NGC 1169 barred spiral galaxy

 

NGC 1169 (UGC 2503) is an intermediate barred spiral galaxy in the constellation of Perseus. NGC 1169 has a reddish center, indicating the region is dominated by older stars. In contrast, the outer ring contains larger blue-white stars, a sign of recent star formation. The entire galaxy is rotating at approximately 265 km/s. NGC 1169 was discovered on December 11, 1786 by William Herschel. Measurements of its distance range from 20.9 Mpc - 49.7 Mpc with an average of 35.1 Mpc.

Imaging Telescope: Vixen VC200L f/6.4

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro (belt mod)

Camera: QHY 533M

Guiding camera: ZWO ASI120MM Mini (mono)

Guidescope: SkyWatcher EvoGuide 50ED

Filters: LRGB

Constellation: Perseus

Date: October 29, 2024

Location: Korinthos - Greece - Albireo Observatory 1

Exposure Time:

L: 60x120 sec (gain: 50.00, offset: 60.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

R: 30x120 sec (gain: 50.00, offset: 60.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

G: 30x120 sec (gain: 50.00, offset: 60.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

B: 60x120 sec (gain: 50.00, offset: 60.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

Calibration Frames: Darks, Flats, Bias, Dark Flats

Acquisition: N.I.N.A

Processing: Pixinsight, Photoshop

M31 Galaxy Core

 

Imaging Telescope: Vixen VC200L f/6.4

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro (belt mod)

Camera: QHY 533M

Guiding camera: ZWO ASI120MM Mini (mono)

Guidescope: SkyWatcher EvoGuide 50ED

Filters: LRGB

Constellation: Andromeda

Date: October 27, 2024

Location: Korinthos - Greece - Albireo Observatory 1

Exposure Time:

L: 60x120 sec (gain: 50.00, offset: 60.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

R: 30x120 sec (gain: 50.00, offset: 60.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

G: 30x120 sec (gain: 50.00, offset: 60.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

B: 60x120 sec (gain: 50.00, offset: 60.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

Calibration Frames: Darks, Flats, Bias, Dark Flats

Acquisition: N.I.N.A

Processing: Pixinsight, Photoshop

NGC 1435 - Merope Nebula

 

The beautiful Merope Nebula in M45, the Pleiades star cluster. The nebula reflects the blue light from the 4th magnitude star, Merope, embedded within it. It consists mostly of hydrogen gas and carbon dust particles. It is only one section of the much larger nebula encasing the entire Pleiades star cluster. Once thought to be the birth cloud of the stars within the cluster, studies of the velocities of the stars compared to the nebula reveal that we are seeing a lucky coincidence of the star cluster simply passing through the cloud at the present time. 

Imaging Telescope: Vixen VC200L f/6.4

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro (belt mod)

Camera: QHY 533M

Guiding camera: ZWO ASI120MM Mini (mono)

Guidescope: SkyWatcher EvoGuide 50ED

Filters: LRGB

Constellation: Taurus

Date: October 26, 2024

Location: Korinthos - Greece - Albireo Observatory 1

Exposure Time:

L: 30x120 sec (gain: 50.00, offset: 60.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

R: 20x120 sec (gain: 50.00, offset: 60.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

G: 20x120 sec (gain: 50.00, offset: 60.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

B: 40x120 sec (gain: 50.00, offset: 60.00) 0°C bin 1×1 

Calibration Frames: Darks, Flats, Bias, Dark Flats

Acquisition: N.I.N.A

Processing: Pixinsight, Photoshop

M100 Spiral Galaxy

 

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,R,G,B

Constellation: Coma Berenices

Date: May 18-19, 2024

Location: Korinthos - Greece - Albireo Observatory 1

Exposure Time:

L,R,G,B: 15x120 sec (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

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

NGC 7331, Spiral Galaxy

Imaging Telescope: Vixen VC200L f/6.4

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro (belt mod)

Camera: QHY 533M

Filter Wheel: QHY CFW3S-SR

Guiding: DMK21AU04

Filters: L,R,G,B,Ha

Constellation: Pegasus

Date: Sept. 24, Oct.1 2022

Location: Korinthos - Greece - Albireo Observatory 1

Exposure Time:

L: 57x120" (gain: 60.00, offset: 50.00) 0°C bin 1×1

R: 30x120" (gain: 60.00, offset: 50.00) 0°C bin 1×1

G: 30x120" (gain: 60.00, offset: 50.00) 0°C bin 1×1

B: 30x120" (gain: 60.00, offset: 50.00) 0°C bin 1×1

Calibration Frames: Darks, Flats, Bias, Dark Flats

NGC 7331 and friends

 

