Saturn is still too low to be sharp and Uranus is little more than a coloured blob.
| Object ID | Saturn Uranus |
| Details | 2023-10-16 19:48 UT 2023-10-16 21:18 UT |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian 2x 2″ ES Barlow |
| Camera | ZWO ASI290MC |
| Filters | UV/IR |
| Exposure(s) | 180s 83 fps .ser 20% frames 300s 27 fps .ser 30% frames |
| Capture | FireCapture |
| Processing | AS3!, Registax, Photoshop, 1.5x drizzle AS3!, Registax, Photoshop, 3.0x drizzle |
Beautiful conjunction last night. Gained lots of interest when I posted on the ASE’s Twitter feed and local WhatsApp group. Nice Earthshine and you can just make out some of the moons of Jupiter too.
The first star imaged by JWST after alignment and focusing complete
| Object ID | 2MASS J17554042+6551277 |
| Details | 2022-03-16 23:30 – 22:43 UT |
| Telescope | 240mm f4.8 Newtonian R filter |
| Camera | Atik 460EX @-10 °C |
| Exposure(s) | 5 x 180s d,f,b |
| Capture | NINA |
| Processing | APP, Photoshop |
And here’s the actual image
Credits: NASA/STScI
A large main belt asteroid, discovered by Austrian astronomer Johann Palisa in 1879. Thought I’d try the same technique as for an eclipsing binary. One extra step in AstroImageJ to track the asteroid between frames. Didn’t get enough data to determine a period and comparison stars were impossible to find in this particular field so relative flux only.
| Object ID | (201) Penelope |
| Details | 2022-02-10 21:39:08 – 00:59:05 UT |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX @-10°C V filter |
| Exposure(s) | 95 x 120s darks, flats, bias |
| Capture | NINA |
| Processing | AstroImageJ |
No predictions for transit times for this one so trial and error. Sadly missed both peaks and dips.
| Object ID | V1297 Cas Eclipsing binary in Cassiopeia |
| Details | 2022-02-06 19:34 – 23:27 UT |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian Photometric V filter |
| Camera | Atik 460EX @-10°C |
| Exposure(s) | 620 x 15s darks, flats, bias |
| Capture | NINA |
| Processing | AstroImageJ |
Got both secondary and primary transits before cloud came in but had hoped to get both peaks to see if asymmetric or not which might indicate star spots. Primary transit is deeper than the secondary.
Wrote a How-To article on the ASE website about this: How to record an eclipsing binary transit light curve
| Object ID | NR CAM Eclipsing binary in Camelopardalis |
| Details | 2022-01-27 18:01 – 22:22 UT |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian Photometric V filter |
| Camera | Atik 460EX @-10°C |
| Exposure(s) | 476 x 25s darks, flats, bias |
| Capture | NINA |
| Processing | AstroImageJ |
Finder chart and data:
AAVSO — Variable Star Plotter
Cloud stopped play so caught the primary transit but not the secondary. Will try this one again since it transits so fast.
| Object ID | V523 Cas Eclipsing binary star |
| Details | 2022-01-24 21:44 – 22:58 UT |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX @-10°C Photometric R filter |
| Exposure(s) | 137 x 25s darks, flats, bias |
| Capture | NINA |
| Processing | AstroImageJ |
Thought I’d try to catch an eclipsing binary transit since no obvious exoplanet ones to do for last night. First processed in HOPS, since that’s what I know, but that obviously wants to map an exoplanet transit onto the data. Finally processed in AstroImageJ, which charted it quite well.
| Object ID | PZ UMa |
| Details | 2022-01-17 21:18 – 00:12 UT |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian R Photomeric filter |
| Camera | Atik 460EX @-10°C |
| Exposure(s) | 155 x 60s darks, flats, bias |
| Capture | NINA |
| Processing | AstroImageJ |
Still learning here but more consistent now with reprocessed data. Using AAVSO chart X27541GQ, comparison star 127, V mag. 12.701.
250mm f4.8 Newtonian
QHY168C @-15°C // Green channel only
29-12-2021 21:55 UT // TG mag. 12.48 // 540s
31-12-2021 23:31 UT // TG mag. 12.90 // 90s
01-01-2022 21:58 UT // TG mag. 13.29 // 90s
03-01-2022 21:58 UT // TG mag. 13.68 // 150s
04-01-2022 20:42 UT // TG mag. 13.88 // 150s
Better conditions for photometry. V mag 13.29
31-Dec-2021 poor conditions, no image, gave 13.1
Main image is full colour (enhanced) but photometry using green channel only
| Object ID | TCP J07094936+1412280 |
| Details | 01-01-2022 21:58:55 UT |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian MPCC |
| Camera | QHY168C @-15°C IDAS D2 |
| Exposure(s) | 3x30s darks, flats, bias |
| Capture | NINA |
| Processing | Pre-processed, stacked and channels separated in Siril Photometry in AstroImageJ Composition in Photoshop |
Reported on 28 Dec 2021
britastro.org/node/26461
TCP J07094936+1412280
Photometry using AstroImageJ gave me on V mag of 12.3. Comparison stars may not be the best.
