Deep Sky - Nebulas
15mm Ultrawide Southern Milky Way (March 2014)
An ultrawide-angle view of the Milky Way seen from the southern hemisphere, from Australia, March 21, 2014. This takes in most of the far southern Milky Way, from Orion at far right, to Canis Major, Puppis, Vela, and to Carina and Crux at far left. Jupiter is the bright object at upper right. Sirius and Canopus are right and left of centre. The Large Magellanic Cloud is at lower left. The vast Gum Nebula complex is at centre. This is a stack of 5 x 5 minute exposures at f/4 with the Canon 15mm lens and Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1000. I shot this March 21, 2014 from the Warrumbungles Motel, Coonabarabra, NSW, Australia.
360° Southern Sky, December 2012
A fish-eye 360° image of the entire southern sky, taken from Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia, December 13/14, 2012, using an 8mm Sigma fish-eye lens and Canon 5D MkII camera for a stack of 4 x 8 minute exposures at f/4 and ISO 800. The ground silhouette is from just one frame to minimize blurring of the horizon - all images were tracked. Orion and Jupiter are at left (west), Sirius, Canis Major, Puppis and Vela are near centre in the Milky Way, while Crux and Carina are rising at right (east). South is at top over the cottage, north at bottom over Timor Rock. The Magellanic Clouds are at top right over the cottage. The large Gum Nebula is at centre in Vela; Barnard's Loop on Orion is at left.
Alpha Cruxis, or Acrux, the brightest star in the Southern Cross, Crux. It is a blue-white star 320 light years away. This is a superb double star but is not resolved here. Small star clusters NGC 4349 (above) and NGC 4609 (at left) appear near Acrux. The area is also rich in dark nebulas near the Coal Sack. I shot this April 3, 2016 from the Tibuc Cottage, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia using the 77mm f/4 astrographic refractor and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII, for a stack of 4 x 6 minute exposures at ISO 1600.
A panorama mosaic from Alpha Centauri (at left) to Alpha Cruxis (at right) and the stars of the Southern Cross, Crux. Alpha and Beta Centauri are together called The Pointers because they point to the true Cross, to distinguish from the False Cross farther to the west. The dark nebula of the Coal Sack is to the left of the Southern Cross. The field contains several star clusters, including the Jewel Box, NGC 4755, to the left of Beta Cruxis This is a two-panel mosaic, each panel being a stack of 4 x 3-minute exposures with the 135mm telephoto lens at f/2.8 and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600. Two other exposures taken through the Kenko Softon A filter were layred in to add the star glows. Tracked on the AP 400 mount. Taken April 13, 2016 from Tibuc Cottage, Australia. The original is 9,200 by 3,400 pixels.
Altair, Tarazed and Barnard's E
A framing of the field around the bright white star Altair (lower left), and the orange giant star Tarazed above, with the dark nebula complex B142 (lower dark lane) and B143 (the top pair of dark lanes), together known as Barnard's E. These are all in Aquila. This is a stack of 12 x 4-minute exposures at ISO 800 with the Canon Ra camera, on the Starfield Optics Géar90 EDT f/6 refractor with its 0.8x Reducer/Flattener for f/4.8 effective. Taken from home October 23, 2022. On the AP Mach1 mount and autoguided and dithered with the Lacerta MGEN3 autoguider.
Altair, Tarazed and Barnard's E
A framing of a wide field in Aquila, with the bright bue-white star Altair at centre, with the red star Tarazed above, and the dimmer star of the trio, Alshain, below. Above Tarazed is the distinct dark nebula known as Barnard's E. Named for Edward Emerson Barnard who photographed and catalogued these dark nebulas in the early 20th century, the "E" is officially B142 and B143. A large dark lane in the Milky Way at right contrasts with the rich starclouds here in Aquila. This is a wide 135mm telephoto lens shot simulating the field of binoculars. This is a stack of 30 x 1 minute exposures with the Canon RF135mm lens at f/2, and Canon Ra at ISO 1000. A separate exposure through a Kase/Alyn Wallace StarGlow filter layered in added the glows. All on the Star Adventurer 2i tracker. Taken from home on a fine night on May15/16, 2023. Most processing in Adobe Cameras Raw, with a Nik Collection 6 ProContrast filter applied in Photoshop.
