Description

The Lagoon Nebula (catalogued as Messier 8 or M8, and as NGC 6523) is a giant interstellar cloud in the constellation Sagittarius. It is classified as an emission nebula and as a H II region. The Lagoon Nebula was discovered by Giovanni Hodierna before 1654[4] and is one of only two star-forming nebulae faintly visible to the naked eye from mid-northern latitudes. Seen with binoculars, it appears as a distinct oval cloudlike patch with a definite core. A fragile star cluster appears superimposed on it. The Trifid Nebula (catalogued as Messier 20 or M20 and as NGC 6514) is an H II region located in Sagittarius. It was discovered by Charles Messier on June 5, 1764. Its name means 'divided into three lobes'. The object is an unusual combination of an open cluster of stars; an emission nebula (the lower, red portion), a reflection nebula (the upper, blue portion) and a dark nebula (the apparent 'gaps' within the emission nebula that cause the trifurcated appearance; these are also designated Barnard 85). Viewed through a small telescope, the Trifid Nebula is a bright and peculiar object, and is thus a perennial favorite of amateur astronomers.

Equipment and processing

Telescope: Astrotech AT72ED

Mount: Meade LXD55

Camera: Canon T1i

Filters: None

Guiding: PHD

Processing: Photoshop, DSS, Fitswork

Capture software: BackYardEOS

Exposures: 112x30 ISO3200

Location: Cape Code, MA

Description

This is image of Comet Hartley visiting the Double Cluster in Perseus. The Double Cluster (also known as Caldwell 14) is the common name for the naked-eye open clusters NGC 869 and NGC 884 , which are close together in the constellation Perseus. NGC 869 and NGC 884 both lie at a distance of 7500 light years. NGC 869 has a mass of 3700 solar masses and NGC 884 weighs in at 2800 solar masses; however, later research has shown both clusters are surrounded with a very extensive halo of stars, with a total mass for the complex of at least 20,000 solar masses.Based on their individual stars, the clusters are relatively young, both 12.8 million years old. Comet Hartley 2, designated as 103P/Hartley by the Minor Planet Center, is a small periodic comet with an orbital period of 6.46 years. It was discovered by Malcolm Hartley in 1986 at the Schmidt Telescope Unit, Siding Spring Observatory, Australia. Its diameter is estimated to be 1.2 to 1.6 kilometres (0.75 to 0.99 mi). Hartley 2 was the target of a flyby of the Deep Impact spacecraft, as part of the EPOXI mission, on 4 November 2010, which was able to approach within 700 kilometers (430 mi) of Hartley 2 as part of its extended mission. As of November 2010 Hartley 2 is the smallest comet which has been visited. It is the fifth comet visited by spacecraft, and the second comet visited by the Deep Impact spacecraft, which first visited comet Tempel 1 on 4 July 2005.

Equipment and processing

Telescope: 5 inch F5 reflector

Mount: Meade LXD55

Camera: Canon T1i

Filters: None

Guiding: None

Processing: Photoshop, DSS, Fitswork

Capture software: Intervalometer

Exposures: 58x30 ISO6400 RGB

Location: Hatteras,NC

Description

The Crescent Nebula (also known as NGC 6888, Caldwell 27, Sharpless 105) is an emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus, about 5000 light-years away. It was discovered by Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel in 1792. It is formed by the fast stellar wind from the Wolf-Rayet star WR 136 (HD 192163) colliding with and energizing the slower moving wind ejected by the star when it became a red giant around 250,000 to 400,000 years ago. The result of the collision is a shell and two shock waves, one moving outward and one moving inward. The inward moving shock wave heats the stellar wind to X-ray-emitting temperatures.

Equipment and processing

Telescope: Meade SN6

Mount: Meade LXD55

Camera: Canon T1i

Filters: Astronomik Ha 12nm, OIII 12nm

Guiding: PHD

Processing: Photoshop, DSS, Fitswork

Capture software: BackYardEOS

Exposures: 35x300 ISO3200 Ha,81x600 ISO3200 OIII

Location: Parsippany,NJ

Description

The Crescent Nebula (also known as NGC 6888, Caldwell 27, Sharpless 105) is an emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus, about 5000 light-years away. It was discovered by Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel in 1792. It is formed by the fast stellar wind from the Wolf-Rayet star WR 136 (HD 192163) colliding with and energizing the slower moving wind ejected by the star when it became a red giant around 250,000 to 400,000 years ago. The result of the collision is a shell and two shock waves, one moving outward and one moving inward. The inward moving shock wave heats the stellar wind to X-ray-emitting temperatures.

Equipment and processing

Telescope: Astrotech AT72ED

Mount: Meade LXD55

Camera: Canon T1i

Filters: Astronomik Ha 12nm, OIII 12nm

Guiding: PHD

Processing: Photoshop, DSS, Fitswork

Capture software: BackYardEOS

Exposures: 124x600 ISO1600 Ha, 74x600 ISO1600 OIII

Location: Parsippany,NJ

Description

The Lagoon Nebula (catalogued as Messier 8 or M8, and as NGC 6523) is a giant interstellar cloud in the constellation Sagittarius. It is classified as an emission nebula and as a H II region. The Lagoon Nebula was discovered by Giovanni Hodierna before 1654 and is one of only two star-forming nebulae faintly visible to the naked eye from mid-northern latitudes. Seen with binoculars, it appears as a distinct oval cloudlike patch with a definite core. A fragile star cluster appears superimposed on it.

