Now that Galaxy Season is largely behind us, I’ve put away the Celestron 8″ SCT and installed the RedCat 51 on my AVX mount. For the next few weeks, I’m going widefield to capture much larger objects. It’s been a year since I added the deck onto the cottage and began to really explore the […]
VdB 141: The Ghost Nebula
For the third night of gloriously clear skies I attempted another new object: VdB 141: The Ghost Nebula. This one is particularly faint, with the “arms” of the ghost a dull brown. The “head” is the reflection of dust from the nebula’s central star. Technically, it’s part of the NGC 7023 cluster, which includes the […]
NGC 7023: The Iris Nebula
First light on the Iris Nebula turned out fantastic! I’m lucking out with back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back clear spring nights around a new moon. Can’t ask for anything better. So each night, I’m taking my time with targets rather than trying to cram too much into my sessions. This reflection nebula enjoyed nearly 5 hours of imaging, giving […]
Fireworks Galaxy: Take 2
“Final” Messier 61 & Supernova SN2020jfo
I wasn’t happy with the clarity & sharpness of the Messier 61 I took a few days ago, so I spent a few hours more trying to get nice round stars. This time, I was happy with the results! With improved tracking & a bit more time spent with the focuser (which is still giving […]
Star Cygni 57 and the North America Nebula
Just off the “East Coast” of the North America Nebula lies the bright binary star 57 Cygni. Embedded deep in the Milky Way, the reds & browns of the background dust and stars provide a nice counter to the blue in the star, just over 500 light years away. The entire North America Nebula is […]
Star Trails: A Night on the Lake
After experimenting with using my star trail photos as a video timelapse of the Milky Way last month, I decided to give it a try with a different angle. This time I was borrowing a neighbour’s beach to look West, highlighting the nearly 2km long stretch of glorious spring fed water. The temperature remained above […]
Supernova SN2020jfo in Galaxy M61
NGC 6496: The Fireworks Galaxy
Ten supernova have been seen in NGC 6946 over the past century. Considering the Milky Way (which has twice as many stars) averages one every 100 years, “Fireworks” is an apt name for this face on spiral galaxy. This was my first light on the Fireworks Galaxy, but won’t be my last. The moon washed […]
