Sole – 9 Marzo 2012
Macchie solari. Sole in luce bianca (filto astrosolar).
Telescopio SC 20cm f/6.3. Imaging Camera: Imaging Source DBK 41AU02.AS
Sole – 26 Gennaio 2012
Mosaico di 4 immagini ricavate da 4 riprese di circa 1 minuto l'una
Telescopio Coronado PST, Imaging Source DBK 41AU02.AS
California Nebula (NGC 1499) – Constellation: Perseus
This image was taken with the 20 cm SC telescope and the ST-8XME CCD camera, and covers about 39' x 26', only a small fraction of the whole nebula, that can be covered only in a many degrees wide field image. This colour image was obtained by using a Blue (B), Green (G) and Ha filter (used for the Red channel). The exposure time for each filter was about 2400 s, a quite "short" time for this type of image, that also suffer of curvature of field, due to the focal reducer. But, I think it is nice!
Eagle Nebula (M 16) – Constellation: Serpens
A (quite) wide field image, taken with a 7.5 cm f/7 apochromat and the ST-8XME. Many hours of exposure through the Ha filter and about 1h and half through the R ,G and B filters.
The central part of this nebula (Pillars of Creation, very small in this image!) is very famous due to the spectacular high resolution images of the Hubble Space Telescope and you can fin a lot of beautiful images of this nebula on the web, but, considering the hell of problems in taking astronomical colour pictures from a highly light polluted site, is not too bad…
Western Veil Nebula (Caldwell 34, NGC 6960) – Constellation: Cygnus
This image was NOT taken from the Astrogarden. It has been obtained from two (red and blue) plates of the Palomar Oschin Schmidt Survey (POSS2) and a synthetic green channel obtained by means of a technique developed by the astrophotographer Steve Cannistra. A nice technique to obtain astrophotos without night work!
Cone Nebula (NGC 2264) – Constellation: Monoceros
Only a fraction of this big nebula. Like the previous one, another exercise of digital image processing…
Whirlpool Galaxy (M 51) – Constellation: Canes Venatici
Just a short test (only 10 minutes of exposure for each R G B channel and 30 minutes of Luminance) but enough to see, along the beautiful arms of this galaxy, the ionized H regions (red) and the (blue) regions of hot and young star, of O and B type. This picture was taken just a couple of months before the apparition of a bright supernova (SN 2011 dh) in this galaxy. A lost occasion !...
Orion Nebula (M 42) - Constellation: Orion [short shot].
Just to show the capability of modern CCD: a “short” LRGB shot of the Orion Nebula (M42). L:120s, R:60s, G:60s, B:90s for 330s of total exposure time. Telescope: apo refractor, 102 mm, f/8. Camera: Sbig St8-XME.
Orion Nebula (M 42) - Constellation: Orion [narrowband].
Another image of the same subject, but through H-alpa and OIII narrowband filters and a longer exposure time: 4000s for each channel. The green channel has been obtained synthetically from the red (H-alpha) and blue (OIII) channels. Same telescope and CCD camera of the previous picture.