July 2021 – Semper Iuvenis Photography

M 31 – Andromeda Galaxy

The Andromeda Galaxy is one of the most distant objects that can be seen with the naked eye. The galaxy is commonly located in the sky in reference to the constellations Cassiopeia and Pegasus.

The Andromeda Galaxy, also known as Messier 31, M31, or NGC 224 and originally the Andromeda Nebula, is a barred spiral galaxy approximately 2.5 million light-years (770 kiloparsecs) from Earth and the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way. The galaxy’s name stems from the area of Earth’s sky in which it appears, the constellation of Andromeda, which itself is named after the Ethiopian (or Phoenician) princess who was the wife of Perseus in Greek mythology.

Andromeda is best seen during autumn nights in the Northern Hemisphere when it passes high overhead, reaching its highest point around midnight in October, and two hours later each successive month. The 27 subs for this image were captured in Nov 2020 and Jan 2021.

In early evening, it rises in the east in September and sets in the west in February. From the Southern Hemisphere the Andromeda Galaxy is visible between October and December, best viewed from as far north as possible. Binoculars can reveal some larger structures of the galaxy and its two brightest satellite galaxies, M32 and M110.

An amateur telescope can reveal Andromeda’s disk, some of its brightest globular clusters, dark dust lanes and the large star cloud NGC 206.

This image was captured using the ASI071MC camera; WO Z73 telescope; SW EQ6r Pro mount and other bits and pieces. Capture software is APT. Image processed in PixInsight. Jpeg creation/save in Photoshop.

Cheers!

M8 – The Lagoon Nebula

The Lagoon is a large gas cloud and very bright emission Nebula found in our southern skies within the constellation Sagittarius. This image is comprised of 27 3-minute exposures (81 mins). As it sits very low in my southern sky, the trees interfere just after crossing the meridian limiting the amount data captured.

M20, the Trifid Nebula, is seen in the top of this image. IC1275 is the paw looking gas cloud just to the left of the Lagoon Nebula.

The Lagoon Nebula is estimated to be between 4,000-6,000 light-years away from the Earth. In the sky of Earth, it spans 90′ by 40′, which translates to an actual dimension of 110 by 50 light years. In other words, IT’S HUGE!

Like many nebulas, it appears pink in time-exposure color photos but is gray to the eye peering through binoculars or a telescope, human vision having poor color sensitivity at low light levels.

The nebula contains a number of Bok globules (dark, collapsing clouds of protostellar material), the most prominent of which have been catalogued by E. E. Barnard as B88, B89 and B296.

It also includes a funnel-like or tornado-like structure caused by a hot O-type star that emanates ultraviolet light, heating and ionizing gases on the surface of the nebula.

The Lagoon Nebula also contains at its centre a structure known as the Hourglass Nebula (so named by John Herschel), which should not be confused with the better known Engraved Hourglass Nebula in the constellation of Musca. In 2006 the first four Herbig–Haro objects were detected within the Hourglass, also including HH 870. This provides the first direct evidence of active star formation by accretion within it.

Bottom line: The Lagoon Nebula, aka M8, is the largest and brightest of a number of nebulosity’s in and around the famous Teapot asterism in the constellation Sagittarius.

Tosco Music Beatles Tribute

17th Annual * July 10, 2021 * Belk Theater * Charlotte, NC

After more than 30 years of presenting music programs in Charlotte, the Tosco Music non-profit launched a full weekend of FabFest in 2019 with the mission of “enabling music lovers of all ages and cultures to come together around the universal popularity of the music of the Beatles”. Of course the pandemic wasn’t in the cards but 2 years later they’re back and the Beatles Tribute show was awesome!

TMP House Band & Singalong Choir

Eric Marder, Eric Willhelm, Greg James, Faithful Ngwenah, Jason Hackner, Nathanael Whittenburg, Phyllis Fulton, Rick McClanahan, Rob Bloise, Susan Richey & John Tosco.

The nights performers:

Love Me Do – The Minor Majors

This Boy – Wonderwall The Tribute

All My Loving – Sage Advice

Rain – Without The Numbers

I’ll Follow The Sun – Reeve Coobs

Can’t Buy Me Love – Satyr Black

Michelle – The Bechtler Ensemble

Eleanor Rigby – Nathanael Whittenburg

I Am The Walrus – The Nowhere Boys

Come Together – The Phoebes Band

Getting Better – Coconut Groove Band

Rocky Racoon – John Tosco

I Will – Allen Shadd & Kristen Holloway

Get Back – Fred Lee IV

Let It Be – El Lambert Band with Maria Howell

I’ve Got A Feeling – RevelWood Mission

While My Guitar Gently Weeps – Forever Abbey Road

Come And Get It – Joey Molland

M 16 – Eagle Nebula

Eagle Nebula – “Pillars of Creation” –
(also known as the Star Queen Nebula and The Spire) is a young open cluster of stars in the constellation Serpens.

Both the “Eagle” and the “Star Queen” refer to visual impressions of the dark silhouette near the center of the nebula.

The nebula contains several active star-forming gas and dust regions, including the aforementioned Pillars of Creation. The Eagle Nebula lies in the Sagittarius Arm of our Milky Way.

This image results from 366 subframes (~19 hours of exposure) captured in May, June & July 2021 using a WO Z73 scope & ASI 071MC Pro camera riding the SW EQ6r Pro mount. Supporting cast includes WO 120mm guide scope, ASI 120mm-mini, QHY Polemaster, Pegasus PBA, Senso Sesto focuser & radian ultra quad filter.

Image acquisition using APT & PHD2 on a windows platform ran remotely from inside my home. Image processing Pixinsight.

C 9 – Cave Nebula

The Cave Nebula is 2,400 Light-years from earth in the constellation Cepheus.

Sh2-155 (also designated Caldwell 9) is a very faint diffuse nebula located 2,400 light-years away in the constellation Cepheus. It is widely known as the Cave Nebula.

The image consists of subs taken from the hills of Burke County, NC from Nov & Dec ’20 along with subs from Jan, May, June & July of ’21 – 220 subs totaling 19.5 hours of exposure.

Acquisition hardware: EQ6r Pro, WO Z73, ASI071MC Pro, Radian Quad Ultra, Polemaster, Senso Sesto 2, WO 50-200mm guidescope, ASI 120mm, and NUC.

Acquisition software: APT, PHD2, EQMOD, W10 pro.

Processed manually in Pixinsight.

Roughly 2,400 light-years away and lying in the plane of our Milky Way galaxy, the Cave Nebula is a diffuse emission nebula, within a larger nebula complex that includes a reflection nebula, and dark nebula. It is formed of gases that emit their own light. The bright arc that forms the mouth of the cave is an active birthplace for stars, known as an H II region, where hot clouds of atomic hydrogen have become ionized.

Having a magnitude of about 8 and a span of roughly 40 light-years, Caldwell 9 is a diffuse and low-contrast object, so it can still be difficult to find in the sky. Caldwell 9 is tantalizing to researchers because, according to radio and near-infrared studies of this nebula, the area is bursting with young, hot stars popping into existence.

The amazing wonders of nature.