A wide-field image of the region of Perseus and Taurus from the pink California Nebula (NGC 1499) at top, to the blue Pleiades star cluster (M45) at bottom. In between and surrounding the main bright objects are many tendrils of interstellar dust clouds, varying in shades of brown and pale blue. Around the Pleiades the faint clouds reflect some of the lblue light of the young stars, but away from the Pleiades the clouds take on a warm reddish tone, or appear as just dark fingers blocking all light from behind. At centre right are some brighter patches known as IC 348 around the star Atik, aka Omicron Persei. The glow at left in the darkest cloud is IC 2087. The small star cluster at upper right is NGC 1342. This is a stack of 30 x 4-minute exposures with the Canon EOS Ra camera at ISO 800, and the low-cost Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 lens at f/4 and shooting through a NISI Natural Night light pollution filter, a mild broadband filter. The lens, despite being stopped down, is still subject to some chromatic aberration, which lens corrections help with but cannot fully eliminate at the raw development stage. All stacking, alignment and processing with Photoshiop 2021, with luminosity masks created with Lumenzia v9 extension panel , which was very helpful in bringing the faint dust clouds out from the dark background. No dark frames or LENR applied on this cool winter night.
The southern sky and Milky Way from Canopus (at lower right) up to the Carina Nebula at upper left, with the False Cross in the centre, made of stars from Vela and Carina. The Large Magellanic Cloud is at lower left. NGC 2516 is the large open cluster at centre. The large magenta nebula is the Gum Nebula in Vela. This is a stack of 4 x 2.5 minute exposures at f/2.8 with the 35mm Canon prime lens, and filter-modified Canon 5D Mark II at ISO 1600. Taken from Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia, April 2014. Star glows added with a separate exposure taken thru the Kenko Softon filter.
A mosaic of the amazingly rich area of Carina and Centaurus with their many superb nebulas and star clusters in this southernmost area of the Milky Way. The Carina Nebula (NGC 3372) is at upper right; the Running Chicken Nebula (IC 2948) is at lower left (aka the Lambda Centauri Nebula). The small red and magenta nebulas at centre are NGC 3603 and NGC 3576. The Southern Pleiades cluster (IC 2602) is at bottom right. The Pearl Cluster (NGC 3766) is above the Running Chicken at left. The cluster IC 2714 is to the right of the Chicken amid dark nebulas. The Gem Cluster (NGC 3324) is above and right of the Carina Nebula but small and unresolved here. The Football Cluster (NGC 3532) is top centre, though partly lost amid the rich starfield. This is a mosaic of three segments, taken with the camera in portrait orientation, stitched with Photoshop to make a square framing of the area. Each segment was a stack of 4 x 2-minute exposures at f/2.8 with the 200mm Canon L-series lens and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 2500. Tracked on the AP400 mount but unguided. Shot from Tibuc Gardens Cottage, Coonabarabran, Australia.
