Antipodean Astrophotography

19/05/2026

A collection of comet C/2025 R3 (Panstarrs) images from 11 May and 12 May.

The image from 11 May was taken in the caravan park at Port Gregory (a combination of 50 x 4 second images, 85mm lens @ f1.2 ISO 800).

The images from 12 May were taken from the beach park at Coronation Beach, the first is 20 x 1 second images, same lens, ISO 3200. The second image is simlar except that the exposure time was 3.2 seconds (maximum with no star trails). The last is a stack of 100 x 3.2 second exposures with the ISO set to 128000. Also imcluded is a starless image of the last image from 12 May.

All images were taken with a Canon Ra camera, mounted on a tripod, no tracking.

Share and Enjoy!

04/05/2026

Caldwell 83 and some friends in RGB+Ha+OIII

From Wikipedia:
NGC 4945 is a widely-studied barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Centaurus, visible near the optical double star Xi Centauri. It is also known as Caldwell 83. The galaxy was discovered by Scottish astronomer James Dunlop in 1826. It is located at a distance of approximately 11.0 million light-years (3.36 Mpc) from the Milky Way. NGC 4945 hosts one of the closest active galactic nuclei to Earth and is classified as a Seyfert 2 galaxy.

NGC 4945 is one of the brightest galaxies of the Centaurus A/M83 Group, a large, nearby group of galaxies. The galaxy is the second brightest galaxy in the subgroup centered on Centaurus A.

Published: May 4, 2026

Total integration: 5h 6m

Integration per filter:
- UV/IR Cut: 3h 14m (97 × 120")
- Multiband: 1h 52m (56 × 120")

Equipment:
- Telescope: Sky-Watcher Esprit 150ED
- Camera: Player One Poseidon-C Pro
- Mount: Software Bisque Paramount MX GEM
- Filters: Altair Ha+OIII ULTRA DualBand 6nm CERTIFIED CMOS 2", Player One Anti-Halo UV IR-Cut 2"
- Software: Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight

For more information, visit AstroBin:

A composite RGB image with Ha and OIII extracted from dual band narrowband data.

24/04/2026

RCW85, a very faint nebula in Centaurus.
by rat156

Published: Apr 24, 2026

Equipment:
- Telescope: Sky-Watcher Esprit 150ED
- Camera: Player One Poseidon-C Pro
- Mount: Software Bisque Paramount MX GEM
- Filter: Altair Ha+OIII ULTRA DualBand 6nm CERTIFIED CMOS 2"
- Software: Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight

For more information, visit AstroBin:

This image was take over two nights, all with 120 second exposures, RGB with a OSC camera and Ha/OII with a dual band narrowband filter.

24/04/2026

Messier 83 in RGB and Ha/OIII
by rat156

Published: Apr 24, 2026

Equipment:
- Telescope: Sky-Watcher Esprit 150ED
- Camera: Player One Poseidon-C Pro
- Mount: Software Bisque Paramount MX GEM
- Filter: Altair Ha+OIII ULTRA DualBand 6nm CERTIFIED CMOS 2"
- Software: Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight

For more information, visit AstroBin:

Messier 83, the Southern pinwheel galaxy. Taken in RGB with a OSC camera and then Ha/OIII added with a dual narrowband filter.

18/04/2026

Seven (clearish) nights in the making, 34 hours of total integration, of which 4 hours were excluded by the software resulting in this image of the very faint supernova remnant G304.4-3.1 or the Theta Muscae nebula.

SNR G304.4-3.1, Theta Muscae nebula
Published: Apr 18, 2026
Total integration: 34h 10m
Integration per filter:
- UV/IR Cut: 10m (20 × 30")
- Multiband: 34h (408 × 300")
Equipment:
- Telescope: Sky-Watcher Esprit 150ED
- Camera: Player One Poseidon-C Pro
- Mount: Software Bisque Paramount MX GEM
- Filters: Altair Ha+OIII ULTRA DualBand 6nm CERTIFIED CMOS 2", Player One Anti-Halo UV IR-Cut 2"
- Software: Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight
For more information, visit AstroBin:

A very faint OIII/Ha nebula in Musca. Just over 30 hours of exposure in Ha/OIII dual band on a OSC camera. Lost 4 hours of exposures that the software rejected automatically. I am planning on going...

