M81 Bode’s Spiral Galaxy
Messier 81 (also known as NGC 3031 or Bode’s Galaxy) is a grand design spiral galaxy about 12 million light-years away, with a diameter of 90,000 light years, and is located in the constellation Ursa Major (The Big Dipper Area). Due to its proximity to Earth, it appears large in size, and has a very bright active galactic nucleus (which harbors a 70 million mass supermassive black hole), the orange core is filled with the oldest red giant stars swirling around the central Super massive black hole. Most of the new young hot blue stars are in the outer spiral arms…and you can even see some pink nebulae dotting the spiral arms of the galaxy. There is a small cloud like Dwarf irregular satellite galaxy off to the left known as Holmberg IX. There are also lots of smaller galaxies in the background of my image as well.
Messier 81 has been studied extensively by professional astronomers. The galaxy’s large size and relatively high brightness also makes it a popular target for amateur astronomers, and you can see it visually with a pair of binoculars or small telescope from a dark site. And with the right Astro equipment and lots of practice you can actually photograph M81 right from the city like I did from my backyard in Dayton. This is a 5 hour LRGB exposure(180sec subs, bin 1×1) with a QHY183M cooled monochrome camera(Lum) & QHY 183 C Cooled color camera(RGB) & C6 Newtonian telescope, Baader coma corrector, and Bisque MyT mount. Captured with the Sky X camera module, and stacked in Deep Sky Stacker, Aligned in Maxim DL, Processed Pixinsight & Adobe CC2020. it turned out better than I expected considering the last few nights there were lots of high thin clouds passing through…but the auto-guider never lost the star, …but unfortunately i did have to toss away about a dozen 3 minute subs exposures due to way too much reflected light off the clouds fogging some of the images.
Best Regards,
John Chumack
www.galacticimages.com
Delta Scorpii – “Dschubba” – A Variable Binary Star in Scorpius
This one is for all of the “Covid19 Blue” Front Line Healthcare Professionals, we so love you, your bravery and dedication will not be forgotten! You certainly are the “Beautiful Stars” that outshine us all!!!
Delta Scorpii – “Dschubba” – A variable Binary Star with variations of 2.3 mag to 1.6mag
Delta Scorpii A is a Gamma Cassiopeia type variable star. This type of star shows irregular slow brightness variations of a few hundredths of a magnitude due to material surrounding the star. Delta Scorpii was once used as a spectroscopic standard for the B0 IV classification, but is now considered too unusual and variable.
The primary star is named Dschubba and is located 444 light years away in the Constellations of the Scorpion. Scorpius is also one of the 12 Zodiac constellations.
Best Regards,
John Chumack
www.galacticimages.com
Tycho & Clavius Craters in the Southern Lunar Highlands
Day 7 of my “High Resolution Moon Week” Image #7
Tycho & Clavius Craters in the Southern Lunar Highlands
The Final Day & Image for my “High Resolution Moon Week” I hope you all enjoyed the ride.
Please comment if you liked all of them from this past week!
These Images were all taken with my “COLO” Setup!
COLO = Chumack Observatory Lunar Orbiter aka my backyard Observatory,
(old orange tube C8 SCT scope, F6.3 & QHY5IIIL290M Camera), these are so close-up and detailed,
I may as well have been in orbit above the Moon.
All images processed in Autostakkert3, Registax6, PS CC 2020,
Fire-Capture Ser video files, 600 to 1200 sharpest frames Stacked.
Tycho & Clavius Craters in the Southern Lunar Highlands
Southern Lunar Highlands region with Impact crater Tycho(top center). Tycho Crater is one of the most prominent craters on the moon and one of the youngest impacts. It appears as a bright spot in the southern highlands with rays of bright material that stretch across much of the nearside. Tycho is about 85 km(53 miles) in diameter, and 4.8 km (3 miles) deep. Impact crater Clavius(top left) is one of the largest crater formations on the Moon, and it is the second largest crater on the visible near side. It is located in the rugged southern highlands of the Moon, Clavius size is 231 km (144.4 miles) in diameter, 3.5 km (2.18 miles) deep.
The Southern Lunar Highlands is one heavily bombarded region on the Moon, So many more impacts in this south polar region. Based on Radiometric Aging of the ejecta blankets, it shows the region was intensely bombarded around 3.9 billion years ago.
Best Regards,
John Chumack
www.galacticimages.com
Clavius Crater – One of the Largest & Oldest Impact Craters
Day 6 of my “High Resolution Moon Week” Image #6
Clavius Crater – One of the largest & oldest Impact Craters.
Are you ready for some sharp jaw dropping close-ups of the Moon? Please put them up full screen and Enjoy!
I will be posting a new Lunar close-up every day this week. Also Please comment if you like them….
These Images are all taken with my “COLO” Setup!
COLO = Chumack Observatory Lunar Orbiter aka my backyard Observatory
(old orange tube C8 SCT scope, F6.3 & QHY5IIIL290M Camera), these are so close-up and detailed,
I may as well have been in orbit above the Moon.