Equipment and processing

Telescope: 5 inch F5 reflector

Mount: Meade LXD55

Camera: Canon T1i

Filters: None

Guiding: PHD

Processing: Photoshop, DSS, Fitswork

Capture software: BackYardEOS

Exposures: 55x120 ISO3200

Location: Parsippany,NJ

Description

This image shows rich star fields and nebulous regions of Cygnus constellation. Some of the objects are: Brightest star is Deneb - blue-white supergiant 1,400 light years away. Above Deneb are emission nebulae North America (NGC7000) and Pelican (IC5070), 1600 and 1800 light years away respectively. Below Deneb is emission nebula IC1318, 3700 light years away.On the right is Veil nebula (NGC6992, NGC6960) - supernova remnant 1470 light years away

Equipment and processing

Telescope: Canon 50mm F2.8

Mount: Meade LXD55

Camera: Canon T1i

Filters: None

Guiding: None

Processing: Photoshop, DSS, Fitswork

Capture software: Intervalometer

Exposures: 48x60 ISO3200 RGB

Location: Parsippany,NJ

Description

The Rosette Nebula (also known as Caldwell 49) is a large, circular H II region located near one end of a giant molecular cloud in the Monoceros region of the Milky Way Galaxy. The open cluster NGC 2244 (Caldwell 50) is closely associated with the nebulosity, the stars of the cluster having been formed from the nebula's matter. The cluster and nebula lie at a distance of some 5,200 light-years from Earth (although estimates of the distance vary considerably, down to 4,900 light-years) and measure roughly 130 light years in diameter. The radiation from the young stars excite the atoms in the nebula, causing them to emit radiation themselves producing the emission nebula we see. The mass of the nebula is estimated to be around 10,000 solar masses. It is believed that stellar winds from a group of O and B stars are exerting pressure on interstellar clouds to cause compression, followed by star formation in the nebula. This star formation is currently still ongoing.

Equipment and processing

Telescope: Meade SN6

Mount: Meade LXD55

Camera: Canon T1i

Filters: None

Guiding: PHD

Processing: Photoshop, DSS, Fitswork

Capture software: Intervalometer

Exposures: 30x120 ISO3200

Location: Parsippany,NJ

Description

Messier 81 (also known as NGC 3031 or Bode's Galaxy) is a spiral galaxy about 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. Due to its proximity to Earth, large size and active galactic nucleus (which harbors a 70 million solar masses supermassive black hole), Messier 81 has been studied extensively by professional astronomers. The galaxy's large size and relatively high brightness also make it a popular target for amateur astronomers. Messier 82 (also known as NGC 3034, Cigar Galaxy or M82) is a starburst galaxy about 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. It is about five times more luminous than the whole Milky Way and one hundred times more luminous than our galaxy's center. The starburst activity is thought to be triggered by interaction with neighboring galaxy M81, and M82 is a member of the M81 Group. As the closest starburst galaxy to our own, M82 is the prototypical example of this type of galaxy.

Equipment and processing

Telescope: 5 inch F5 reflector

Mount: Meade LXD55

Camera: Canon T1i

Filters: None

Guiding: PHD

Processing: Photoshop, DSS, Fitswork

Capture software: BackYardEOS

Exposures: 30x120 ISO1600

Location: Parsippany,NJ

Description

The Leo Triplet (also known as the M66 Group) is a small group of galaxies about 35 million light-years away[4] in the constellation Leo. This galaxy group consists of the spiral galaxies M65, M66, and NGC 3628.

Equipment and processing

Telescope: 5 inch F5 reflector

Mount: Meade LXD55

Camera: Canon T1i

Filters: None

Guiding: PHD

Processing: Photoshop, DSS, Fitswork

Capture software: BackYardEOS

Exposures: 78x120 ISO1600

Location: Parsippany,NJ

Description

Pleiades, or Seven Sisters (Messier 45 or M45), is an open star cluster containing middle-aged hot B-type stars located in the constellation of Taurus. It is among the nearest star clusters to Earth and is the cluster most obvious to the naked eye in the night sky. The celestial entity has several meanings in different cultures and traditions. The cluster is dominated by hot blue and extremely luminous stars that have formed within the last 100 million years. Dust that forms a faint reflection nebulosity around the brightest stars was thought at first to be left over from the formation of the cluster (hence the alternate name Maia Nebula after the star Maia), but is now known to be an unrelated dust cloud in the interstellar medium, through which the stars are currently passing. Computer simulations have shown that the Pleiades was probably formed from a compact configuration that resembled the Orion Nebula. Astronomers estimate that the cluster will survive for about another 250 million years, after which it will disperse due to gravitational interactions with its galactic neighborhood.

Equipment and processing

Telescope: 5 inch F5 reflector

Mount: Meade LXD55

Camera: Canon T1i

Filters: None

Guiding: PHD

Processing: Photoshop, DSS, Fitswork

Capture software: Intervalometer

Exposures: 65x30 ISO6400

Location: Hatteras,NC