The Leo Triplet

M65, M66, and NGC3628. This group of galaxies lies in the constellation of Leo the Lion. I was using my 4 inch f/6.3 refractor, a Vixen Atlux mount, PHD auto guiding, an Atik 383L mono CCD camera and an IDAS light pollution filter for the luminance data. The colour data however was taken from an old image using RGB colour filters. I captured five minute sub frames with matching dark frames and combined them with flat field frames to reduce the effect of vignetting in the final image. Total exposure time was 60 min.

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The Leo Triplet

M81 and M82 with two telescopes

 M81, M82 Data from two  telescopes, a ten inch reflector and a four inch refractor.

M81 and M82

Galaxies M81, M82. I took this image under hazy sky conditions with stars only visible down to magnitude 4.3. I was using my 4 inch f/6.3 refractor, a Vixen Atlux mount, PHD autoguiding and an Atik 383L mono CCD camera. I captured five-minute sub frames with matching dark frames and combined them with flat field frames to reduce the effect of vignetting in the final image. The total exposure time was 90 minutes using an IDAS filter, ten minutes using a H-alpha filter and ten minutes using an O111 filter.

M81 and M82

M78

M78 . In Orion . This image of M78 was taken under clear moonless sky conditions with stars visible down to magnitude 4.7. I was using my f/4.8 reflector, a Vixen Atlux mount, PHD auto guiding and an Atik 383L mono CCD camera. I captured five-minute sub-frames with matching dark frames and combined them with flat field frames to reduce the effect of vignetting in the final image. The total exposure times was 60 minutes using a blue filter , 40 minutes using an O111 filter and 30 minutes using a H-alpha filter.

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NGC2346

NGC2346. This butterfly-shaped planetary nebula lies in the constellation of Monoceros. I captured five minute sub frames with matching dark frames and combined them with flat field frames to reduce the effect of vignetting in the final image. I was using my ten inch f/4.8 reflector, a Vixen Atlux mount, PHD auto-guiding, an Atik 383L mono CCD camera and a set of Astronomik narrowband filters, S11, O111, and H-alpha. The total exposure times were 35 minutes for each filter.

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Bi-colour image

Hubble Palette

Lunar mosaic.

This image was taken under steady seeing conditions with stars still visible down to magnitude 4. I was using my ten inch f/4.8 reflector, a Vixen Atlux mount, an Atik 383L mono CCD camera, a Tele-Vue x2 Barlow lens and an Astronomik H-alpha filter. I captured twenty, one thousandth of a second exposures and averaged them together using Registax software.

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The Orion nebula

 M42/43; The Orion nebula.  This image is a two section mosaic taken on two separate evenings under very clear moonless sky conditions. Stars were visible  down to magnitude 5 with the air being very steady.  I was using my ten inch f/4.8 reflector, a Vixen Atlux mount, PHD auto guiding , an Atik 383L mono CCD camera and a set of Astronomik narrowband filters . The filters were H-alpha, S11 and O111. I captured five minute sub frames with matching dark frames and combined them with flat field frames to reduce the effect of vignetting in the final image. The total exposure times was 120 minutes for each narrowband filter.

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Example of the light-pollution level

RGB image

Narrowband

Narrowband + RGB luminance and colour

The moon and earthshine. This image was taken using a ten inch f/4.8 reflector, a Vixen Atlux mount, an Atik 383L mono CCD camera and an Astronomik H-alpha filter. The exposure times were very short; twenty, one thousandths of a second exposures. The data were then averaged using Registax software.

NGC1491

NGC1491. This patch of nebulosity lies in the constellation of Perseus. I was using my ten inch f/4.8 reflector, a Vixen Atlux mount PHD auto guiding, an Atik 383L mono CCD camera and a set of Astronomik narrowband filters. I captured five minute sub-frames with matching dark frames and combined them with flat field frames to reduce the effect of vignetting in the final image. The total exposure times was sixty minutes for each filter.

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RGB image

Hubble Palette

RGB + Hubble Palette

Focus test

Focus test ; The Moon. By capturing twenty, one thousandth of a second exposures averaging the data was the best option using RegiStack software . I was using a Ten inch reflector , a Vixen atlux mount , an Astronomick H-alpha filter and an Atik 383L mono CCD camera.

