Monthly Archives: February 2015

Gem Cluster NGC 3293 and NGC 3324

NGC 3293 (The Gem Cluster) is another Carina open cluster that is of a similar age to the more famous open cluster known as the Jewel Box / NGC 4755. This wonderfully attractive cluster has an associated bright nebulosity being Gum 30 covering some 28.3 × 17.4 arcmin – but sometimes this given designation is wrongly NGC 3293. In fact, NGC 3293 is only the cluster. Gum 30 appears roughly triangular shape object, whose aligned longest axis is roughly north to south. Ninety-three (93) components have been identified, with the cluster’s brightness has the total magnitude is 4.7, or 8.5 magnitude based on the 5th brightest star. The Trumpler class has been established as I 3 r n. (description from southastrodel.com) A little bit to the right from center – NGC 3324, or Gabriela Mistral Nebula. This extensive and irregular nebulous haze seems to be an outlying part of the great Eta Carinae complex. It is excited by a a small pair of O6 stars in the brightest portion.

Imaging telescopes or lenses: Saxon ED120 ED120

Imaging cameras: Canon EOS 60Da Canon 60Da

Mounts: Skywatcher AZ-EQ6 GT Skywatcher

Accessories: Orion Starshoot Auto-Guider

Resolution: 5184×3456

Dates: Jan. 27, 2015

Frames: 12×240″ ISO1250

Integration: 0.8 hours

Avg. Moon age: 7.17 days

Avg. Moon phase: 47.74%

RA center: 159.463 degrees

DEC center: -58.275 degrees

Pixel scale: 0.971 arcsec/pixel

Orientation: 90.733 degrees

Field radius: 0.840 degrees

Locations: Heathcote, Heathcote, Victoria, Australia

Author: Uri Abraham

SPONLI is a project about astrophotography, for amateur astronomers.

Be the first-one to know about the launch of the project – pass an easy registration on our web-site:
https://en.sponli.com/registration/

“Tadpoles” of IC 410

This close-up view shows two remarkable denizens of the glowing gas cloud at the left – the “tadpoles” of IC 410. Partly obscured by foreground dust, the nebula itself surrounds NGC 1893, a young galactic cluster of stars that energizes the glowing gas. Composed of denser, cooler gas and dust, the tadpoles are around 10 light-years long. Sculpted by wind and radiation from the cluster stars, their tails trail away from the cluster’s central region. IC 410 lies some 12,000 light-years away, toward the constellation Auriga. At that distance, this image spans about 70 light-years.

Imaging telescopes or lenses: Skywatcher ED80

Imaging cameras: Atik 460 EX Mono

Mounts: SkyWatcher HEQ5 PRO , Altair Astro Pier

Guiding telescopes or lenses: Skywatcher ST80

Guiding cameras: ASI 120MM

Focal reducers: SkyWatcher Reducer 0.85

Resolution: 3706×2818

Dates: Feb. 17, 2015

Frames: 16×600″

Integration: 2.7 hours

Avg. Moon age: 27.21 days

Avg. Moon phase: 5.97%

RA center: 80.665 degrees

DEC center: 33.391 degrees

Pixel scale: 0.900 arcsec/pixel

Orientation: -78.796 degrees

Field radius: 0.582 degrees

Author: Bob Ford

SPONLI is a project about astrophotography, for amateur astronomers.

Be the first-one to know about the launch of the project – pass an easy registration on our web-site:
https://en.sponli.com/registration/

NGC1499, California Nebula

Discovered by Edward Barnard in 1885, the California nebula is a large and relatively close nebula in the Orion Arm of our Galaxy. The nebula glows because of the radiation from the intensely hot, class O star, Xi Persei which is the brightest star in this picture. It extends across 100 light years of space.The distance to the California nebula is not known very precisely, although it definitely lies within the Orion Arm and most estimates place the nebula about 1500 light years away. The most accurate distance to Xi Persei from the Hipparcos Catalogue puts the star roughly 1800 light years away, although it could easily be 500 light years nearer or further.

