Lunar Lunacy

I had time for a few quick lunar imaging experiments with the new scope.

The first image was made with the Canon EOS Rebel T3 (1100D). It has been enhanced to bring out the Moon's colors. The bluish areas are rich in titanium oxides, while the orange areas are relatively poor in both titanium and iron.

The rest of the images were made with the Mallincam SkyRaider AG monochrome camera.

These cropped images were produced using an Orion 2X Barlow:

I did not think that I would get images like this with a 430 mm focal length scope. I am seriously considering getting a better Barlow to see what else this scope can do.

Messier 78

Messier 78 is a reflection nebula in the Orion constellation. I have always found it a difficult object to image due to its intrinsic visual properties and the sheer bad luck I sometimes have with equipment and weather.

I think that a good, detailed image of this nebula can only be attained using a specialized CCD astroimaging camera, a long focal length scope, and a mount that can perform accurate tracking for long periods of time. I have none of these, but overall I'm fairly pleased with this image.

If you are viewing this on a laptop screen, phone, or tablet, then it is likely that you are going to miss a lot of the details in this image. The main part of the nebula is relatively faint, but the surrounding nebulosity is VERY faint. In fact, it is practically invisible as it absorbs nearly all of the light from the stars in and behind it. Examine the image. Where you don't see stars: that's the nebula. Pretty spooky, huh?

Messier 78

If your monitor brightness is fairly high, then you might see a splash of red on the lower-left corner. That is a portion of Barnard's Loop.

Exposure: 42x120@ISO1600
Telescope: AT72EDII
FF/Reducer:  ATR8 (f/4.8)
Mount: Vixen Super Polaris
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3
Processing: Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop CS6

Sword of Orion, Again

Edit:  I originally posted the wrong image to this article. It was corrected on May 6, 2018.

If you have been following this blog for very long, you probably more than suspect that the Sword of Orion is one of my favorite targets. You would be right! I think it is a beautiful group of nebulae, and it is a fun and challenging object to image and process.

The sky conditions were almost perfect about a week ago, so I decided to try the new AT72EDII on the Sword. The results were superior to my previous attempts. I really like this little scope!

Sword of Orion
Click here for full size.
A 1920x1080 wallpaper version is available here.

Exposure: 23x120+12x60+12x30+8x15+8x4+8x2+1x1+1x0.5@ISO1600
Telescope: AT72EDII
FF/Reducer:  ATR8 (f/4.8)
Mount: Vixen Super Polaris
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3
Processing: Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop CS6

Yes, I really did shoot all of those different exposure times. I was trying to capture the detail all the way down to the Trapezium Cluster. It was only marginally successful. I think I was pushing the limits of the scope, camera, and mount.