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NGC1579.

NGC1579. Commonly named the northern Trifid. This faint patch of nebulosity lies in the constellation of Perseus. I was using my ten inch f/4.8 reflector, a Vixen Atlux mount, PHD auto guiding and an Atik 383L mono CCD camera . I captured five minute sub frames with matching dark frames and combined them with flat field frames to reduce the effect of vignetting in the final image. The total exposure times were 90 minutes using a H-alpha filter, 50 minutes using an O111 filter, 35 minutes using an S11 filter and 20 minutes using a blue filter.

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RGB image

Hubble Palette

RGB + Hubble Palette

NGC1023

NGC1023 This galaxy lies in the constellation of Andromeda. I captured five minute sub frames with matching dark frames and combined them with flat field frames to reduce the effect of vignetting in the final image. I was using a ten inch f/4.8 reflector, a Vixen Atlux mount, PHD  auto guiding and an Atik 383L mono CCD camera. The total exposure times were 60 minutes using an IDAS filter, 40 minutes using a H-alpha filter, 40 minutes using an O111 filter and 15 minutes using a blue filter.

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M15 globular cluster

M15. This globular cluster lies in the constellation of Pegasus. I captured one minute sub frames with matching dark frames combined with flat field frames to reduce the effect of vignetting in the final image. I was using my ten inch f/4.8 reflector, a Vixen Atlux mount, PHD auto guiding and an Atik 383L mono CCD camera. The filters I was using were H-alpha, S11 and O111 with total exposure times of 30 minutes for each filter.

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M76 the little Dumbbell

M76 the little Dumbbell. This planetary nebula lies in the constellation of Perseus. I took this image using my ten inch f/4.8 reflector, a Vixen Atlux mount, PHD auto guiding and an Atik 383L mono CCD camera. I captured five minute sub frames with matching dark frames and combined them with flat field frames to reduce the effect of vignetting in the final image. The total exposure times was 60 minutes using a H-alpha filter, 40 minute using an O111 filter and 45 minutes using an S11 filter.

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M76; Hubble Palette

M76; Bicolour

NGC 7814

NGC 7814 . This galaxy lies in the constellation of Pegasus . I was using my ten inch f/4.8 reflector, a Vixen Atlux mount PHD auto-guiding and an Atik 383L mono CCD camera. I captured five minute sub frames with matching dark frames and combined them with flat field frames to reduce the effect of vignetting in the final image. The total exposure times was 90 minutes using an IDAS filter, 15 minutes using an O111 filter, 25 minutes using a H-alpha filter and ten minutes using a blue filter.

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NGC 5985. NGC5982 and NGC5981.

NGC 5985. NGC5982 and NGC5981. This group of 3  galaxies lies in the constellation of Draco , I was using a ten inch f/4.8 reflector , a Vixen Atlux mount , PHD auto guiding and an Atik 383L mono CCD camera. I captured five minute sub frames with matching dark frames and combined them with flat field frames to reduce the effect of vignetting in the final image. The total exposure times was 80 minutes using an IDAS filter, 15 minutes using a H-alpha filter , 15 minutes using an O111 filter and ten minutes using a blue filter.

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Combining old and new data

The Fireworks galaxy

NGC6946 . Commonly named the Fireworks galaxy.  This face on galaxy lies in the constellation of Cepheus the King . I was using a ten inch f/4.8 reflector a Vixen Atlux mount an Atik 383L mono CCD camera and PHD auto guiding . I captured five minute sub frames with matching dark frames and combined them with flat field frames to reduce the effect of vignetting in the final image. The total exposure times was 60 minutes using an Idas filter , 35 minutes using a H-alpha filter , 25 minutes using an O111 filter and 15 minutes using a blue filter.

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Orion and an Iridium flare

This image of the lower limb of Orion was taken from Exmoor national park capturing an Iridium flare. I was using an Astro track mount a Cannon 50D DSLR camera with the lens set at f/5 at 70mm. I used two five minute exposures stacked using Paint Shop Pro software.

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