 image frames and used the best 30 in stacking in a program called 'AutoStakkert'.
At the time, Saturn was about 871.2 million miles away. Saturn will be getting closer and on June 26 will be 843 million miles away shining a bright yellow in the constellation of Sagittarius.
Added: May 4, 2018 ... Spiral Galaxy ... Messier 100
Messier 100 is a spiral galaxy located in the southern part of the constellation of Coma Berenices ... (Nearly high overhead at 11 pm in early May). This is the furthest object that I have ever photographed ... 55 to 60 million light-years away!!! This galaxy contains about 400 billion stars, as compared to about 250 billion in our own Milky Way Galaxy. According to its 'red shift' it is moving away from us at around 1,525 km/sec ... much faster than the Pinwheel Galaxy which is moving away at 360 km/sec! This image was rather difficult to process but I was able to stack 21 of the sub-frames which were 150 seconds each giving a total exposure time of 52min 30sec. I've just about pushed to the limit of seeing distant galaxies with any type of fullness with my telescope within my backyard in a 'yellow' light-polluted region.
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Telescope: Celestron Edge HD 11" with a 0.7X field reducer Focal Ratio: f/7 (with Reducer) Camera: Altair Hyperspace 183C CMOS at gain 35 Capture software: Altair Capture Guiding: 50mm guide scope with Orion StarShoot AutoGuider Guiding Software: PHD2 ... (RMS Error 0.69 of 1 second of arc) Filter: CLS (City Light Suppression) |
Exposure: 21 sub-frames at 150 seconds each Dark Frames: 10 sub-frames at 150 seconds Stacking: Photoshop CC ... Manually Post Processing: PixInsight & Photoshop CC Mount: Celestron CGEM II GoTo EQ Mount Outside Temperature: 67° |
Added April 29, 2018 ... The Pinwheel Galaxy ... Messier 101
This galaxy is about 22 million light-years away and in the sky is located within the Big Dipper (Ursa Major). The galaxy contains about 1 trillion stars! I took this image on the night of a full moon which greatly interfered generating much light pollution. The total exposure time is 1 hour and 8 minutes, plus 26 minutes of calibration frames. I used the 11" Celestron Edge HD Schmidt–Cassegrain telescope with a 0.7X field reducer attached resulting in a focal ratio of f/7.
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Camera: Altair Hyperspace 183C CMOS at gain 35 Capture software: Altair Capture Guiding: 50mm guide scope with Orion StarShoot AutoGuider Guiding Software: PHD2 ... (RMS Error 0.48 of 1 second of arc) Filter: CLS (City Light Suppression) |
Exposure: 44 sub-frames at 120 seconds each (10 frames were extracted in post processing) Dark Frames: 12 sub-frames at 120 seconds Flat Frames: 20 sub-frames Stacking: Photoshop CC ... Manually Post Processing: PixInsight & Photoshop CC Mount: Celestron CGEM II GoTo EQ Mount Outside Temperature: 60° |
Added April 22, 2018 ... The Whirlpool Galaxy ... Messier 51.
This spiral galaxy is about 23 million light-years away. In the sky, it is located near the end of the handle of the Big Dipper in the constellation of Canes Venatici and contains more than 100 billion stars. Off to the right is the much smaller dwarf companion, known as NGC 5195. I took this picture on the night of April 20/21 with a 1 hour exposure time using 30 sub-frames of 2 minutes each. I used the 11" Celestron Edge HD Schmidt–Cassegrain telescope with a 0.7X field reducer attached resulting in a focal ratio of f/7.
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Camera: Altair Hyperspace 183C CMOS at gain 40 Capture software: Altair Capture Guiding: 50mm guide scope with Orion StarShoot AutoGuider Guiding Software: PHD2 ... (RMS Error 0.68 of 1 second of arc) Filter: CLS (City Light Suppression) |
Exposure: 10 sub-frames at 120 seconds each Dark Frames: 10 sub-frames at 120 seconds Stacking: Photoshop CC ... Manually Post Processing: PixInsight & Photoshop CC Mount: Celestron CGEM II GoTo EQ Mount Outside Temperature: 55° |
Added April 21, 2018 ... Globular Cluster ... Messier 53.
