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Jupiter on 09-19-2023

By John Chumack|2023-09-19T23:13:30+00:00September 19th, 2023|Tags: #ChumackObservatories, #GalacticImages, #JohnChumack, #joviansystem, #JupitersAtmosphere, #natgeo, #QHY462, #QHYCCD, #skyatnight, #solarsystem, #universe, #Universetoday, Jovian, Jupiter, Planets|

Jupiter on 09-19-2023
I got up at 4:00am this morning to get a close-up image of Jupiter while it was nice and high in the sky.
it turned out the seeing was decent for a change. I got some nice Jovian cloud top details!!!
Target=Jupiter, Date: 190923, Time: 090647 UT,
Mag: -2.73, Diameter: 46.32″, Res: 0.10″, Az: 197.30, Alt: 64.44,
Phase: 0.99, CM: CMI=163.7° CMII=290.0° CMIII=315.7°,
Camera: QHY5III462C, Scope: C-11, FL: 6150mm, F-ratio: 21, 2x Barlow + ADC,
Fire-Capture Software, 2.8ms exposures, 60sec. SER Video File, Best 70% of 13,546 frames.
Observer: John Chumack, Location: Dayton, Ohio, Comment: very stable seeing for about 1.5 hours
Seeing: 7/10.

Best Regards,
John Chumack
www.galacticimages.com

IC 434 & B33 The Horsehead Nebula Region on 09-16-2023

By John Chumack|2023-09-17T20:22:40+00:00September 17th, 2023|Tags: #ASIAIR, #asiairplus, #b33, #ChumackObservatories, #cosmos, #GalacticImages, #horseheadnebula, #IC434, #JohnChumack, #natgeo, #nebula, #NGC2023, #NGC2024, #skyatnight, #universe, #Universetoday, #ZWO, #ZWO294MC, Astronomy, Astrophotography, Space|

IC 434 & B33 The Horsehead Nebula Region on 09-16-2023. Put it up full screen to see the details in the nebula clouds. Reminds me of Aurora curtains coming off the dusty mountain beside the horsehead.

The Horsehead nebula is one of the most Identifiable objects in the sky photographically,
but being so faint it is visually challenging for the human eye to see through a telescope, unless under truly dark skies.

IC 434 & B33 (Barnard 33) the dark horsehead is part of a larger molecular cloud region in Orion. This massive star formation region is about 1,500 light years from Earth.

Captured with my RASA 8 inch F2.2 Telescope, AM5 Harmonic Drive Mount, ZWO 294MC Cooled Cmos Camera, ASI Air Plus via Ethernet to I-Pad,
Starizona NBZ UHS Filter, 12 x 300 sec. subs, 60 minute total exposure integration time.
Captured at my observatories at JBSPO in Yellow Springs, Ohio on 09-16-2023. One of the clearest and transparent nights we had in over a year.
Best Regards,
John Chumack
www.galacticimages.com

M20 The Trifid and M8 The Lagoon Nebulae in Sagittarius (08-18-2023)

By John Chumack|2023-09-12T11:49:35+00:00September 12th, 2023|Tags: #ASIAIR, #B296, #B88, #B89, #BokGlobules, #ChumackObservatories, #cosmos, #discovery, #GalacticImages, #JohnChumack, #lagoonnebula, #natgeo, #nebula, #ngc6544, #RASA8, #skyatnight, #trifidnebula, #universe, #Universetoday, #ZWO, #ZWO294MC, Astronomy, M20, M21, M8, Sagittarius, Space|

M20 The Trifid and M8 The Lagoon Nebulae in Sagittarius,
You need to put this up full screen to see the details!!!

M20 The Trifid Nebula(Top) (catalogued as Messier 20 or M20 and as NGC 6514) is an H II region located in Sagittarius.
It was discovered by Charles Messier on June 5, 1764. Its name means ‘divided into three lobes’.
The object is an unusual combination of an open cluster of stars; an emission nebula (the lower, red portion),
a reflection nebula (the upper, blue portion) and a dark nebula (the apparent ‘gaps’ within the emission nebula
that cause the trisected appearance; these dark bands is also designated Barnard 85). This is a very beautiful example of an
Emission & Reflection Nebulae combination.

The Large bright Orange/Pink nebulae near the bottom in this image is M8 The Lagoon Nebulae Complex.
Easily visible to the naked eye from a dark location.
M8 looks great in binoculars or any small telescope, with the most apparent or easily visible is the bright star cluster
and nebulae center.

