Cosmos – Semper Iuvenis Photography

Exploring M81 and M82: A Guide for Amateur Astronomers

M81 and M82 are a famous pair of interacting galaxies. They are located approximately 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major.

They are popular targets for amateur astronomers. They are bright enough to be seen with binoculars. They often fit within the same telescopic field of view as they do in this 5″ refractor.

As the pair are circumpolar, I chose to end my nightly winter sessions with this pair. I’ll add more data if the opportunity arises. This will happen over the remainder of our winter as we head into galaxy season. Imaged from my driveway with a wide-field Esprit 120ED refractor telescope and ZWO ASI2600MC camera atop an Eq6r Pro mount.

M 81 is commonly known as Bode’s Galaxy. It is a “grand design” spiral galaxy discovered by Johann Bode in 1774. It features a bright nucleus and well-defined spiral arms filled with blue star clusters and pinkish hydrogen gas clouds.

M 82 is known as the Cigar Galaxy due to its elongated, edge-on appearance, M82 is a prototypical starburst galaxy. It is undergoing an intense period of star formation, creating new stars 10 times faster than the entire Milky Way. It is famous for its bright red filaments of ionized hydrogen gas. These filaments blast out from its central regions, driven by strong galactic winds from supernova explosions.

Astrobin link with all the capture details and an annotated image. There are actually a lot of galaxies in this photo.

Exploring NGC 2655: A Seyfert Galaxy in Camelopardalis

NGC 2655NGC 2655 is a lenticular galaxy in the constellation Camelopardalis. It is at a distance of 60 million light years from Earth. NGC 2655 is a Seyfert galaxy. This means it has an extremely luminous core powered by matter falling into a supermassive black hole.The galaxy has asymmetric dust lanes in the center of the galaxy, tidal arms and extended neutral hydrogen gas and may have recently experienced a merger. It is situated near the north celestial pole, making it circumpolar and visible year-round for observers in the Northern Hemisphere. Imaging session management and control using Astro Photography bTool (APT 4.70.1). Subframe calibration, debayer, alignment, integration, and processing using PixInisght.

NGC 2655 is a lenticular galaxy in the constellation Camelopardalis. It is at a distance of 60 million light years from Earth. NGC 2655 is a Seyfert galaxy. This means it has an extremely luminous core powered by matter falling into a supermassive black hole.

The galaxy has asymmetric dust lanes in its center. It features tidal arms and extended neutral hydrogen gas. It may have recently experienced a merger. It is situated near the north celestial pole, making it circumpolar and visible year-round for observers in the Northern Hemisphere.

Imaging session management and control using Astro Photography bTool (APT 4.70.1). Subframe calibration, debayer, alignment, integration, and processing using PixInisght. Astrobin link for acquisition details and annotated image.

Discovering NGC 3384: The Lenticular Galaxy in Leo

NGC 3384 (also known as NGC 3371) is a lenticular galaxy. It is located approximately 35 million light-years away. This galaxy is in the constellation Leo. It is a prominent member of the M 96 Group. This group is also called the Leo I Group. It includes the well-known Messier objects M 95, M 96, and M 105.

NGC 3384 and its neighbor M 105 are surrounded by a massive ring of neutral hydrogen. This ring is 650,000 light-years wide. Sparse star formation still occurs there. In the night sky, NGC 3384 forms a visual trio with the elliptical galaxy M 105. It forms this trio with (NGC 3379) and the spiral galaxy NGC 3389.

While M 105 and NGC 3384 are physical companions, NGC 3389 is a background galaxy located significantly further away. The galaxy hosts a supermassive black hole at its core. It has an estimated mass of 16 million times that of the Sun. This black hole is considered “quiet,” producing very little radio energy.

Image acquisition details in Astrobin. APT used for image acquisition and session automation. PixInsight used for subframe processing.

Exploring Sh2-223: The Faint Emission Nebula in Auriga

Sh2-223 is a faint emission nebula (H II region) located in a dense starfield in the constellation Auriga. It is a huge H II region, a large cloud of partially ionized gas where star formation can occur. It appears as a large, faint red arc or “wing” in deep-sky images. Its red glow comes from ionized hydrogen-alpha (Hα) emissions. The nebula is believed to be ionized by the star BD +41 1144 (an O7.5 V star) or possibly LS V +40 46.

