Sharpless 116 (Abell 71 )

SH2-116 is a small nebula that is also known as Abell 71 and sits not from the bright star Deneb in Cygnus. This object was first classified as a planetary nebula but recent studies show it to be an HII region instead. This object is best imaged using a larger telescope because of its size and some of the nice structure it has. However, SH2-115 is right next to it and a larger field of view can easily pick up both of them. The nebula surrounding SH2-116 is indeed part of SH2-115. 

Imaging Telescope: Vixen ED81s f/7.7 

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro (belt mod) 

Camera: QHY 533M 

Filter Wheel: QHY CFW3S-SR 

Filters: L,R,G,B

Guiding camera: ZWO ASI120MM Mini (mono)

Guidescope: SkyWatcher EvoGuide 50ED

Constellation: Cygnus

Date: 09-10 August-2023 

Location: Sekoulas - Ileia - Greece - Albireo Observatory 2

Sky brightness: B2

Exposure Time: 

L: 12x600 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

R: 12x600 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

G: 12x600 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1  

B: 12x600 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1

Ha: 4x1800 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1

Calibration Frames: Darks, Flats, Dark Flats 

Acquisition: ACP Expert, MaximDL 

Processing: Pixinsight, Photoshop

 

Sharpless 108 (Gamma Cygni Nebula)

The Gamma Cygni Nebula, also known as the Sadr Region or IC 1318 or Sharpless 108, is a diffuse emission nebula that can be seen around Sadr (Gamma Cygni), the star at the center of the Northern Cross, which marks the heart of Cygnus, the Swan. Despite the name, the star and the nebula are unrelated. Even though it looks embedded in the nebulosity, Sadr is approximately 1,800 light years distant, while the nebula is much further away, at 4,900 light years.

The Gamma Cygni Nebula is considered an emission nebula because it is ionized by the radiation of the nearby stars and it emits visible light as a result. The visible portion of the H II region stretches over an area more than 100 light years across. The nebula is illuminated by an O9-class star which is visually obscured by interstellar material.

Imaging Telescope: Vixen ED81s f/7.7 

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro (belt mod) 

Camera: QHY 533M 

Filter Wheel: QHY CFW3S-SR 

Filters: L,R,G,B

Guiding camera: ZWO ASI120MM Mini (mono)

Guidescope: SkyWatcher EvoGuide 50ED

Constellation: Cygnus

Date: 12-13 August-2023 

Location: Sekoulas - Ileia - Greece - Albireo Observatory 2

Sky brightness: B2

Exposure Time: 

L: 12x600 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

R: 12x600 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

G: 12x600 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1  

B: 12x600 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1

Ha: 4x1800 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1

Calibration Frames: Darks, Flats, Dark Flats 

Acquisition: ACP Expert, MaximDL 

Processing: Pixinsight, Photoshop

 

Messier 27 (The Dumbbell Nebula)

 

Is this what will become of our Sun? Quite possibly. The first hint of our Sun's future was discovered inadvertently in 1764. At that time, Charles Messier was compiling a list of diffuse objects not to be confused with comets. The 27th object on Messier's list, now known as M27 or the Dumbbell Nebula, is a planetary nebula, the type of nebula our Sun will produce when nuclear fusion stops in its core. M27 is one of the brightest planetary nebulae on the sky, and can be seen toward the constellation of the Fox (Vulpecula) with binoculars. It takes light about 1000 years to reach us from M27, featured here in colors emitted by hydrogen and oxygen. Understanding the physics and significance of M27 was well beyond 18th century science. Even today, many things remain mysterious about bipolar planetary nebula like M27, including the physical mechanism that expels a low-mass star's gaseous outer-envelope, leaving an X-ray hot white dwarf.

Imaging Telescope: Vixen ED81s f/7.7 

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro (belt mod) 

Camera: QHY 533M 

Filter Wheel: QHY CFW3S-SR 

Filters: L,R,G,B

Guiding camera: ZWO ASI120MM Mini (mono)

Guidescope: SkyWatcher EvoGuide 50ED

Constellation: Vulpecula

Date: 17-18 August-2023 

Location: Sekoulas - Ileia - Greece - Albireo Observatory 2

Sky brightness: B2

Exposure Time: 

L: 12x300 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

R: 12x300 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

G: 12x300 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1  

B: 12x300 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1

Calibration Frames: Darks, Flats, Dark Flats 

Acquisition: ACP Expert, MaximDL 

Processing: Pixinsight, Photoshop

M11 - Wild Duck Cluster

 

Featured above is the Wild Duck star cluster (also known as M11) sitting in the constellation of Scutum the Shield. Composed of nearly 3,000 stars, this compact grouping, one of the most compact open star clusters, lies some 6000 light years away. As viewed from the Northern Hemisphere it resides in the southern sky, within the glow of the Milky Way and between the constellations of Aquila and Sagittarius. Though it's highest in the sky in late summer and early fall, it can only be observed with a moderate-sized telescope. Detecting a duck of any kind in this cluster is no more challenging than identifying a shield in Scutum. 