Big, beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 7331 is often touted as an analog to our own Milky Way. About 50 million light-years distant in the northern constellation Pegasus, NGC 7331 was recognized early on as a spiral nebula and is actually one of the brighter galaxies not included in Charles Messier's famous 18th century catalog. Since the galaxy's disk is inclined to our line-of-sight, long telescopic exposures often result in an image that evokes a strong sense of depth. The effect is further enhanced in this sharp image by galaxies that lie beyond the gorgeous island universe. The background galaxies are about one tenth the apparent size of NGC 7331 and so lie roughly ten times farther away. Their close alignment on the sky with NGC 7331 occurs just by chance. Seen here through faint foreground dust clouds lingering above the plane of Milky Way, this visual grouping of galaxies is also known as the Deer Lick Group.

Optics: Vixen VC200L @ f/6.4
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro
Guiding: SBIG ST2000XM ST4
Camera: SBIG ST2000XM
Filter Wheel: SBIG CFW9
Filters: Astronomik L
CCD Temperature: 0 degrees Celsius
Constellation: Pegasus
Date: Sep 25, 2021
Location: Korinthos - Greece - Albireo Observatory I
Exposure:
Lum: 12x10 min bin 1x1
Calibration: Darks, Flats, Bias

Ngc 6826 - Blinking Planetary Nebula

 

W. HERSCHEL: [Observed 6 September 1793] A bright point, a little extended, like two points close to one another; as bright as a star of the 8.9 magnitude, surrounded by a very bright milky nebulosity suddenly terminated, having the appearance of a planetary nebula with a lucid center; the border however is not very well defined. It is perfectly round, and I suppose about half a minute in diameter. It is of a middle species, between the planetary nebulae and nebulous stars, and is a beautiful phenomenon. (Η IV-73)

~ The Caldwell Objects, Stephen James O''Meara

Technical details:

Optics: Vixen VC200L @ f/6.4

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro (belt mod)

Guiding: ST-237 guide chip of SBIG ST2000XM

Camera: SBIG ST2000XM

Filter Wheel: SBIG CFW9

Filters: L

CCD Temperature: 0 degrees Celsius

Constellation: Cygnus

Date: Jul 18, 2021

Location: Korinthos - Greece - Albireo Observatory 1

Exposure:

L=12x300 sec bin 1x1

Calibration: Darks, Flats, Bias

Software:

Capturing/Calibration/Stacking: MaximDL

Processing: Pixinsight 

NGC 6946 (LRGB)

 

NGC 6946 is a spiral galaxy with a pair of branching arms that have a puzzling propensity for supernova explosions. In the 20th century terrestrial astronomers witnessed nine supernovae blazing forth in that galaxy (SN 1917A, SN 1939C, SN 1948B, SN 1968D, SN 1969P, SN 1980K, SN 2002hh, SN 2004et, and SN 2008S). The longest duration between these events was 60 years, suggesting that, as of this writing, another seems about due.

Technical details:

Optics: Vixen VC200L @ f/6.4
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro (belt mod)
Guiding: ST-237 guide chip of SBIG ST2000XM
Camera: SBIG ST2000XM
Filter Wheel: SBIG CFW9
Filters: L
CCD Temperature: 0 degrees Celsius
Constellation: Cepheus
Date: Jul 17-18, 2021
Location: Korinthos - Greece - Albireo Observatory 1
Exposure:
L=12x600 sec bin 1x1

R=12x600 sec bin 1x1

G=12x600 sec bin 1x1

B=12x600 sec bin 1x1
Calibration: Darks, Flats, Bias 

NGC 6946

NGC 6946 is a spiral galaxy with a pair of branching arms that have a puzzling propensity for supernova explosions. In the 20th century terrestrial astronomers witnessed nine supernovae blazing forth in that galaxy (SN 1917A, SN 1939C, SN 1948B, SN 1968D, SN 1969P, SN 1980K, SN 2002hh, SN 2004et, and SN 2008S). The longest duration between these events was 60 years, suggesting that, as of this writing, another seems about due.

