Helix nebula

The Helix Nebula (also known as The Helix, NGC 7293, or Caldwell 63) is a large planetary nebula (PN) located in the constellation Aquarius. Discovered by Karl Ludwig Harding, probably before 1824, this object is one of the closest to theEarth of all the bright planetary nebulae.[7] The estimated distance is about 215 parsecs or 700 light-years. It is similar in appearance to the Ring Nebula, whose size, age, and physical characteristics are similar to the Dumbbell Nebula, varying only in its relative proximity and the appearance from the equatorial viewing angle.[2] The Helix has often been referred to as the Eye of God on the Internet, since about 2003.[8]
The Helix Nebula is an example of a planetary nebula, or 'planetary' formed at the end of a star's evolution. Gases from the star in the surrounding space appear, from our vantage point, as if we are looking down a helix structure. The remnant central stellar core, known as a planetary nebula nucleus or PNN, is destined to become a white dwarf star. The observed glow of the central star is so energetic that it causes the previously expelled gases to brightly fluoresce.The Helix Nebula in the constellation of Aquarius lies about 700 light-years away, spanning about 0.8 parsec or 2.5 light-years. Recent images by the Hubble Space Telescope of the Helix Nebula are a composite of newly released images from the ACS instrument and the wide-angle images from the Mosaic Camera on the WIYN 0.9-metre telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory.

http://en.wikipedia.org

Instruments and exposure data:

W.O FLT110 with dedicated TMB field flattener
FeatherTouch 3'' focuser
Starizona MicroTouch autofocuser
W.O ZS80 ED
SBIG ST10XME CFW9
Meade DSI
Filters:
Ha 5nm Astrodon
Sky-Watcher EQ6 Pro
Ha :57*10min bin1x1 (9.5hours)

Vironas Athens Greece

Lagoon nebula

The Lagoon Nebula (catalogued as Messier 8 or M8, and as NGC 6523) is a giant interstellar cloud in the constellation Sagittarius. It is classified as an emission nebula and as an H II region.

The Lagoon Nebula was discovered by Guillaume Le Gentil in 1747 and is one of only two star-forming nebulae faintly visible to the naked eye from mid-northern latitudes. Seen with binoculars, it appears as a distinct oval cloudlike patch with a definite core. A fragile star cluster appears superimposed on it.
The Lagoon Nebula is estimated to be between 4,000-6,000 light years from the Earth. In the sky of Earth, it spans 90' by 40', translates to an actual dimension of 110 by 50 light years. 

Like many nebulas, it appears pink in time-exposure color photos but is gray to the eye peering through binoculars or a telescope, human vision having poor color sensitivity at low light levels. The nebula contains a number of Bok globules (dark, collapsing clouds of protostellar material), the most prominent of which have been catalogued by E. E. Barnard as B88, B89 and B296. It also includes a funnel-like or tornado-like structure caused by a hot O-type star that emanates ultraviolet light, heating and ionizing gases on the surface of the nebula. 

The Lagoon Nebula also contains at its centre a structure known as the Hourglass Nebula (so named by John Herschel), which should not be confused with the better known Hourglass Nebula in the constellation of Musca. In 2006 the first four Herbig-Haro objects were detected within the Hourglass, also including HH 870. This provides the first direct evidence of active star formation by accretion within it.

http://en.wikipedia.org


Instruments and exposure data:

W.O FLT110 with dedicated TMB field flattener
FeatherTouch 3'' focuser
Starizona MicroTouch autofocuser
W.O ZS80 ED
SBIG ST10XME CFW9
Meade DSI
Filters:
Ha 5nm Astrodon
SII 8nm Baader
OIII 3nm Astrodon
Sky-Watcher EQ6 Pro
Ha   :35*6min bin1x1 (3.5hours)
OIII :20*8min bin 1x1(2.66hours)
SII   :23*10min_8*8min (4.9hours)
Total exposure 11 hours

Vironas Athens Greece

Piraeus and Faliro by night

Piraeus and Faliro by night ...

Time lapse Photography attempts...

Clouds

Just clouds...

Time lapse Photography attempts...
with Canon 350D

Sunset

A fast Sunset...