In addition to the predominant Hii, there is also a significant amount of Oiii in the area. This leads to a bluish tinge or a slight purplish hue in parts of the image.

It is considered a difficult target for astrophotographers because of its extreme faintness. It often requires long total integration times, such as 25+ hours, to resolve clearly. Separating the IFN from the Hii nebula requires data. This photograph is only 11.4 hours. More to come in the future if the opportunity presents itself.

Image acquisition using Astro Photography Tool (APT). Subframe calibration, alignment, integration, and processing using PixInsight. Astrobin link for acquisition details and an annotated image.

Coma Berenices Galaxy Cluster

Abell 1656

I generally like to image open star clusters, globular clusters, and galaxies. However, it is fairly rare for a “starfield” to actually be a galaxy cluster. Hundreds of galaxies within my single field of view at 840mm fl. Challenges the mind.

Abell 1656, also known as the Coma Galaxy Cluster, is a massive and dense collection of galaxies. It contains more than 1,000 identified galaxies. These galaxies are located in the constellation Coma Berenices. It is situated approximately 321 million light-years from Earth. The cluster has a diameter of about 20 million light-years.

The central region is dominated by two supergiant elliptical galaxies: NGC 4874 and NGC 4889. Most central members are ellipticals, while spiral galaxies like NGC 4921 are typically found on the outskirts. Important to look at the astrobin platesolve for this image to see what’s actually in there.

Exploring Messier 48: A Bright Open Star Cluster

Messier 48 or M48, also known as NGC 2548, is a bright open cluster of stars. It is located in the equatorial constellation of Hydra. It is located near Hydra’s westernmost limit with Monoceros. The location is about 18° 34′ to the east and slightly south of Hydra’s brightest star, Alphard.

The cluster contains roughly 80 to 165 stars, with about 50 stars brighter than magnitude 13. Its population includes three yellow giant stars.
It is estimated to be around 300 to 450 million years old. This makes it an intermediate-age cluster, younger than the Hyades but older than the Pleiades.
The number of very bright blue giant stars intrigues me. This forms a contrast with a few yellow giants.

Astrobin link for acquisition details and annotated image

IC 2177: The Stunning Seagull Nebula Explained

The first thing that struck me was the vast number of stars. I noticed them as I began to see this image unfold in the illuminated sky. Varying temperatures are seen in the gases with hot Hydrogen gases glowing in reddish hues with cooler gases expanding outward.

IC 2177 is a region of nebulosity that lies along the border between the constellations Monoceros and Canis Major. The name Seagull Nebula is sometimes applied by astronomers to this emission region. It resembles a gull in flight. It also includes the neighboring regions of star clusters, dust clouds, and reflection nebulae.

Astronomers catalog the nebula as IC 2177. This cosmic cloud is one of many sites of star formation within the Milky Way galaxy. It is located 3,800 light-years away from Earth. It resides inside the Orion spur. This is the same partial spiral arm of the Milky Way where our solar system is located. The nebula is nearly 240 light-years across.

NGC 2327 is located in IC 2177. It is also known as the Seagull’s Head, due to its larger presence in the Seagull nebula. The region near the seagull’s eye (or lizard’s hip) is listed as NGC 2327 by astronomers. It contains a cluster of stars born about 1.5 million years ago. The eye is the brightest and hottest of the newborn stars in the entire nebula. It heats up the dust. Consequently, the dust glows in infrared light.

The complex of gas and dust clouds is dominated by the reddish glow of atomic hydrogen. It spans over 100 light-years. Bright young stars are within it at an estimated distance of 3,800 light-years.

Astrobin link for acquisition details and annotated image.

Exploring the Heart of the Clamshell Nebula – Sh2-119

Another of the Sharpless catalog objects is Sh2-119. It is also known as the Clamshell Nebula. This nebula is a large emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus. It is an active star-forming region located approximately 2,200 light-years from Earth.

