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
Sunspot groups 2019-05 14/15/16/17
Sunspot groups over 4 days
| Object ID | Sunspot 2741 |
| Details | 2019-05-14/15/16/17 |
| Telescope | 80mm f7.5 refractor, Meade glass solar filter |
| Camera | ZWO ASI290MC |
| Exposure(s) | 120s AVIs @60-80 fps, 10% frames |
| Capture | Firecapture |
| Processing | PIPP, AutoStakkert, Registax, Photoshop |
Sunspot groups 2019-05-06
Done as live stream on the Astronomical Society of Edinburgh Facebook page
| Object ID | Sunspot AR2740 |
| Details | 2019-05-06 |
| Telescope | 80mm f7.5 refractor, Meade glass solar filter |
| Camera | ZWO ASI290MC |
| Exposure(s) | 120s AVIs @45 fps, 10% frames |
| Capture | Firecapture |
| Processing | AutoStakkert, Photoshop |
Sunspot group
Sunspot developing over several days
| Object ID | Sunspot AR2738 |
| Details | 2019-04-13, 2019-04-18, 2019-04-20 |
| Telescope | 203mm [email protected], Baader solar film filter |
| Camera | ZWO ASI290MC |
| Exposure(s) | 120s AVIs, 20% frames |
| Capture | Firecapture |
| Processing | AutoStakkert, Photoshop |
NGC4565 / Caldwell 38 Spindle Galaxy
Processed 3 different ways – give different results, not sure which I like best. Still too noisy – need many more exposures.
Interesting edge-on spiral galaxy in Coma Berenices, surprisingly large (14.9′ x 2′) but faint (9.60 but surface brightness 13.3). It is actually intrinsically more luminous than the Andromeda Galaxy. First seen by William Herschel in 1785. Also visible lower right is NGC 4562.
| Object ID | NGC 4565, Caldwell 38 Spindle Galaxy |
| Details | 2019-03-31 |
| Telescope | 203mm RC8 f8 |
| Camera | Atik 460Ex @-20C Badder RGB filters IDAS P1 LP filter |
| Exposure(s) | 10x240s 2×2 RGB Darks |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | Nebulosity, Photoshop |
M37 in Auriga
Only 2 subs of each colour before clouds rolled in.
| Object ID | M37 Auriga |
| Details | 2019-03-27 |
| Telescope | 203mm RC8 f8 |
| Camera | Atik 460Ex @-20C Badder RGB filters IDAS P1 LP filter |
| Exposure(s) | 2x120s 1×1 RGB Darks |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | Nebulosity, Photoshop |
M63 Sunflower Galaxy
Pretty noisy, bad gradients and difficult to process.
RGB combined with L channel from 2015-04-20
| Object ID | M63 Sunflower Galaxy |
| Details | 2019-03-24 |
| Telescope | 203mm RC8 f8 |
| Camera | Atik 460Ex @-20C Badder RGB filters IDAS P1 LP filter |
| Exposure(s) | 10x180s 2×2 RGB Darks |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | Nebulosity, Photoshop |
18 panel 85% Moon mosaic
18 panels were just enough. This is 3000 pixels reduce from the original 5000.
| Object ID | 18 panel Moon mosaic |
| Details | 2019-03-17 Seeing III/V |
| Telescope | 203mm RC8 @f8 |
| Camera | ZWO ASI290MC, Infrared pass filter |
| Exposure(s) | 30s AVI for each image 17 fps at full resoltion |
| Capture | FireCapture |
| Processing | AutoStakkert 2, Photoshop, MS ICE |
4 Lunar features in infrared
Using the wrong telescope but pretty steady and sharp.
| Object ID | Copernicus, Clavius, Gassendi and Mare Humorum, Plato and J Herschel 85% illumination |
| Details | 2019-03-17 Seeing III/V |
| Telescope | 203mm RC8 @f8 |
| Camera | ZWO ASI290MC, Infrared pass filter |
| Exposure(s) | 90s AVI for each image |
| Capture | FireCapture |
| Processing | AutoStakkert 2, Photoshop |
My pic made it onto the BBC Sky at Night gallery front page
Noticed my picture of the Rat’s Head Nebula – normally known as the Christmas Tree Cluster – made it as the gallery image on the February programme page.