Imaging Telescope: Vixen ED81s f/7.7 

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro (belt mod) 

Camera: QHY 533M 

Filter Wheel: QHY CFW3S-SR 

Filters: L,R,G,B

Guiding camera: ZWO ASI120MM Mini (mono)

Guidescope: SkyWatcher EvoGuide 50ED

Constellation: Scutum

Date: 15-16 August-2023 

Location: Korinthos - Greece - Albireo Observatory 1

Sky brightness: B7

Exposure Time: 

L: 12x120 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

R: 12x120 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

G: 12x120 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1  

B: 12x120 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1

Calibration Frames: Darks, Flats, Dark Flats 

Acquisition: ACP Expert, MaximDL 

Processing: Pixinsight, Photoshop

M2

 

Messier 2 or M2 (also designated NGC 7089) is a globular cluster in the constellation Aquarius, five degrees north of the star Beta Aquarii and it is one of the largest known globular clusters.

M2 is, under extremely good conditions, just visible to the naked eye. Binoculars or a small telescope will identify this cluster as non-stellar, while larger telescopes will resolve individual stars, of which the brightest are of apparent magnitude 13.1.

M2 is about 37,500 light-years distant from Earth. At 175 light-years in diameter, it is one of the larger globular clusters known. The cluster is rich, compact, and significantly elliptical. It is 13 billion years old and one of the older globulars associated with the Milky Way Galaxy.

M2 contains about 150,000 stars, including 21 known variable stars. Its brightest stars are red and yellow giant stars.

Imaging Telescope: Vixen ED81s f/7.7 

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro (belt mod) 

Camera: QHY 533M 

Filter Wheel: QHY CFW3S-SR 

Filters: L,R,G,B

Guiding camera: ZWO ASI120MM Mini (mono)

Guidescope: SkyWatcher EvoGuide 50ED

Constellation: Andromeda

Date: 14-15 August-2023 

Location: Korinthos - Greece - Albireo Observatory 1

Sky brightness: B7

Exposure Time: 

L: 12x120 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

R: 12x120 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

G: 12x120 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1  

B: 12x120 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1

Calibration Frames: Darks, Flats, Dark Flats 

Acquisition: ACP Expert, MaximDL 

Processing: Pixinsight, Photoshop

A rose made of galaxies Arp 273

 

Arp 273 is a pair of interacting galaxies, 300 million light years away in the constellation Andromeda. It was first described in the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies, compiled by Halton Arp in 1966. The larger of the spiral galaxies, known as UGC 1810, is about five times more massive than the smaller galaxy. It has a disc that is tidally distorted into a rose-like shape by the gravitational pull of the companion galaxy below it, known as UGC 1813. The smaller galaxy shows distinct signs of active star formation at its nucleus, and "it is thought that the smaller galaxy has actually passed through the larger one.

Imaging Telescope: Vixen ED81s f/7.7 

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro (belt mod) 

Camera: QHY 533M 

Filter Wheel: QHY CFW3S-SR 

Filters: L,R,G,B

Guiding camera: ZWO ASI120MM Mini (mono)

Guidescope: SkyWatcher EvoGuide 50ED

Constellation: Andromeda

Date: 18-19 August-2023 

Location: Sekoulas - Ileia - Greece - Albireo Observatory 2

Sky brightness: B2

Exposure Time: 

L: 12x300 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

R: 12x300 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

G: 12x300 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1  

B: 12x300 sec (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1

Calibration Frames: Darks, Flats, Dark Flats 

Acquisition: ACP Expert, MaximDL 

Processing: Pixinsight, Photoshop

The Pillars of Creation (Eagle Nebula, or Messier 16)

 

Imaging Telescope: Vixen ED81s f/7.7 

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro (belt mod) 

Camera: QHY 533M 

Filter Wheel: QHY CFW3S-SR 

Filters: L,R,G,B,Ha

Guiding camera: ZWO ASI120MM Mini (mono)

Guidescope: SkyWatcher EvoGuide 50ED

Constellation: Serpens

Date: 15-16 July-2023 

Location: Korinthos - Greece - Albireo Observatory 1 

Exposure Time: 