Altair, Tarazed and Barnard's E
A wide-field image of the area of sky around blue-white Altair, bright at centre, flanked by Alshain (Beta Aquilae) at bottom and orange Tarazed (Gamma Aquilae) at top. Above Tarazed is the dark nebula known as Barnard’s E, named for E.E. Barnard who first photographed and cataloged dark nebulas. The E consists of B143 (the darkest component) and the less prominent B142 below. B334 is at top right, while B340 is left of Tarazed. This is a stack of 6 x 6-minute exposures with the William Optics RedCat 51mm astrographic refractor at f/5 and the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 800 with LENR on as it was the warmest night of the summer, August 18, 2020. Aligned, stacked and median combined in Photoshop to eliminate some satellite trails. Autoguided with the ZWO ASIAir and ASI120MM guide camera with the RedCat on the Astro-Physics Mach1 mount. No filters employed here.
Altair with Barnard's E Dark Nebula
The dark nebula complex known as Barnard's E, aka B142 (bottom) and B143 (top), in Aquila near the stars Altair (at bottom) and Tarazed (above centre). This field is a fine one for binoculars. The 7.5 x 5° field is close to a binocular field of view. This is a stack of 10 x 6-minute exposures with the SharpStar 61mm apo refractor at f/4.5 and with the Canon R6 at ISO 1250. Taken from home Sept. 30, 2021.
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.
Antares & Rho Ophiuchi Area (77mm 5DII)
The colourful region around yellow Antares (bottom) in Scorpius and blue Rho Ophiuchi (top) in Ophiuchus. The nebulas are largely reflection nebulas, taking on the colour of the stars embedded in the nebulas. However, the field also contains a lot of emission nebulosity, hydrogen gas glowing red and magenta. Plus there are fingers of brown dark dusty nebulosity. It is one of the most colourful regions of the sky. At right of Antares are two globular clusters, NGC 6144 (small, at 2 o'clock from Antares) and the larger Messier 4 right of Antares. This is a stack of 5 x 8 minute exposures with the Borg 77mm astrographic apo (330mm focal length) at f/4.3 and the filter-modified Canon 5D Mark II at ISO 800. I took this March 31/April 1 from Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia.
Antares area of Scorpius, with dark lanes of nebulosity (Rho Ophiuchi dark nebulas) leading down to Antares and globular cluster M4 at lower right, with colourful reflection and emission nebulas. Takenf from San Pedro de Atacama, Chile, May 2011, with Canon 7D (unmodified) and Canon 135mm telephoto lens at f/2.8 for stack of 8 x 2 minute exposures at U=ISO 1250.
The Colourful Nebulas Around Antares
The colourful region around Antares in Scorpius, the yellow star at centre. To the right is the globular cluster Messier 4. Above right of Antares is the smaller globular NGC 6144. Above are the nebulas associated with Rho Ophiuchi. The area is filled with reflection (yellow and blue) and emission nebulas (red and pink). The field simulates a binocular field. This is a stack of 5 x 2-minute exposures with the 200mm lens at f/2.8 and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600.
Aquila (50mm 5DII) Sept 29, 2013
Aquila 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. Includes the Serpens-Ophiuchus double cluster (SO Double Cluster) of IC 4756 and NGC 663 at right. Altair and Terazed are at top. Taken from home Sept, 29, 2013.
The constellation of Auriga as well as southern Gemini, showing the 4 Messier star clusters: M36, M37, M38 in Auriga and M35 in Gemini. Taken from home with the Canon 5D MkII at ISO 800 and Sigma 50mm lens at f/4 for a stack of 5 x 6 minute exposures, plus a stack of 2 x 6 minutes with the Kenko Softon filter.
Auriga and Perseus (March 2023)
A framing of the northern winter sky constellations of Auriga (left) and Perseus (upper right). The Messier star clusters M36, M37 and M38 in Auriga show up well at lower left, along with the Flaming Star, IC 405, and other IC nebulas in Auriga. The large nebula at bottom right is NGC 1499, the California Nebula. The grouping of blue stars at upper right is the Perseus OB Association, aka Melotte 20. Mars is at lower left in Taurus, where it was on March 17, 2023. This is a stack of 15 x 2-minute exposures with the Canon RF28-70mm lens at 43mm and f/2.8 and on the filter-modified Canon Ra camera at ISO 800, on the Star Adventurer tracker. Star glows added by layering in a separate 2-minute exposure taken through a Kase/Alyn Wallace StarGlow filter. Taken from home March 17, 2023 with this area of sky in the southwest and plagued by some gradients, reduced with masks in Adobe Camera Raw and with Gradient XTerminator.
