Astrophotography and projects.
How does one grind, polish and figure telescope optics at home?
The observatory dome, telescope mount, optical tube assembly and instrumentation.
IC 2944: The Running Chicken
Date: 21 April 2018
Locality: Tivoli Astro-farm, Khomas, Namibia, latitude: -23,5 S
Telescope: Skywatcher Esprit ED 120 mm f/7 apochromat
Mount: AP-1200 GTO
Autoguider: SkyNYX 2-2 on a Meade ETX90
Camera: Apogee U16M, CCD-temperature -17 C
Filtration: LRGB (Luminisity, Red, Green, Blue) L: 4x6min; R: 4x6min; G: 4x6min; B: 4x6min
Processing: Maxim DL (capture, stacking, stretching), PhotoShop (color balance)
Antares and Rho Ophiuchi
Date: 20 April 2018, Tivoli Astro-farm, Khomas, Namibia
Telescope: Skywatcher Esprit ED 120 mm f/7 apochromat, mount: AP-1200 GTO, camera: Apogee U16M, CCD-temperature -17 C, LRGB, L: 8x6min; R: 8x6min; G: 8x6min; B: 8x6min, CCD-temp = -17 C.
Date: 20 April 2018
Locality: Tivoli Astro-farm, Khomas, Namibia, latitude: -23,5 grader
Telescope: Skywatcher Esprit ED 120 mm f/7 apochromat
Mount: AP-1200 GTO
Autoguider: SkyNYX 2-2 on a Meade ETX90
Camera: Apogee U16M, CCD-temperature -17 C
Filtration: LRGB L: 8x6min; R: 8x6min; G: 8x6min; B: 8x6min
Processing: Maxim DL (capture, stacking, stretching), PhotoShop (color ballance)
Eta Carinae in RGB
The rainy season has finally ended here in Khomas, Namibia. This provided an opportunity to complete the RGB sub-exposures of the Eta Carinae Nebula.
Date: 18-19 April 2018
Locality: Tivoli Astro-farm, Khomas, Namibia, latitude: -23,5 grader
Telescope: Skywatcher Esprit ED 120 mm f/7 apochromat
Mount: AP-1200 GTO
Autoguider: SkyNYX 2-2 on a Meade ETX90
Camera: Apogee U16M, CCD-temperature -17 C
Filters: Chroma Technology Corp
Filtration: RGB R: 6x6min; G: 6x6min; B: 6x6min
Processing: Maxim DL (capture, stacking, stretching), PhotoShop (color ballance)
The Solar System compared to the Heart Nebula
How many pixels would make up our solar system on this image of the center of the Heart Nebula?
Answer: only 0.014 pixel !
Numbers used
Neptune's orbit is 499 light minutes in diameter. The camera has an image area of 4000 x 4000 pixels. The Heart Nebula's width, 200 light years, makes up approximately 3000 pixels across the original image, of which the image above is only a detail. One light year is then 15 pixels, so 499 light minutes is 0.014 pixel.
Young Cluster Melotte 15
The Heart Nebula, like most emission nebulas, is inflated like a bubble by newborn stars in its interior. The ionized gasses are mostly hydrogen, but are also rich in oxygen (blue) and sulphur (red), as well as all of the heavier elements fused in the cores of several generations of stars long dead. The ionized gasses are eroded by stellar winds and radiation from massive hot stars in the young star cluster Melotte 15, left of center, formed only 1.5 million years ago.
Date: 6 January 2018 and 16 December 2017, Location: Rennesøy, SW Norway
Telescope: Skywatcher Esprit ED 120 mm f/7 apochromat, Mount: ASA DDM160
Camera: Apogee U16M, CCD temperature -30 C
Exposure time: Ha, OIII, SII 180/100/80 min
IC 1805 Heart Nebula
Narrow-band image of IC 1805. North is down.
Date: 16 December 2017
Location: Isle of Rennes, SW Norway
Telescope: Skywatcher Esprit ED 120 mm f/7 apochromat
Mount: ASA DDM160
Camera: Apogee U16M, CCD temperature -30 C
Exposure time: Ha, OIII, SII 50/40/20 min
