Jupiter

Posted 15 December 2024

This is Jupiter, and its moon Io.

Telescope: Skywatcher Classic 250P 10" Dobsonian 1200 FL
Tracking: Home built 2 circle segment equatorial platform
Camera: ZWO ASI533MM Pro, CMOS monochrome 3008x3008 3.76μm pixels, 250 gain
Integration: 10000x1ms exposures in each of red, green and blue, with 1% lucky stacking
Image capture: ASICap
Stacking: AutoStakkert!
Post-processing: Gimp

Orion Nebula

Posted 15 December 2024

This is the Orion Nebula, also known as M42. It’s a diffuse nebula, containing a mixture of neutral clouds of dust and gas, ionised gas regions, and reflection nebulae. It’s approxmiately 1350 lightyears away.

Telescope: Skywatcher Classic 250P 10" Dobsonian 1200 FL
Tracking: Home built 2 circle segment equatorial platform
Camera: ZWO ASI533MM Pro, CMOS monochrome 3008x3008 3.76μm pixels, 100 gain
Integration: 200x10s luminance, 50x10s red, 50x10s green, 50x10s blue
Calibration: 100x10s darks
Image capture: ASIImg
Stacking: Siril
Post-processing: Gimp
Skies: Almost full moon.

Sculptor Pinwheel Galaxy

Posted 8 November 2024

This is the Sculptor Pinwheel Galaxy, also known as NGC 300. It’s a galaxy in the constellation of Sculptor, roughly 6 million lightyears away. It’s a little smaller than the Milky Way.

Telescope: Skywatcher Classic 250P 10" Dobsonian 1200 FL
Tracking: Home built 2 circle segment equatorial platform
Camera: ZWO ASI533MM Pro, CMOS monochrome 3008x3008 3.76μm pixels, 200 gain
Integration: 150x10s luminance, 30x10s red, 30x10s green, 30x10s blue
Calibration: 60x10s darks
Image capture: OpenLiveStacker on Android phone.
Stacking: Siril
Post-processing: Gimp
Skies: Quarter moon, in an area that otherwise has Bortle 4 skies (Mt Stromlo)

C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan ATLAS

Posted 21 October 2024

This is the comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan ATLAS. It became unexpectedly bright as it got closer to the Sun. This image was taken after it emerged from the other side of the Sun.