The Lagoon Nebula (catalogued as Messier 8 or M8, NGC 6523, Sharpless 25, RCW 146, and Gum 72) is a giant interstellar cloud
in the constellation Sagittarius. It is classified as an emission nebula/H II region.(star formation regions)
The Lagoon Nebula was discovered by Giovanni Hodierna before 1654 and is one of only two star-forming nebulae faintly visible
to the eye from mid-northern latitudes. Seen with binoculars, it appears as a distinct oval cloud like patch with a definite core.
Within the nebula is the open cluster NGC 6530.

The Lagoon Nebula is estimated to be about 4,100 light-years away from the Earth. In the sky of Earth, it spans 90′ by 40′,
which translates to an actual dimension of 110 by 50 light years. Like many nebulae, it appears Red/ pink/orange in time-exposure color photos
but is gray to the eye peering through binoculars or a telescope, due to human vision having poor color sensitivity at low light levels.
The nebula contains a number of Bok globules (dark, collapsing clouds of proto-stellar material), the most prominent of which have
been catalogued by E. E. Barnard as B88, B89 and B296. It also includes a funnel-like or tornado-like structure caused by a
hot O-type star that emanates ultraviolet light, heating and ionizing gases on the surface of the nebula. The Lagoon Nebula also
contains at its center a structure known as the Hourglass Nebula.

Although The Lagoon Nebula is a pretty bright nebula, and can be glimpsed near urban areas as a faint fuzzy patch of light,
to really appreciate & enjoy it at its best try to look at it under nice dark skies away from cities or towns!

Want to see more than your eye shows you???
Then try binoculars or a small telescope, or even better yet try to photograph it,
as long exposures photos will always show you more than the human eye can see.

What I really like about this image is the wealth of detail visible in both nebulae, and especially the Dark Nebulae.
Also at the very top edge of the image is M21 Open star cluster, and at the bottom edge is the Globular star cluster NGC 6544.

Captured Details:
Celestron RASA 8 F2.2 Telescope, ZWO AM5 Mount, ZWO 294MC Cooled Cmos Camera, ZWO ASI Air Plus,
via Wi-Fi to I-Pad, 10 x 300 second subs, 50 minute total exposure time.
Captured on 08-18-2023 from my observatories at JBSPO in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

Best Regards,
John Chumack
www.galacticimages.com

NGC-7635 The Bubble Nebula with Sh2-157 The Lobster Claw Nebula

By John Chumack|2023-08-30T10:42:14+00:00August 30th, 2023|Tags: #ASIAIR, #Bubblenebula, #ChumackObservatories, #GalacticImages, #JohnChumack, #lobsterclawnebula, #natgeo, #nebula, #NGC7635, #RASA8, #SH2-157, #Sh2-161, #skyatnight, #universe, #Universetoday, #ZWO, #ZWO294MC, #ZWOAM5, Astronomy, Astrophotography, Space|

The Bubble Nebula (NGC 7635) is the most famous object in this image, at the top and right of center. The Bubble is surrounded by nebula Sh2-162,
a cloud of glowing hydrogen gas located approximately 10,000 light years away.

The large Open Star cluster M52 is to the upper right of the Bubble, and is located 4,980 light years away.
This Open Star cluster offers a fantastic view in any small telescope.

Sh2-161 Nebula complex is at lower right and the nebula continues off the FOV.
NGC 7538 (Sh2-158) is the very bright patch of nebula near the bottom edge of Sh2-161.

At the bottom left is the massive star formation region known as The Lobster Claw Nebula (Sh2-157), Just beneath the Lobster’s claw is the bright open star cluster NGC 7510.

Half way between the Lobster Claw and The Bubble Nebula is a newborn star(a tiny orange squiggle shaped nebula beside the star) this is Herbig-Haro 170.
Herbig-Haro objects form when gas ejected by the stars collides at high speed with surrounding clouds of gas and dust. You will need to zoom in a little to see this object.

Sh2-159 is a small patch of nebulae lying near center between all three of larger nebulae regions.

Celestron 8 inch F2.2 RASA, ZWO AM5 Mount, ZWO 294MC cooled Cmos Camera, ASI Air Plus via Ethernet to IPAD,
15 x 300 seconds subs exposures, total 75 minutes total integration time. Captured from my observatories at JBSPO in Yellow Springs, Ohio on 08-19-2023.

