Month: March 2021

NGC 2264 – Christmas Tree Cluster

Christmas Tree Cluster`
Christmas Tree cluster, Cone Nebula, Fox Fur Nebula

This may be the most festive target in our night sky. A beautiful target contrasted by many layers of dust clouds and dark nebula. NGC 2264 is the designation number that identifies two astronomical objects as a single object: the Cone Nebula, and the Christmas Tree Cluster. Two other objects are within this designation but not officially included, the Snowflake Cluster, and the Fox Fur Nebula. The top of the structure is the Cone Nebula overlaid with the Christmas Tree star formation. Just under the Cone Nebula is the Fox Fur Nebula, named after its resemblance to the fox furs common in our history.

This image consists of 32 240s & 123 360s exposures (a little over 14 hours) with the ASI071MC Pro & WO Z73 scope with flattener riding the SW EQ6r Pro mount. Processed manually in PixInsight.

All of the objects are located in the Monoceros constellation and are located about 800 parsecs or 2,600 light-years from Earth. NGC 2264 is the location where the Cone Nebula, the Stellar Snowflake Cluster and the Christmas Tree Cluster have formed in this emission nebula. For reference, the Stellar Snowflake Cluster is located 2,700 light years away in the constellation Monoceros. The Monoceros constellation is not typically visible by the naked eye due to its lack of colossal stars. The Snowflake Cluster was granted its name due to its unmistakable pinwheel-like shape and its assortment of bright colors. The Christmas Tree star formation consists of young stars obscured by heavy layers of dust clouds. These dust clouds, along with hydrogen and helium are producing luminous new stars.

The Cone Nebula is very similar to the famous Pillars of Creation. At 430mm of focal length with this telescope, the entire tree and more was able to fit in our frame. You can see the Cone Nebula on the top right and the Fox Fur nebula around the upper middle-left (just below the bright middle star). The Christmas Tree cluster can easily be seen, going from the Cone Nebula to the bright star in the center. That bright star represents the tree base.

I hope you enjoy this image as much as I do. She’s a beauty!

M 81 – Bode’s Galaxy

My first galaxy photo
Bode’s Galaxy – Cigar Galaxy – Garland Galaxy

Messier 81 (M81), also known as Bode’s Galaxy, is a grand design spiral galaxy located in the constellation Ursa Major. The galaxy lies at an approximate distance of 11.8 million light years from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 6.94. It also has the designation NGC 3031. Bode’s Galaxy is home to over 250 billion stars and is the most remote blueshifted (moving toward us) large galaxy known.

This image is a stack of 5 hours of exposures taken from my driveway. Primary imaging gear – Telescope is the WO Z73 w/flat73A (430mm doublet refractor f5.9). Camera is the ZWO ASI071MC Pro cooled to 20f. Computerized Equitorial mount is the SkyWatcher EQ6r Pro. The support ensemble include the QHY Polemaster, WO 50mm guidescope with ZWO ASI120mm mini guide camera, Pegasus PBA, Intel NUC, Senso Sesto 2 Electronic Focuser w/temp probe. The software suite include windows 10 pro platform, Astro Photography Tool (APT) for image acquisition and auto focusing, PHD2 for guiding, ASTAP for plate solving, eqmod and ascom provide the interface support. Image processing was done manually in PixInsight. Metadata information added in Adobe Bridge and JPEG conversion performed in PhotoShop.

I wasn’t certain my wide focal length scope at 430mm would adequately capture these very small targets. I look forward to a longer FL refractor telescope in my future for these size targets, but for now this is it. Happy to see that I wasnt wasting my time imaging these.

The active galactic nucleus of M81 contains a supermassive black hole with a mass of 70 million solar masses, or 15 times the mass of the black hole at the centre of the Milky Way. Messier 81 has two well resolved spiral arms that contain large quantities of interstellar dust, associated with numerous starburst regions. Images of M81 taken at infrared wavelengths by the Spitzer Space Telescope have revealed that the interstellar dust is responsible for most of the infrared emissions detected in the galaxy. The hot, young, blue stars in the star forming regions of M81 heat the dust, increasing the emissions from these regions.

Several other members of the M81 Group, including the Cigar Galaxy (M82), are located in the same region of the sky. The Cigar Galaxy can be seen 38 arc minutes north of M81 (just below it in this image). The two galaxies can easily be seen in binoculars and small telescopes, but are not visible to the naked eye. M82 is smaller and fainter than M81, but is a wonderful example of a starburst galaxy and the two make a popular pair among astronomers. NGC 3077 (The Garland Galaxy)can be seen in the upper left part of the image.

I hope you enjoy this image of my first galaxy. Cheers!

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