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Astrophotography by Russ, Huntertown, IN (2026)

02/17/2024

Decided to pick up a solar filter for my camera in hopes to catch the solar eclipse on April 8th. Richmond Indiana will be about dead center of totality. I’ve got a lot of practice to get ready for this and will have to keep my fingers crossed that Indiana doesn’t give us clouds!

12/09/2021

Helix Nebula
Ive been wanting to image the Helix nebula for awhile and could never do it at the old house due to the wood line to the south of my property. Still have a lot of stuff to the south but i get a few hours of open skies here at the new place. We had 6 clear nights in a row awhile back and I wanted to use every last one of them to get data on it. Unfortunately it was cloudy to the south 3 of the nights so it really cut down on the data I was able to collect. Either way im happy with it and cant wait for next year to get more on it. Enjoy!

The Helix Nebula (NGC 7293) is a bright, large planetary nebula located 650 light years from Earth in the constellation Aquarius. It is one of the closest planetary nebulae to Earth, as well as one of the brightest. With an apparent magnitude of 7.6 and an apparent size of 25 arcminutes, the nebula is visible in binoculars and easily observed in small telescopes in good conditions. Its striking appearance has earned it the nickname the Eye of God Nebula.
Planetary nebulae like the Helix are formed when stars that are not massive enough to go out as supernovae expel their outer envelopes at the end of their evolutionary cycles. The stars become white dwarfs – hot remnant stellar cores – that energize the ejected material. White dwarfs are very dense, typically packing a mass similar to that of the Sun into a volume comparable to that of the Earth. The intense ultraviolet radiation from these stars causes the ejected layers of gas to glow.

Lights-25x300" Ha
44x300" Oiii
31x300" Sii
Darks-30
Flats-30
Flat Darks-30
Total Integration-8.3 hours
Telescope-Sky-Watcher Pro ED80
Main Imaging Camera- Zwo ASI2600MM Pro
Mount-Sky Watcher EQ6R Pro
Filtes-Astronomik 6nm narrowband filters
Electronic Focuser-EAF
Filter Wheel-Zwo EFW 7x2"
Guide scope-Zwo 60mm
Guide Camera- Zwo ASI224MC
Stacked and edited in Pixinsight

11/22/2021

California Nebula

Had a few clear nights a few weeks ago and was able to get in a few targets. Been debating to post this one or not. Not sure im 100% a fan of the coloring. Im sure I will be coming back to this one and posting it up later. Until then Enjoy.

The California Nebula (NGC 1499/Sh2-220) is an emission nebula located in the constellation Perseus. It is so named because it appears to resemble the outline of the US State of California on long exposure photographs. It is almost 2.5° long on the sky and, because of its very low surface brightness, it is extremely difficult to observe visually.

Lights-85x300" Ha
97x300" Oiii
82x300" Sii
Darks-30
Flats-30
Flat Darks-30
Total Integration-22.0 hours
Telescope-Sky-Watcher Pro ED80
Main Imaging Camera- Zwo ASI2600MM Pro
Mount-Sky Watcher EQ6R Pro
Filtes-Astronomik narrowband filters
Electronic Focuser-EAF
Filter Wheel-Zwo EFW 7x2"
Guide scope-Zwo 60mm
Guide Camera- Zwo ASI224MC
Stacked and edited in Pixinsight

11/04/2021

Andromeda Galaxy (M31)

I always forget how much M31 kicks my butt on processing. It always seems like it should be really easy being big and bright but man that is just not the case. I have had this data for 2 months now and I cant even begin to tell you the amount of times that I have processed it. Moral of the story is don't give up! Take a break and come back to it and try again. Just when you feel like you are starting to figure this hobby out it has a way of bringing you back down to earth! Hope y'all enjoy!

M31 is located in the constellation Andromeda and is best observed in November. Boasting an apparent magnitude of 3.1, the galaxy can be seen with the naked eye, even in areas with moderate light pollution. The Andromeda Galaxy is a barred spiral galaxy approximately 2.5 million light-years from Earth and the nearest large galaxy to the Milky Way. The galaxy's name stems from the area of Earth's sky in which it appears, the constellation of Andromeda.

Lights
R-101x120"
G-104x120"
B-101x120"
Ha-68x300"
Darks-30
Flats-30
Flat Darks-30
Total Integration-15.86 hours
Telescope-Sky-Watcher Pro ED80
Main Imaging Camera- Zwo ASI2600MM Pro
Mount-Sky Watcher EQ6R Pro
Filtes-Optolong RGB
Astronomik-Ha
Electronic Focuser-EAF
Filter Wheel-Zwo EFW 7x2"
Guide scope-Zwo 60mm
Guide Camera- Zwo ASI224MC
Stacked in DSS and edited in Pixinsight

10/28/2021

Soul Nebula

Can I start by saying that I am blown away with the Asi2600mm Pro. What a night and day difference from the Asi1600mm pro and Asi294mc pro that I have used in the past. The processing is just so easy and everything comes out so clean. If you are in the market or thinking about buying this camera just do it already and thank me later! Hope you guys enjoy!