The Clusters and Nebulas of Auriga
The field of clusters and nebulosity in Auriga, with — from left to right — Messier 37, Messier 36, and Messier 38, as the main open star clusters here. Below M38 is NGC 1907. The nebulosity at right is IC 410 and IC 405, the Flaming Star Nebula. In between them is the colourful asterism known as the Little Fish. Messier 38 is also known as the Starfish Cluster while Messier 36 is called the Pinwheel Cluster. The bright red nebula at top is Sharpless 2-235. The litttle nebulas at centre are NGC 1931 and IC 417. The field is similar to that of binoculars. This is a stack of 5 x 3-minute exposures with the Canon 5D MkII at ISO 800 and 200mm Canon L-Series lens at f/2.8. Taken with the Fornax Lightrack tracker as part of testing. Diffraction spikes added with Astronomy Tools actions. Taken from home on a rare fine and mild winter night, January 4, 2019.
Star Clusters and Nebulas in Auriga
This is a framing of the rich array of star clusters and nebulas in central Auriga. The large star cluster Messier 38 is at top left, with the small cluster NGC 1907 just below it. The smaller star cluster Messier 36 is at left. M38 is often called the Starfish Cluster, while M36 is the Pinwheel Cluster. The complex of star cluster Stock 8 and IC 417 is left of centre, with the small emission nebula NGC 1931 between it and M36. The large nebula at lower centre is IC 410 with the star cluster NGC 1893 embedded in it. The large nebula at right is IC 405, aka the Flaming Star Nebula, with a mix of red emission and blue reflection nebulosity. The faint streak of nebulosity right of M38 at top is Sharpless 2-230. The tiny intense patch of red nebulosity at upper left is Sharpless 2-235. The colourful asterism of stars between IC 410 and IC 405 is variously known as the Little Fish or the Flying Minnow., made of the stars 16, 17, 18 and 19 Aurigae. The field of view is just under 9° by 6°. This is a stack of just 7 x 4-minute exposures with an Askar FMA230 astrograph (230mm focal length at f/4.5), and filter-modified Canon Ra camera at ISO 800. However, no filters were employed here. Nebulosity was brought out using successive curves with luminosity masks generated by Lumenzia. All alignment and layering in Photoshop. Taken from home on January 27, 2022. Autoguided with the MGEN3 guider and dithered. No LENR or dark frame subtraction was employed on this mild winter night. Some light haze in some frames added the star glows. This was a stack of the best 7 frames out of 30 taken this night!
Auriga Nebulas and Clusters (March 2023)
This is a framing of the main area of central Auriga filled with an array of Messier star clusters and faint IC emission nebulas. The nebula at right is the Flaming Star, aka IC 405. The nebula below centre is IC 410 with the star cluster NGC 1893. The nebula above centre is IC 417 with the star cluster Stock 8. The nebula at upper left is Sharpless 2-235; while the large elongated patch of nebulosity at top centre is Sharpless 2-230. The star cluster at top is Messier 38 with the small cluster NGC 1907 below it, while the large cluster left of centre is Messier 36. The group of stars between IC 405 and IC 410 right of centre is Melotte 31, aka the Little Fish or Flying Minnow asterism. This is a stack of: 10 x 6-minute exposures at ISO 3200 through a IDAS NB1 dual narrowband nebula filter in a dark moonless sky, blended with 8 x 4-minute exposures at ISO 800 with an Antlia RGB multi-band filter, with the latter set taken in bright moonlight a week later, with all frames with the filter-modified (by AstroGear.net) Canon R camera. These were all with the SharpStar 61mm EDPH II refractor at f/4.5, on the Sky-Watcher EQM-35 mount autoguided with the ASIAir Mini and ZWO 30mm guidescope, as a test of the combination of entry-level gear, and of the Antlia filter to work under bright skies. However, the moonlit RGB filtered image stack was quite muddy when the blue moonlight was color corrected out, and doesn't contribute a lot to the final image. So most of this scene is from the narrowband filtered image stack, which records the nebulosity well but doesn't provide well-balanced natural star colours. Diffraction spikes added with AstronomyTools actions to add a sparkling effect to the stars to partly counter their off-colour. Taken in late March 2023, late in the season for this area of sky, so it was well over in the west with only a limited time each night to shoot it. Cloudy nights prevented getting a non-filtered set in a dark sky.
