Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Two Star clusters and a Dark Nebula

I can't describe how great it is to have all my equipment operating at peak performance. And with a run of clear nights over the last 6 weeks I've finally arrived at the point where I am wishing for some cloudy nights so I can have the time to process all the images I captured!

Last time I wrote about imaging the Cygnus Wall, part of the North America Nebula. I did get about 7.5 hours of integration time in the HaOiiiSii (Hubble palette) and RGB stars, but the post-processing of the subs is giving me a whole bunch of trouble. So while I'm still trying to get this done, I took a break and decided to process some of the simpler objects taken with the standard RGB color palette.

First up is NGC 6712, a small globular cluster in the constellation of Scutum.
NGC 6712 Globular Cluster - September 26, 2019
GT102 f/5.6 - ASI1600mm Pro
20x60sec RGB 

Next, another globular cluster, M71, in the constellation of Sagitta. M71, or NGC 6838, is a star cluster at a distance of about 12,000 light years away from Earth and spans some 27 light years across.
M71 Globular Cluster  -  September 22, 2019
GT102 APO f/5.6 - ASI1600mm Pro
30x10sec RGB

Finally, my first dark nebula, is LDN 1165, in Cephus. Nebulae are giant clouds of dust and gas. Dark nebulae have a higher concentration of dust, which blocks almost all the light from the background stars, thus producing a region of the sky that is dark and featureless - what appears to be a hole in the sky.
LDN 1165  -  September 22, 2019
GT102 APO f/5.6 - ASI1600mmPro
60x60Lum, 30x60RGB

With the cloudy nights coming up, I think I'll be able to complete the processing of my other images. Stay tuned.

Soldiers Delight Star Party

Hosted by    Westminster Astronomical Society If you are local to the Baltimore, MD area and have an interest in astronomy, why not stop by ...