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
Qatar-1 b First Exoplanet
Been on my list to detect exoplanets for ages and finally got around to doing it. The data is messy and needs to be improved but it does fit the transit. Target star is over-saturated so never going to be good.
Top line shows curve before detrending – probably due to airmass changes. Quite serious clarity variations during session.
| Object ID | Qatar-1 b |
| Details | Draconis 2019-12-13 18:56:34 – 20:54:59 UT RA (J2000): 20 13 32, DE (J2000): +65 09 43 , V = 12.84 mag, dV = 0.0204 mag, duration = 96.7 minutes |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX -15C |
| Exposure(s) | 58x120s TR 2×2 (probably oversaturated) darks, flats, bias |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | Nebulosity, AstroImageJ Exoplanet Transit Database http://var2.astro.cz/ETD/predict_detail.php?STARNAME=Qatar-1&PLANET=b&PER=&M= |
| JD mid: | |
| HJD mid: | (helcor = 0.00041) |
| Duration: | minutes |
| Depth: | mag |
M1 Crab Nebula HOO
First time for this one in narrowband, just Ha and OIII
| Object ID | M1 Crab Nebula, supernova remnant |
| Details | Size 420″ x 290″, Mag. 8.4 Taurus |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX -15C |
| Exposure(s) | 10x300s Ha and OII 2×2 darks, flats, bias mapped HOO |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | APP, Photoshop |
IC405 Flaming Star Nebula HOO
Been trying to do this one for a while and finally got it.
| Object ID | IC405 Flaming Star Nebula, Caldwell 31 |
| Details | Size 37’x10′, Mag. 6.0 Auriga |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX -15C |
| Exposure(s) | 10x300s Ha and OII 2×2 darks, flats, bias mapped HOO |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | APP, Photoshop |
IC349 Barnard’s Merope Nebula
Thought I’d try and get the Merope Nebula as the whole Pleiades don’t fit in my FOV. But saw a flaw beneath Merope which turned out to be another nebula.
| Object ID | IC349 Barnard’s Merope Nebula |
| Details | Size 0.5′, Mag. 13 Taurus |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX -15C |
| Exposure(s) | 3x180s ea RGB 1×1 darks, flats, bias |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | APP, Photoshop |
NGC 2024 Flame Nebula RGB
Wasn’t expecting it to be clear so this is a bonus. Only managed 5 of each colour though so quite noisy and Alnitak overpowers eveything.
| Object ID | NGC 2024 Flame Nebula |
| Details | Size 30’x30′, Mag. 10 Orion |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX -15C |
| Exposure(s) | 5x180s ea RGB 1×1 darks, flats, bias |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | APP, Photoshop |
M92 RGB
Because sky conditions were very poor I went back to globulars as nebulosity can easily disappear in LP and fog. APP got rid of the massive gradients and LP quite well I think.
| Object ID | M92 (NGC6341) |
| Details | Size 14′, Mag. 6.3 Hercules |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX -15C |
| Exposure(s) | 10x180s ea RGB 1×1 darks, flats, bias |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | APP, Photoshop |
IC410 Tadpoles in Hydrogen Alpha
The two tadpoles are about 10 light years long and places of star formation.
| Object ID | IC410 Tadpoles |
| Details | Size 50’x50′, Mag. 7.5 Auriga |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX -15C |
| Exposure(s) | 10x300s Ha 2×2 darks, flats, bias |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | APP, Photoshop |
Fish head nebula (IC1795)
This is a bit of a weird looking one! Stars to the left aren’t good shapes – probably combination of optical alignment, focus and collimation. Stars are over-processed too – should have been so much better.
| Object ID | IC1695 Fish head nebula (part of the Heart nebula) |
| Details | Size 12’x12′ Cassiopeia |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX -15C |
| Exposure(s) | 20x300s ea Ha, OIII 2×2 darks, flats, bias |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | APP, Photoshop Processed SHO with synthetic SII |
M42 from 2012 reprocessed
Decided to reprocess this M42 from 2012 with AstroPixel Processor. It does have some good tools but I suspect my processing skills have got a little better too.
NGC 6992/6995 Eastern Veil (C33)
Could only fit part in the FOV
| Object ID | NGC 6992/6995 Eastern Veil, Caldwell 33 |
| Details | Size 60’ x 8′ |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX -16C |
| Exposure(s) | 10x180s ea RGB 1×1 |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | APP, Photoshop |
Cygnus Wall NGC 700 (Caldwell 20)
Part of the North America nebula – the Central America part – seems to be known as the Cygnus Wall. Can only fit a small part of this object in my FOV.
| Object ID | NGC 7000, C20 |
| Details | Mag. 4 Size: 120′ x 100′ |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX, Baader filters -15C |
| Exposure(s) | 10x300s ea in Ha and OIII |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | APP, Photoshop Mapped HOO and moved to the blue end |
M27 (NGC 6853) Dumbbell Nebula
Done this one quite few times now but this is the first time processing with Astro Pixel Processor. Good for gradients and light pollution but a little slow.
| Object ID | M27 (NGC 6853) Dumbell Nebula |
| Details | Mag. 7.5 Size 8′ x 5.6′ |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian EQ6-R autoguided to 0.5″ |
| Camera | Atik 460EX at -15C Baader RGB filters |
| Exposure(s) | 10 x 120s each in RGB Flats, darks and bias |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | Astro Pixel Processor (APP) Photoshop |
Pelican Nebula TR IC 5070 HOYS-CAPS data
A by-product of doing HOYS-CAPS data for V1490Cyg in Tri-colour R, decided to make a stacked image out of it. 30 subs over 6 months.