Complex of Nebulas in Central Auriga (Canon R6)
This is a framing of the rich array of nebulas in central Auriga. The complex of star cluster Stock 8 and IC 417 is at upper left. The large nebula at lower centre is IC 410 with the star cluster NGC 1893 embedded in it. The large nebula at right is IC 405, aka the Flaming Star Nebula, with a mix of red emission and blue reflection nebulosity. The colourful asterism of stars between IC 410 and IC 405 is variously known as the Little Fish or the Flying Minnow., made of the stars 16, 17, 18 and 19 Aurigae. The field of view is just under 4° by 2.7°. This is a stack of 10 x 6-minute exposures with an Askar FRA500 astrograph (500mm focal length at f/5.5), and stock Canon R6 camera at ISO 800. No filters were employed here, and the R6 performed very well for picking up the faint red nebulosity. Even so, nebulosity was brought out using successive curves with luminosity masks generated by Lumenzia, plus an application of the Nebula Filter action in PhotoKemi Startools Photoshop action set. All alignment and layering in Photoshop. Taken from home on January 26, 2022. Autoguided with the MGEN3 guider and dithered. LENR dark frame subtraction was employed to eliminate the edge amp glow the camera is prone to. Some light haze in some frames added the star glows.
Complex of Nebulas in Central Auriga (Canon Ra)
This is a framing of the rich array of nebulas in central Auriga. The complex of star cluster Stock 8 and IC 417 is at upper left. The large nebula at lower centre is IC 410 with the star cluster NGC 1893 embedded in it. The large nebula at right is IC 405, aka the Flaming Star Nebula, with a mix of red emission and blue reflection nebulosity. The colourful asterism of stars between IC 410 and IC 405 is variously known as the Little Fish or the Flying Minnow., made of the stars 16, 17, 18 and 19 Aurigae. The field of view is just under 4° by 2.7°. This is a stack of 10 x 6-minute exposures with an Askar FRA500 astrograph (500mm focal length at f/5.5), and filter-modified Canon Ra camera at ISO 800. However, no filters were employed here. Nebulosity was brought out using successive curves with luminosity masks generated by Lumenzia, plus an application of the Nebula Filter action in PhotoKemi Startools Photoshop action set. All alignment and layering in Photoshop. Taken from home on January 27, 2022. Autoguided with the MGEN3 guider and dithered. No LENR or dark frame subtraction was employed on this mild winter night. Some light haze in some frames added the star glows.
Clusters and Nebulas in Auriga
This is a portrait of the main glowing nebulas amid star clusters in central Auriga, the Charioteer. The main nebula at right is the Flaming Star Nebula, aka IC 405. But in this long exposure its mass blends into the central roundish nebula, IC 410. At top left is the pair of Sharpless nebulas, Sh 2-232 and the small Sh 2-235. The fingerlike nebula at top centre is Sh 2-230. The star cluster just to its left is Messier 38, with the small cluster NGC 1907 just below M38. The star cluster at left centre is Messier 36. At centre frame is the nebula IC 417 around the cluster Stock 8. The line of colourful stars at lower right between IC 405 and IC 410 is the Little FIsh or Flying Minnow asterism, aka Mel 11. This is a stack of 6 x 8-minute exposures at ISO 3200 through an Optolong L-Enhance dual-band nebula filter, blended another filtered set of 6 x 16-minute exposures at ISO 3200 with the Optolong L-eXtreme narrowband filter, all blended with a stack of 6 x 8-minute exposures without a filter (for more natural star colors and the blue reflection nebula in IC 405) at ISO 800. All with the Canon EOS Ra camera through the f/5 51mm William Optics RedCat astrograph with a Starizona filter drawer. Autoguiding was with the Lacerta MGEN3 autoguider which applied a dithering shift between each frame to help cancel out thermal noise when stacking. No darks or LENR were used here on this mild winter night at -5° C or so. All stacking, alignment and blending was in Adobe Photoshop 2021. Luminosity masks (DM2, D and M) applied with Lumenzia helped bring out the faint nebulosity. The set was taken as part of testing the L-eXtreme filter to determine its effectiveness in bringing out more nebulosity. It did not contribute much to this stack and required even more exposure time that would have been better spent taking more unfiltered and L-eNhance frames.
