CTA1 - a magnificent Supernova Remnant
Back home, this target is a tough one and I like a challenge. Based on Caltech first catalog (so the name of it CTA), this object named CTA1 looks like ... well … an hybrid between Alien (movie) and one of icons of Horizon Dawn Zero (I have a picture of Alloy at my place … such a great video game (so what ?? I’m fifty and I’m playing video game …)). It was supposed to be one of many nights to get more details … but unfortunately skies have been rough and I didn’t want to post before multiple nights shootings … but I only got one night and I’m finally posting it because I feel I will have to wait a long time for the next slot.
Flying Bat Nebula and a faint OU4
The Flying Bat Nebula and the Giant Squid were promising objects with clear skies. Unfortunately, the Squid has been very very hard to catch. I would have needed more nights of shooting, but here's the result. It is as I've shot it, no Photoshop because I refuse to use it (that's only me ... I'm not saying that using Photoshop is bad, just I don't want to use it that's all, no controversy here)
CTB1 - Finally …
I've been patient ... I have this supernova remnant in my mind for a very long time. I knew I needed to step up my game and skills to get it, especially for the blue-green part of it (Oxygen 3 gases). I also knew that despite my fast setup, I would have needed multiple nights to catch the best of it. Here's CTB1.
The story of Dragon : Okay, then not, then okay again ? Long story …
The Flying Dragon Nebula … 4 hours of shooting with a good clear sky
Finally a clear sky, but a lot of noises 2nd Part
Pacman Nebula with a lot of noises (flashlights, car lights, bus lights … but not a bit of auroras, weird night …)
Finally a clear sky, but a lot of noises
Tulip Nebula with a lot of noises (flashlights, car lights, bus lights … and a bit of auroras …)
Many failures on this object … CTB1
I started this blog a year ago, and I stated that I will publish the good and the bad. That’s a “failures” blog today. Skies were not nice with me these last months but I thought I could try something
Iris Nebula - Tak Mewlon 180
Finally … some light, catching Iris Nebula. Since September, I didn’t get any clear sky in Luxembourg. Though, I had this telescope I bought a year ago and it didn’t see light yet. A lot of new stuff on this setup to handle, I got a slot on the 11th of January.
Sh2-115 and IFNs
3/3 : Back to Sardegna. It took me some time to publish the details of this one. That was my latest shot in Sardegna. No nickname on this one, it is just Sharpless 2-115, and while shooting I figured that the Hydrogen Alpha filter was good enough to catch the IFNs (Integrated Flux Nebula).
Pelican Nebula … and North America Nebula
1/3 : Back to Sardegna. Last year, I got one shot (Helix Nebula) and I stopped everything after it : humidity was reaching 90% and my setup was sweating. I said in a previous post that the island is tough, some year it’s dry, some year is humid … I got the dry weather this time. I spent five nights, shooting from 10PM to 3AM (there wasn’t even dew … incredible) letting the setup outside until the morning without any anti-dew equipment (dry, dry, dry … perfect !)
Eastern Veil, Western Veil, Supernova and Pickering’s Triangle
Back to Sardegna. Last year, I got one shot (Helix Nebula) and I stopped everything after it : humidity was reaching 90% and my setup was sweating. I said in a previous post that the island is tough, some year it’s dry, some year is humid … I got the dry weather this time. I spent five nights, shooting from 10PM to 3AM (there wasn’t even dew … incredible) letting the setup outside until the morning without any anti-dew equipment (dry, dry, dry … perfect !)
Let’s chase the Bubble
Nights are now very short. I get a dark sky around 1AM and dawn is coming up at 3AM … That night was a chance to catch better SIIOIII lights from IC1805, just in case … But no, guiding was awful, so I targeted Bubble Nebula instead.
An amazing adventure and some lessons …
I tried so hard on this Heart Nebula. My last chance was to go back to the Hyperstar. I’d never let me down, but this night has been so epic.
New strategy … let’s go back to hyper fast
New Plan for IC 1805 Heart Nebula : let’s get back the Hyperstar. I tried the Hyperstar on Laguna Nebula, Eagle Nebula and Eastern Veil Nebula (this picture is Eastern Veil Nebula, also named C33 or also NGC 6992)
Some news despite the frustrating weather
The weather is not really the best these last weeks. Upside is about the water levels, downside is the very few hours available for shooting.
Part 2 : Your Station setup is done, time for taking shots
Let’s setup the basics, it is really not that complicated. And you may find it fun.
Part 1 : Where do we start before taking shots ?
Let’s setup the basics, it is really not that complicated. And you may find it fun.
Here’s the Go-Public time.
Here we go, I decided to go public on this blog. An exact year after my first Great Orion shot.
Heart Nebula. Still testing … and it went very wrong
I got a slot of bad average cloudy sky, and I believed I could test a 2h30min of shooting with a UHC-S filter on IC1805 (Heart Nebula)