All images processed in Autostakkert3, Registax6, PS CC 2020,
FireCapture Ser video files, 600 to 1200 sharpest frames Stacked.
Clavius is one of the largest crater formations on the Moon, and it is the second largest crater on the visible near side. It is located in the rugged southern highlands of the Moon, Clavius size is 231 km (144.4 miles) in diameter, 3.5 km (2.18 miles) deep. Clavius is also one of the oldest(4 billion years) & one of the largest impact craters, and is so large it is visible with the unaided eye, appearing as a notch in the terminator line 1 to 2 days after first quarter Moon. Notice the cool curved string of smaller impact craters inside of the wall on the floor of the main Crater, the largest completely inside the wall on the floor is Rutherfurd Crater. This string of smaller impacts was likely a small grouping of meteors hitting one right after the other. Clavius Crater was named after the Jesuit priest Christopher Clavius, a 16th-century German mathematician and astronomer.
Best Regards,
John Chumack
www.galacticimages.com
“The Imbrium Triangle”
Day 5 of my “High Resolution Moon Week” Image #5
“The Imbrium Triangle”
Are you ready for some sharp jaw dropping close-ups of the Moon? Please put them up full screen and Enjoy!
I will be posting a new Lunar close-up every day this week. Also Please comment if you like them….
These Images are all taken with my “COLO” Setup!
COLO = Chumack Observatory Lunar Orbiter aka my backyard Observatory
(old orange tube C8 SCT scope, F6.3 & QHY5IIIL290M Camera), these are so close-up and detailed,
I may as well have been in orbit above the Moon.
All images processed in Autostakkert3, Registax6, PS CC 2020,
FireCapture Ser video files, 600 to 1200 sharpest frames Stacked.
“The Imbrium Triangle” Over past few days I posted 3 close-up shots of well known impact Craters and Lunar Features,
this Particular image shows them all in a wider angle view, creating a triangle between the 3 major features the Imbrium Triangle as it covers Copernicus Crater(left edge), Sinus Iridum- Bay of Rainbows (upper right), and Plato Crater(Lower right). All three of these craters straddle Mare Imbrium – “The Sea of Rains”.
If you were able to drive the distance from Copernicus crater(left) to Plato crater (lower right), it would be like driving from Indianapolis to New York City.
The drive would be 700+ miles.
Best Regards,
John Chumack
www.galacticimages.com
“Copernicus Impact Crater”
Day 4 of my “High Resolution Moon Week” Image #4
“Copernicus Impact Crater”
Are you ready for some sharp jaw dropping close-ups of the Moon? Please put them up full screen and Enjoy!
I will be posting a new Lunar close-up every day this week. Also Please comment if you like them….
These Images are all taken with my “COLO” Setup!
COLO = Chumack Observatory Lunar Orbiter aka backyard Observatory
(old orange tube C8 SCT scope, F6.3 & QHY5IIIL290M Camera), these are so close-up and detailed,
I may as well have been in orbit above the Moon.
All images processed in Autostakkert3, Registax6, PS CC 2020,
FireCapture Ser video files, 600 to 1200 sharpest frames Stacked.
Copernicus Impact Crater – Named after Astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus. Copernicus is a lunar impact crater located in eastern Oceanus Procellarum. It typifies craters that formed during the Copernican period in that it has a prominent ray system extending out 180 degrees around the central impact site. The crater rays spread as far as 800 kilometers(500 miles) across the surrounding mare. Copernicus Crater is 12,467 feet deep(2.36 miles). You can see three prominent central peaks, the crater is 92.48km (57.8 miles) in diameter. what I love is all the fine craterlets (tiny craters) laying around the surrounding Mare. The Carpathian Mountain range is to the upper right in this image. Copernicus crater is barely visible to the unaided eye, and easily visible in binoculars or small telescopes.
Best Regards,
John Chumack
www.galacticimages.com
The Straight Wall on the Moon
Day 3 of my “High Resolution Moon Week” Image #3
“Wow there is a crack in the Moon” 🤣
Are you ready for some sharp jaw dropping close-ups of the Moon? Please put them up full screen and Enjoy!
I will be posting a new Lunar close-up every day this week. Also Please comment if you like them….
These Images are all taken with my “COLO” Setup!
COLO = Chumack Observatory Lunar Orbiter aka my backyard Observatory.
(old orange tube C8 SCT scope, F6.3 & QHY5IIIL290M Camera), these are so close-up and detailed,
I may as well have been in orbit above the Moon.
All images processed in Autostakkert3, Registax6, PS CC 2020,
Fire-Capture Ser video files, 600 to 1200 sharpest frames Stacked.
Rupes Recta – Latin for Straight Cliff.