L: 60x120" (gain: 50.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

R: 60x120" (gain: 50.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

G: 60x120" (gain: 50.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1  

B: 60x120" (gain: 50.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1

Ha: 12x900" (gain: 50.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1  

Calibration Frames: Darks, Flats, Bias, Dark Flats 

Acquisition: N.I.N.A, PHD2 

Processing: Pixinsight, Photoshop

NGC 6914

NGC 6914 is a complex of reflection nebulae at the heart of the constellation Cygnus. This region concentrates gaseous and dusty masses of the galactic plane, where stars are born. Fragments of nebula situated between the Earth and the young stars appear to be dark, with varying opacities and intricate shapes. In other areas, near the younger and hotter stars, dust shines with the bluish colors of the reflection nebulas. Lastly, all the image is covered by ionized hydrogen that gives to the scene a reddish and warm backdrop. Newly born stars, which are only a few million years old, mill around the scene. Their colors reveal their diversity of masses and temperatures. But in this small portion of the Galaxy, about 6,000 light-years away, massive and hot stars (O and B type stars) are so abundant that the area is classified as an OB association. Its name is Cygnus OB2.

Imaging Telescope: Vixen ED81s f/5.2 

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro (belt mod) 

Camera: QHY 533M 

Filter Wheel: QHY CFW3S-SR 

Filters: L

Guiding camera: ZWO ASI120MM Mini (mono)

Guidescope: SkyWatcher EvoGuide 50ED

Constellation: Cygnus 

Date: 8-July-2023 

Location: Korinthos - Greece - Albireo Observatory 1 

Exposure Time: Ha: 12x900" (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1  

Calibration Frames: Darks, Flats, Bias, Dark Flats 

Acquisition: N.I.N.A, PHD2 

Processing: Pixinsight, Photoshop

 

NGC 6960: The Witch's Broom Nebula

Ten thousand years ago, before the dawn of recorded human history, a new light would have suddenly have appeared in the night sky and faded after a few weeks. Today we know this light was from a supernova, or exploding star, and record the expanding debris cloud as the Veil Nebula, a supernova remnant. This sharp telescopic view is centered on a western segment of the Veil Nebula cataloged as NGC 6960 but less formally known as the Witch's Broom Nebula. Blasted out in the cataclysmic explosion, the interstellar shock wave plows through space sweeping up and exciting interstellar material. Imaged with narrow band filters, the glowing filaments are like long ripples in a sheet seen almost edge on, remarkably well separated into atomic hydrogen (red) and oxygen (blue-green) gas. The complete supernova remnant lies about 1400 light-years away towards the constellation Cygnus. This Witch's Broom actually spans about 35 light-years. The bright star in the frame is 52 Cygni, visible with the unaided eye from a dark location but unrelated to the ancient supernova remnant.

Imaging Telescope: Vixen ED81s f/5.2

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro (belt mod)

Camera: QHY 533M

Filter Wheel: QHY CFW3S-SR

Guiding: ZWO ASI120MM Mini + SkyWatcher EvoGuide 50ED

Constellation: Cygnus

Date: June 24, July 01 2023

Location: Korinthos - Greece - Albireo Observatory 1

Calibration Frames: Darks, Flats, Bias, Dark Flats

Acquisition: N.I.N.A, phd2

Processing: Pixinsight, Photoshop

Filters: L

Exposure Time:

L: 90x120" (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1

Filters: L,R,G,B

Exposure Time:

L:R:G:B: 30x120" (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1

Filters: Ha,L,R,G,B

Exposure Time:

L:R:G:B: 30x120" (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1

Ha: 24x900" (gain: 56.00, offset: 12.00) 0°C bin 1×1

Draco Trio of Galaxies

Imaging Telescope: Vixen VC200L f/6.4

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro (belt mod)

Camera: QHY 533M

Filter Wheel: QHY CFW3S-SR

Guiding: DMK21AU04 + 9x50 Skywatcher finder

Filters: L

Constellation: Draco

Date: June 4, 2023

Location: Korinthos - Greece - Albireo Observatory 1

Exposure Time:

Ha: 28x120" (gain: 50.00, offset: 60.00) 0°C bin 1×1

Calibration Frames: Darks, Flats, Bias, Dark Flats

Acquisition: N.I.N.A, phd2

Processing: Pixinsight, Photoshop

Simeis 57 - Propeller Nebula (Ha)

 

Imaging Telescope: Vixen VC200L f/6.4

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro (belt mod)

Camera: QHY 533M

Filter Wheel: QHY CFW3S-SR

Guiding: DMK21AU04 + 9x50 Skywatcher finder

Filters: Ha

Constellation: Cygnus

Date: June 3, 2023

Location: Korinthos - Greece - Albireo Observatory 1

Exposure Time:

Ha: 5x600" (gain: 50.00, offset: 60.00) 0°C bin 1×1

Calibration Frames: Darks, Flats, Bias, Dark Flats

Acquisition: N.I.N.A, phd2

Processing: Pixinsight, Photoshop