Messier 53 is a "Globular Star Cluster" located in the direction in Coma Berenices and composed of around 500,000 old stars and is within our own Milky Way Galaxy about midway between the galactic center and the outer edged. (Our solar system is very near the outer edge of the galaxy). M 53 is about 53,000 light-years from us. Many of the stars in this cluster are the original stars (1st generation) of the galaxy while our sun is known as a 2nd generation star while 3rd generation stars are forming in other portions of our galaxy, such as the area of the Orion Nebula and the Pleiades.
I took this picture on the night of April 20, 2018, at 11 pm. 10 frames were used out of the 20 that I took (computer's best picks I guess). Each frame was 2 minutes in length.
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Telescope: 11" Celestron Edge HD Schmidt–Cassegrain telescope with a 0.7X field reducer attached resulting in a focal ratio of f/7 | |
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Camera: Altair Hyperspace 183C CMOS at gain 40 Capture software: Altair Capture Guiding: 50mm guide scope with Orion StarShoot AutoGuider Guiding Software: PHD2 ... (RMS Error 0.68 of 1 second of arc) Filter: CLS (City Light Suppression) |
Exposure: 10 sub-frames at 120 seconds each Dark Frames: 10 sub-frames at 120 seconds Stacking: PixInsight Post Processing: PixInsight & Photoshop CC Mount: Celestron CGEM II GoTo EQ Mount Outside Temperature: 55° |
Added April 18, 2018 ... The "Black Eye Galaxy" (Messier 64).
This spiral galaxy is about 24 million light-years from earth and in the sky is located high in the east around 10 pm in April within the constellation of Coma Berenices (Berenice's Hair). The nickname is due to a spectacular dark band of absorbing dust in front of the nucleus that results in a smudged appearance. This galaxy contains about 100 billion stars, about half of that of our Milky Way Galaxy. This cannot be seen without the aid of a telescope, mainly 3 inches or larger in lens/mirror size.
I took this picture on the night of April 17 from 9:30 pm to 12:30 am. The exposure of the sub-frames was 120 seconds each with a total of 90 frames. (4 frames were contaminated and were not used in the stacking) resulting in a total exposure time of 2 hours and 52 minutes.
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Date: April 17, 2018 Telescope: Celestron 11" f/10 Camera: Altair Hyperspace 183C CMOS at gain 40 Capture software: Altair Capture Guiding Software: PHD2 ... (RMS Error 0.78 of 1 second of arc) |
Guiding: 50mm guide scope with Orion StarShoot AutoGuider Filter: None Exposure: 90 sub-frames at 120 seconds each Stacking: Photoshop CC (manually) Mount: Celestron CGEM II GoTo EQ Mount Outside Temperature: 60° |
Added April 17, 2018 ... "The Ring Nebula in Lyra".
This is the Ring Nebula in Lyra near the star Vega ... in appearance. This nebula is about 2,300 light-years away. It formed when its dying red giant star (see little dot in center of the ring) expelled its shell of ionized gas to form the ring, while the star itself became a white dwarf, a dense stellar remnant roughly the size of the Earth. (Will this be the fate of our sun in about 5 billion years from now?) I took this picture at 2 am April 17, 2018 with the 11" f/10 Schmidt–Cassegrain telescope.
Specifics:
Date: April 17 from 1:00 am to 2:20 am
Telescope: Celestron Edge HD Schmidt–Cassegrain f/10
Camera: Altair Hyperspace 183C CMOS at gain 40
Capture software: Altair Capture
Guiding: 50mm guide scope with Orion StarShoot AutoGuider
Guiding Software: PHD2 ... (RMS Error 0.68 of 1 second of arc)
Filter: CLS
Exposure: 29 sub-frames at 120 seconds each
Dark Frames: 10 sub-frames at 120 seconds
Stacking: PixInsight
Post Processing: PixInsight & Photoshop Elements
Mount: Celestron CGEM II GoTo EQ Mount
Outside Temperature: 47°
Added April 5, 2018 ... "Cluster of Galaxies in Virgo".
Here's a thought-provoking picture ... a cluster of galaxies seen in the direction of the constellation of Virgo. Many of these galaxies are 50 to 100 million light-years away!!! This is the view from my little 3" diameter ED80T CF telescope at an exposure of over 1 hour in the early morning of April 5, 2018, in my backyard.
