Much further from the core, but still considered part of the northern part of the Milky Way, the Wizard nebula. An incredibly difficult object to see without a filter, this was another of my frustrating 2020 objects that just pop now with my new Optolong filter. Even though it’s commonly known as the Wizard Nebula, NGC […]
The Crescent Nebula
I struggled for several nights last year in a futile attempt to take photos of the Crescent Nebula, NGC 6888. This emission nebula is about 5,000 light years away, and between us and it is a lot of stars. It wasn’t until I got my Optolong l-eXtreme filter that I’ve been able to see the nebula properly. […]
The North America & Pelican Nebulas
It was a gloriously clear stretch of weather this past weekend, with highs in the low 20s with low humidity and clear skies at night. Taking a break from the big Celestron SCT, I brought out the William Optics Redcat 51 and photographed a few interesting parts of the Milky Way. The Optolong l-eXtreme filter does a great job of toning down […]
The Cygnus Wall with Optolong L-eXtreme filter
Although I’ve taken out the new #RASA8 before, last night’s imaging session was the first “all systems go” with a completed rig. And even though the wait was long, the payoff was huge! With a full moon blazing across the night sky over the lake, I brought out my #Optolong l-eXtreme filter to remove most of the background moonlight […]
The Hamburger Galaxy
It’s first “official” light on my new QHY268C camera. Ordered in September, it finally appeared in mid March and I’ve been spending the last few clear nights tweaking and playing with the settings. There’s some major differences between this and my ZWO ASI294MC Pro… including heightened sensitivity and reduced noise. The DSO settings alone took […]
Messier 51: The Whirlpool Galaxy
Another favourite galaxy from the Big Dipper! This time it’s Messier 51, widely known as the Whirlpool Galaxy… and sometimes the “Question Mark” Galaxy. It’s been almost a year since I’ve photographed M51, and my skills have definitely improved! Extremely happy to see the long dust trails that have escaped me in the past. Capture […]
Messier 101: Pinwheel Galaxy
Another clear moonless night turns into another night working on objects in the Big Dipper! M101 or the Pinwheel Galaxy is an annual favourite around this time of year. The nights are still long & dark, so more than 4 hours of data later I was able to capture more of the fainter arms of […]
NGC 3718 & Friends
It’s been more than a month since I’ve been able to open up the observatory nd get some clear skies. It’s an early kickoff to spring’s galaxy season with a new target – Galaxy NGC 3718. This distorted spiral galaxy is 52 million light years away and sits just below the pan of the big dipper […]
The Cygnus Loop / Veil Nebula
When I read all the reviews about the new Optolong L-eXtreme filter, every single one said that I had to try the Veil Nebula. It’s getting late in the season for this massive hyrodgen & oxygen rich part of the sky… but I couldn’t pass up my first light night and gave it a shot […]
The Rosette Nebula
First light with the new Optolong L-eXtreme Pro 2″ filter last night, coupled with my RedCat51 250mm telescope. It was a clear, cool night with low humidity and above average seeing conditions… perfect to play catch up and give this toy a whirl. Wow. I can’t believe the detail and contrast I got on the […]