Its shape has been described as resembling an open clam shell with a “pearl” inside. The nebula glows due to the intense ultraviolet radiation. Powerful stellar winds come from the bright, fifth-magnitude star 68 Cygni. The star is located near the center. These winds also cause the nebula to glow. This radiation ionizes the surrounding hydrogen gas, causing it to emit light. This image is of the core of the clamshell with 68 Cygni at the center.

The region contains a complex network of gas and dust clouds. This network includes several darker nebulae and Bok globules where new stars are forming. Sh2-119 is situated a few degrees east of the more famous and brighter North America Nebula (NGC 7000). Astro photographers often overlook it because of its proximity to the Pelican Nebula.

APT was used for session management and automation acquiring 123 4 minute images over two nights. Cygnus passes meridian right at dark here in the hills of WNC. PixInsight was used to calibrate, integrate, and process the image.

Astrobin link for acquisition details and annotated image.

LBN 878 in Orion

The main object in this image is LBN 878. It is the red and brown nebula dominating the field. The full nebula complex is a combination of emission and dark nebulae. The complex blends emission nebulae. They glow with ionized gas. Dark nebulae obscure background starlight. Together, they create a striking celestial portrait.

Included in this overall object structure is LBN 879 which is in association with the variable star FU Ori. LBN 879 is the small bright nebula in the center and is also known as CED 59. The dark nebula Barnard 35 encompasses the LBN 879 structure. The very dark portion of the red part of LBN 878 is the dark nebula LDN 1594. Here’s the annotated astrobin image. It has all the acquisition detail and identifies every object in the photograph.

Barnard 35 and its illuminated rim (LBN 878) are part of the larger Sharpless 264 (Sh2-264) region. This area is commonly called the Lambda Orionis Ring.

This colossal star-forming complex combines a giant molecular cloud. It also features an expansive H II region. These elements are centered around the massive star Lambda Orionis. The yellow-tinged Cederblad 59 nebula (LBN 879) envelops FU Orionis. It serves as a visual anchor within Barnard 35’s dark clouds. This nebula illustrates the dynamic processes of stellar birth and evolution in this active Orion neighborhood.

I took this photograph during a full moon from my driveway in the hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I used a skywatcher Esprit 120ED scope. I paired it with an ASI 2600MC camera cooled to 15f and an Antlia Quad Broadband light pollution filter. The kit sits atop a skywatcher Eq6r Pro mount. APT controls the image acquisition and automation. Pixinsight used for image calibration, alignment, integration, and processing.

Sh2-168 in Cassiopeia

SH2-168 is a striking nebula in the constellation Cassiopeia, about 5,200 light-years from Earth. It’s a part of the Sharpless catalog, a collection of bright nebulae that emit light due to ionized hydrogen. SH2-168 is often nicknamed a “star nursery.” It is a stellar birthplace where young, hot stars ignite. They light up the surrounding gas.

In this image we get two targets in one. Sh2-168 is centered and bright. Sh2-169 is the very faint nebula just to the left in this image resembling a shadow or mirror reflection. I spent two nights photographing this target in Nov ’25. This was during the full moon. I used an Antlia Quad broadband LP filter. APT controlled the hardware, imaging, and automation. Hardware includes a Skywatcher Esprit 120ED scope, ASI2600MC camera, atop a Skywatcher Eq6r Pro mount. Pixinsight was used to calibrate, debayer, align, and integrate the 159 subs.

This nebula is a region filled with hydrogen gas. It glows in red and pink hues when it’s ionized by radiation from young, massive stars. This radiation strips electrons from hydrogen atoms, which later recombine, releasing energy in the form of colorful light. The main source of this illumination is thought to be an energetic B-type star, known for its intense ultraviolet radiation. This radiation “excites” the nebula, leading to the glowing effect that astronomers observe.

SH2-168 lies near the more prominent Heart and Soul Nebulae. It is part of the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way. This arm is one of the galaxy’s spiral arms rich in star-forming regions. Studying SH2-168 and similar nebulae helps scientists understand star formation. They also learn about the life cycle of gas clouds and the influence of massive stars on their surroundings. As these young stars evolve, they sculpt and disperse the gas, often leading to the formation of new stars. This ongoing cycle of creation within SH2-168 offers a small glimpse into the dynamic processes. These processes shape galaxies over millions of years.

Astrobin link for image acquisition details.