Iris Nebula

[crimbfighter]

My latest target was the Iris Nebula! I imaged it once before but I didn't have nearly enough exposure time on it to do it justice. Dark nebulae require long exposures due to the gas being very dark and hard to stand out from the background. This time around I imaged it a little wider and imaged it for three nights, bringing a lot more of the gas and dust out.

The Iris Nebula is a reflection nebula located 1300 light years from Earth in the constellation Cepheus.

-Astro-Tech AT130EDT 130mm f/7 telescope with a 0.8x reducer, making it a 728mm focal length, f/5.6 scope.
-ZWO ASI2600MC Pro cooled camera
-ZWO EAF focuser
-iOptron HAE43 Strain Wave Gear mount
-Optolong L-Pro light pollution filter
-Pegasus Astro Mini Powerbox
-Orion 60mm guide scope
-Orion Starshoot autoguider
-Controlled with a MeLE Quieter3Q mini PC running Windows

Software
-Sequence Generator Pro for acquisition
-PixInsight and Photoshop for image processing
-PHD2 guiding software

-301 x 180sec subexposures
-calibrated with 20 each darks, flats, and dark flats
-Total integration time of 15hrs

 

[Jeff15]

Excellent photography ...

 

[crimbfighter]

Excellent photography ...

Thanks!

 

[DigiFilm]

Very nice!

Not to hijack the thread, but it appears you're very well kitted for this kind of thing. Given your experience, what do you think about smart telescopes for someone who would approach it more casually (assuming one would exit the bed for such an endeavor!)

Example:

This $479 Smart Telescope Lets Anyone Shoot Beautiful Astro Photos

One of the most affordable "smart telescopes" out there.

petapixel.com

 

[crimbfighter]

Very nice!

Not to hijack the thread, but it appears you're very well kitted for this kind of thing. Given your experience, what do you think about smart telescopes for someone who would approach it more casually (assuming one would exit the bed for such an endeavor!)

Example:

This $479 Smart Telescope Lets Anyone Shoot Beautiful Astro Photos

One of the most affordable "smart telescopes" out there.

petapixel.com

I think they have their place. I think for someone who wants ease of use and to just dabble, they can be a great product. They're also compact and portable, and easy to set up and use. I know a couple people in my local astronomy club that use them and really enjoy it. The ZWO Seestar seems to be a popular one with good third party support for accessories.

 

[Woolsocks]

Is there an offical website for this camera? :ZWO ASI2600MC Pro cooled camera?
Iris neb. my favorite of all 3.

 

[terri]

Gorgeous! I think the gas and dust clouds always add to the mysterious quality of these images. Here, they almost give the impression of a hole torn into the sky, letting this bright blue light shine through. Really exceptional work. Applause!

 

[crimbfighter]

Is there an offical website for this camera? :ZWO ASI2600MC Pro cooled camera?
Iris neb. my favorite of all 3.

There are many retailers that carry it, but here is the manufacturers website.

ASI2600 Pro Series - Discovery Astrophotography with ZWO ASTRO

All Pro cameras (with cooler) need to be connected to an external 11-14v power supply to image. You can also use ASIAIR to power the cameras. Even when the cooler is not being used the power supply must be used for the camera to be recognized. ASI2600MC Pro ASI2600MC…

www.zwoastro.com

 

[crimbfighter]

Gorgeous! I think the gas and dust clouds always add to the mysterious quality of these images. Here, they almost give the impression of a hole torn into the sky, letting this bright blue light shine through. Really exceptional work. Applause!

Thank you! These reflection nebulae require so much more exposure time to get all that gas and dust since they only reflect other light as opposed to generating their own.

 

[SquarePeg]

Amazing!

 

[slat]

Great image.

 

[KJ_North]

Wonderful shot