A collection of bright star clusters and colourful nebulas in central Auriga. Messier 36, aka the Pinwheel Cluster, is at far left. Messier 38, aka the Starfish Cluster, is at top left, with the small cluster NGC 1907 below it. The large nebula at right is IC 405, the Flaming Star Nebula surrounding and extending from the star AE Aurigae. The part of the nebula around the star is blue reflection nebulosity. The large nebula at bottom is IC 410 surrounding a loose star cluster NGC 1893. The small nebula left of centre is IC 417. The smaller nebula between IC 417 and Messier 36 is NGC 1931. The colourful group of stars between IC 405 and 410 at right is the Little Fish asterism. This is a stack of 8 x 8-minute exposures through the Borg 77mm f/4 astrograph and with the Canon EOS Ra red-sensitive mirrorless camera, at ISO 800. Stacked, aligned and processed in Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop 2020. No nebula or light pollution reduction filter was employed in taking the images. I shot this from home November 25, 2019 on a very fine if frosty autumn night. The Dew Destroyer heater coil from David Lane wrapped around the front objective nicely kept off the frost. As the temperature was -10° C, I did not employ Long Exposure Noise Reduction or take and apply dark frames.
A collection of bright star clusters and colourful nebulas on the border of Cassiopeia and Cepheus. The prominent star cluster at left is Messier 52. The emission nebula to the lower right of it is NGC 7635, aka the Bubble Nebula; above and to the right of it is the small but intense nebula NGC 7538. At upper right of the frame is Sharpless 2-155, aka the Cave Nebula. The diffuse nebula at bottom is Sharpless 2-157, aka the Lobster Claw Nebula, with the small star cluster NGC 7510 near the end of one of its claws. The small star cluster at lower right made yellow by interstellar dust absorption is NGC 7419. This is a stack of 8 x 8-minute exposures through the Borg 77mm f/4 astrograph and with the Canon EOS Ra red-sensitive mirrorless camera, at ISO 800. Stacked, aligned and processed in Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop 2020. No nebula or light pollution reduction filter was employed in taking the images. I shot this from home November 25, 2019 on a very fine if frosty autumn night. No special star masks were employed in processing to enhance star colours or process them separately.
A 180° panorama from the deck of the Hurtigruten ship the ms Trollfjord, looking northward toward the Northern Lights, as friends Dave and Christine at right gaze at the aurora. This was October 19, 2019, southbound from the coast of Norway north of Tromsø and south of Skjervøy. The Kp Index was 1 to 2 this night. The waning gibbous Moon is low in the southeast at right, lighting the seascape. The Big Dipper and due north is at centre. West is to the left; east to the right. This is a 9-segment panorama with the 15mm lens at f/2 and Sony a7III at ISO 6400 for 0.6 second each and stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.
