Deep Sky - Galaxies
Abell 426, the Perseus Galaxy Cluster
Abell 426, the populous cluster of galaxies in Perseus, that includes the active radio source galaxy, NGC 1275, aka Perseus A, at the heart of the cluster. To the right of 1275 is slightly dimmer NGC 1272. The galaxies are about 235 million light years away, and appear as fuzzy stars scattered across this field. This is a stack of 10 x 8-minute exposures with the Quattro 8-inch astrographic Newtonian reflector at f/4 with the coma corrector. The camera was the Canon 5D MkII at ISO 800. While shot with 800mm of focal length even that is not really enough to do the cluster justice — the galaxies are small smudges.
Abell 426, the Perseus Galaxy Cluster
Abell 426, the populous cluster of galaxies in Perseus, that includes the active radio source galaxy, NGC 1275, aka Perseus A, at the heart of the cluster. To the right of 1275 is slightly dimmer NGC 1272. The galaxies are about 235 million light years away, and appear as fuzzy stars scattered across this field. This is a stack of 10 x 8-minute exposures with the Quattro 8-inch astrographic Newtonian reflector at f/4 with the coma corrector. The camera was the Canon 5D MkII at ISO 800. While shot with 800mm of focal length even that is not really enough to do the cluster justice — the galaxies are small smudges.
M31 Andromeda Galaxy in Andromeda showing arcs of stars used to locate M31 (whole constellation not shown). Taken with 165mm telephoto lens at f/3.5 with Pentax 6x7 camera and Ektachrome E200 film and 18 minute exposure. Image cropped to closer to 35mm 2:3 format because of light leaks at edge of film frame. Taken from home October 2003. Glow layer added in Photoshop to add glows around stars. Mask applied to reduce vignetting from lens.
M31 Andromeda Galaxy in Andromeda and M33 in Triangulum showing stars used to locate them Taken with 165mm telephoto lens at f/3.5 with Pentax 6x7 camera and Ektachrome E200 film and 18 minute exposure. Image cropped to closer to 35mm 2:3 format because of light leaks at edge of film frame. Taken from home October 2003. Glow layer added in Photoshop to add glows around stars. mask applied to reduce lens vignetting.
Andromeda in a stack of 5 x 4 minute exposures with the Canon 5D MkII at ISO 800 and 50mm Sigma lens at f/3.2. Plus two exposures taken thru the Kenko Softon filter for the star glows. Takes in the Andromeda Galaxy, M31, at upper centre, plus Triangulum Galaxy, M33, below centre, and NGC 752 star cluster (left of centre), and M34 cluster at left edge. The small constellation of Triangulum is bottom left. Taken from home Oct 5, 2013.
Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Perseus and an Aurora
A weak aurora on July 15, 2017m below the stars of Perseus, Cassiopeia, and Andromeda, with the Andromeda Galaxy, M31, at upper right. The Double Cluster in Perseus is above centre. Capella is below the faint lone spire of auroral curtain. A single 25-second exposure at f/2.8 and ISO 1600 with the 24mm Sigma Art lens and Nikon D750.
The Andromeda Galaxy, M31 (2021)
Time for my annual image of the Andromeda Galaxy! This is M31, the spiral galaxy in Andromeda, with its two companion elliptical galaxies, the very small M32 below, and larger M110 above. North is up in this framing, in a set of images taken from home September 6, 2021. I shot this as a test of the Canon R6 mirrorless camera. It is a stack of 8 x 8-minute exposures at ISO 800, blended with a stack of 8 x 2-minute exposures at ISO 400 for the core, to prevent it from overexposing too much, all with the SharpStar 76mm apo refractor at f/4.4 with its field flattener/reducer, and autoguided with the MGEN3 autoguider, with interframe dithering applied, and no darks or LENR employed. It was on the Mach 1 mount. Some light haze added mild star glows. The faint arms and outer glows were brought out with luminosity masks created with Lumenzia and Zone System Express 7. All stacking, alignment and blending with Photoshop.
Andromeda Galaxy Above Mu Andromedae
A wide-field framing of the famous Andromeda Galaxy, aka M31 showing it above the two "guidestars," Mu (bottom) and Nu Andromedae that are used to star hop to the galaxy. Above M31 is one of its companion galaxies, M110, while below it on the edge of M31 is the nearly starlike (at this scale) M32, its other companion galaxy. North is to the upper left in this orientation. The field of view is similar to that of binoculars. This is a stack of 14 x 8-minute exposures with the Canon R6 camera at ISO 800, on the SharpStar 61mm apo refractor with its flattener/reducer for f/4.5. Only an Astronomik UV/IR Cut filter was employed. I had LENR turned on with the R6 to eliminate the amp glow flaw of the camera. Autoguided and dithered with the MGEN3 stand-alone autoguider. Stacked and aligned with Photoshop. Luminosity mask adjustments with Lumenzia helped bring out the outer structures. A high pass filter and the Starizona Galaxy Enhance action snapped up the dust lanes.
