Browse by Artist
The Antenna Galaxies by Dave Collings
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
NGC4038/NGC4039: Antenna Galaxies
This is the Antenna Galaxies NGC4038/NGC4039 I just completed two days ago. This target is normally imaged by the big guns 24” PW in Chile because it is more of a Southern Hemisphere target. However, this image will show the power of a PlaneWave 12.5”CDK telescope in the Northern Hemisphere. The highest altitude this target gets here is 32 degrees in North Carolina. This was an incredible shoot for the PlaneWave 12.5” CDK. Let me know what you think.
- PlaneWave 12.5” CDK telescope with the PW 0.66 Reducer captured this image at a MAX height of 32 degrees.
- I have about 15 hours in this LRGB image of the Antenna Galaxies.
- All sub-frames were captured at 300 sec.
- Astrophysics 1100GTO CP4 mount was used with the ATIK 16200 Mono main camera.
- ATIK EFW3 filter wheel with LRGB HA, OIII, and SII Chroma filters.
The Antennae Galaxies (also known as NGC 4038/NGC 4039) are a pair of interacting galaxies in the constellation, Corvus. They are currently going through a starburst phase, in which the collision of clouds of gas and dust with entangled magnetic fields, causes rapid star formation. The nuclei of the two galaxies are joining to become one giant galaxy. Most galaxies probably undergo at least one significant collision in their lifetimes.
David Collings – Blue Ridge Observatory | Sparta, North Carolina USA
SH2-308 by Dave Collings
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
SH2-308: Dolphin Head Nebula
This is the Dolphin Head Nebula (SH2-308) imaged in HOO. Sh2-308, commonly known as the Dolphin-Head Nebula, is an H II region located near the center of the constellation Canis Major, composed of ionized hydrogen. The nebula is bubble-like and surrounds a Wolf–Rayet star named EZ Canis Majoris. This star is in the brief, pre-supernova phase of its stellar evolution. The nebula is about 4,530 light-years away from Earth but some sources indicate that both the star and the nebula are up to 5,870 ly away.
The Dolphin Head Nebula took me 3 weeks to gather the data to finish. The OIII signal is weak so it takes a lot of hours to get the details to pop in the Blue Oxygen. The Ha is much fainter but adds to the overall beauty of the image. You can see the Dolphin’s head, mouth, eye, nose, and awesome details. Really cool to look at and amazing that these beautiful nebulas are out there for us to image and share with the world.
- Plane Wave 12.5” CDK with the 0.66 PW Reducer sitting on an Astro-Physics AP1100GTO CP4 mount.
- My main camera is the ATIK 16200 Mono with EFW3 Filter Wheel with Chroma narrowband filters.
- Guider is an Astromania 400mm refractor with an ASI 290MM guide camera.
- Total integration time was >12 hours of OIII and Ha.
David Collings – Blue Ridge Observatory | Sparta, North Carolina USA
Sh2-112 by Rod Pommier
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
Rod Pommier – Pommier Observatory | Portland, Oregon USA
PlaneWave Equatorial Wedge and Pier Adapter Plate
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
PlaneWave Equatorial Wedge and Pier Adapter Plate
“The PlaneWave L500 mount is mounted equatorially on the observatory pier via a PlaneWave Wedge. The Wedge is attached to a PlaneWave Pier Adaptor Plate, which is bolted to the concrete pier. The wedge has adjustment bolts that allow the polar alignment to be adjusted +/- three degrees in both azimuth and altitude. The PlaneWave Pointing Model software will plate solve images and determine the error in the polar alignment and advise how many turns of the azimuth and altitude adjustment knobs are needed to achieve better polar alignment. After that, the Pointing Model will compensate out virtually all errors and the L500 will beautifully center targets. Of course, with a fork mount, no pier flips are ever required.”
Rod Pommier – Pommier Observatory | Portland, Oregon USA
CDK400 System
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
PlaneWave CDK400 System
“The new imaging system in the new Pommier Observatory is a PlaneWave CDK400 system. A CDK 400 system consists of a CDK17 (17-inch) telescope mounted on an L500 mount.