Technical details:

Optics: Vixen VC200L @ f/6.4
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro (belt mod)
Guiding: ST-237 guide chip of SBIG ST2000XM
Camera: SBIG ST2000XM
Filter Wheel: SBIG CFW9
Filters: L
CCD Temperature: 0 degrees Celsius
Constellation: Cepheus
Date: Jul 3, 2021
Location: Korinthos - Greece - Albireo Observatory 1
Exposure:
L=12x600 sec bin 1x1
Calibration: Darks, Flats, Bias 

Abell 12

 

Nature does not always give us a good vantage point to see things. Here a foreground star, Mu Orionis, nearly overwhelms the more distant light of the planetary nebula Abell 12. This dying star that cast off its outer envelope of gas glows behind the scattered light of Mu Orionis at 6900 light years distance from Earth.

Technical details:

Optics: Vixen VC200L @ f/6.4
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro (belt mod)
Guiding: ST-237 guide chip of SBIG ST2000XM
Camera: SBIG ST2000XM
Filter Wheel: SBIG CFW9
Filters: L
CCD Temperature: 0 degrees Celsius
Constellation: Orion
Date: Feb 27, 2021
Location: Korinthos - Greece - Albireo Observatory 1
Exposure:
L=32x180 sec bin 1x1
Calibration: Darks, Flats, Bias 

M81

 

Discovered by the German astronomer Johann Elert Bode in 1774, M81 is one of the brightest galaxies in the night sky. It is located 11.6 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Ursa Major and has an apparent magnitude of 6.9. Through a pair of binoculars, the galaxy appears as a faint patch of light in the same field of view as M82. A small telescope will resolve M81’s core. The galaxy is best observed during April.  

Technical details:

Optics: Vixen VC200L @ f/6.4
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro (belt mod)
Guiding: ST-237 guide chip of SBIG ST2000XM
Camera: SBIG ST2000XM
Filter Wheel: SBIG CFW9
Filters: L
CCD Temperature: 0 degrees Celsius
Constellation: Ursa Major
Date: Feb 27, 2021
Location: Korinthos - Greece - Albireo Observatory 1
Exposure:
L=32x180 sec bin 1x1
Calibration: Darks, Flats, Bias 

NGC 6914

 

NGC 6914 lies 6,000 light-years away in Cygnus and is a very rare region in which one can see all three classes of nebulae, red emission, blue reflection, and dark obscuring, within a very small expanse of sky. The broad expanse of hydrogen gas is re-emitting red hydrogen alpha light as a result of ionization from the ultraviolet light from several hot stars of the Cygnus OB2 association. These stars also illuminate the blue reflection nebulae of residual dust from their formation. The entire tableau silhouettes numerous dark nebulae also being sculpted by the stellar winds emitted by these stars.

Technical details:

Optics: Vixen VC200L @ f/6.4
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro (belt mod)
Guiding: ST-237 guide chip of SBIG ST2000XM
Camera: SBIG ST2000XM
Filter Wheel: SBIG CFW9
Filters: Ha,L,R,G,B
CCD Temperature: 0 degrees Celsius
Constellation: Cygnus
Date: Aug 22, 2020
Location: Korinthos - Greece - Albireo Observatory 1
Exposure:
L=10x600 sec bin 1x1
R=10x300 sec bin 1x1
G=10x300 sec bin 1x1
B=10x300 sec bin 1x1
Ha=4x900 sec bin 1x1
Calibration: Darks, Flats, Bias 

NGC 2276 & NGC 2300

 

An odd couple lives some 100 million light years away. Here we find a spiral galaxy, NGC 2276 on the top, and its neighbor NGC 2300 on the bottom. Space scientists conducting a study of ultraluminous x-ray sources (ULXs) looking for intermediate-mass black holes using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory believe they have found a candidate. An interesting object, called NGC 2276-3c, located in an arm of spiral galaxy NGC 2276, appears to have the right characteristics.

Technical details:

Optics: Vixen VC200L @ f/6.4

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro (belt mod)

Guiding: ST-237 guide chip of SBIG ST2000XM

Camera: SBIG ST2000XM

Filter Wheel: SBIG CFW9

Filters: L,R,G,B

CCD Temperature: 0 degrees Celsius

Constellation: Cepheus

Date: Aug 21, 2020

Location: Korinthos - Greece - Albireo Observatory 1

Exposure:

L=10x300 sec bin 1x1

R=10x300 sec bin 1x1

G=10x300 sec bin 1x1

B=10x300 sec bin 1x1

Calibration: Darks, Flats, Bias 

NGC 891

 

In long exposures made with great telescopes, the edge-on spiral galaxy NGC 891 looks like a flying saucer pitching sharply through a city of suns. The galaxy's supernatural appearance was naturally befitting for the television series The Outer Limits, which fathered the vast science-fiction genre we enjoy today. In size and mass NGC 891 is comparable to our own Milky Way. Its rotational velocities - the orbital speeds of stars, gas, and dust around the galaxy's core - are also very similar to those in our galaxy.