Imaging telescopes or lenses: Stellarvue SV80S

Imaging cameras: Atik 383L+ Mono

Guiding telescopes or lenses: Orion ST80

Guiding cameras: Orion SSAG StarShoot AutoGuider

Focal reducers: TeleVue 0.8x Photo Reducer/Flattener TRF-2008

Software: Images Plus, PS, PHD Images Plus 5.75, PS, PHD, Noel Carboni’s Astro Tools for PhotoShop Noel Carboni Actions, Artemis Capture Artemis

Filters: Baader OIII OIII, Baader SII 8nm Ø36, Baader Ha 36mm H-Alpha

Accessories: ATIK EFW2, 7x36mm

Resolution: 1620×1183

Dates: Feb. 9, 2015, Feb. 13, 2015, Feb. 14, 2015

Frames:
Baader Ha 36mm H-Alpha: 11×900″ -20C bin 1×1
Baader SII 8nm Ø36: 11×900″ -20C bin 1×1
Baader OIII OIII: 11×900″ -20C bin 1×1

Integration: 8.2 hours

Darks: ~10

Flats: ~10

Avg. Moon age: 22.07 days

Avg. Moon phase: 50.40%

Bortle Dark-Sky Scale: 7.00

Temperature: 7.33

RA center: 60.503 degrees

DEC center: 36.430 degrees

Pixel scale: 5.860 arcsec/pixel

Orientation: -25.147 degrees

Field radius: 1.633 degrees

Locations: The Shack Observatory, Panama City, Florida, United States

Author: jmfloater

SPONLI is a project about astrophotography, for amateur astronomers.

Be the first-one to know about the launch of the project – pass an easy registration on our web-site:
https://en.sponli.com/registration/

NGC 2359 – Thor’s Helmet

This helmet-shaped cosmic cloud with wing-like appendages is popularly called Thor’s Helmet. Heroically sized even for a Norse god, Thor’s Helmet is about 30 light-years across. In fact, the helmet is more like an interstellar bubble, blown as a fast wind from the bright, massive star near the bubble’s center sweeps through a surrounding molecular cloud. Known as a Wolf-Rayet star, the central star is an extremely hot giant thought to be in a brief, pre-supernova stage of evolution. Cataloged as NGC 2359, the nebula is located about 15,000 light-years away in the constellationCanis Major. The sharp image, made using broadband and narrowband filters, captures striking details of the nebula’s filamentary structures. It shows off a blue-green color from strong emission due to oxygen atoms in the glowing gas.

Imaging telescopes or lenses: Celestron EdgeHD 1100

Imaging cameras: Starlight Xpress SXVR-M25C

Mounts: CGEM

Guiding telescopes or lenses: Celestron EdgeHD 1100

Guiding cameras: Lodestar

Focal reducers: Celestron .7x Focal Reducer Celestron f7

Software: Adobe Photoshop CS2 Photoshop CS2, MaximDL 5

Filters: Baader UHC-S

Accessories: Starlight Xpress SXV-AOL

Resolution: 2907×1816

Dates: Feb. 8, 2015

Frames: 56×1200″

Integration: 18.7 hours

Avg. Moon age: 18.35 days

Avg. Moon phase: 86.12%

RA center: 109.631 degrees

DEC center: -13.218 degrees

Pixel scale: 0.821 arcsec/pixel

Orientation: 90.011 degrees

Field radius: 0.391 degrees

Locations: Home Observatory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States

Author: army5

SPONLI is a project about astrophotography, for amateur astronomers.

Be the first-one to know about the launch of the project – pass an easy registration on our web-site:
https://en.sponli.com/registration/

M53 Cluster

Messier 53 (also known as M53 or NGC 5024) is a globular cluster in the Coma Berenices constellation. It was discovered by Johann Elert Bode in 1775. M53 is one of the more outlying globular clusters, being about 60,000 light-years away from the Galactic Center, and almost the same distance (about 58,000 light-years) from the Solar system.

Imaging telescopes or lenses: GSO / Teleskop-Service RC 12″

Imaging cameras: QHY8L

Mounts: Sky-Watcher NEQ6

Guiding cameras: QHYCCD QHY5

Software: Metaguide

Filters: CLS

Accessories: Orion OAG Deluxe

Resolution: 2940×1929

Dates: May 25, 2013

Frames: 3×300″

Integration: 0.2 hours

Avg. Moon age: 14.56 days

Avg. Moon phase: 99.95%

RA center: 198.236 degrees

DEC center: 18.173 degrees

Pixel scale: 0.654 arcsec/pixel

Orientation: 174.547 degrees

Field radius: 0.319 degrees

Author: SilentRunning

SPONLI is a project about astrophotography, for amateur astronomers.

Be the first-one to know about the launch of the project – pass an easy registration on our web-site:
https://en.sponli.com/registration/

Online broadcastings by SPONLI

Be sure not to miss our test online broadcastings, unique and fascinating!

http://online.sponli.com/

Today you have the opportunity to see Jupiter with its 4 moons: Callisto, Ganymede, Io, Europa.