The “Straight Wall” is a linear, surface fault having a length of 68 miles (110 km), a typical width of between 1.2 and 1.9 miles (2-3 km), and a height of ranging from 787 ft to 984 ft (240–300 m). Although it appears to be a crack or a 1000 foot vertical cliff in the lunar surface, in actuality the grade of the slope is relatively shallow.
Birt Crater is the 10.6 mile wide crater closest to the Straight Wall and has a smaller crater on its rim known as Birt A. Just West(left) of Birt crater is another small snake like canyon feature called Birt Rima – Rille. On the far left edge is Nicollet Crater. Thebit Crater is just East(right) of the Straight Wall.
Arzachel crater, the Largest in this image upper right of the frame is 60 miles (96 km) across and 2.2 miles (3.6 km) deep. The rugged central peak of Arzachel is prominent, rising 0.9 miles (1.5 km) above the crater floor, which is relatively flat. Upper left of Arzachel crater is Alpetragius crater.
Best Regards,
John Chumack
www.galacticimages.com
The Bay of Rainbows(Sinus Iridum) & Jura Mountains
Day 2 of “High Resolution Moon Week” Pic #2
Are you ready for some sharp jaw dropping close-ups of the Moon? Please put them up full screen and Enjoy!
I will be posting a new Lunar close-up every day this week. Also Please comment if you like them….
These Images are all taken with my “COLO” Setup!
COLO = Chumack Observatory Lunar Orbiter aka my Backyard Observatory
(old orange tube C8 SCT scope, F6.3 & QHY5IIIL290M Camera), these are so close-up and detailed,
I may as well have been in orbit above the Moon.
All images processed in Autostakkert3, Registax6, PS CC 2020,
Fire-Capture Ser video files, 600 to 1200 sharpest frames Stacked.
Day 2 Image:
The Bay of Rainbows(Sinus Iridum) & Jura Mountains,
Sinus Iridum is a plain of basaltic lava that forms a northwestern extension to the Mare Imbrium (Sea of Rains) on our moon.
It is surrounded from the northeast to the southwest by the Montes Jura – Mountain range.
The Bay’s diameter is 154.72 miles across, and the Jura Mountains rises 3000 meters(1,875 feet) above the Bay surface. Notice the ripples in the surface of the Bay…resembles water entering a bay.
It would take you about 3 hours to drive across the bay in your 50mph Lunar Buggy!
Best Regards,
John Chumack
www.galacticimages.com
“Looking for a Place to Land!” Plato Crater
Welcome to my “High Resolution Moon Week”
Are you ready for some sharp jaw dropping close-ups of the Moon? Please put them up full screen and Enjoy!
I will be posting a new Lunar close-up every day this week. Also Please comment if you like them….
These Images are all taken with my “COLO” Setup!
COLO = Chumack Observatory Lunar Orbiter aka Backyard Observatory.
(old orange tube C8 SCT scope, F6.3 & QHY5IIIL290M Camera), these are so close-up and detailed,
I may as well have been in orbit above the Moon.
All images processed in Autostakkert3, Registax6, PS CC 2020,
Fire-Capture Ser video files, 600 to 1200 sharpest frames Stacked.
This image is called “Looking for a Place to Land!”
The Moon Crater Plato (bottom), Plato is a lava-filled lunar impact crater on the Moon. Its diameter is 101 km (63 miles). It was named after ancient Greek philosopher Plato. It is located on the northeastern shore of the Mare Imbrium. Just north of Plato, Center is the Sea of Cold or Mare Frigoris,
Near the top center of the image we see prominent lunar impact craters, GoldSchmidt crater, and Anaxagorus crater.
Best Regards,
John Chumack
www.galacticimages.com
Comet Atlas C/2019 Y4 on its way in!
Comet C/2019 Y4 Atlas, is moving through the Constellation of Ursa Major & is currently shining at 8th magnitude, you need binoculars or a small telescope to see the Comet, but it is brightening rapidly and this Comet is expected to become Naked eye by Mid May of 2020.
The Comet’s Coma (Green Cloud of Gas) is already half the size of the Sun 720,000 km at 1.1 AU and continues to grow as it heads towards perihelion with Sun in May.
We haven’t had a Comet with a Coma this big since Comet Holmes back in 2007…it had a Coma bigger than the Sun.
Comet Atlas C/2019 Y4 will be quite a show in the early morning North Eastern sky, as long as the Comet survives and doesn’t break apart. Get out your binoculars and telescopes.
In my shot here I was Tracking on the Nucleus of the comet from my backyard observatory MPC#838 in Dayton, Ohio. I included a cropped close-up shot as well.
The comet is showing strong activity in it Nucleus, the “Green” Coma is about 15 arc/minutes in diameter and growing, Comet Atlas is also sporting a small but very noticeable tail.
03-26-2020 from 01:07 to 01:46 U.T. / 03-25-2020 from 09:07pm to 09:46pm E.S.T.
QHY183C Cooled Color Cmos Camera & Bisque MyT Mount, C6 Newtonian Telescope, F5 , 20 x 120 second exposures.
Best Regards,
John Chumack