celestialpixels

NGC 6960: The Witch's Broom Nebula

Ten thousand years ago, before the dawn of recorded human history, a new light would have suddenly have appeared in the night sky and faded after a few weeks. Today we know this light was from a supernova, or exploding star, and record the expanding debris cloud as the Veil Nebula, a supernova remnant. Telescope: GSO RC10 - Reduced to 1500mm Camera: QSI 683L Mount: Astrophysics Mach1 Filters: Astrodon LRGB+Ha 5nm Total Time: 5h L + 1.5 each colour RGB + 3h Ha Equipment: Pegasus Astro Ultimate Powerbox, Pegasus Motor Focus Kit Location: Mavrovounion Lakonia, Greece

Inside the Pelican Nebula

Telescope: GSO RC10 - Reduced to 1500mm Camera: QSI 683L Mount: Astrophysics Mach1 Filters: Astrodon LRGB+Ha 5nm Total Time: 4h L + 1.5 each colour RGB Equipment: Pegasus Astro Ultimate Powerbox, Pegasus Motor Focus Kit Location: Mavrovounion Lakonia, Greece

Rosette Nebula

APOD 2017 February 14 https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170214.html The Rosette Nebula is not the only cosmic cloud of gas and dust to evoke the imagery of flowers -- but it is the most famous. At the edge of a large molecular cloud in Monoceros, some 5,000 light years away, the petals of this rose are actually a stellar nursery whose lovely, symmetric shape is sculpted by the winds and radiation from its central cluster of hot young stars. The stars in the energetic cluster, cataloged as NGC 2244, are only a few million years old, while the central cavity in the Rosette Nebula, cataloged as NGC 2237, is about 50 light-years in diameter. The nebula can be seen firsthand with a small telescope toward the constellation of the Unicorn (Monoceros). Telescope: Takahashi FSQ85 Camera: ATIK 460EX Filters: Baader LRGB Subexposures: 5mins L, 3min RGB (bin2x2) Total Exposure: 6h Location: Near Gythion , Greece

The Iris Nebula

The Iris Nebula, also NGC 7023 is a bright reflection nebula and Caldwell object in the constellation Cepheus. The pretty blue petals of the Iris Nebula span about six light-years. The colourful field-of-view stretches almost five Full Moons across the sky. Equipment used: Telescope: Takahashi FSQ ED85 Camera: ATIK490 Mount: Astrophysics Mach1 GTO Filters: Astrodon Gen II LRGB Total Exposure: ~ 8h Pegasus Ultimate Powerbox Pegasus Motor Focus Kit / Autofocus

California Nebula - NGC 1944

The California Nebula (NGC 1499) is an emission nebula located in the constellation of Perseus. It is so named because it appears to resemble the outline of the US State ofCalifornia 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. It lies at a distance of about 1,000 light years from Earth. The California Nebula was discovered by E. E. Barnard in 1884. Telescope: Takahashi BabyQ 85 Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro Camera: QSI 683 Momo Filters: Astrodon Gen II, LRGB + Ha Subexposures: 300sec bin1 Lum, 300sec bin2 Color + Ha Total Exposure: 7h Location: Mt. Parnon, Greece

LDN 1621, LDN 1622, VDB62

The two dark nebulae (LDN 1621, smaller, near the left border and LDN 1622, much bigger near the center) are projected onto a complex and extensive emission nebulosity known as Barnard's Loop, inside the molecular cloud complex named Orion B. Both nebulae are believed to be 500 light years away, much closer than the bright red hydrogen nebulae that shine behind them from about 1,600 light years. Telescope: FSQ85 Camera: ATIK 460EX Filters: Baader Ha + L + RGB (L bin1x2, Ha +RGB bin2x2) Total exposure: 9h Location: Near Gythion, Greece