Andromeda Galaxy Over Moonlit Hoodoos
The Andromeda Galaxy (aka Messier 31) and the stars of Andromeda rising over moonlit formations at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta. Illumination is from the waxing gibbous Moon, low in the southwest so it is providing a warm light. This is an example of a "deepscape" - a nightcape with a telephoto lens to also record a deep-sky object in the frame above the horizon. However, moonlight prevents the galaxy from showing up as well as it would in a dark sky. The sedimentary formations here are from the late Cretaceous, about 70 million years old, while the light from the Andromeda Galaxy is about 2.5 million years old, though the galaxy itself is much older — billions of years old, older than the Earth and Sun. The scene provides a nice contrast of warm earth and cool sky tones. Taken July 8, 2022, this is a blend of tracked (for the sky) and untracked (for the ground) exposures — a stack of 2 for the ground and 5 for the sky, all 1 minute at f/4 and ISO 400 with the RF28-70mm lens at 70mm and Canon R5. The blend of sky exposures blurred the moving clouds framing the galaxy. I added a mild Pro Contrast effect filter to the ground with Nik Collection 5, and added sharpening to the ground with Topaz Sharpen AI. The tracker was the Star Adventurer Mini.
Andromeda Rising at McGregor Lake
The constellation of Andromeda with its namesake galaxy at centre rising over McGregor Lake in southern Alberta on June 29, 2019, with solstice twilight brightening the sky to the north at left. Cassiopeia is at top left, with Perseus below. Pegasus is at right. This is a stack of 4 x 1-minute exposures for the ground, untracked, and a single 1-minute tracked exposure for the sky. The tracker mistracked for a couple of exposures spoiling the registration, so I used just one image for the sky. All were at ISO 800 with the Nikon D750 and Sigma 24mm lens at f/2.2.
The Milky Way, from Andromeda to the Pleiades
The northern autumn Milky Way from Cassiopeia (at top) to Perseus (at bottom), running along the left, with Andromeda and the Andromeda Galaxy at upper right, and the Pleiades in Taurus ar lower right. The red streak is the California Nebula, NGC 1499, in Perseus. The Milky Way here is rife with dark lanes and dust clouds. The star cluster below the Andromeda Galaxy is NGC 752. This is a stack of 5 x 2.5-minute exposures at f/2.8 and ISO 1600 with the 35mm lens and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII, plus two other exposures taken through a Kenko Softon filter to add the star glows. Taken from the Quailway Cottage near Portal, Arizona.
Mosaic of the Northern Autumn Constellations (with Labels)
A horizon to past-the-zenith mosaic and panorama of the northern autumn sky and the related Greek mythological constellations: from the watery constellations of Aquarius, Pisces, and Cetus at the bottom near the horizon, up to Pegasus and Aries in mid-frame, on up to Andromeda and Perseus at upper left, and Cassiopeia and Cepheus at top of frame in the Milky Way overhead. The Andromeda Galaxy is just above centre. Most of these constellations are related in Greek mythology, with Andromeda being the daughter of Cassiopeia and Cepheus, who was rescued from the jaws of Cetus the Sea Monster by Perseus, who rode on Pegasus in some accounts. Zodiacal Light brightens the sky at bottom right in Aquarius, and angles across the frame to the left. I shot this from home on a very clear night January 2, 2016 with the Zodiacal Light plainly visible to the naked eye. This is a mosaic of 5 panels, each a stack of 5 x 2 minute exposures, plus each panel having another stack of 2 x 2 minute exposures blended in, and taken through the Kenko Softon filter to add the fuzzy star glows to make the constellations stand out. All were shot with the 24mm Canon lens at f/2.8 and Canon 5DMkII at ISO 1600. All tracked on the AP Mach One mount. All stacking and stitching in Photoshop CC 2015. Final image size is 8500 x 5500 pixels and 3.6 gigabytes for the layered master.
Mosaic of the Northern Autumn Constellations
A horizon to past-the-zenith mosaic and panorama of the northern autumn sky and the related Greek mythological constellations: from the watery constellations of Aquarius, Pisces, and Cetus at the bottom near the horizon, up to Pegasus and Aries in mid-frame, on up to Andromeda and Pegasus at upper left, and Cassiopeia and Cepheus at top of frame in the Milky Way overhead. The Andromeda Galaxy is just above centre. Most of these constellations are related in Greek mythology, with Andromeda being the daughter of Cassiopeia and Cepheus, who was rescued from the jaws of Cetus the Sea Monster by Perseus, who rode on Pegasus in some accounts. Zodiacal Light brightens the sky at bottom right in Aquarius, and angles across the frame to the left. I shot this from home on a very clear night January 2, 2016 with the Zodiacal Light plainly visible to the naked eye. This is a mosaic of 5 panels, each a stack of 5 x 2 minute exposures, plus each panel having another stack of 2 x 2 minute exposures blended in, and taken through the Kenko Softon filter to add the fuzzy star glows to make the constellations stand out. All were shot with the 24mm Canon lens at f/2.8 and Canon 5DMkII at ISO 1600. All tracked on the AP Mach One mount. All stacking and stitching in Photoshop CC 2015. Final image size is 8500 x 5500 pixels and 3.6 gigabytes for the layered master.