The Soul Nebula (Westerhout 5) is an emission nebula located in the constellation Cassiopeia. It forms a famous pair known as the Heart and Soul with the neighbouring Heart Nebula (IC 1805). The Soul Nebula is sometimes also known as the Embryo Nebula or IC 1848, which is a designation used for the open star cluster embedded within the nebula. The Soul Nebula is about 100 light years across and has an estimated age of 1 million years. It contains several small open stars clusters. IC 1848 is embedded in the body of the nebula, while the clusters CR 34, 632 and 634 can be seen in the head. Small emission nebulae IC 1871, 670 and 669 are located just next to the Soul Nebula.

Lights-71x300" Ha
100x300" Oiii
145x300" Sii
Darks-30
Flats-30
Flat Darks-30
Total Integration-26.3 hours
Telescope-Sky-Watcher Pro ED80
Main Imaging Camera- Zwo ASI2600MM Pro
Mount-Sky Watcher EQ6R Pro
Filtes-Astronomik narrowband filters
Electronic Focuser-EAF
Filter Wheel-Zwo EFW 7x2"
Guide scope-Zwo 60mm
Guide Camera- Zwo ASI224MC
Stacked in DSS and edited in Pixinsight

10/17/2021

Tulip nebula (upper left) Cresent nebula (middle) Sadr region (lower right)

Really love this wide field stuff. This is with the rokinon 135 f/2 lens and it is awesome! This was shot at f/4.

Main camera-Zwoasi294mc-pro
Guide camera-Zwoasi224mc
Mount- Sky-Watcher EQ6R Pro
Lens-Rokinon 135 F/2
Filter-Optolong L-Extreme
Lights-145x180”
Darks-30
Flats-30
Flat Darks-30
Total integration-7.25 hours
Stacked and edited in Pixinsight

10/12/2021

The Heart and Soul nebula

Really happy with this one guys! This wide field shot is something I have been wanting to do for a long time now. I didnt notice until now but I even got the bear claw nebula on the right side of the frame. If I would have known I would have processed as well. Hope you guys enjoy! Feel free to share!

Located about 6,000 light-years from Earth, the Heart and Soul nebulae form a vast star-forming complex that makes up part of the Perseus spiral arm of our Milky Way galaxy. The nebula to the left is the Heart, designated IC 1805 and named after its resemblance to a human heart. To the right is the Soul nebula, also known as the Embryo nebula, IC 1848 or W5. The Perseus arm lies further from the center of the Milky Way than the arm that contains our sun. The Heart and Soul nebulae stretch out nearly 580 light-years across, covering a small portion of the diameter of the Milky Way, which is roughly 100,000 light-years across.

Lights-170x180"
Darks-30
Flats-30
Flat Darks-30
Total Integration-8.5 hours
Lens-Rokinon 135 F/2
Main Imaging Camera- Zwo ASI294MC Pro
Mount-Sky Watcher EQ6R Pro
Filter-Optolong L-Extreme
Guide scope-Zwo 30mm
Guide Camera- Zwo ASI224MC
Stacked and edited in Pixinsight

09/21/2021

Pickering's Triangle and the Western Veil nebula

I dont know about you guys but I love this area of the sky. I was going out for first light with my Asi2600mm Pro and I knew right away that this was going to be my first target with this camera. I am really happy with the upgrade. Processing was a breeze compared to other cameras that I have owned. Cant wait to image with it again! Enjoy.

Lights-70x300" Ha and Oiii
60x60" RGB (for stars)
Darks-30
Flats-30
Flat Darks-30
Total Integration-14.6 hours
Telescope-Sky-Watcher Pro ED80
Main Imaging Camera- Zwo ASI2600MM Pro
Mount-Sky Watcher EQ6R Pro
Filtes-Optolong LRGB. Astronomik 6nm Ha and Oiii
Electronic Focuser-EAF
Filter Wheel-Zwo EFW 7x2"
Guide scope-Zwo 60mm
Guide Camera- Zwo ASI224MC
Stacked and edited in Pixinsight

09/14/2021

Elephant's trunk nebula

One thing I need to get better at is framing my target. I like this one but kinda wish I would have rotated it some. Either way I hope you enjoy!

The Elephant’s Trunk Nebula is a dense region of dust and gas found within the considerably larger star forming region IC 1396 in Cepheus constellation. Designated IC 1396A, the elongated globule of dust and gas was named the Elephant’s Trunk because it resembles an elephant’s head and trunk at visible wavelengths, appearing as a dark patch with a bright winding rim. It is located at a distance of 2,400 light years from Earth.

Lights-120x180" Ha and Oiii filters
Darks-30
Flats-30
Flat Darks-30
Total Integration-12 hours
Telescope-Sky-Watcher Pro ED80
Main Imaging Camera- Zwo ASI1600MM Pro
Mount-Sky Watcher EQ6R Pro
Filtes-Astronomik
Electronic Focuser-EAF
Filter Wheel-Zwo EFW 7x2"
Guide scope-Zwo 60mm
Guide Camera- Zwo ASI224MC
Stacked and edited in Pixinsight

09/10/2021

Quick shot of Jupiter and 4 of its moons (from left to right- Europa, Lo, Ganymede, Callisto) from tonight. First time using the dob with a camera. Didnt turn out too bad considering that the telescope does not track Jupiter. I just let it drift across the screen. Will have to try again for sure. The moons are faint. Ill brighten them up when I process it again.

Astrophotography by Russ

02/17/2024

12/09/2021

11/22/2021

11/04/2021

10/28/2021

10/17/2021

10/12/2021

09/21/2021

09/14/2021

09/10/2021

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