Nebulas of the Northern Milky Way
This is a 140° panorama of the northernmost section of the Milky Way, from Auriga at left to Aquila at right. Perseus, Cassiopeia, Cepheus and Cygnus are across the centre. I added in labels on the mosaic for the constellations, and major nebulas and star clusters. Surrounding the panorama is a collage of close-up images of the major emission nebulas (and one dark nebula) pointing to the area in the wide-field mosaic. The close-ups were shot with various astrographic telescopes such as the William Optics RedCat 51mm and Sharpstar 61, 76 and 94mm refractors, usually employing filters such as the Optolong L-eNhance and IDAS NBX. The background panorama was shot on October 30, 2021, but the close-ups were shot on various nights over two years from 2019 to 2021. The panorama is a stitch of 4 segments, each a stack of 8 x 4-minute expsures at ISO 800 with the Canon Ra and with the RF 28-70mm lens at 28mm and f/2.8. It was on the Star Adventurer Mini tracker. Another panorama of 4 segments taken through a Kase StarGlow filter and layered in added the glows on the bright stars.
Nebulas of the Northern Milky Way
The bright and dark nebulas along the northernmost segment of the Milky Way, from Perseus at upper left to Cygnus at lower right. At centre is Cassiopeia and Cepheus. The bright nebulas include — from upper left to lower right: the IC 1805/1848 complex known as the Heart and Soul Nebulas, the Ced214/NGC7822 complex, IC 1396 in Cepheus, and the North America Nebula NGC 7000 and the Gamma Cygni IC 1318 complex at lower right. The dark Funnel Cloud Nebula stands out above the North America Nebula. However, the entire field is coloured by subtle streams and bands of interstellar dust adding a yellow hue to the Milky Way. The Andromeda Galaxy, M31, is at lower left. This is a stack of 35 x 3-minute exposures with the Canon RF28-70mm lens at 28mm and at f/2.8, on the Canon EOS Ra camera at ISO 800, on the Star Adventurer Mini tracker. Shot with an URTH Night light pollution filter. Taken from home October 7, 2021. Luminosity mask adjustments applied with Lumenzia. A mild Orton glow added with Luminar AI.
The Northern Milky Way from Auriga to Aquila
This is a 140° panorama of the northernmost section of the Milky Way, from Auriga at left to Aquila at right. Perseus, Cassiopeia, Cepheus and Cygnus are across the centre. This northern section of the Milky Way stretches high across the sky on autumn nights as seen from the northern hemisphere, as it was this night, October 30, 2021. The Milky Way is laced with many dark lanes of interstellar dust which extend off the main band of the Milky Way, as at centre. The dust colours the Milky Way and sky with a yellow-brown tint. Punctuating the Milky Way are red and magenta emission nebulas, the most prominent being the North America Nebula in Cygnus (right of centre) and the California Nebula (at far left) in Perseus. At right are the three stars of the Summer Triangle (R to L: Altair, Vega and Deneb); at left is Capella in Auriga. At centre is the W of stars of Cassiopeia. This is a stitch of 4 segments, each a stack of 8 x 4-minute expsures at ISO 800 with the Canon Ra and with the RF 28-70mm lens at 28mm and f/2.8. It was on the Star Adventurer Mini tracker. Another panorama of 4 segments taken through a Kase StarGlow filter and layered in added the glows on the bright stars. All stacking, stitching and alignment was in Photoshop. Taken from home on a very clear night October 30, 2021. A bright Kp 6 to 7 aurora was forecast for this night but never materialized. Bands of reddish airglow drifted through the fields during the exposures but the stacking and averaging helped smooth out the discolouration.