Messier 106

 After a long break due to an extended period of cloud and rain here in the Carolinas, I was finally able to get some imaging time. As it's late Spring, galaxies are the most promising imaging subjects. While galaxies are not the most idea objects to image with a RASA scope, the Mallincam DS10C allows some quite aggressive cropping, which enables me to get a decent image scale.

One of the more interesting, prominent targets is Messier 106. Discovered in 1781, M106 has an active, galactic nucleus powered by a central supermassive black hole and is classed as a Type 2 Seyfert Galaxy. 

I've imaged M106 and number of times, and I combined those images with those I took the night before last, for a total of 860 images. These images are a mixture of white light and narrowband data, with integration times ranging from 6 seconds to 45 seconds. The total integration times was just over 3.5 hours.

The heavily cropped image below shows clouds of gas and dust surrounding the central nucleus. The galactic center is a little "blown" to emphasize this subtle data. The reddish areas are rich in HII and are likely regions of active star formation. The outer halo of stars would require a much longer integration time and it appears like grainy noise around the brighter parts of the galaxy.

Here is another image, with a different crop and less processing.

Finally, here is a lightly cropped and annotated image showing surrounding objects of interest. Ity also gives an idea of the actual image scale of the galaxy.

NGC 2264--The Christmas Tree Cluster and Cone Nebula

 NGC 2264 is a star-forming region in the constellation of Monoceros. Dramatic clouds of ionized hydrogen gas and dust are clearly visible in this narrowband image. The star S Monocerotis can be found by drawing a line from the cone nebula to the bright star near the center of the image. It is a bright, eruptive variable, part of a multiple staar system with a hot, massive, main sequene O-type dwarf as the primary component. The first image shows a crop of the original image, the second is a wider field view of the nebula.

Tech card: RASA 8, Mallincam DS10C, NBZ filter, 213 x 45s integration (about 2.7 hours).

IC 410--The Tadpole Nebula

 IC 410 offers a lot of visual drama for astrophotographers. It is currently well-placed for imaging early in the evening and it is bright enough that significant detail can be captures with relatively short integration times. The first image is a close crop, showing the Tadpoles and some fine details in nearby clouds of gas and dust. The Tadpoles themselves are thought to be sites of active star formation, sculpted into their shapes by winds and radiation from the cluster of stars in which they lie. The second image shows a wider view of the cluster and nebula.

Tech card: RASA 8; DS10C, NBZ filter. 188 x 45s integrations. 

 

Mars and Jupiter on January 9, 2023

 Seeing was improved this evening. The high framerate of the DS10C enabled the capture of some quite subtle detail on Jupiter. Mars detail did not improve much, but as the disk is only 13.3 arcseconds in diameter, it is not surprising, given the 5 inch scope aperture.

Tech card: 5 inch Mak. DS10C with 5 x Barlow. Jupiter is a stack of 8K from 16K captures; Mars is a stack of  10K from 32K captures.

Jupiter and Mars on January 6, 2023

Seeing for planetary imaging has not been the best lately here in NC. In an attempt to get better images under these conditions, I decided to swap the DS10C for the Skyraider SLP. The main difference is that I can get around 96 fps with the 10C, as opposed to around 47 fps with the SLP. The 10C also captures at an increased bit-depth. The 10C captures were made at 1360 x 720 resolution, as opposed to 1024 x 768 with the SLP. Pixel sizes were also different. The SLP has 2.5 um x 2.5 um pixels, whereas the 10C has 4.43 um x 4.63 um pixels, which significantly diminishes resolution. One thing that was immediately apparent was how small the planetary images looked in the 10C previews. I had to zoom Mars 200-300% to ensure I was properly focused. However, the results, in average/poor seeing, were an improvement over the SLP in those conditions.

Here is Jupiter on January 6.  For a 5 inch aperture under poor/average seeing, the detail captured is quite decent. Similarly, Mars also showed enhanced detail (though with pixelation—the disk is now less than 14 arcseconds in diameter), with Syrtis Major dominating the disk.

Tech card: 5 inch Mak; DS10C; 5X Barlow. Jupiter is a stack of 10K images from a capture of 20K; Mars is a stack of 16K images from a stack of 32K images.

Mars on 01/05/2023

Imaging conditions were poor tonight, with Mars scintillating as if under rapidly rippling water. This image is the best I could manage. It's the best 30% of 20,000 images captured at 47 fps with the Skyraider SLP camera. Mars' angular diameter is currently just 14 arcseconds and the gibbous phase of the planet is clearly visible. The dominant feature at the center of the disk is the triangular Syrtis Major. Syrtis Major was captured in the first sketch of Mars by Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens in 1659.

The Horsehead Nebula 12/29/2022

The dramatic Horsehead Nebula (Baranard 33), is almost impossible to see visually, and usually requires a narrowband filter to image successfully. It was discovered in 1888 by Scottish astronomer Willamina Fleming, who saw it on a photographic plate at the Harvard Observatory. Part of the much larger Orion Molecular Cloud, the Horsehead consists of large amounts of hydrogen gas and dense dust. The streaks in the red glow of ionized hydrogen in the image below are due to channeling by the nebula's magnetic field. This is a region of star formation, and the bright spots in the nebula's base are young stars in the process of formation.

Because of my limited horizon, I can image the nebula only for an hour at most, and this image represents about an hour of integration with 45 second subs.

Tech card: RASA 8, DS10C, NBZ filter, 1 hour of integration with 45s subs.