Soon enough we’ll show the Earth’s Moon!

See you soon, SPONLI TEAM

Owl nebula, M 97, NGC 3587

23фев

The Owl Nebula is a planetary nebula located approximately 2,030 light years away in the constellation Ursa Major. This object is known by the catalogue identifiers Messier Object 97 (M97) and NGC 3587. It was discovered by Frenchastronomer Pierre Méchain on February 16, 1781. When William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse observed the nebula in 1848, his hand-drawn illustration resembled an owl’s head. It has been known as the owl nebula ever since.

Imaging cameras: Atik 16

Mounts: Skywatcher NEQ6-Pro

Guiding telescopes or lenses: Lunatico Astronomia EZG-60

Guiding cameras: The Imaging Source DBK21AU04.AS

Software: Pleiades Astrophoto Pixinsight Core 1.8

Filters: Baader Planetarium Ha 7nm, Hutech IDAS 2″ LPS-P2, Baader Planetarium OIII 8.5nm 1.25″

Resolution: 617×487

Dates: April 5, 2014, April 7, 2014

Frames:
Baader Planetarium Ha 7nm: 4×600″ bin 1×1
Baader Planetarium Ha 7nm: 11×900″ bin 1×1
Baader Planetarium OIII 8.5nm 1.25″: 13×300″ bin 2×2

Integration: 4.5 hours

Avg. Moon age: 6.15 days

Avg. Moon phase: 37.32%

RA center: 168.690 degrees

DEC center: 55.012 degrees

Orientation: -175.827 degrees

Field radius: 0.187 degrees

Locations: Observatorio Urbano en Palma de Mallorca, Palma de Mallorca, Balears, Spain

Author: Karlov

SPONLI is a project about astrophotography, for amateur astronomers.

Be the first-one to know about the launch of the project – pass an easy registration on our web-site:
https://en.sponli.com/registration/

M42, M43 Nebulas

C46, NGC 2261, Hubble Variable Nebula

NGC 2261 (also known as Hubble’s Variable Nebula or Caldwell 46) is a variable nebula located in the constellationMonoceros. It is illuminated by the star R Monocerotis (R Mon), which is not directly visible itself. NGC 2261 was imaged as Palomar Observatory’s Hale Telescope’s first light by Edwin Hubble on January 26, 1949, some 20 years after the Palomar Observatory project began in 1928. One explanation proposed for the variability is that dense clouds of dust near R Mon periodically block the illumination from the star.

Imaging telescopes or lenses: Celestron C11 Celestron

Imaging cameras: 40D Canon

Mounts: CGEM Celestron

Guiding cameras: Orion Star Shooter

Software: Deep Sky Stacker, photoshop

Resolution: 775×568

Dates: March 8, 2013

Frames: 25×60″

Integration: 0.4 hours

Avg. Moon age: 25.48 days

Avg. Moon phase: 17.43%

RA center: 99.794 degrees

DEC center: 8.759 degrees

Pixel scale: 1.583 arcsec/pixel

Orientation: -115.932 degrees

Field radius: 0.211 degrees

Locations: Leesburg home, Leesburg , Florida, United States

Author: AlBroxton

SPONLI is a project about astrophotography, for amateur astronomers.

Be the first-one to know about the launch of the project – pass an easy registration on our web-site:
https://en.sponli.com/registration/

M63, Sunflower Galaxy

Messier 63 (also known as M63, NGC 5055, or the Sunflower Galaxy) is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici consisting of a central disc surrounded by many short spiral arm segments. M63 is part of the M51 Group, a group of galaxies that also includes M51 (the ‘Whirlpool Galaxy’). M63 was discovered by Pierre Méchain on June 14, 1779.

Imaging telescopes or lenses:

Imaging cameras:

Mounts:

Guiding cameras:

RA center: 198.927 degrees

DEC center: 42.068 degrees

Pixel scale: 0.506 arcsec/pixel

Orientation: 84.604 degrees

Field radius: 0.406 degrees

Author: Egil.G

SPONLI is a project about astrophotography, for amateur astronomers.

Be the first-one to know about the launch of the project – pass an easy registration on our web-site:
https://en.sponli.com/registration/

Related posts:

Related posts:

Related posts:

Related posts:

Related posts:

Related posts:

Related posts:

Related posts:

Related posts:

Related posts: