8/4/2024 Largish areas in the Milky Way

This picture contains several deep sky objects. In the middle is a small open star cluster called Messier 18 or the Black Swan Cluster. It is pretty small but right in the middle. Above that is a bright star forming gas cloud called the Omega Nebula and near the top is the Eagle Nebula, home of the famous Pillars of Creation. Below Messier 18 is Messier 24, a large star cloud. Imagine placing your right thumb there. That large mass is the cloud. The darker areas are assorted dark nebula that block light from the stars behind them.

The field of view is 8 degrees tall by 5.5 degrees wide.

This image is of the Sadr Region in the constellation of Cygnus the Swan. Sadr is the bright star smack dab in the center. Around it is a large gas cloud, or clouds, spanning much of the constellation. These glow in the red from the Hydrogen that makes them up. Plus some dark nebula like in the other image. Sadr is the central star in the constellation marking the center of that swan.

The field of view is the same as the other image and both were shot with my Samyang 135mm F2 prime lens and ASI294MC Pro camera.

8/3/2024 The Eagle Nebula in the Hubble Palette

This is my first attempt at a true SHO or Hubble Palette image. I faked one a couple years ago but this one is real. I used two complementary dual narrowband filters, one Sulphur II and Oxygen III, the other Hydrogen Alpha and Oxygen III with a shot color ASI533MC Pro camera. SII and Ha are both red, with the former being redder. In the SHO palette, Sulphur goes to the red channel, Hydrogen to the green, and Oxygen to the blue although some people mix them up a little bit. Shot at the River Ridge Observatory, Friday night.

7/6/2024 Rho Ophiuchi, Clouds, and a new Rig

Saturday night promised to be clear, mild, with no dew until morning. Saturday night lied. Clouds appeared after sunset, the waned, then came back later. Dew arrived around 10 PM. I did manage my best ever Rho Ophiuchi area using my new (to me) Samyang 135mm F/2 ED UMC lens with my ASI294MC Pro camera despite thin clouds traveling through each frame.

The Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex is a complex of interstellar clouds with different nebulae, particularly a dark nebula which is centered 1° south of the star ρ Ophiuchi, which it among others extends to, of the constellation Ophiuchus. Wikipedia

This video is about 2 1/2 hours condensed into 43 seconds. At the start, you can see the Big Dipper in the lower left. In the lower middle is the Little Dipper. The clouds are pretty here but annoying. 14mm f/2.8 Rokinon lens and Canon EOS T8i.

I printed this cradle to hold my Samyang lens (and camera) so that it can be attached to my equatorial mount.

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