Specifics:
Date: April 5 from 12:30 am to 2:00 am
Telescope: ED80T CF Triplet Apochromatic Refractor f/6
Camera: Altair Hyperspace 183C CMOS at gain 25
Capture software: Altair Capture
Guiding: 50mm guide scope with Orion StarShoot AutoGuider
Guiding Software: PHD2 ... (RMS Error 0.68 of 1 second of arc)
Filter: None
Exposure: 49 sub-frames at 90 seconds each
Dark Frames: 10 sub-frames at 90 seconds
Stacking: DeepSkyStacker
Post Processing: PixInsight & Photoshop Elements
Mount: Celestron CGEM II GoTo EQ Mount
Outside Temperature: 53°
Added March 16, 2018 ... "The Pinwheel Galaxy".
The Pinwheel Galaxy, also known as Messier 101. This face-on spiral galaxy is about 21 million light-years away. In the sky, it is located near the end of the handle of the Big Dipper. This image took me over 2 hours to expose as it was very faint!
Specifics:
Date: March 16, 2018 ... 12:10 am to 2:40 am
Telescope: ED80T CF Triplet Apochromatic Refractor f/6
Camera: Altair Hyperspace 183C CMOS at gain 25
Filter: Orion Skyglow Light Pollution
Guiding: 50mm guide scope with Orion StarShoot AutoGuider
Guiding Software: PHD2 ... (RMS Error 0.87 of 1 second of arc)
Exposure: 70 sub-frames at 120 seconds each
Dark Frames: 10 sub-frames at 120 seconds
Stacking: DeepSkyStacker
Post Processing: PixInsight & Photoshop Elements
Mount: Celestron CGEM II GoTo EQ Mount
Outside Temperature: 48°
Added March 14, 2018 ... "The Leo Triplet" of galaxies.
These 3 galaxies comprise of NGC 3628 (left), M66 (bottom right), and M65 (top right). All three are large spiral galaxies and are found in the vicinity of the constellation of Leo the Lion. All 3 galaxies are about 30 million light-years from us. I took this image on the night of March 13, 2018, using 65 X 90-second sub-frames and then stacked them in DeepSkyStacker software, resulting in a 97.5-minute exposure. (I took 83 frames but 18 of them were sub-par and excused)
Specifics:
Telescope: ED80T CF Triplet Apochromatic Refractor f/6
Camera: Altair Hyperspace 183C CMOS at gain 25
Filter: Orion Skyglow Light Pollution
Guiding: 50mm guide scope with Orion StarShoot AutoGuider
Guiding Software: PHD2 ... (RMS 0.65)
Exposure: 97.5 minutes (67 sub-frames at 90 seconds each)
Dark Frames: 10 sub-frames at 90 seconds
Post Processing: PixInsight & Photoshop CC
Mount: Celestron CGEM II GoTo EQ Mount
Outside Temperature: 41°
Added March 8, 2018 ... The Rosette Nebula
The Rosette Nebula. It is about 5,000 light-years away with the radiation from the young stars illuminating the surrounding dust cloud. In the sky, it is located in the upper left side of Orion.
Specifics:
Telescope: ED80T CF Triplet Apochromatic Refractor f/6
Camera: Altair Hyperspace 183C CMOS at gain 25
Filter: Orion Skyglow Light Pollution
Guiding: 50mm guide scope with Orion StarShoot AutoGuider
Guiding Software: PHD2 ... (RMS 0.92)
Exposure: 76.5 minutes (51 sub-frames at 90 seconds each)
Dark Frames: 11 sub-frames at 90 seconds
Post Processing: PixInsight
Added March 4, 2018 ... Orion & Running Man Nebulas
My first picture with my new 80 mm ED80T CF Apochromatic Refractor in the backyard. The scope is attached (piggyback) on top of the Celestron 11" telescope. This nebula is about 1,340 light-years from us and is an area of new star formation. It is located just below the "Belt" of Orion, the Hunter, high in the southern sky at dusk in early March. To the lower left is the so-called "Running Man" nebula (can you see the runner?).
Specifics:
Telescope: Orion ED80T CF Triplet Apochromatic Refractor f/6
Camera: Altair Hyperstar 183C ... gain setting 5.15 (out of 50)
Guiding: 50mm guide scope with Orion StarShoot AutoGuider
Guiding Software: PHD2 (guiding RMS was 0.52. That's pretty good for me)
Filters: None
72-minute Exposure ... (72 X 1 Min subframes)
20 Dark subframes at 60 seconds
Stacking Software: PixInsight
Added Feb 9, 2018 ... M 82 & M 81
Messier 81 (M81), also known as Bode’s Galaxy, is a grand design spiral galaxy located in the constellation Ursa Major. The galaxy lies at an approximate distance of 11.8 million light years from Earth.
