M1
Images
When Charles Messier was looking for Halley's Comet, he kept coming across a fuzzy patch he realized didn't move like a comet. So, he started a journal of these annoying distractions and designated the fuzzy patch 'M1.' Ages ago, a massive star spent the last of its fusion fuel and experienced a massive implosion that happened so fast, the inner part of the star sent shockwaves that ejected the outer portion. When the light eventually reached earth, it was so bright it could be seen by day for several years. References around the world have been found for a 'wandering star' that suddenly appeared and eventually faded. I trained my telescope on the spot and recorded photons for 12 hours. I took 3-minute exposures in the red, green, and blue spectrums and combined them for the first image. I also took 5-minute exposures of hydrogen alpha and oxygen III emissions and 7-minute exposures of sulfur II. These mapped to a SHO palette and blended with the visible light data. Everything was captured using a ZWO 294MM Pro in the 'unlocked' bin 1x1 mode at 8k by 4k resolution, then cropped to spotlight the nebula.
2023-10-29
The first nebula I photographed is also the first item in the Messier Catalog. M1, also referred to as the Crab Nebula, is the remnant of a supernova estimated to have occurred less than 10,000 years ago, with the light taking around 6500 yeas to reach us. At the center sits a spinning neutron star. I decided to revisit M1 as my project for the week. This is the result of 6 hours of exposure over three nights. Processed a second time with BlurXTerminator.
2022-12-15
To start the new year, I imaged the first item in the Messier catalog on the first day of the year. Coincidentally, M1 was the first deep space object and nebula I photographed. This is a stack of several nights of 5-minute exposures that sum to just over seven hours of integration time.
2023-01-02
This was a focused capture using 5-minute exposures over two nights with the Optolong L-eXtreme filter. The Crab Nebula was mistaken for a comet by astronomer Charles Messier in the late 1600s. Frustrated, he started a catalog of 'things to avoid' and the Crab was awarded Messier 1 or M1 for short. I wonder what his reaction would have been had he used an EdgeHD instead?
2022-12-15
This is a detailed rendering of the crab nebula using a combination of broadband and SHO filters.
2022-10-01
Videos
Colorado Springs 2023: Astrophotography on the road
Gear: Svbony sv503 70ED 70mm (420mm f/7 or 336mm f/5 with reducer) doublet refractor, Sony Alpha 6300 mirrorless camera, assorted Samyang manual focus lenses, Sky Watcher Star Adventurer GTi 'go to' mount, Manfrotto tripod. Targets: Milky Way, Moon, SpaceX Crew-5 Dragon trunk, M13, Orion constellation, Venus, and Antares region with part of Rho Ophiuchi.
2023-05-05 00:00:00 +0000
How can I take pictures of beautiful deep sky pictures like the Elephant Trunk Nebula?
The basics of astrophotography from image acquisition, polar alignment, guiding, and calibration through image processing.
2023-05-31 00:00:00 +0000
Imaging M1 (and Mars, Jupiter, and the Moon)
On December 14th I pointed my telescope to the sky. I captured Mars, Jupiter, and the moon with my planetary QHY5III462C before I switched to the deep sky ASI294MC Pro. After setting up an advanced script in N.I.N.A., I let it run all night and used the results to create my best picture of the Crab Nebula to date. It's all documented including setting up and balancing my rig.
2022-12-17 00:00:00 +0000
May 21, 2022 - planets, nebulae, and more
Join me for a night of viewing. I observed several nebulae (the Iris Nebula, the Dumbbell Nebula, and the Eagle Nebula) and the moon all night until 3am when the planets Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter appeared in that order.
2022-05-22 00:00:00 +0000
My best space pictures taken in 2022
Collage of planets, galaxies, nebulae, and more that I captured in 2022. From Saturn and Andromeda to Thor's Helmet and the Milky Way.
2022-12-20 00:00:00 +0000
Supernova SN 2023ixf in the Pinwheel Galaxy (M101)
On May 19th, 2023, a new supernova was discovered at the edge of Messier 101, the Pinwheel Galaxy. This is a large, frequently photographed galaxy located near 'the Big Dipper.' I spent two evenings photographing the galaxy so I could capture the supernova to share.
2023-05-19 00:00:00 +0000
A short behind-the-scenes look at how raw filter data can be mapped to color and blended to form the final image.
2023-12-21 00:00:00 +0000
The best images I captured in 2023
Hold on to your hats! We're going for a ride. 2023 was a breakout year for my astrophotography as I had my first access to dark sites, refined my Milky Way technique, got closer to the moon and started working with planets, processed my first comet, made my first solar filter to take solar shots, and a lot of new and improved targets with the addition of narrowband filters.
2023-12-14 00:00:00 +0000