Vironas, Athens
Hellas

Crater Copernicus

Copernicus is a lunar impact crater named after the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, located in eastern Oceanus Procellarum. It is estimated to be about 800 million years old, and typifies craters that formed during the Copernican period in that it has a prominent ray system.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copernicus_(lunar_crater)

Crater copernicus photo details:

Telescope : Meade LX90 (ota only)
Camera : IS DBK21
Televue Powermate x5
Mount: EQ6Pro

30 April 2012 22:38 local time

Kallithea Athens
Hellas

Crater Clavius

Clavius is one of the largest crater formations on the Moon, and it is the third largest crater on the visible near side. It is located in the rugged southern highlands of the Moon, to the south of the prominent ray crater Tycho.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clavius_(crater)

Crater clavius photo details:

Telescope : Meade LX90 (ota only)
Camera : IS DBK21
Televue Powermate x5
Mount: EQ6Pro

30 April 2012 22:48 local time

Kallithea Athens
Hellas

Melotte 15 _ another view...

The bright open star cluster, in this image is known as Melotte 15 after its discoverer, Philibert Jacques Melotte (1880-1961). Melotte 15 is embedded within and illuminates the central portion of the much larger glowing nebula identified as IC 1805.
The Heart Nebula, IC 1805, Sh2-190, lies some 7500 light years away from Earth and is located in the Perseus Arm of the Galaxy in the constellation Cassiopeia. This is an emission nebula showing glowing gas and darker dust lanes. The nebula is formed by plasma of ionized hydrogen and free electrons.

The interesting structure in the right of the image is a giant area of hydrogen gas that is caused to glow by the intense ultraviolet radiation from the massive stars of the Melotte 15 star cluster.
Dust and gas clouds are eroded by the pressure of the intense radiation.
The Melotte 15 star cluster is estimated to be 7,500 light years away from Earth.

Instruments and exposure data:

W.O FLT110 with dedicated TMB field flattener
FeatherTouch 3'' focuser
Starizona MicroTouch autofocuser
W.O ZS80 ED
SBIG ST10XME CFW9
Meade DSI
Filters:
Ha 5nm Astrodon
Sky-Watcher EQ6 Pro
Ha :39*10min bin1x1 (6.5hours)

Waxing Gibbous Moon 89% of full

Kallithea Athens Greece

Melotte 15 in IC1805

Tricolor Emmision Line image
S[II] 8nm(Red)_Ha 5nm(Green)_O[III] 3nm(Blue)
Modified Hubble Palette

Instruments and exposure data:

S[II] 22*15min_Ha 39*10min_O[III] 26*15min
total exposure time : 1110min (18h 30min)

W.O FLT110 with dedicated TMB field flattener

FeatherTouch 3'' focuser
Starizona MicroTouch autofocuser
W.O ZS80 ED
SBIG ST10XME CFW9
Meade DSI
Sky-Watcher EQ6 Pro

Filters:
Ha 5nm Astrodon

S[II] 8nm Baader

O[III] 3nm Astrodon

Kallithea Athens Hellas

Anacortes Image of the Day 22/11/2011

The ''heart'' of the Heart Nebula-Melotte 15 in IC 1805

The bright open star cluster, in this image is known as Melotte 15 after its discoverer, Philibert Jacques Melotte (1880-1961). Melotte 15 is embedded within and illuminates the central portion of the much larger glowing nebula identified as IC 1805.
The Melotte 15 star cluster is estimated to be 7,500 light years away from Earth.

Instruments and exposure data:

W.O FLT110 with dedicated TMB field flattener
FeatherTouch 3'' focuser
Starizona MicroTouch autofocuser
W.O ZS80 ED
SBIG ST10XME CFW9
Meade DSI
Filters:
Ha 5nm Astrodon
Sky-Watcher EQ6 Pro
Ha :39*10min bin1x1 (6.5hours)

Waxing Gibbous Moon 89% of full

Kallithea Athens Greece

Elephant's Trunk nebula IC1396

Tricolor Emmision Line image
S[II] 8nm(Red)_Ha 5nm(Green)_O[III] 3nm(Blue)
Modified Hubble Palette

S[II] 25*15min_Ha 29*15min_O[III] 18*15min
total exposure time : 1080min (18h)

Τελικά δεν άντεξα...και πήρα το 3nm O[III] .
Αν και βινιετάρει περισσότερο(μικρό το κακό) από αυτό της Baader , πέτυχα σημαντικά καλύτερο S/N!!!
Kallithea Athens Hellas

