Shail Choksi Photography

Shail Choksi Photography Landscapes, Wildlife and Travel photography

Was I screaming? Yes! Was I running out in the middle of the street? Yes! Here's my "Canadian" Aurora pic of the night w...
05/14/2024

Was I screaming? Yes!

Was I running out in the middle of the street? Yes!

Here's my "Canadian" Aurora pic of the night with Tim Hortons and Petro Canada making a special appearance.

This was a magical experience where a few friends and I stayed up the whole night to watch the show... And a show it was!

My first shot from my first time at NYAA Starfest! I had an amazing time and will be coming back next year. The best par...
08/23/2023

My first shot from my first time at NYAA Starfest! I had an amazing time and will be coming back next year. The best part was getting to know everyone and hearing all the talks from the speakers.

Details:

The Elephants Trunk Nebula (IC 1396)

In the constellation of Cepheus, lies this emission nebula and star forming region. It gets its name from the staff like formation of dust that spans about 2p light years across. This region has a high concentration of hydrogen gas giving it it's distinctive red and pink colors. It is part of a larger nebula that spans about 5 degrees across (10 full moons!)

Acquisition:

QHY183C
iOptron CEM26
WO FLT 91 w/0.8x reducer/flattener
Pegasus focuscube v2
Pegasus powerbox mini
Melee quieter3c mini pc

180s x 50 subs
30 flats, bias, darks
Processed in PixInsight

Andromeda Galaxy (full image)
07/26/2023

Andromeda Galaxy (full image)

I recently got a chance to capture the Andromeda Galaxy again in dark skies with my upgraded setup. To me the stars and ...
07/25/2023

I recently got a chance to capture the Andromeda Galaxy again in dark skies with my upgraded setup.

To me the stars and details are much more defined and prominent in the latest one but I still do like the old image due to the field of view (last one).

Which one do you like better?

Acquisition details:

QHY183C
iOptron CEM26
WO FLT 91 w/ 0.8x reducer/flattener
Pegasus focuscube v2
Pegasus power box mini
ZWO EFW 1.25" 8x

300s x 2 subs Lum
180s x 14 subs Lum

Processed in PixInsight

Last image (shot in 2019):

Canon 5D mk III
Tamron 150-600mm f/5-6.3
StarWatcher StarAdventurer
Innorel tripod

The Wizard Nebula (NGC 7380)In the constellation of Cepheus, a young open cluster of stars surrounded by an emission neb...
07/24/2023

The Wizard Nebula (NGC 7380)

In the constellation of Cepheus, a young open cluster of stars surrounded by an emission nebula popularly known as the Wizard Nebula.

Acquisition Details:

QHY183C
iOptron CEM26
WO FLT 91 w/ 0.8x reducer/flattener
ASI120mm mini w/ svbony 60mm guidescope
Pegasus focuscube v2
Pegasus powerbox mini
ZWO EFW 1.25" 8x

300s x 12 subs of each Sii, Ha, Oiii
32 Bias, Flats, Darks

Processed in PI

The Cygnus Wall!A star forming region with a hot bed of gas and dust that is part of the North America Nebula. It is abo...
07/06/2023

The Cygnus Wall!

A star forming region with a hot bed of gas and dust that is part of the North America Nebula. It is about 1500 light years away from us in the constellation of Cygnus and spans about 20 light years. This image is rendered in false color where each color maps to a specific chemical element. This technique is referred to as narrowband imaging.

Narrowband imaging relies on filters to filter out specific wavelengths of light. In astronomy, 3 specific wavelengths for specific elements are filtered - Sulphur-ii, Hydrogen-alpha and Oxygen-iii (SHO). Each elements emission is mapped to a color in post processing - Red = Sulphur, Green = Oxygen, Blue = Oxygen. So in this image, the yellow wall is mainly composed of sulphur and hydrogen while being surrounded by a sea of oxygen.

I was pleasantly surprised by the results as this was captured during full moon, in my backyard and only for 3 hours (1 hour for each filter).

Do you like the false color images? Does it remind you of the iconic NASA deep space images? That's because NASA uses the same techniques even for the large telescopes in space.

To Infinity and Beyond! 😂A colorful, non-venomous/poisonous female Red-eyed Tree frog that I had the joy of seeing at i...
06/13/2023

To Infinity and Beyond! 😂

A colorful, non-venomous/poisonous female Red-eyed Tree frog that I had the joy of seeing at in Costa Rica. These frogs are nocturnal and sleep on the underside of a leaf and camouflage really well due to their coloration. They have 3 translucent "eyelids(!)" on each eye that helps them see while blinking. This specific female had recently mated and had laid 30-40 eggs close by which would hatch in about 7 days.

If you are ever in Arenal area in Costa Rica - take an afternoon to go see , him and his wife are very knowledgeable about the wildlife around the area.

Behold the stunning Veil Nebula, a remnant of a supernova explosion that occurred over 8,000 years ago! This intricate w...
05/16/2023

Behold the stunning Veil Nebula, a remnant of a supernova explosion that occurred over 8,000 years ago! This intricate web of gas and dust was formed when a massive star reached the end of its life and exploded, sending shockwaves through space. Now, we can admire its beauty and learn about the incredible forces that shape our universe. 🌌✨

M51 - few more details!This is probably the best image I can get of this target with my current equipment. This took abo...
05/12/2023

M51 - few more details!

This is probably the best image I can get of this target with my current equipment. This took about 2.5 hours of imaging before the clouds rolled in last night.

M20 - Trifid NebulaThe Trifid nebula is a stunning object located in the constellation Sagittarius, which is visible in ...
05/11/2023

M20 - Trifid Nebula

The Trifid nebula is a stunning object located in the constellation Sagittarius, which is visible in the southern sky during the summer months. This nebula is a combination of an emission nebula (pink), a reflection nebula (blue), and a dark nebula, each with its own unique features. The emission nebula is lit up by young, hot stars, while the reflection nebula is illuminated by the same stars' light reflecting off nearby dust. The dark nebula is a dense cloud of gas and dust that blocks out the light from behind it. Last night, I spent 2.5 hours capturing the beauty of this celestial object from my backyard. I'm excited to share this image with you all and hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Equipment used:
- QHY183C
- CEM26
- WO FLT 91 + 6aiii 0.8x reducer flattener

Acquisition:
- 155 x 60s ~ 2h 35 mins integration
- Bias, Flats, Darks - 32 each
- 0 gain, 0 offset

A lucky moonA Great Blue Heron flying to its nest at the end of the day.
05/07/2023

A lucky moon

A Great Blue Heron flying to its nest at the end of the day.

Something I have been working on for the last couple nights - Whirlpool galaxy! (M51)This is about 1.5 hours of shooting...
04/12/2023

Something I have been working on for the last couple nights - Whirlpool galaxy! (M51)

This is about 1.5 hours of shooting. I am hoping to get about 4-5 hours more in the next few days. The extra time should help get more details on the second galaxy being sucked in by whirlpool. It would be nice to see more than just faint wisps of the galaxy.

Equipment used:
- QHY183C
- CEM26
- Tamron 150-600 f/5-6.3 G1

Acquisition details:
- 15 x 5 mins subs ~ 75 mins
- 10 gain, 10 offset
- 30 each of flats, darks, bias
- 600mm f/7.1

Stacked and edited in PixInsight

Address

E Luther Sideroad 21/22
Grand Valley, ON
L0N 1G0

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