M3 (NGC 5272) RGB just a few exposures
Just a few exposures between gaps in the clouds. L not used because of dust on the filter.
| Object ID | M3 (NGC 5272) |
| Details | Canes Venatici Mag. 6.2, Size 18′ |
| Telescope | 203mm RC8 at f8 |
| Camera | Atik 460Ex @-20C Badder RGB filters IDAS P1 LP filter |
| Exposure(s) | R,G 2x120s, B1x120s, 2×2 |
| Capture | APT, PHD2 |
| Processing | Nebulosity 4, Photoshop |
Medusa Nebula PK205+14.1 / Abell 21 / Sharpless 2-274 Medusa nebula
A new find for me. Just red channel
| Object ID | PK205+14.1 / Abell 21 / Sharpless 2-274 Medusa nebula Gemini |
| Details | 2019-02-26 |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian IDAS P1 filter |
| Camera | Atik 460EX, Baader RGB |
| Exposure(s) | 10 x 180s Red filter darks |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | Nebulosity, Photoshop |
M106 (NGC 4258)
Poor transparency and gradients from passing headlamps. NGC 4248 also in view.
| Object ID | M106 (NGC 4258) Ursa Major |
| Details | 2019-03-04 |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian IDAS P1 filter |
| Camera | Atik 460EX, Baader RGB |
| Exposure(s) | 10 x 120s each filter darks |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | Nebulosity, Photoshop |
M65 M66 RGB
Pretty poor transparency – lots of thin cloud.
| Object ID | M65, M66 Leo |
| Details | 2019-02-26 |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian IDAS P1 filter |
| Camera | Atik 460EX, Baader RGB |
| Exposure(s) | 4 x 180s each filter darks |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | Nebulosity, Photoshop |
M82 RGB
Just a few frames before clouds so a bit grainy.
| Object ID | M82 Cigar galaxy Ursa Major |
| Details | 2019-02-09 |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian IDAS P1 filter |
| Camera | Atik 460EX, Baader RGB |
| Exposure(s) | 4 x 180s each filter darks |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | Nebulosity, Photoshop |
NGC 2174 Monkey Head nebula narrowband
Some guiding problems so couldn’t use all subs.
| Object ID | NGC 2174 Monkey Head nebula Mag. 6.8, Size 40′ Orion |
| Details | 2019-01-31 |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian, MPCC |
| Camera | Atik 460EX @-20C Baader Ha, OIII, SII filters |
| Exposure(s) | 8x300s 2×2 each Darks |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | Nebulosity, Photoshop SHO colour mapping |
NGC 2264 Christmas Tree Cluster narrowband
After a HOYS-CAPS session added narrowband. Rat’s head in there?
No more MPCC and stars are much sharper at the edges.
| Object ID | NGC 2264, Christmas Tree Cluster |
| Details | 2019-01-29 |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian, MPCC |
| Camera | Atik 460EX @-20C Baader Ha, OIII, SII filters |
| Exposure(s) | 10x300s 2×2 each Darks |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | Nebulosity, Photoshop SHO colour mapping |
M42 for 2019 narrowband
This year in narrowband. Two attempts at colour mapping.
Need to get rid of the MPCC with this telescope as the image is better without. Too much star trailing with.
| Object ID | M42 Orion Nebula |
| Details | 2019-01-22 |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian, MPCC |
| Camera | Atik 460EX @-20C Baader Ha, OIII, SII filters |
| Exposure(s) | 10x120s 2×2 each Darks |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | Nebulosity, Photoshop OHS, SHO colour mapping |
Lunar Eclipse 2019-01-29
Images taken while doing a Live Stream for the Astronomical Society of Edinburgh
| Object ID | Lunar Eclipse |
| Details | 2019-01-21 02:30 – 05:45 |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Canon 600D |
| Exposure(s) | Various |
| Capture | Canon Utilities |
| Processing | Photoshop |
B33 Horsehead in narrowband
First real narrowband image. Strange reflections of the primary, secondary and spider in Ha and OIII images, as well as flats.
Mappings were OHS and HOS. SII didn’t add much to either image but object is strong in Ha and OIII.
| Object ID | B33 in IC343 |
| Details | 2019-01-13 |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian MPCC Guided PHD2 |
| Camera | Atik 460EX Baader Ha, OIII, SII filters |
| Exposure(s) | 15x200s 2×2 each filter 15 each of darks, flats, bias |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | Nebulosity and Photoshop Colour mapping: OHS: OIII, Ha, SII HOS: Ha, OIII, SII. |