NGC 281

These images of the PacMan nebula were processed from data collected 11.09.16 using Ha(12x600s)O111(9x600s)andS11(9x600s) filters on my usual kit.I used the Hubble palette for one and HaR,O111B.S11G for other, Ha was added as a luminance layer to each,

Most of the fiddling was done in PhotoShop

IC 1805

At a distance of 6000 light years this cloud of energized hydrogen gas glowing in the shape of a heart in Cassiopeia is too extensive to be fully captured  with the Trius/Takahashi 106 combination.
Ha 12x600s,S11 6x600s and O111 8x600s filters were used assigned to green red and blue channels.

IC 1795

The Fish Head Nebula in Cassiopeia lies next to the Heart Nebula. For the image  Ha,S11 and O111 filters on a SX Trius 694 mono camera were connected to a Takahashi 106 refractor over a period of 4 and 1/2 hours last night.
 This is an emission nebula spanning about 70 light years across approximately 6000 light years away.

IC 1396

The Elephant's Trunk nebula is a concentration of interstellar gas and dust within a larger ionized gas region I.C.1396 in Cepheus.In the bright moonlight narrowband filters were considered appropriate,12x600sHa,6x600sO111 and 6x600sS11 using the Hubble palette.The telescope was a Takahashi 106,camera a SX Trius 694,guided with an OAG and Lodestar, location Hatfield Woodhouse.

I have been trying out with the Society's LDX55-AR6 refractor which the Society wishes to sell.  I have got the system working enough to try it out under the stars.

I took these pictures of the Moon and Saturn last night in less-than-perfect conditions, although I am quite pleased with the final results.  Both pictures were taken with the same camera at prime focus of the telescope.
I have pasted the picture of Saturn onto that of the Moon to illustrate their relative sizes in the sky.

Peter

Recent Sunspots

Solar activity is diminishing in its 11-year cycle, but there have been a few nice spots recently and I have used them to try out the Society's 6-inch refractor.  There was a nice single spot at the end of May and the AR-6 gave me a nice picture once I tried using a narrow-band filter with it.  Then more recently there has been a nice set of three spots.

Here firstly are whole-Sun pictures taken with a 270-mm SLR lens in white light.

Top:  Sunspot 12546 taken 24 May 2016



Below: Sunspots (left to right) 12567, 12565, and 12566 taken on 17 July 2016












The here are close-up pictures firstly of 12546 taken with the AR-6 refractor and an OIII filter.

And then the group of three taken in white light using my ETX125

Sadly this last is not as good as I would expect.  Maybe seeing conditions were worse than they appeared to be.

Peter

M27 The Dumbbell Nebula

The Dumbbell Nebula (also known as Apple Core Nebula, Messier 27, M 27, or NGC 6853) is a planetary nebula in the constellation Vulpecula, at a distance of about 1,360 light-years
This object was the first planetary nebula to be discovered; by Charles Messier in 1764. At its brightness of visual magnitude 7.5 and its diameter of about 8 arcminutes, it is easily visible in binoculars, and a popular observing target in amateur telescopes.

Photograph by Max Freier

Rossington 13th July 2016

19 x 300 sec at ISO 800..

100 mm APO telescope and Canon 600D Astromodified Camera

NGC 7380 The Wizard Nebula

For this image I used Ha,O111 and S11 filters on my usual kit,namely a SX Trius 694 camera on a Takahashi 106 refractor. Exposures,100m,60m and 50m were not really adequate for this target at this time of year so, using some magic from RegiStar, I incorporate data from a DSLR image taken in 2014.This did not improve detail, but may have given added depth to the picture.
NGC 7380 is an open cluster surrounded by the nebula in Cepheus discovered by Caroline Herschel in 1787.

Pelican Nebula

Close inspection of this image of part of the Pelican Nebula reveals a prominent ridge forming the neck with a dark tendril terminating in twin jets emanating from the tip.This signifies the presence of a protostar  catalogued as Herbig-Haro 555.The nebula is found in Cygnus, northeast of Deneb.
The imaging camera was a Starlight Xpress Trius 695 mounted on a Takahashi 106 refractor.12x600s exposures with a Ha filter were acquired in Nebulosity, preprocessed in AstroArt and modified in PhotoShop.

The Transit of Mercury 9th May 2016

The Transit of Mercury about 15 minutes after it started. Taken from Doncaster Astronomical Society's Brian Joynes Observatory using a Skywatcher ED80 Refractor,
with a Baader white light filter and an iPhone!!




Photo by Max Freier