The Veil Nebula Widefield

The Veil Nebula is a diffuse nebula located in the northern constellation Cygnus, the Swan. Also known as Witch’s Broom Nebula, Bridal Veil Nebula, Cirrus Nebula, or Filamentary Nebula, it constitutes the visible parts of the Cygnus Loop, a supernova remnant in Cygnus. It is located at an approximate distance of 1,470 light years from Earth. In this wide shot you can see the three main parts: the Eastern Veil, the Western Veil, and Fleming’s Triangle (Pickering’s Triangle). Telescope: Telescope: TAK FSQ85 Camera: QSI 683 Filters: RGB + Ha + O3 Total Exposure: 12h Location: Mt Parnon @ 1430m, Greece

The Orion Nebula - M42

The Orion Nebula (also known as Messier 42, M42, or NGC 1976) is a diffuse nebula situated in the Milky Way south of Orion's Belt in the constellation of Orion. It is one of the brightest nebulae, and is visible to the naked eye in the night sky. M42 is located at a distance of 1,344 ± 20 light years and is the closest region of massive star formation to Earth. The M42 nebula is estimated to be 24 light years across. It has a mass of about 2000 times the mass of the Sun. Older texts frequently refer to the Orion Nebula as the Great Nebula in Orion or the Great Orion Nebula. Telescope: Takahashi FSQ 85 ED Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5-Pro Camera: QSI 683 Mono Filters: Astrodon Gen II LRGB Subexposures: 5min Total Exposure: 10h Location: Mt. Parnon Greece

Blue Horsehead Nebula - IC 4592

IC 4592 (also known as the Blue Horsehead Nebula) is a reflection nebula in the Scorpius constellation that is lit by Nu Scorpii. Telescope: Takahashi BabyQ ED85 Mount: Astrophysics Mach1 GTO Camera: QSI 683 (Mono) Filters: Astrodon GenII LRGB Total Exposure: 5h Location: Parnon & Filipaioi Greece

VDB 14 & VDB 15

These two reflection nebulae are a small part of a large dust cloud in the constellation Camelopardalis. vdB 15 is the blue area to the top and vdB 14 is the sickle-shaped blue nebula down. At a distance of about 3000 light years, magnitude 5 and magnitude 4 supergiants respectively illuminate them. Telescope: Takahashi BabyQ 85 Mount: Astrophysics Mach 1 GTO Camera: QSI 683 Mono Filters: Astrodon Gen2 LRGB Total Exposure: 10h Location: Mt Parnon & Gythion Greece

LDN1251 on Cepheus

A dark nebula lane on Cepheus Telescope: Officina Stellare RH200 Camera: ATIK 383L+ Mono Mount: AP Mach 1 GTO Filters: Baader LRGB + Ha Total Exposure: 5h Location: Mt. Parnon Greece

M17 - Omega Nebula in Wide Field

Sculpted by stellar winds and radiation, the star factory known as Messier 17 lies some 5,500 light-years away in the nebula-rich constellation Sagittarius. At that distance, this degree wide field of view spans almost 100 light-years. Stellar winds and energetic light from hot, massive stars formed from M17's stock of cosmic gas and dust have slowly carved away at the remaining interstellar material producing the cavernous appearance and undulating shapes. M17 is also known as the Omega Nebula or the Swan Nebula. Telescope: Officina Stellare RH200 @ f/3 Mount: Astrophysics Mach1 GTO Camera: QSI 683+ Mono Filters: Astrodon LRGB+Ha Total Exposure: 6h (L:120 / R:60 / G:60: B:60 / Ha:60) Location: Elikonas Mt. Greece

Cave Nebula Widefield - SH2-155

The Cave Nebula, Sh2-155 or Caldwell 9, is a dim and very diffuse bright nebula within a larger nebula complex containing emission, reflection, and dark nebulosity. It is located in the constellation Cepheus. Telescope: Takahashi FSQ ED85 Camera: QSI 683L Mount: Astrophysics Mach 1 GTO Filters: Astrodon Gen II LRGB Total exposure: 7h Subexposures: 5mins bin1x1 L , 5min bin 2x2 RGB Location: Mt. Parnon Greece

