Forthimage – 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 currently President and Webmaster of the Astronomical Society of Edinburgh and some of my pictures are displayed on their Flickr page. I also contribute data to the HOYS citizen science project, ExoClock and the BAA Mars section.
Mark Phillips
Recent posts
M31 tri-band test
Test to see if imaging M31 in tri-band is worth it. Yes! Detail in there that I haven’t seen in other images I’ve taken. Planning a 6 pane mosaic of the galaxy.
| Object ID | M31 Andromeda Galaxy |
| Details | 2021-09-07 |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian Tri-band filter |
| Camera | QHY168C @-15°C |
| Exposure(s) | 10x300s darks, flats, dark-flats |
| Capture | NINA |
| Processing | APP, Photoshop |
Sh2-155, C9 Cave Nebula
Horizontal banding sorted. Camera into USB 2 not 3, and not through a USB hub.
Not very happy with the processing.
| Object ID | Sh2-155 / C9 Cave Nebula |
| Details | 2021-09-02 |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian Tri-band filter |
| Camera | QHY168C @-15°C |
| Exposure(s) | 20x300s darks, flats, dark-flats |
| Capture | NINA |
| Processing | APP, Photoshop |
Saturn 2021-09-01
Altitude is still an issue. No more than 10°
| Object ID | Saturn |
| Details | 20201-09-01 21:54 UT Seeing 6/10 |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian 2x 2″ ED Barlow |
| Camera | ZWO ASI290MC |
| Exposure(s) | 120s .SER @90 fps |
| Capture | FireCapture |
| Processing | AutoStakkert 3, Registax, Photoshop |
Jupiter 2021
This will get updated as I add Jupiter images throughout the season instead of one post each.
IC 1396 Elephant Trunk Nebula
One I often observe for HOYS but purely for imaging this time. Some horizontal banding noise from somewhere – to be resolved.
| Object ID | IC 1396, Elephant Trunk Nebula |
| Details | 2021-08-14 |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian Tri-band filter |
| Camera | QHY168C @-15°C |
| Exposure(s) | 15x300s darks, flats, bias |
| Capture | NINA |
| Processing | APP, Photoshop |
IC 5146 Cocoon Nebula
First DSO for a while
| Object ID | IC 5146 Cocoon Nebula, C19 |
| Details | 2021-08-13 |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian Tri-band filter |
| Camera | QHY168C @-15°C |
| Exposure(s) | 15x300s darks, flats, bias |
| Capture | NINA |
| Processing | APP, Photoshop |
Jupiter 2021-07-18 Ganymede shadow transit
First planetary observations of the season. Still low altitude but about 20 degrees now. Ganymede shadow transit
| Object ID | Jupiter |
| Details | 2021-07-18 01:19:35 UT |
| Telescope | Skymax 180 180mm f15 |
| Camera | ZWO ASI290MC UV/IR block filter |
| Exposure(s) | 120s .ser video, 70fps 48% frames 1.5x Drizzle |
| Capture | FireCapture |
| Processing | AS3, Registax 6, Photoshop |
Discovered I had 4 frames I could do an animation of the Ganymede shadow transit with.
Saturn 2021-07-18
First planetary observations of the season. Still low altitude
| Object ID | Saturn |
| Details | 2021-07-18 01:24:48 UT |
| Telescope | Skymax 180 180mm f15 |
| Camera | ZWO ASI290MC UV/IR block filter |
| Exposure(s) | 120s .ser video, 70fps 30% frames 1.5x Drizzle |
| Capture | FireCapture |
| Processing | AS3, Registax 6, Photoshop |
Sunspot AR2833
With darker edges
| Object ID | Sunspot AR2833 |
| Details | 2021-06-22 |
| Telescope | 180mm f15 Mak-Cass Baader Solar Film |
| Camera | ZWO ASI290MC |
| Exposure(s) | 60s .ser videos |
| Capture | FireCapture |
| Processing | Autostakkert 3, Registax, Photoshop |
Mare Serenitatis L18
With darker edges
| Object ID | L18 Mare Serenitatis with dark edges |
| Details | 2021-06-17 |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | ZWO ASI290MC |
| Exposure(s) | 60s .ser videos |
| Capture | FireCapture |
| Processing | Autostakkert 3, Registax, Photoshop |
Northern Lunar crescent tip
Just a general crescent view
| Object ID | Lunar crescent |
| Details | 2021-06-14 |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | ZWO ASI290MC |
| Exposure(s) | 60s .ser videos |
| Capture | FireCapture |
| Processing | Autostakkert 3, Registax, Photoshop |
Sun 2021-06-01
Single image with QHY168C full 250mm with black polymer filter
Sun 2021-05-22
| Object ID | Sun |
| Details | 2021-05-22 10:47 UT |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian Black polymer filter |
| Camera | ZWO ASI290MC |
| Exposure(s) | .ser video |
| Capture | FireCapture |
| Processing | AutoStakkert 3, Registax, Photoshop |
Yet more lunar features for the ASE Lunar-100
Added to the ASE Lunar 100 Project
| Object ID | Posidonius, Gruithuisen, Hortensius Domes Fra Mauro formation, Prinz Rilles |
| Details | 2021-05-22 |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | ZWO ASI290MC |
| Exposure(s) | 60s .ser videos |
| Capture | FireCapture |
| Processing | Autostakkert 3, Registax, Photoshop |
Even more lunar features for the ASE Lunar-100
Added to the ASE Lunar 100 Project
| Object ID | Theophilus, Cyrillus, Catharina Taruntius, Cauchy Region, Rheita Valley |
| Details | 2021-05-17 |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | ZWO ASI290MC |
| Exposure(s) | 60s .ser videos |
| Capture | FireCapture |
| Processing | Autostakkert 3, Registax, Photoshop |
Sun 2021-05-11
Single image with QHY168C with black polymer filter
More lunar features for the ASE Lunar-100
Added to the ASE Lunar 100 Project
| Object ID | Aristarchus, Schroter’s Valley, Babbage, J. Herschel, Gassendi, Mare Humorum, Schickard, Sinus Iridum, Grimaldi (2021-04-25) |
| Details | 2021-04-24 |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | ZWO ASI290MC |
| Exposure(s) | 60s .ser videos |
| Capture | FireCapture |
| Processing | Autostakkert 3, Registax, Photoshop |
Lunar features for the ASE Lunar-100
Added to the ASE Lunar 100 Project
| Object ID | Clavius, Copernicus, Davy, Alphonsus and Plato |
| Details | 2021-04-21 |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | ZWO ASI290MC |
| Exposure(s) | 60s .ser videos |
| Capture | FireCapture |
| Processing | Autostakkert 3, Registax, Photoshop |