Best Regards,
John Chumack
www.galacticimages.com

The Sun in Hydrogen Alpha Light on 08-20-2023

By John Chumack|2023-08-28T11:03:24+00:00August 28th, 2023|Tags: #ChumackObservatories, #cosmos, #filaments, #GalacticImages, #HASun, #JohnChumack, #natgeo, #QHYCCD, #skyatnight, #SolarActivity, #solarflares, #solarsystem, #sunspot, #universe, #Universetoday, Astronomy, Space, Sun|

The Sun in Hydrogen Alpha Light showing Sunspots & Filaments, Sunspot/ active regions 3411, 3405, 3403, 3409, 3407.
I captured this close-up on 08-20-2023 centered on the activity while the seeing was good that Sunday morning.

Capture details:
Date: 200823, Time: 143203 UT, Camera: QHY5III290M, Scope: Lunt 60mm/50F Hydrogen Alpha Solar Telescope,
BF1200, Single Stack, Fire-Capture, SER video file, 100FPS, 1.044ms exposure, 760 out of 871 frames stacked in Registax6,
Observer: John Chumack, Location: Dayton, Ohio, Comment: no fire/smoke, excellent transparency, Seeing: 8/10.

Best Regards,
John Chumack
www.galacticimages.com

Sh2-132 The Lion Nebula

By John Chumack|2023-08-21T11:18:00+00:00August 21st, 2023|Tags: #ASIAIR, #ChumackObservatories, #cosmos, #discover, #GalacticImages, #JohnChumack, #lionnebula, #natgeo, #nebula, #Sh2-132, #universe, #Universetoday, #ZWO, #ZWO294MC|

The last 6 months have been terrible with clouds & fire Smoke…but I still try to shoot something!!!

At least this nebula does look like it’s nickname.
The Lion Nebula Sh2-132 is a faint emission nebula(star formation region) in the constellations of Cepheus, near the border of Lacerta.
It’s distance is between 10,000 and 12,000 light years away.(1 Light year = approximately 5.8 Trillion Miles)
The components of this emission nebula are hydrogen and oxygen gases, which are stimulated to a high energy state by ultra violet light from nearby stars and subsequently re-emit the light.
The darker areas within the nebula are “dark nebulae,” which are dust clouds that obscure light.
Capture Details:
Celestron RASA 8inch F2.2, Software Bisque MyT Mount, ZWO 294MC Cooled Color Cmos Camera, ZWO ASI Air Plus via Ethernet to IPAD, Starizona NBZ UHS Filter, 26 x 300 second subs, 130 minute total integration time taken from my backyard observatory(bortle8), Dayton, Ohio on 08-13-2023.

Best Regards,
John Chumack
www.galacticimages.com

Sharpless 171, NGC-7822 and Berkeley 59

By John Chumack|2023-08-10T11:30:48+00:00August 10th, 2023|Tags: #ASIAIR, #berkeley59, #ChumackObservatories, #cosmos, #GalacticImages, #JohnChumack, #natgeo, #nebula, #NGC7822, #sharpless171, #skyatnight, #universe, #Universetoday, #ZWO, #ZWO294MC, Cepheus|

NGC-7822 Emission Nebula in Cepheus
NGC 7822, also known as Cederblad 214 is a young star forming complex in the constellation of Cepheus.
The complex encompasses the emission region designated Sharpless 171 or LBN 589, and the young cluster of stars
named Berkeley 59. The complex is believed to be some 2,900 light-years away.
Its diameter is about 300 light years.
Captured with my RASA 8inch diameter F.2.2 Scope, Bisque MyT Mount, ZWO 294MC cooled Cmos Camera, Starizona NBZ UHS Filter, ASI Air Plus via Wi-Fi to I-Pad,
24 x 300 second Subs, total 2 hour total integration time from my backyard Observatory(bortle8) in Dayton, Ohio on 07-16-2023.

Best Regards,
John Chumack
www.galacticimages.com

IC-1396 Emission Nebula with Mu Cephei and Dark Nebulae

By John Chumack|2023-08-05T22:27:29+00:00August 5th, 2023|Tags: #ASIAIR, #asiairplus, #asiweek, #celestron, #ChumackObservatories, #cosmos, #GalacticImages, #garnetstar, #JohnChumack, #mucephei, #natgeo, #nebula, #skyatnight, #universe, #Universetoday, #ZWO, #ZWO294MC, Astronomy, Astrophotography, Space|

IC-1396 A stunning emission nebula and “Dark” nebula. IC 1396 mixes glowing cosmic gas and dark dust clouds in the high and far off constellation of Cepheus.
This is a large and faint emission nebula, a star forming region that is over 100 light-years across, and is located about 2,400 light-years away from Earth.
Embedded is the star cluster Trumpler 37 near center, and the red super-giant star Mu Cephei, also known as the Garnet Star (at extreme upper right edge).
The nebula gets its power from the star HD206267 near the center of this image.