Pleiades Star Cluster - M45

The Pleiades or Seven Sisters (M45), is an open star cluster containing middle-aged hot B-type stars located in the constellation of Taurus. It is among the nearest star clusters to Earth and is the cluster most obvious to the naked eye in the night sky. The name Pleiades comes from Greek mythology. The cluster is dominated by hot blue and extremely luminous stars that have formed within the last 100 million years. Dust that forms a faint reflection nebulosity around the brightest stars was thought at first to be left over from the formation of the cluster Telescope: Officina Stellare Veloce RH200 Mount: Astrophysics Mach1 GTO Guiding: TS-OAG9 / Lodestar Camera: ATIK 383L+ Mono Filters: Baader LRGB Total Exposure: 4 h Subexposures: LRGB (5min) Location: Alissos Akhaia, Greece

Andromeda Galaxy - M31

The Andromeda Galaxy is a spiral galaxy approximately 2.5 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Andromeda. It is also known as Messier 31, M31, or NGC 224, and is often referred to as the Great Andromeda Nebula in older texts. Andromeda is the nearest spiral galaxy to the Milky Way, but not the closest galaxy overall. It gets its name from the area of the sky in which it appears, the Andromeda constellation, which was named after the mythological princess Andromeda. At an apparent magnitude of 3.4, the Andromeda Galaxy is notable for being one of the brightest Messier objects,[13] making it visible to the naked eye on moonless nights even when viewed from areas with moderate light pollution. Although it appears more than six times as wide as the full Moon when photographed through a larger telescope, only the brighter central region is visible to the naked eye or when viewed using a binoculars or a small telescope. Telescope: William Optics FLT98 @ f5/490mm Reducer: Televue TRF2008 Mount: HEQ5 Pro Camera: ATIK383L+Guiding: SSAG + Vixen 50mm Viewfinder Filters: Baader LRGB+Ha Total Exposure: ~8h Location: Gytheio - Greece

M74 Galaxy

M74 is a beautiful face-on spiral galaxy located in the constellation of Pisces. It is an archetypal example of a Grand Design spiral galaxy that was discovered by Pierre Méchain sometime during September 1780. Méchain then reported his discovery to Charles Messier, who subsequently determined its position and catalogued it on October 18, 1780. With a magnitude of +9.4, M74 is not a faint galaxy but it does suffer from low surface brightness and can be difficult to locate even with just a hint of light pollution. As a result, it is widely regarded as one of the more difficult Messier objects. Telescope: GSO RC10 Camera: QSI 683 Mount: Astrophysics Mach1 GTO Filters: Astrodon Gen II LRGB + Ha Total Exposure: 12h Location: Gythion, Greece

Pinwheel Galaxy - M101

The Pinwheel Galaxy (also known as Messier 101 or NGC 5457) is a face-on spiral galaxy distanced 25 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major.M101 is a relatively large galaxy compared to the Milky Way. With a diameter of 170,000 light-years it is nearly twice the size of the Milky Way. It has a disk mass on the order of 100 billion solar masses, along with a small bulge of about 3 billion solar masses.Another remarkable property of this galaxy is its huge and extremely bright H II regions, of which a total of about 3,000 can be seen on photographs.[citation needed] H II regions usually accompany the enormous clouds of high density molecular hydrogen gas contracting under their own gravitational force where stars form. H II regions are ionized by large numbers of extremely bright and hot young stars.M101 can be seen to be asymmetrical on one side. It is thought that in the recent past (speaking in galactic terms) M101 underwent a near collision with another galaxy and the associated gravitational tidal forces caused the asymmetry. In addition, this encounter also amplified the density waves in the spiral arms of M101. The amplification of these waves leads to the compression of the interstellar hydrogen gas, which then triggers strong star formation activity Scope: Vixen VC200L Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro Camera: ATIK 314L mono Filters: Baader LRGB +Ha 7nm Total exposure: 9h Location: Gythio, Greece

Hercules Cluster - M13

If you look to the east at night with a telescope on June, you may see a bright cluster of stars with a powerful name and a discovery story that dates back to the 18th century. The cluster is an especially beautiful Messier object known as the great globular cluster M13, in the constellation Hercules, which stands high in the eastern sky at dusk. Because of its location, the cluster is sometimes known as the Globular Cluster of Hercules. Telescope: GSO RC10 Camera: QSI683L Filters: Astrodon GenII LRGB Total Exposure: 10h Subframes: L bin1x1 , Colour bin2x2 Location: Mavrovounion Lakonias, Greece

Ghost Nebula - VDB141

Ghosts chasing each other in Cepheus. VdB 141, a reflection nebula located in Cepheus Telescope: GSO RC10 (Reduced to f.5.6) Camera: QSI683L Filters: Astrodon Gen II LRGB Location: Mavrovounion Lakonias / Greece

The Elephant's Trunk nebula - IC 1396

The Elephant's Trunk nebula is a concentration of interstellar gas and dust within the much larger ionized gas region IC 1396 located in the constellation Cepheus about 2,400 light years away from Earth. The piece of the nebula shown here is the dark, dense globule IC 1396A; it is commonly called the Elephant's Trunk nebula because of its appearance at visible light wavelengths, where there is a dark patch with a bright, sinuous rim. The bright rim is the surface of the dense cloud that is being illuminated and ionized by a very bright, massive star (HD 206267) that is just to the west of IC 1396A. (In the Figure above, the massive star is just to the left of the edge of the image.) The entire IC 1396 region is ionized by the massive star, except for dense globules that can protect themselves from the star's harsh ultraviolet rays. Telescope: GSO RC 10 Mount: Astrophysics Mach 1 GTO Camera: ST10-XME Filters: Astrodon Gen2 LRGB+Ha Total Exposure: 8h

The Baby Eagle Nebula (LBN 777)

Dark nebulae structures are forming a baby eagle shape. This target is rarely imaged. Very close to Pleiades this frame is a part of the Taurus molecular cloud. Telescope: Takahashi FSQ85 Camera: SBIG ST10XME Filters: Baader LRGB Location: Parnon, Greece @1430m

Lbn 468, Ldn 1148, 1155, 1158, Rno 124 Cepheus

Reflection and dark nebulae in Cepheus cataloged by Beverly T. Lynds Catalogue of Bright Nebulae 1965 and Catalog of Dark Nebulae 1962. Herbig-Haro 215 is also called Gyulbudaghian’s Nebula.This little-known variable reflection nebula is similar to Hubble’s variable nebula. This nebula changes brightness and shape over many months or years. Armen Gyulbudaghian is a Russian astronomer at Byurakan Observatory. He discovered this nebula in 1977, Apparently during a survey for new Herbig-Haro objects.The object as a whole is known as HH 215; the reflection nebula is officially cataloged as GM 1-29 (Magakyan — the “M” — was co-author on the discovery paper). At the heart of the Herbig-Haro object lies the variable Herbig AbBe pre-main sequence star PV Cephei.This is a newly formed star that is surrounded by a rotating disk of material. At right angles to this disk are two jets of material, streaming away from the star at high speeds Telescope: Officina Stellare Veloce RH200 Mount: Astrophysics Mach1 GTO Guiding: TS-OAG9 / Lodestar Camera: ATIK 383L+ Mono Filters: Baader LRGB Total Exposure: 6.5h Subexposures: LRGB 5min Location: Mt Parnon 18-20 July 2012

Triffid Nebula - M20

Camera: Lum: QSI 683L, Color ATIK314L Telescopes: GSO RC10 Reduced to f/5.6 (Lum) WO FLT98 (Color) Mount: Astrophysics Mach 1 GTO + Skywatcher HEQ5 Filters: LRGB Location: Both in Mt Parnon

