Amateur Astronomy from Edinburgh
This website is a place where I can post my images purely for the fun of it. You can find more information about the equipment I use on the About/Equipment page.
To give me something to aim for, I have set up pages to get as many Messier and Lunar 100 objects as I can. The Deep Sky page is for objects not in Messier’s catalogue and includes some more recent lists such as the Caldwell and Finest NGC catalogues.
Light pollution is a serious problem for amateur astronomy here on the edge of Edinburgh, Scotland, so this is a battle of photons vs sodium! Please come back and visit as the site develops, I make lots of mistakes, the weather gets worse and the skies get brighter.
I am a member and webmaster of the Astronomical Society of Edinburgh and some of my pictures are displayed on their Flickr page.
Mark
Recent posts
Mars 2020 updates
Lots of Mars images clogging up my newsfeed so one image “to rule them all…” to be updated through the apparition.
Just going to keep updating this throughout the apparition rather than keep putting new images up. Also marked out a few of the more interesting and well known features. I was delighted when I managed to find Olympus Mons although it seems to be brighter this year than in previous apparitions.
Seeing variations make a big difference to detail that can be seen as does my ability to process them. I put the first one in as that’s where I started this year and similar to the best I’d done with Mars before this year. I clearly had to up my game.
General details
250mm f4.8 Newtonian, MPCC
ZWO ASI290MC, IR block
180s SER files, 3 – 25% stacked depending on conditions
Captured in FireCapture
Processed in AutoStakkert 3, Registax, Photoshop
Iris Nebula NGC 7023 / C4
Bringing out the all the dusty, dark material leaves me with a horrible background.
| Object ID | Iris Nebula NGC 7023 / C4 |
| Details | 2020-09-19 Mag. 6.8 |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian, MPCC |
| Camera | QHY168C @15°C |
| Exposure(s) | 28x180s 10/50 darks, flats, bias |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | APP, Photoshop |
The Iris Nebula is a bright reflection nebula in the constellation Cepheus. The designation NGC 7023 refers to the open cluster within the larger reflection nebula designated LBN 487. The nebula, which shines at magnitude +6.8, is illuminated by a magnitude +7.4 star designated SAO 19158.
Wikipedia
Mars 2020-09-15
Jetstream is absent so good seeing
| Object ID | Mars |
| Details | 2020-09-15 22:49 UT CM 43° Seeing II |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian x3 Barlow 3600mm fl |
| Camera | ZWO ASI 290MC |
| Exposure(s) | 180s 111 fps video 25% frames used |
| Capture | Firecapture |
| Processing | AutoStakkert 3, Registax 6, PS Resized 120% |
BAA Mars Mapper shows:
M31 second test of QHY168C
Second test with longer exposures but same gain/offset. Nice to have a larger field of view again.
| Object ID | M31 Andromeda Galaxy |
| Details | 2020-08-31 |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian MPCC |
| Camera | QHY168C @-15°C 10/50 gain/offset |
| Exposure(s) | 23x90s darks, bias, flats |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | APP, PS |
New QHY168c camera test on Eastern Veil
New camera testing. Different way of working with Gain and Offset needing to be chosen and probably using more shorter exposures than the CCD.
32Mb lights instead of 10Mb for the CCD means much longer processing in APP. Couldn’t use the flats as I moved the camera between flats and lights.
| Object ID | NGC6992 Eastern Veil Nebula |
| Details | Mag. 7, Size 3° |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 OO Newtonian MPCC |
| Camera | QHY168c @-15°C Gain/Offset: 10/50 (unity) No filters |
| Exposure(s) | 30x60s lights 20x darks |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | APP, Photoshop |
IC1396 Elephant’s Trunk Nebula
Imaged areas around this a lot for HOYs but never this actual part. First time back using the MPCC without the LP filter this time to avoid internal reflections. Stars are better at 3 corners but top right still off – probably focuser alignment.
| Object ID | IC1396 Elephant’s Trunk |
| Details | 2020-08-08 |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian, MPCC |
| Camera | Atik 460EX @-15°C Baader Ha, OIII filters |
| Exposure(s) | 10x300s each Ha, OIII Darks, flats, bias |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | APP, Photoshop |
Mars 2020-08-07
Better attempt, still needs to be higher.
| Object ID | Mars |
| Details | 2020-08-07 01:13 UT Seeing IV |
| Telescope | 250mm f 4.8 Newtonian x2 Barlow |
| Camera | ZWO ASI290MC IR block filter |
| Exposure(s) | 120s SER @95 fps |
| Capture | FireCapture |
| Processing | AutoStakkert, Registax |
First Mars of the season
Still too low and small to be sharp but a start
| Object ID | Mars |
| Details | 2020-08-06 23:49 UT Seeing IV |
| Telescope | 250mm f 4.8 Newtonian x2 Barlow |
| Camera | ZWO ASI290MC IR block filter |
| Exposure(s) | 120s SER @95 fps |
| Capture | FireCapture |
| Processing | AutoStakkert, Registax |
C/2020 F3 NEOWISE
Wrong telescope for a comet of this size (8 degree – only 0.5 degree FOV) but came out quite well. Surprising colour combinations – green coma expected, red tail not. Cloned out the trailed RGB stars in PS.