Autumn Constellations Over Moonlit Hoodoos
The northern autumn constellations of Pegasus (partially seen at right), Andromeda (across the centre), Perseus (at lower left) and Cassiopeia (at upper left) rising over moonlit formations at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta. Illumination is from the waxing gibbous Moon, setting in the southwest so it is providing a warm "bronze-hour" light. The Andromeda Galaxy, M31, is at centre. The star clusters NGC 752, M34 and the Double Cluster are at left, as well as the Perseus OB Association of stars. Some of the small star clusters in Cassiopeia are resolved as well. Some green bands of airglow also tint the sky, otherwise lit blue by the moonlight. The scene provides a nice contrast of warm earth and cool sky tones. Taken July 8, 2022, this is a blend of tracked (for the sky) and untracked (for the ground) exposures — a stack of 2 for the ground but only one for the sky: 2 minutes at f/5.6 and ISO 800 for the ground and 1 minute at f/2.8 and ISO 400 for the sky, all with the RF28-70mm lens at 28mm and Canon R5. A mild Pro Contrast effect filter added to the ground with Nik Collection 5 and a mild Orton glow added to the sky with Luminar AI. The tracker was the Star Adventurer Mini. Noise reduction applied to the single sky image using RC-Astro Noise XTerminator. I didn't take any more sky shots as the Moon was fast setting and disappearing into clouds, so the light for the ground shots taken after the sky shot would be going away soon. Plus clouds were moving into the frame. The mosquitoes enjoyed my presence here this warm July night!
Autumn Sky Rising over Badlands
The northern autumn stars and constellations rising in the east over the Badlands of Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta. There was copious green airglow this night, plus some dim aurora to the NE. Capella is at far left. The Pleiades is just rising over the hill. M31 is at centre. This is a composite of 5 x 4.5 minute exposures, tracked on the Star Adventurer for the sky, plus 4 x 4.5-minute exposures, untracked, for the ground. All with the 15mm lens at f/3.2 and Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600.
Cassiopeia, Cepheus & Andromeda Galaxy (35mm 5DII)
Cassiopeia (centre), Cepheus (right of centre), and the Andromeda Galaxy (at bottom) in a vertical segment from an attempted panorama along the Milky Way, from New Mexico, December 6, 2013. Perseus and the Double Cluster are at left. This is a stack of 4 x 3 minute exposures with the 35mm lens at f/4 and Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600, plus a single shot through the Kenko Softon diffusion filter for the star glows.
Cassiopeia and Cepheus in Autumn Aspens
The autumn constellations of Cassiopeia (the W at lower centre) and Cepheus (at top) amid autumn aspens on a moonlit September evening. The Andromeda Galaxy, M31, is at lower right. I shot this from the Elbow Falls area in Kananaskis, Alberta. Illumination is from a waxing gibbous Moon. This is a single untracked 20-second exposure at f/2.5 with the 24mm lens and Nikon D750 at ISO 1000.
Cassiopeia and Perseus Above Aspens
The autumn constellations of Cassiopeia and Perseus above goldern aspen trees on a moonlit autumn night, with the Andromeda Galaxy at right. I shot this, along with many other shots on this superb night, at the Elbow Falls area in Kananaskis area, Alberta. This is a single 20-second exposure with the 24mm lens at f/2.5 and Nikon D750 at ISO 1000.