Main image is full colour (enhanced) but photometry using green channel only
| Object ID | TCP J07094936+1412280 |
| Details | 29-12-2021 21:55 UT |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian MPCC |
| Camera | QHY168C @-15°C IDAS D2 |
| Exposure(s) | 3x180s darks, flats, bias |
| Capture | NINA |
| Processing | Pre-processed, stacked and channels separated in Siril Photometry in AstroImageJ Composition in Photoshop |
Fortunately was covering the correct part of the Moon.
| Object ID | ISS / Moon |
| Details | 2021-09-21 21:25UT Start(UT)=212502.937 Mid(UT)=212511.749 End(UT)=212520.561 |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | ZWO ASI290MC |
| Exposure(s) | Duration=17.624s @57fps |
| Capture | FireCapture |
| Processing | SER Player, Photoshop |
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 |
Well I didn’t manage the occultation because of really bad weather – very windy and sleet blowing into the dome and telescope tube.
Got an image just before occultation.
2020-02-11 21:45:13
2s exposure 1×1 TR filter
| Object ID | SN 2020ue NGC 4636 |
| Details | 2020-01-19 01:12:57 UT Muniwin gives mag. as 12.56 RA = 12 42 47 DEC = +2 39 35 FWHM = 2.77 pxl Sky = 1708.31 ADU Sky dev. = 50.19 ADU Net intensity = 94384.6 ADU Noise = 271.5 ADU S/N ratio = -25.4 dB Brightness = 12.5627 mag Error = 0.0031 mag |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 OO Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX @-15C |
| Exposure(s) | 5x120s 2×2 TR |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | Nebulosity, Muniwin |
So – because there’s no night in Scotland from May to August, I went south to the Languedoc hills. Sainte-Polycarpe in the Aude region to be precise. First real use of my Skywatcher Star Adventurer mount. Great fun, still a lot to learn, but got some decent images. Also made a fun little video story of my holiday in a beautiful region of France.
23:15 UT 21 June 2019
Samsung S8 mobile camera
First supernova for me.
| Object ID | SN 2018 ivc in M77 Type II supernova |
| Details | 2018-12-03 22:10 – 22:39 UT |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian, MPCC, IDAS P2 |
| Camera | Atik 460EX at -20C |
| Exposure(s) | L 10x90s 1×1 |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | Nebulosity, Photoshop |
Everyone’s favourite double star is now officially not a binary system according to the latest GAIA data release. This is just to show that I don’t care – it’s still the best.
| Object ID | Albireo, Beta 1,2 Cygni |
| Details | 2018-08-23 20:57 – 21:00 UT |
| Telescope | 200mm Newtonian f5 |
| Camera | ZWO ASI290MC, IR/UV block |
| Exposure(s) | 21 x 5s with 5s delay between |
| Capture | SharpCap 3.1 |
| Processing | Nebulosity 3, Photoshop |
One of the best I’ve seen. Almost overhead too.
| Object ID | Noctilucent Clouds |
| Details | 2018-06-18 23:12 UT |
| Telescope | – |
| Camera | Canon 600D |
| Exposure(s) | 1.6s @ f3.5 ISO 400 |
| Capture | In camera |
| Processing | Lightroom |
First sighting this year and one of the very earliest to appear on Twitter.
Venus at the bottom with Castor and Pollux above. ß Aurigae (Menkalinan) to the upper right.
| Object ID | Noctilucent Clouds |
| Details | 2018-06-01 22:52 UT, 22:53 UT |
| Telescope | Kit lens 27mm at f4 Fixed tripod |
| Camera | Canon 600D |
| Exposure(s) | ISO 400 1.6s |
| Capture | In Camera |
| Processing | Lightroom |
Just for test purposes but quite fun. Focus not spot on though.
| Object ID | Mizar and Alcor |
| Details | Double star(s) Ursa Major |
| Telescope | RC8 at f/8 |
| Camera | Atik 460EX (-15C) and SX filter wheel IDAS P2 LPR filter |
| Exposure(s) | RGB 6x10s each 2×2 darks, no flats or bias |
| Capture | APT, no guiding |
| Processing | Stacked in Nebulosity, processed in Photoshop |
A very close conjunction.
| Object ID | Jupiter and Mars in conjunction |
| Details | A very close conjunction, less than 14′ between the two planets. Poor seeing and very low altitude <15degrees |
| Date/Time | 2018-01-7 05:47UT, Inset 06:03UT |
| Telescope | C80ED @ f7.5 |
| Camera | Canon 600D |
| Exposure(s) | 30s, inset 0.6s no darks, flats or bias |
| Capture | APT unguided |
| Processing | Processed in Photoshop |
2018-08-12 23:23UT
Taken in the hills along the Thieves Road near West Linton.
Canon 600D
Single 25s image RAW ISO 800 18mm f9
DIY wide angle mount using old ETX90EC mount. Horrible vignetting caused by IDAS filter in front of lens, but could be removed with flats. Proves the drive works though. Using an old fixed 135mm film lens (approx. 80mm equivalent).
2017-02-01 18:50UT
Canon EOS 600D, ISO 1600
5 x 25s, auto darks
135mm film lens – very cheap and old
2″ IDAS P2 LPR filter in front of lens
Processed in Nebulosity, PhotoShop and Lightroom.