| Object ID | C/2020 F3 NEOWISE |
| Details | 2020-07-18 23:22UT |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX @-15C |
| Exposure(s) | 5×30 each RGB Darks |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | SiriL, DSS, Photoshop |
NGC 6888 Crescent Nebula Ha
Just Ha possible because of twilight and moonlight
| Object ID | NGC 6888 Crescent Nebula, C27 |
| Details | 2020-05-08 22:44 UT – Mag 7.4, size 18’x12′ Cygnus |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX @-15C |
| Exposure(s) | 15x300s Ha 1×1 darks, flats, bias |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | APP, Photoshop |
SN2020hvf in NGC3643
Quick image of supernova SN2020hvf and simple photometry in Muniwin. Gives an R (TR) magnitude of 12.38
| Object ID | SN2020hvf Type Ia Supernova in NGC3643 |
| Details | 2020-05-10 22:42UT |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX @-15C |
| Exposure(s) | 120s 2×2 Baader TR filter |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | Nebulosity, Muniwin |
M92 (NGC 6341)
240s exposures in each of RGB this time instead of my usual 180s. Strong moonlight though but APP dealt with the gradients pretty well. Much deeper into the fainter stars.
| Object ID | M13 Globular, Hercules NGC 6341 |
| Details | Mag 6.3 Size 14′ |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX @-15C |
| Exposure(s) | 5x240s ea RGB draks, flats, bias |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | APP, Photoshop |
Deeper version of M13
Decided to try 240s exposures in each of RGB this time instead of my usual 180s (chosen to balance detail and LP) and it seems to have worked well, especially since there only 5 subs of each colour. Much deeper into the fainter stars too.
| Object ID | M13 Great Globular, Hercules NGC 6205 |
| Details | Mag 5.8 Size 16.6′ |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX @-15C |
| Exposure(s) | 5x240s ea RGB draks, flats, bias |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | APP, Photoshop |
XO-1b Exoplanet transit for ExoClock
Pretty good seeing but data not as good as expected. Some data lost at a critical moment early on due to a failure in file transfer from the observatory computer.
| Object ID | XO-1b Exoplanet |
| Details | 2020-04-20 22:01 UT -> Observed mid-time 2.5 minutes before predicted |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX @-15C |
| Exposure(s) | 215x60s TR filter |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | ExoClock software HOPS |
M101 (NGC 4321)
Added twice as many frames as normal – still noisy. Probably need longer exposures. Bad gradients needed a lot of work in APP.
| Object ID | M101, NGC 4321 |
| Details | Spiral galaxy, Ursa Major Mag. 9.5 Size 7.4’x6.3′ |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX @-15C |
| Exposure(s) | 20x180s each RGB darks, flats, bias |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | APP, Photoshop |
M5 (NGC 5904)
A new globular for me and constellation Serpens
| Object ID | M5, NGC5904 |
| Details | Globular Cluster, Serpens Mag. 5.95 Size 23′ 2020-04-15 23:54 UT -> Seeing very good |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX @-15C |
| Exposure(s) | 10x180s each RGB darks, flats, bias |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | APP, Photoshop |
Medusa nebula HOO
Done in RGB before, narrowband this time.
| Object ID | Medusa nebula PK205+14.1, Abell 21, Sharpless 2-274 |
| Details | Planetary nebula, Gemini Surface brightness about 16 20-04-13 22:06 UT -> |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX @-15C |
| Exposure(s) | 10x300s each Ha, OIII |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | APP, Photoshop |
Mizar and Alcor RGB
Something to image in the strong moonlight. Mizar (Zeta Ursae Majoris) has 2 partners: the brighter one you can see is 14 arcsecs away at mag 4 but there’s also one at 0.04 arcsecs separation and mag. 2 that we can’t see separately. Alcor is a binary too with an 8th magnitude red dwarf companion, 1 arcsec away from the primary.
| Object ID | Mizar, Alcor |
| Details | 2020-04-06 21:03:20UT |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX @-15C Baader RGB filters |
| Exposure(s) | 3x30s ea RGB 1×1 |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | APP, Photoshop |
NGC188 (C1)
Never noticed this one before. Very close to the pole so easy guiding as nothing moves very much round there.
| Object ID | NGC188, Caldwell 1 Open Cluster, Cepheus Mag. 10 Size 11′ |
| Details | 2020-04-06 22:42 UT |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 OO Newtonian |
| Camera | ATIK 460EX @-15C |
| Exposure(s) | 3x180s 1×1 TR, 2x180s 1×1 TG, TB Darks, flats, bias |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | APP, Photoshop |
HOYS IC1396A stacked
This is all my Red HOYS images of IC1396A that have been uploaded to HOYS since June 2109
| Object ID | IC1396A HC115 |
| Details | 38 images each 3 stacked subs 2019-2020 |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | ATIk 460EX @-15C |
| Exposure(s) | 38 x 3 x 180s 1×1 TR filter darks, flats, bias |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | Nebulosity, APP, Photoshop |