M8 - Lagoon Nebula

Very conspicuous to the naked eye, M8 appears as a large curdle of galactic vapor off the western edge of the Milky Way that rises from the teapot's spout. The emission nebula, powered by the radiative energy of the very hot 6th-magnitude star 9 Sagittarii, 9th-magnitude Herschel 36, and possibly some obscured stars, is complemented on its eastern side by NGC 6530 - a loose spritz of 113 very young suns, all of which are probably intimately associated with the M8 nebulosity that enshrouds them in loops and swirls.

Optics: Vixen ED81s @ f/7.7
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 synscan Pro
Guiding: 9x50 finderscope, DMK21AU04, PHD guiding
Camera: SBIG ST2000XM
Filter Wheel: SBIG CFW9
Filters: L,R,G,B,Ha
CCD Temperature: 0 degrees Celsius
Constellation: Sagittarius
Date: June 28, 2019
Location: Parnonas mountain - Greece
Exposure
L:R:G:B:Ha=120:30:30:30:15 min bin 1x1
Calibration: Darks, Flats, Bias

LDN 673

 At a distance of about 600 light years from us, LDN 673 is a beautiful dark nebula covering almost a full degree of sky in the constellation of Aquila. The nebula is superimposed upon the thick molecular clouds within the Milky Way. The dust in these molecular clouds scatters the blue light from these stars, giving the surrounding stars a decidedly yellow-red bias.

Technical Details

Optics: Canon EF 200mm f/2.8 L lens

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan pro

Guiding: Skywatcher 9x50 finderscope+DMK21AU04

Camera: Canon EOS 450D

Date: 29-30 Jul, 2016

Constellation: Aquila

Location: Parnonas Mountain, Greece

Exposure: 4x10 min, ISO 800

Barnard 138

 

In this photo we see a curved, dark marking, B 138, finally ending in a sharp, black spot. The curved object looks like a great, black lizard. Its head is the sharply defined black spot, B 139.  The "lizard" even has legs, one of which is a sharp, dark projection, B 137.

Technical Details

Optics: Canon EF 200mm f/2.8 L lens

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan pro

Guiding: Skywatcher 9x50 finderscope+DMK21AU04

Camera: Canon EOS 450D

Date: 29-30 Jul, 2016

Constellation: Aquila

Location: Parnonas Mountain, Greece

Exposure: 4x10 min, ISO 800

Pleiades Star Cluster (Seven Sisters or M45)

 

Hurtling through a cosmic dust cloud some 400 light-years away, the lovely Pleiades or Seven Sisters star cluster is well-known for its striking blue reflection nebulae. In the dusty sky toward the constellation Taurus and the Orion Arm of our Milky Way Galaxy, this remarkable image shows the famous star cluster in the middle.

This image appeared in:

- "Covjek i svemir" magazine (Croatia)

- Sky & Telescope magazine Online Gallery (Miscellaneous Scenes & Skies)

- Editor choice in "Astronomski magazin" (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

- "Astropis" magazine issue Dec 2015 (Czech Republic)

Optics: Canon EF 200mm f/2.8 L lens
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan pro
Guiding: Skywatcher 9x50 finderscope+DMK21AU04
Camera: Canon EOS 450D
Date: 14 Nov, 2015
Constellation: Taurus
Location: Parnonas Mountain, Greece
Exposure: 5x5 min + 2x10 min, ISO 800

Milky Way around Sagittarius

 

Sagittarius lies in the direction of the densest part of the Milky Way, the spiral galaxy in which our Solar System resides. If it were not for interstellar dust, which is concentrated along the plane of the Milky Way, this constellation and those near it would be obscured by the brilliance of the galactic core. The field of view near the galactic center is heavily mottled with stars and interstellar matter. In addition, several large fuzzy patches of light are clearly visible.

Technical Details

Optics: Canon EF 24mm f/5.6 lens

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan pro

Guiding: Skywatcher 9x50 finderscope+DMK21AU04

Camera: Canon EOS 450D

Date: 27 Jun, 2014

Location: Parnonas Mountain, Greece

Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex

 

Near the star Rho Ophiuchi, in the extreme southwest corner of Ophiuchus, is a region of strangeness and beauty. The star itself is enmeshed in a vast diffuse nebulosity, IC 4604, too faint to be studied visually. But from this nebulous region a number of dark narrow lanes flow out toward the east, appearing like black tentacles obscuring the starry background. These vacant lanes end near the star Xi Ophiuchi. Near Xi also is the large and strangely shaped dark cloud B63. This is an extraordinary region, described by Barnard as making a picture almost unequalled in interest in the entire heavens.

Technical Details

Optics: Canon EF 24mm f/5.6 lens

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan pro

Guiding: Skywatcher 9x50 finderscope+DMK21AU04

Camera: Canon EOS 450D

Date: 27 Jun, 2014

Location: Parnonas Mountain, Greece

Exposure: 3x15 min, ISO 800