NGC 6992 in Hydrogen Alpha

On 11.6.09 with the FLT98 and M25C and an Ha filter in the train. 14x300sec exposure, but with a rising Moon and heavy haze to combat. Could have been better if I'd concentrated more on focusing. This is the red channel alone.

M24 is almost the whole of this

Taken 31.5.09 using the M25C on the William FLT98 and AFR4 flattener, guided by an H9C. I took 33 frames of 120sec, but had to discard 4 because of planes or satellites. This is a reprocessed effort, in that the Lum file was added in stacking and the colour files were median combined. In the first work all were median combined. The Lum was mostly processed in Photoshop and all stacking was done in AstroArt. The picture was reduced to 1500Px, but not cropped.
I'd previously thought the small cluster in the middle was M24, but not so. It's the swathe of stars to the right of this picture.
Brian

1.6.09 - Widefield view of NGC 6888 the Crescent

A cloudless night but of poor seeing, lots of haze. I only had a short time available so took a look at the Crescent Nebula in Cygnus, in H Alpha. I've not done any H-Alpha for months and this brought it all back.
Only 3 frames taken of 600sec. It would have been better if I'd focused with more care, but time was short and dawn was showing itself.
The telescope was a William FLT98 with AFR4 flattener and the camera an M25C. I used only the red channel here. This is the full frame, uncropped.

Venus

Taken from Austerfield on 10.2.09, before the Full Moon got up and in the way and before Venus sunk into the trees.
The camera was an old Philips webcam on the Meade 14".
It was cold.

NGC2244 the Rosette

Taken on the 27th of November 08, a cloudless sky, but of very poor seeing from Austerfield. Very disappointing because of the repeated loss of the guide star through sudden very small clouds, or local areas of "boiling air".
Another try with an OIII filter, 7x1200sec in 4 parts, because of loss of guiding.
The M25C and 80ED used with AA4 used for acquiring and processing this hard fought effort. It was also getting cold, down to -2.

M45

Taken on 27.11.08, a clear night with poor seeing, making for very poor guiding and trailed stars, with lots of little clouds invisible to my eyes but seen by the guiding camera. This version took 11x130sec with the M25C and 80ED, processed in AA4 and PS7.

M33 Triangulum

21.11.08, the night started clear and windy, with no Moon and the Milky Way fleetingly visible but it soon faded and by 11.30 had full cloud cover. After lots of fiddling I got the equipment working but the wind and seeing made very poor guiding, .8 of a pixel, where I've always had under .5.
I took 12x600sec frames of M33 but I wasn't as good as usual with focusing and of course it can change during the process of the 2 hours and I didn't refocus.
The usual gear used, M25C and 80ED guided by Geraldine who was reluctant to comply, though she seemed to finally come round. Processed in AA4 with the Lum in PS7. Cropped a little.

IC434 and the Horsehead

This was taken in November 2006, an age ago it seems. I was using the H9C then and my processing has improved too, at least I think so.
I was able to get an exposure of 21x300, but at that time I wasn't as convinced as now that more time was important, and my approach to taking pictures was much more butterfly than now.
So this is the old data reprocessed, and hopefully better than before. The 80ED was used, guided by an SX guidehead and the Meade14". You can see by comparing with the same object taken with the M25C that this version covers a much smaller area of sky.

NGC2244 again, with some 0III

The 0III taken 7.11.08 with a high half Moon and haze. Guiding was terrible, perhaps the old Meade is getting sick.
I took the 0III with the camera 90° to the Ha so could only use the central portion.
4x900sec exposure using the M25C and 80ED, and a Meade 0III filter.
I'll leave this on as a reminder not to do it this way, but the 0III frames, taken through a Meade 0III filter have degraded the picture as a whole, rather than improved it.
The reason seems to be that the Meade filter, bought as a visual one, lets the infra-red through and more of that comes through than the 0III, adding to the H-alpha and bringing more noise with it.

IC1396 __ Elephant's Trunk or Hippopotamus

Taken on Friday the 31st of October '08, in Ha on the usual platform of 80ED and M25C. Processed in AA4/PS7 using only the R channel. A clear sky without Moon but hazy and this object was sinking into the west.

IC434 and the Horsehead

Another effort from the night of the 27th, a busy night.
Taken under the same circumstances as the others on that night, in Ha. I like Ha work, very satisfying. 4x900sec exposure with the 80ED and M25C.

NGC 2244 __ and the Rosette Nebula

Taken on the night of 27.10.08, in a cloudless and Moonless sky, but with haze and lots of cold dew.
The equipment used was the 80ED riding on the Meade LX200 with an M25C camera and Hydrogen Alpha filter to hopefully cut through the haze.
Processed in AA4 and PS7 with Noel's Actions. The frame is uncropped.
It was -1°C too, but I was prepared, having been caught out many times before.
Re-processed it and hopefully added more contrast?

NGC1499 __ the California Nebula

Taken with the usual kit, but through an Hydrogen Alpha filter, then coloured in PS7 with Noel's Actions. I like it in B&W really but felt a bit of colour was needed.
Taken on the 21st of October '08 with no Moon and a mostly clear sky which clouded over half way through the 3rd frame preventing my intended 2 hours. It was all in a bit of a rush and you can see that It's not well centred.
I've repeated this subject and hopefully composed it more effectively. This on the night of the 27th October '08. I was also able to get 6x1200 frames this time. Reprocessed for more contrast.

NGC6960 the Witch's Broom

7x1200 frames under a half Moon at native focal length. Cropped a bit to remove the worst of the optical problems of a standard refractor, Apochromatic or not, and the Skywatcher 80ED doesn't cover the M25 chip with any comfort. I think I can manage the taking of pictures much more effectively than the subsequent processing. This took hours of try this way then that, a bit more of this and a bit less of that. Very wearing. Guiding was better than usual too. I know I can do better so will try again, Cloud God willing. I've lightened the picture to compensate for Blogger darkening it.

IC434 and the Horsehead

Taken on the 8th of October, a hazy but clear sky with a half Moon in the south when the Horsehead was well up.

The usual kit at native focal length. Exposure was 6x600sec, but it needs more, of course. I'd like to add some Ha to this, though it looks well in Ha alone. Plenty of time yet this year. Guiding wasn't good at all.

Reprocessed by adding in the Lums rather than Median combine. Makes for a smoother result, but doesn't take out the hot pixels.