02/04/2026

Still learning how to use the SHG700 Spectroheliograph. Experimented a couple of days ago with changing wavelength. Presented here are Hydrogen in orange, Calcium in purple, Helium in pale green and Magnesium also in pale green, the caption lets you know which is which. One of the images shows the active regions, the numbers may be incorrectly assigned.
Share and Enjoy!

28/03/2026

Finally finished this one. This is the first iteration of my six panel mosaic of the Carina Nebula area. This took seven separate nights imaging. Just over 24 hours of total integration.

Carina Nebula 3 x 2 mosaic in Narrowband Foraxx Palette
by rat156

Published: Mar 28, 2026

Total integration: 25h 12m

Integration per filter:
- UV/IR Cut: 1h 12m (144 × 30")
- Multiband: 24h (288 × 300")

Equipment:
- Telescope: Sky-Watcher Esprit 150ED
- Camera: Player One Poseidon-C Pro
- Mount: Software Bisque Paramount MX GEM
- Filters: Altair Ha+OIII ULTRA DualBand 6nm CERTIFIED CMOS 2", Altair SII+OIII ULTRA DualBand 6nm CERTIFIED CMOS 2", Player One Anti-Halo UV IR-Cut 2"
- Software: Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight

For more information, visit AstroBin:

A six panel mosaic of the Carina nebula in Foraxx palette captured with a OSC camera and dual band filters. I will include an image with stars and with stars removed as I think you can see more detai...

21/03/2026

Aroura Australis at Bimbi Park on 21 March 2026.

Captured with a Canon Ra camera and Sirui 35mm anamorphic lens.

Processed in Photoshop and Lightroom.

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04/03/2026

I was very lucky, pretty much cloudless until post totality.

Imaged with;
Equipment:
- Telescope: Sky-Watcher Esprit 150ED
- Camera: Player One Poseidon-C Pro
- Mount: Software Bisque Paramount MX GEM
- Filter: Player One Anti-Halo UV IR-Cut 2"
- Software: Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight

Around 250 five second exposures, mount running at lunar tracking rate. Had the software rank 50 images near totality, this was the highest ranked by FWHM.

Share and Enjoy!

27/02/2026

RCW53c in three palettes, realistic, SHO(Hubble) and Foraxx.

Situated on the southwest side of the Eta Carinae nebula (part of the Carina Nebula). Sometimes referred to as "The Witch in Carina", is a "bubble" created by stellar wind from a massive star.
It is rarely photographed as a distinct area within the larger Carina complex. It belongs to the RCW Catalogue (Rodgers, Campbell, and Whiteoak catalogue), a list of Hydrogen alpha emission regions in the southern Milky Way.

The broader Carina Nebula (which contains RCW 53C) is a large, bright nebula in the southern constellation Carina, known for being a vast star-forming region roughly 7,500 light-years away.

Total integration: 7h 48m

Integration per filter:
- UV/IR Cut: 18m (36 × 30")
- Multiband: 7h 30m (90 × 300")

Equipment:
- Telescope: Sky-Watcher Esprit 150ED
- Camera: Player One Poseidon-C Pro
- Mount: Software Bisque Paramount MX GEM
- Filters: Altair Ha+OIII ULTRA DualBand 6nm CERTIFIED CMOS 2", Altair SII+OIII ULTRA DualBand 6nm CERTIFIED CMOS 2", Player One Anti-Halo UV IR-Cut 2"
- Software: Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight

For more information, visit AstroBin:
https://app.astrobin.com/i/bzftiz?r=C