Optics: Vixen VC200L @ f/6.4
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro (belt mod)
Guiding: ST-237 guide chip of SBIG ST2000XM
Camera: SBIG ST2000XM
Filter Wheel: SBIG CFW9
Filters: L
CCD Temperature: 0 degrees Celsius
Constellation: Andromeda
Date: Aug 20, 2020
Location: Korinthos - Greece - Albireo Observatory 1
Exposure:
Lum=10x600 sec bin 1x1
Calibration: Darks, Flats, Bias 

M51 - The Whirlpool Galaxy

Optics: VixenVC200L @ f/6.4
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro (belt mod)
Guiding: ST-237 guide chip of SBIG ST2000XM
Camera: SBIG ST2000XM
Filter Wheel: SBIG CFW9
Filters: L
CCD Temperature: 0 degrees Celsius
Constellation: Canes Venatici
Date: June 12-14, 2020
Location: Albireo Observatory I - Korinthos, Greece
Exposure: L=200 min bin 1x1
Calibration: Darks, Flats, Bias

The Whirlpool Galaxy is a classic spiral galaxy. At only 30 million light years distant and fully 60 thousand light years across, M51, also known as NGC 5194, is one of the brightest and most picturesque galaxies on the sky. Its companion is an eliptical galaxy known as NGC 5195.

NGC 7331

Big, beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 7331 is often touted as an analog to our own Milky Way. About 50 million light-years distant in the northern constellation Pegasus, NGC 7331 was recognized early on as a spiral nebula and is actually one of the brighter galaxies not included in Charles Messier's famous 18th century catalog. Since the galaxy's disk is inclined to our line-of-sight, long telescopic exposures often result in an image that evokes a strong sense of depth. The effect is further enhanced in this sharp image by galaxies that lie beyond the gorgeous island universe. The background galaxies are about one tenth the apparent size of NGC 7331 and so lie roughly ten times farther away. Their close alignment on the sky with NGC 7331 occurs just by chance. Seen here through faint foreground dust clouds lingering above the plane of Milky Way, this visual grouping of galaxies is also known as the Deer Lick Group.

Optics: Vixen VC200L @ f/6.4
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro
Guiding: SBIG ST2000XM ST4
Camera: SBIG ST2000XM
Filter Wheel: SBIG CFW9
Filters: Astronomik LRGB
CCD Temperature: 0 degrees Celsius
Constellation: Pegasus
Date: Aug 31, 2019
Location: Korinthos - Greece - Albireo Observatory I
Exposure:
Lum: 22x5 min bin 1x1
Calibration: Darks, Flats, Bias

NGC 6910

NGC 6910 is an open cluster in the constellation Cygnus. It was discovered by William Herschel on October 17, 1786. The cluster was also observed by John Herschel on September 18, 1828. NGC 6910 is located half a degree east-north east of Gamma Cygni, also known as Sadr. It may be physically related with the nebula IC 1318, which is also known as the Gamma Cygni nebula complex and lies at a similar distance, behind the galactic Great Rift.

Optics: Vixen VC200L @ f/6.4
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro
Guiding: 9x50 finderscope, DMK21AU04, PHD2 guiding
Camera: SBIG ST2000XM
Filter Wheel: SBIG CFW9
Filters: L,R,G,B,Ha
CCD Temperature: 0 degrees Celsius
Constellation: Cygnus
Date: July 26/27, 2019
Location: Albireo Observatory I - Korinthos, Greece
Exposure: L:R:G:B:Ha=60:60:60:60:60 min bin 1x1
Calibration: Darks, Flats, Bias

M29

M29 is a small packet of 80 stars contained in a tiny 10' sphere of sky. It lies in a dense region of Milky Way that runs the length of the celestial Swan (Cygnus) - a region laced with dark lanes of interstellar dust. It would be no doubt be a more striking sight were it not for the dense obscuring matter that veils the region.

Optics: VixenVC200L @ f/6.4

Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Synscan Pro

Guiding: 9x50 finderscope, DMK21AU04, PHD2 guiding

Camera: SBIG ST2000XM

Filter Wheel: SBIG CFW9

Filters: L,R,G,B,Ha

CCD Temperature: 0 degrees Celsius

Constellation: Cygnus

Date: July 5/6, 2019

Location: Albireo Observatory I - Korinthos, Greece

Exposure: L:R:G:B:Ha=30:30:30:30:150 min bin 1x1

Calibration: Darks, Flats, Bias