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.
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.
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.
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)
Heart Nebula. Preview
I got a new setup. I promised to one of my colleagues a gift for her new achievement in life and that would be the Heart Nebula (IC 1805). I checked all configurations with Stellarium and N.I.N.A., but I knew that the Tak Mewlon and the C9 will not be able to get the full frame. I thought I got a chance with the Hyperstar on the C9, but I would have needed a bigger camera sensor (or using the APN, but as this nebula is so faint, I forgot about it)
Laguna Nebula, third try.
Always a special feeling with this nebula. It is currently my first shot with my Hyperstar lens. I started astrophotography with my APN Canon EOS 550D attached to the Schmidt-Cassegrain C9 on this object. When I got the Hyperstar from Starizona, it was a slap in my face getting these details.
Laguna Nebula, second try.
I got the reducer 0,67 attached, the ZWO 183MC Pro … and I was wondering if I got the right object. Clearly, the reducer helped to get a lot of light, faster a bit, but the colors felt wrong … the core is full of details, so I was okay about this at least. It was about 40 shots of 20s, camera cooled at 10 degrees C, and I made an effort to get flats/darks and biases shots. It was on July before I burnt my credit card on the Hyperstar. Stars are round, black seemed black to me … yeah, overall it was a big effort, getting all the setup C9+AltAz mount+ Equatorial Wedge + Reducer + Cooled Camera (44kg of setup)
Equatorial Wedge
This picture shows two new things I added up. But this post is about the equatorial wedge and my attempt to compensate the earth rotation for my astrophotography shots. You can see the tripod and on top the wedge and the AltAz mount.
Great Orion also named Messier 42
This picture is important to me. That’s my first shot I’m kind of proud of. Messier 42 is a winter nebula but March was a good month to catch it.