Starclouds and Stardust – Mosaic of the Galactic Centre
A panoramic mosaic of bright starclouds and dark stardust in the rich region of the Milky Way around the centre of the Galaxy in Sagittarius. This panorama extends from the tail of Scorpius at far right to Serpens at far left, with the bright Sagittarius Starcloud near the direction of the galactic centre at centre. The Milky Way here is populated by a rich collection of nebulas and star clusters, including - from right to left - the Cat’s Paw and NGC 6337 in the tail of Scorpius at right, the Lagoon and Trifid Nebulas in Sagittarius (left of centre), and the Swan and Eagle Nebulas in Serpens at far left. The Small Sagittarius Starcloud, M24, is at left, flanked above and below by the star clusters M23 and M25. The star clusters M6 and M7 are at right of centre in Scorpius, with M7 lost in the starclouds. The bright “clouds” are masses of stars. The dark regions are obscuring regions of interstellar dust hiding the more distant stars. The actual centre of the Galaxy near the centre of the frame is not visible here in this or any visible light image as it is hidden by dust. The nebulas at right in Scorpius are much redder as they are obscured by dark interstellar dust which absorbs the shorter blue wavelengths which add to the pink colours of the other nebulas which glow in red and blue wavelengths of hydrogen alpha and beta as well as cyan oxygen III wavelengths. The mosaic runs along the galactic equator. I present this as a horizontal landscape image with north to the left and south to the right. This is the way you generally see this area in the southern hemisphere. But in the northern hemisphere this region of sky is seen running vertically from south to north, so the mosaic should be turned 90° CW to match that view. However, I shot this from Australia, on April 13, 2016 on a near perfect night for astronomy. This is a mosaic of 6 segments, each segment being a stack of 4 x 3-minute exposures at f/2.8 with the 135mm Canon L-Series telephoto lens, tracked on the AP 400 mount, and with the filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600. Stacking and stitching in Photoshop CC 2015. The original is 11,100 by 3,800 pixels.
Centre of the Milky Way Panorama (2011)
A panorama of the centre of the Galaxy portion of the southern hemisphere Milky Way, from Crux at right to Aquila at left. This was taken from Atacama Lodge near San Pedro de Atacama, Chile, on May 2, 2011. It is a 6-segment mosaic, each segment being 4 x 6 minutes + 1 x 6 minutes with a Kenko Softon filter, all at f/4 and ISO 800 with the Canon 5D MkII and Canon L-series 35m lens. Note the sweep of bright blue stars from Scorpius to Orion but angled above then across and below the Milky Way — this is Gould's Belt of new hot stars near us.
This is a wide-field framing of the heart of the Coma-Virgo cluster of galaxies in the northern spring sky, with galaxies galore in the frame, including a dozen Messier objects. The field is 7.5° by 5°, so similar to binoculars. The faintest galaxies here are about 12th magnitude. Just below the centre is the Marakarian's Chain of galaxies including the Messier galaxies M84 and M86. The giant elliptical M87 (famous for having its central black hole imaged) is below and to the left of the Chain. There are many other Messier objects in the field — At top right around the blue star 6 Comae is the trio of M98 (at the far edge), M99 (below and right of 6 Comae) and M100 (at top). At left are M88, M91, M90 amd M89. At bottom left is M58 and M59. M60 just squeaks onto the frame. This is a stack of 10 x 6 minute exposures with the SharpStar 61 EDPH II refractor at f/4.5 and the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 100. This is a single framing, not a mosaic. Taken from home April 24, 2022. Haze moving in spoiled exposures taken after this set. Dithered with MGEN3 autoguider; no darks applied.
A wide-field image of the Coma-Virgo Galaxy Cluster including the Messier galaxies around the star 6 Comae at top right, down to the galaxies of Markarian’s Chain at bottom left, including several other Messiers. The field is about 4 degrees high and 6 degrees wide. This is a stack of 5 x 8-minute exposures through the SharpStar 76mm EDPH refractor and with the SharpStar flattener/reducer for f/4.5, and with the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 800. An additional exposure taken through light cloud layered in added the star glows. Clouds prevented more exposures.
Galaxies Galore in Coma-Virgo (With Labels)
This is a wide-field framing of the heart of the Coma-Virgo cluster of galaxies in the northern spring sky, with galaxies galore in the frame, including a dozen Messier objects. The field is 7.5° by 5°, so similar to binoculars. The faintest galaxies here are about 12th magnitude. Just below the centre is the Marakarian's Chain of galaxies including the Messier galaxies M84 and M86. The giant elliptical M87 (famous for having its central black hole imaged) is below and to the left of the Chain. There are many other Messier objects in the field — At top right around the blue star 6 Comae is the trio of M98 (at the far edge), M99 (below and right of 6 Comae) and M100 (at top). At left are M88, M91, M90 amd M89. At bottom left is M58 and M59. M60 just squeaks onto the frame. This is a stack of 10 x 6 minute exposures with the SharpStar 61 EDPH II refractor at f/4.5 and the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 100. This is a single framing, not a mosaic. Taken from home April 24, 2022. Haze moving in spoiled exposures taken after this set. Dithered with MGEN3 autoguider; no darks applied. applied.
Galaxies Galore in Coma-Virgo (with Labels)
A wide-field image of the Coma-Virgo Galaxy Cluster including the Messier galaxies around the star 6 Comae at top right, down to the galaxies of Markarian’s Chain at bottom left, including several other Messiers. The field is about 4 degrees high and 6 degrees wide. This is a stack of 5 x 8-minute exposures through the SharpStar 76mm EDPH refractor and with the SharpStar flattener/reducer for f/4.5, and with the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 800. An additional exposure taken through light cloud layered in added the star glows. Clouds prevented more exposures.