Anacortes Image of the Day 3/10/2011

Elephant's Trunk nebula

The Elephant's Trunk nebula is a concentration of interstellar gas and dust in the star cluster IC 1396 – an ionized gas region located in the constellation Cepheus about 2,400 light years away from Earth.[1] The piece of the nebula shown here is the dark, dense globule IC 1396A; it is commonly called the Elephant's Trunk nebula because of its appearance at visible light wavelengths, where there is a dark patch with a bright, sinuous rim. The bright rim is the surface of the dense cloud that is being illuminated and ionized by a very bright, massive star that is just to the west of IC 1396A.The entire IC 1396 region is ionized by the massive star, except for dense globules that can protect themselves from the star's harsh ultraviolet rays.

The Elephant's Trunk nebula is now thought to be a site of star formation, containing several very young (less than 100,000 yr) stars that were discovered in infrared images in 2003. Two older (but still young, a couple of million years, by the standards of stars, which live for billions of years) stars are present in a small, circular cavity in the head of the globule. Winds from these young stars may have emptied the cavity.

The combined action of the light from the massive star ionizing and compressing the rim of the cloud, and the wind from the young stars shifting gas from the center outward lead to very high compression in the Elephant's Trunk nebula. This pressure has triggered the current generation of protostars.[2]

Instruments and exposure data:

W.O FLT110 with dedicated TMB field flattener

FeatherTouch 3'' focuser

Starizona MicroTouch autofocuser

W.O ZS80 ED
SBIG ST10XME CFW9
Meade DSI 

Filters:

Ha 5nm Astrodon

Sky-Watcher   EQ6 Pro

Ha :29*15min bin1x1

Sharpless 171 Hubble palette

Tricolor Emission Line Image

Instruments and exposure data:

W.O FLT110 with dedicated TMB field flattener

FeatherTouch 3'' focuser

Starizona MicroTouch autofocuser

W.O ZS80 ED
SBIG ST10XME CFW9
Meade DSI 

Filters:

SII 8nm Baader Planetarium

Ha 5nm Astrodon

OIII 8.5nm Baader Planetarium

Sky-Watcher   EQ6 Pro

SII :30*15min bin1x1
Ha :30*15min bin1x1

OIII:30*15min bin1x1

Total exposure time:22h30min 

Anacortes Image of the Day 19/09/2011

Northern Galactic Image of the Month Award for September 2011

http://www.northerngalactic.com/forum/news.php

Sharpless 171 and Berkeley 59, HII region and open cluster in Cepheus

This expanding shell of gas and dust was created by the original star cluster at the heart of Cep OB4, that has now dispersed. It is now lit and ionized by the young star cluster Berkeley 59, at its south end and it is expanding into the dark nebula NGC 7822 at its north end. Berkeley 59 is surrounded by another dark region of disturbed gas and dust called W1.

credit: galaxymap.org 

Instruments and exposure data:
W.O FLT110 with dedicated TMB field flattener and FeatherTouch 3'' focuser
Filter Ha 5nm Astrodon
SBIG ST10XME CFW9
Starizona MicroTouch autofocuser
EQ6

Ha:15*15min bin1x1
Total exposure time:3h45min

Leo Triplet

Instruments and exposure data:
W.O FLT110 with dedicated TMB field flattener and FeatherTouch 3'' focuser
Filter IDAS LPS _ Baader RGB
SBIG ST10XME CFW9
Starizona MicroTouch autofocuser
EQ6

L:L:RGB
Lum(LPS):81*10min(bin1x1) total 13h30min
Red:36*5(18bin1x1_18bin2x2)
Green:36*5(18bin1x1_18bin2x2)
Blue:36*5(18bin1x1_18bin2x2)
Total exposure time:22h30min

Kallithea Athens Hellas

Leo Triplet

The Leo Triplet (also known as the M66 Group) is a small group of galaxies about 35 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. This galaxy group consists of the spiral galaxies M65, the M66, and the NGC 3628



Instruments and exposure data

W.O FLT110 with dedicated TMB field flattener and FeatherTouch 3'' focuser
Filter IDAS LPS
SBIG ST10XME CFW9
Starizona MicroTouch autofocuser
EQ6
Lum(LPS):81*10min(bin1x1) total 13h30min
Kallithea Athens Hellas