NGC 6871

NGC 6871 is a small, young open cluster in the constellation of Cygnus. The cluster has less than 50 members, most of which are blue and white stars. It is located 5135 light-years from Earth.

Optics: Vixen ED81s @ f/5.2
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 synscan Pro
Guiding: SBIG ST2000XM ST4
Camera: SBIG ST2000XM
Filter Wheel: SBIG CFW9
Filters: Astronomik LRGB
CCD Temperature: -10 degrees Celsius
Constellation: Cygnus
Date: Aug 17, 2018
Location: Sekoulas - Ileia - Greece - Albireo Observatory 2
Exposure
L: 10x10 min bin 1x1
R:G:B: 10x5 min bin 2x2
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

M42 Great Nebula in Orion

 

The Great Nebula in Orion, an immense, nearby starbirth region, is probably the most famous of all astronomical nebulas. Here, glowing gas surrounds hot young stars at the edge of an immense interstellar molecular cloud only 1500 light-years away. In the above deep image in assigned colors highlighted by emission in oxygen and hydrogen, wisps and sheets of dust and gas are particularly evident. The Great Nebula in Orion can be found with the unaided eye near the easily identifiable belt of three stars in the popular constellation Orion. In addition to housing a bright open cluster of stars known as the Trapezium, the Orion Nebula contains many stellar nurseries. These nurseries contain much hydrogen gas, hot young stars, proplyds, and stellar jets spewing material at high speeds. Also known as M42, the Orion Nebula spans about 40 light years and is located in the same spiral arm of our Galaxy as the Sun.

Technical Details:

Optics:Vixen ED81s @ f/5.2
Mount: HEQ5 synscan Pro
Guiding: Skywatcher 9x50 finderscope+DMK21AU04
Camera: SBIG ST2000XM
Filter Wheel: SBIG CFW9
Filters: Baader Ha, Astronomik LRGB
CCD Temperature: -10 degrees Celsius
Constellation: Orion
Date: 22 Jan, 2014
Location: Kifisia, Greece
Exposure:
Lum : 120 min (40x3 min)
Red : 30 min (15x2 min)
Green : 30 min (15x2 min)
Blue : 30 min (15x2 min)
Binning: 1x1(L,R,G,B)
Total exposure 3.5 h