VDB 152

Described as a dusty curtain or ghostly apparition a mysterious reflection nebula VdB 152 really is very faint. Far from your neighborhood on this Halloween Night, the cosmic phantom is nearly 1,400 light-years away. Also cataloged as Ced 201, it lies along the northern Milky Way in the royal constellation Cepheus. Near the edge of a large molecular cloud, pockets of interstellar dust in the region block light from background stars or scatter light from the embedded bright star giving parts of the nebula a characteristic blue color. Ultraviolet light from the star is also thought to cause a dim reddish luminescence in the nebular dust. Telescope: WIlliam Optics FLT98 Alu Camera: ATIK 383L+ FIlters: Baader LRGB Total Exposure: 7h

NGC 1333 Nebula and Stardust

NGC 1333 is seen in visible light as a reflection nebula, dominated by bluish hues characteristic of starlight reflected by dust. A mere 1,000 light-years distant toward the heroic constellation Perseus, it lies at the edge of a large, star-forming molecular cloud. This image shows details of the dusty region along with hints of contrasting red emission from Herbig-Haro objects, jets and shocked glowing gas emanating from recently formed stars. In fact, NGC 1333 contains hundreds of stars less than a million years old, most still hidden from optical telescopes by the pervasive stardust. The chaotic environment may be similar to one in which our own Sun formed over 4.5 billion years ago. Telescope: Officina Stellare RH200 Mount: Astrophysics Mach1 GTO Camera: QSI 683 Mono Filters: Astrodon Gen 2 LRGB Total Exposure: 7h Location: Mt Parnon

Markarian's Chain in Virgo

Markarian's Chain is a stretch of galaxies that forms part of the Virgo Cluster. It is called "chain" because, when viewed from Earth, the galaxies lie along a smoothly curved line. It was named after the Armenian astrophysicist, B. E. Markarian, who discovered their common motion in the early 1960s. Member galaxies include M84 (NGC 4374), M86 (NGC 4406), NGC 4477, NGC 4473, NGC 4461, NGC 4458, NGC 4438 and NGC 4435. Telescope: Takahashi FSQ 85ED Camera: QSI 683L Filters: Astrodon LRGB Gen2 Location: Mt Parnon, Greece (2014-2016 data collected on every May)

Whirlpool Galaxy - M51

Whirlpool Galaxy - M51 The graceful, winding arms of the majestic spiral galaxy M51 appear like a grand spiral staircase sweeping through space. They are actually long lanes of stars and gas laced with dust. Such striking arms are a hallmark of so-called grand-design spiral galaxies. In M51, also known as the Whirlpool galaxy, these arms serve an important purpose: they are star-formation factories, compressing hydrogen gas and creating clusters of new stars. Telescope: GSO RC10 Camera: Sbig ST10XME Filters: Baader LRGB Total exposure: 15h Autofocus: Pegasus Astro Ultimate Powerbox + Pegasus MFK Acquisition using SGPro Location: Near Gythion Lakonias, Greece

Sombrero Galaxy - M104

The Sombrero Galaxy (also known as Messier Object 104, M104 or NGC 4594) is an unbarred spiral galaxy in the constellationVirgo located 28 megalight-years (8,600 kpc) from Earth. It has a bright nucleus, an unusually large central bulge, and a prominent dust lane in its inclined disk. The dark dust lane and the bulge give this galaxy the appearance of a sombrero. Astronomers initially thought that the halo was small and light, indicative of a spiral galaxy. But Spitzer found that halo around the Sombrero Galaxy is larger and more massive than previously thought, indicative of a giant elliptical galaxy.. The large bulge, the central supermassive black hole, and the dust lane all attract the attention of professional astronomers. Telescope: GSO – RC10 Camera: ATIK 4000 Mount: Astrophysics Mach1 GTO Filters: LRGB Total exposure: 7h Localtion : Near Gythion Lakonia / Greece