Messier 82 (M82), also known as the Cigar Galaxy, is an edge-on starburst galaxy located in the constellation Ursa Major. The galaxy lies at a distance of 11.4 to 12.4 million light years from Earth.
I took this photograph Thursday night around midnight, 2018 using a little guide scope (Orion CT80mm ... 3") which has a wide focal ration of f/5 This 1 hour 12 minute image is composed of 72 X 6-second exposures (sub-frames) stacked together in Deep Skystacker after enhancements in PixInsight and Photoshop. This small f/5 scope will soon be replaced by a 3" f/6 refractor with a triple superb lens (Orion ED80T CF Triplet Apochromatic Refractor) which will result in much greater details.
The best time of year to observe M81 and M82 is during the spring, so I need to wait a bit later to retry this dual, and after receiving the new scope.
Added Feb 6, 2018, 2018 ... Wide view of the Andromeda Galaxy
The Andromeda Galaxy ... 2.5 million light-years away (our closest galactic neighbor).
Another test picture from the Altair Hypercam 183C astrophotography camera but using a little 80mm (3") refractor telescope. This is the equivalent of a 27-minute exposure. Actually, the scope is a large spotting/guide scope attached to the 11" Celestron. the f/5 focal ratio does give a nice wide field of view, as compared to f/10 of the Celestron. The new Altair Hypercam 183c astrophotography camera is becoming easier to use and yields much better images than the Canon T2i DSLR camera (but hey, the Canon is not a dedicated astrophotography camera).
Added Jan 21, 2018 ... M 82 (The Cigar Nebula)
Messier 82, also known as “The Cigar Nebula” is actually a galaxy about 5 times more luminous than our own Milky Way galaxy. This starburst galaxy is about 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major which was high in the northern sky (at that time ... 11 pm) and is seen “edge-on” from our vantage point.
I took this on the night of January 18, 2018 under a crystal clear cold sky (temp around 32°) using my 11" f/10 Schmidt–Cassegrain telescope using an Orion CLS light pollution filter, using the Canon T2i camera. This 1 hour 4 minute image is composed of 32 X 120-second exposures stacked together in Deep Skystacker after enhancements in Adobe's Light Room then post processed in Photoshop CC.
Added Jan 18, 2018 ... The Running Man Nebula in Orion
The Running Man Nebula (Sh2-279) is a bright nebula located very near the famous "Orion Nebula" which lies in the sword of Orion the Hunter. The Nebula is the northern most portion of his sword. This reflection nebula gives the appearance of a 'Running Man' and is about 1,500 light-years from earth.
I took this on the night of January 18, 2018 using my 11" f/10 Schmidt–Cassegrain telescope using an Orion CLS light pollution filter. This 1 hour 6 minute image is composed of 44 X 90second exposure stacked together in Deep Skystacker after enhancements in Adobe's Light Room then post processed in Photoshop CC.
Added Jan 15, 2018 ... The Bubble Nebula in Cassiopeia
The "bubble" is created by the stellar wind from a massive hot magnitude young central star. The nebula is near a giant molecular cloud which contains the expansion of the bubble nebula while itself being excited by the hot central star, causing it to glow.
The nebula is about 8,000 light-years away located in the constellation of Cassiopeia ... The Lady in the Chair. This image was make by stacking 21 X 90-second exposures at an ISO setting of 3200 making it an equivalent of a 31.5 minute exposure. Telescope: Celestron 11" Edge HD f/10 using an Orion CLS light pollution filter (There was a LOT of errant light in the yards this night).
Added Jan 14, 2018 ... Heavenly Backyard Astronomy Video #1
This is my first edition of "Heavenly Backyard Astronomy". In this video, my target was the CRAB NEBULA in the constellation Taurus the Bull which is the remnant of an exploding star (supernova) that occurred in 1054. What we see today is the outgassing of that explosion. It is about 6,500 light years away at a visual magnitude of 8.4. This image was captured Jan 13, 2018, in my backyard using 86 X 60second exposures at an ISO of 3200 on a Canon T2i using an Orion CLS (City Light Suppression) filter attached to the prime focus of my Celestron 11” Edge HD f/10 telescope. Outside temperature was in the upper 30s.
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