Polaris, the North Star or Pole Star, in Ursa Minor. Light haze added the natural star glow effect. Taken from home Nov. 25, 2016 with the 130mm AP f/6 apo refactor with the 6x7 field flattener and Canon 6D at ISO 1600 for a stack of 4 x 3 minute exposures. Star diffraction spikes added with Astronomy Tools Actions.
Polaris, the Pole Star or the North Star, as shot through a telescope with a field of about 4 x 2.5 degrees. Polaris is both a double star and a Cepheid variable star with small amplitude in light variation. This is a stack of 18 x 1.5 minute exposures at ISO 3200 with the Canon 6D and TMB 92mm apo refractor with the Hotech field flattener. Many short exposures at high ISOs used to minimize trailing from rotation around the guide star shooting so close to the Pole, indeed at the Pole.
This is a wide-field image of the field around the North Star, Polaris, at upper right. Near Polaris is the semi-circle of the Engagement or Diamond Ring asterism, with Polaris appearing as the diamond on the ring. At lower left is the next star in the handle of the Little Dipper, Delta Ursa Minoris. aka Yildun. The actual North Celestial Pole is just below Polaris in this orientation. The field of view is about 8 degrees wide by 5.5 degrees high, so larger than most binoculars in width. This is a stack of 8 x 4-minute exposures with the William Optics RedCat 51mm astrograph at f/4.9 and Canon EOS Ra at ISO 1600, with an additional exposure taken through light clouds moving in blended in to add the star glows. Unguided on the Astro-Physics Mach1 mount. Diffraction spikes added with Astronomy Tools actions.