You can see the Elephant’s Trunk Nebula at the bottom center of this image as well as some nice dark nebula through out the FOV.

We had Fire/smoke haze for weeks and while dodging high thin clouds almost nightly, but I got enough clean data in between to finally put it together.

Celestron RASA 8 inch F2.2 scope, Bisque MyT Mount, ZWO 294 MC cooled Color Cmos Camera, ZWO ASI Air Plus, via Wi-Fi to I-Pad,
38 x 300 second Subs, 3 hours 10 minutes Total integration time. 07-29-2023 to 08-04-2023 from my backyard observatory(bortle8) in Dayton, Ohio.

Best Regards,
John Chumack
www.galacticimages.com

Sh2-114 – The Flying Red Dragon Nebula in Cygnus

By John Chumack|2023-07-31T00:37:11+00:00July 31st, 2023|Tags: #ASIAIR, #ChumackObservatories, #cosmos, #GalacticImages, #JohnChumack, #natgeo, #nebula, #sh2-113, #sh2-114, #skyatnight, #theflyingreddragon, #universe, #Universetoday, #ZWO, #ZWO294MC, Astronomy, Astrophotography, Cygnus|

Sh2-114 The Flying Red Dragon Nebula in Cygnus, also known as LBN 347 and is embedded in the larger LBN 346 structure.
Some of the many objects in this FOV are Sh2-113, LBN 333, 67 Cygni, Planetary nebula PK 083-08.1, and several background PGC galaxies.
This was a really faint one,…no recorded magnitude could be found for this HII emission nebula.
This is a very faint but interesting Nebula hidden in this extremely rich star field located at 3,848 Light years from Earth in the Swan Constellation.
Some of the delicate structure looks similar to a (SNR) supernova remnant, but there are no recorded Supernova in this region.
Its complex, wispy structure is likely the result of winds from hot massive stars interacting with the magnetic fields in the interstellar medium.
But very little is known about it, So i decided to take a crack at it from my Backyard observatory(bortle8) in Dayton, Ohio on 07-29-2023.
Unfortunately, I had to toss out about half my image data due to thin cirrus clouds floating through my images last night,
but I still ended up with about 2 hours of usable data.
I did manage to stretch it enough to show a decent image.
Also a few faint galaxies are visible in the background as well.
RASA 8 inch F2.2 Telescope, Bisque MyT Mount, ZWO 294MC cooled Cmos Camera, Starizona NBZ UHS Filter, ASI Air Plus controlled via Wi-Fi to Ipad, 24 x 300sec subs, 2 hours total exp time.
Calibration & Processing via DSS, Pixinsight, and Adobe Raw CC 2023.

Best Regards,
John Chumack
www.galacticimages.com

The Pelican Nebula – wide angle with a RASA 8

By John Chumack|2023-07-25T11:23:18+00:00July 25th, 2023|Tags: #ASIAIR, #ChumackObservatories, #cosmos, #GalacticImages, #IC5070, #JohnChumack, #natgeo, #nebula, #pelicannebula, #RASA8, #skyatnight, #universe, #Universetoday, #ZWO, #ZWO294MC, Astronomy, Space|

Here is my shot taken while dodging fireworks & enduring the fire smoke /haze……
I see the vague Pelican head, but it looks more like a deer head profile facing right or pterodactyl head pointing left to me…what do you see???

The Pelican Nebula (also known as IC 5070 and IC 5067) is an H II star formation region associated with the North America Nebula in the constellation Cygnus.
Located about 1,800 light-years away, the Pelican is heavily studied because it has a particularly active mix of star formation and evolving gas clouds.

The light from young energetic stars is slowly transforming cold gas to hot and causing an ionization front gradually to advance outward.
Notice all the massive dark nebula present in this FOV?

I really like the large well defined mountains of gas and dust at the center.
Particularly dense filaments of cold gas are seen to still remain, and among these are two jets emitted from the Herbig–Haro object 555.

Capture details:
Celestron RASA 8″ F2.2 Scope, ZWO 294MC cooled Cmos Camera, Starizona NBZ UHS Filter, Bisque MyT Mount, ASI Air Plus via Wi-Fi,
24 x 300 sec. sub exposures, 120 min total integration time.
From my backyard Observatory in Dayton, Ohio(bortle8) on 07-03-2023
DSS, Pixinsight, and Adobe Raw 2023.

Best Regards,
John Chumack
www.galacticimages.com

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