At least 4 Herbig-Haro objects imaged in this and marked out in the greyscale version.
| Object ID | IC 5070 Pelican Nebula |
| Details | Cygnus Mag. 8, 60’x50′ |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX |
| Exposure(s) | 30x180s R |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | DSS, Nebulosity, Photoshop |
“Herbig–Haro (HH) objects are bright patches of nebulosity associated with newborn stars. They are formed when narrow jets of partially ionized gas ejected by said stars collide with nearby clouds of gas and dust at speeds of several hundred kilometers per second. Herbig–Haro objects are ubiquitous in star-forming regions, and several are often seen around a single star, aligned with its rotational axis. Most of them lie within about one parsec (3.26 light-years) of the source, although some have been observed several parsecs away. HH objects are transient phenomena that last around a few tens of thousands of years. They can change visibly over quite short timescales of a few years as they move rapidly away from their parent star into the gas clouds of interstellar space (the interstellar medium or ISM). Hubble Space Telescope observations have revealed the complex evolution of HH objects over the period of a few years, as parts of the nebula fade while others brighten as they collide with the clumpy material of the interstellar medium.”
Wikipedia
Cave Nebula Sh2-155 / Caldwell 9
Sh2-155 is a diffuse nebula in the constellation Cepheus, within a larger nebula complex containing emission, reflection, and dark nebulosity. It is widely known as the Cave Nebula. Sh2 designation because it’s part of the Sharpless Catalog (1959) of 312 HII regions. About 2400 light years from Earth and a stellar nursery.
Narrowband filters really do cut through the murky, light polluted skies of Edinburgh so well. Obviously false colour, has to be for narrowband, but can’t decide which is the best so two different tone mappings: SII Ha OIII -> RGB and Ha OIII SII
| Object ID | Cave Nebula Sh2-155 / C9 |
| Details | Cepheus Mag. 7.7, 50′ x 30′ |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX |
| Exposure(s) | 10 x 180s each Ha OIII SII 2×2 |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | DSS, Nebulosity, Photoshop |
Iris Nebula NGC 7023 / Caldwell 4
Been meaning to do this one for ages. Not easy because the background gas and dust can be easily lost in the light pollution and noise.
“The Iris Nebula, also known as NGC 7023 and Caldwell 4, is a bright reflection nebula and Caldwell object in the constellation Cepheus. NGC 7023 is actually the cluster within the nebula, LBN 487, and the nebula is lit by a magnitude +6.8 star, SAO 19158.”
Wikipedia
| Object ID | Iris Nebula NGC 7023 / C4 |
| Details | Cepheus Mag. 6.8, 18′ x 18′ |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX |
| Exposure(s) | 10 x 180s each RGB 1×1 |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | Nebulosity, Photoshop |
Cocoon nebula IC5146 / Caldwell 19 RGB
“IC 5146 (also Caldwell 19, Sh 2-125, and the Cocoon Nebula) is a reflection/emission nebula and Caldwell object in the constellation Cygnus. The NGC description refers to IC 5146 as a cluster of 9.5 mag stars involved in a bright and dark nebula.”
Wikipedia
| Object ID | Cocoon Nebula IC 5146 / C19 |
| Details | Cygnus Mag. 7.2, 12′ |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX |
| Exposure(s) | 9 or 10 x 180s each RGB 1×1 |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | Nebulosity, Photoshop |
NGC 6888 / Caldwell 27 Crescent Nebula SHO
A new one for me
| Object ID | NGC 6888 Crescent Nebula |
| Details | Cygnus Mag. 7.4, 18′ x 12′ |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX |
| Exposure(s) | 7 x 300s each Ha, OIII, SII |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | DSS, Nebulosity, Photoshop Mapped SII, Ha, OIII -> RGB |
Wizard Nebula HOO NGC 7380
After doing HOYS-CAPS data on a very murky, moonlit night, decided to try narrowband on this.
| Object ID | NGC 7380 Wizard Nebula |
| Details | Cepheus Mag. 7.2, 25′ |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX |
| Exposure(s) | 10x300s Ha, 5x300s OIII |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | DSS, Nebulosity, Photoshop |
Pelican Nebula HaRGB IC 5070
A by-product of doing HOYS-CAPS data for V1490Cyg in HaRGB, decided to make a colour image out of it even though only 3 subs for each filter.
| Object ID | IC 5070 Pelican Nebula |
| Details | Cygnus Mag. 8, 60’x50′ |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | Atik 460EX |
| Exposure(s) | 3x180s RGB, 3x300s Ha |
| Capture | APT |
| Processing | DSS, Nebulosity, Photoshop |
Wide angle Milky Way shots from the Languedoc
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.