The CDK17 is a fantastic telescope. It is fast, at f/6.8. The optics are truly superb. It produces a completely flat field with stunning clarity and pinpoint stars from corner to corner of my 35 mm CCD chip. It has a fused silica mirror and carbon fiber trusses that resist expansion and contraction and hold sharp focus throughout the night regardless of how much the ambient temperature changes. The CDK17 has many built-in fans that help it reach ambient temperature quickly and blow air across the primary mirror surface to remove the boundary layer of air that can blur images. I added several accessories to the CDK17, like the IRF90 rotator/focuser, the Electronic Focuser Accessory, and the Delta-T Heater dew control system. See those pages for details on them.
The L500 is an equally amazing mount. It is direct drive, so it has no gears and therefore no periodic error and no backlash. Once it builds a pointing model, it precisely centers targets on the CCD chip. It tracks flawlessly for long periods of time. Although I usually still auto-guide when there is a suitable guide star (see page on the IRF90), I can also now image subjects with no available guides star by just letting the L500 run all by itself and I still get perfectly round stars even with long sub-exposures. This enables me to image subjects I never could with my Compustar C14 due to lack of a suitable guide star. The L500 has through-the-mount cabling to prevent cable wrap.”
Check out Rod Pommier’s PlaneWave page, here!
Rod Pommier – Pommier Observatory | Portland, Oregon USA
Pommier Observatory
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
Pommier Observatory: 10’6′ Ash Dome
“This is the new Pommier Observatory. It consists of a 10’6” diameter Ash Dome on a supporting structure building. I absolutely love this new dome. It is the real thing!
It has independent upper and lower shutters. The lower shutter covers the sky from the horizon up to 30 degrees above the horizon and I will rarely image things in that part of the sky. Therefore, I can leave the lower shutter closed and it greatly reduces stray ambient light in the dome. The shutter motors are quiet and the dome rotation motor is very quiet.
The door is below the dome and I can enter and leave as often as I want without interrupting imaging. The dome electronics keep the dome slot centered on the telescope’s position and updates every few seconds, so it tracks my targets across the sky flawlessly.
An enormous advantage of a dome observatory compared to a roll-off roof observatory is protection from the wind. Wind will not enter the dome through the dome slot, simply because it has no exit. So the telescope remains rock steady for imaging even on the windiest of nights. Wind can still hit a telescope in a roll-off roof observatory and shake it, leading to jiggly stars. Also, wind hits a flat wall of a roll-off roof observatory and creates turbulence that spills over the telescope, degrading seeing conditions. In contrast, wind will flow smoothly around the curved surfaces of a dome observatory maintaining better seeing conditions.”
Rod Pommier – Pommier Observatory | Portland, Oregon USA
Horsehead Nebula by Rod Pommier
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
B33: The Horsehead Nebula in Orion
- Unguided
- Taken with a CDK17 on an L-500 Series Mount
- Total exposure time over 26 hours
Rod Pommier – Pommier Observatory | Portland, Oregon USA
Rosette Nebula by Dave Collings
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
Rosette Nebula
“The Rosette Nebula is an H II region located near one end of a giant molecular cloud in the Monoceros region of the Milky Way Galaxy. The open cluster NGC 2244 (Caldwell 50) is closely associated with the nebulosity, the stars of the cluster having been formed from the nebula’s matter. The cluster and nebula lie at a distance of 5,000 light-years from Earth and measure roughly 130 light years in diameter. The radiation from the young stars excites the atoms in the nebula, causing them to emit radiation themselves producing the emission nebula we see. The mass of the nebula is estimated to be around 10,000 solar masses.
- PlaneWave Instruments 12.5” CDK with 0.66 PW reducer to capture the image.
- Main camera is the ATIK 16200 Mono with EFW-3 filter wheel and Chroma filters.
- The mount is an Astro-Physics AP1100 GTO CP4.
- Total integration time is over 20 hours of Ha, OIII, & SII from 4 quadrants of images to make up this beautiful Mosaic.
- It took over 3 weeks to capture all the images required to process this Mosaic.
David Collings – Blue Ridge Observatory | Sparta, North Carolina USA
M75 by Rod Pommier
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
M75 in Sagittarius
Rod Pommier – Pommier Observatory | Portland, Oregon USA
M13 by Rick Schneider
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
M13: The Hercules Cluster
- June 6, 2023
- PlaneWave CDK12.5
- Paramount MX+ mount
- QHYCCD QHY268M
- LRGB, 1 hrs integration
- Bortle 7 skies
LBN 777: “Baby Eagle” Nebula by Ted Wolfe
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
LBN 777: “Baby Eagle” Nebula
- Captured with the PlaneWave CDK 12.5
- Taken in the Atacama Desert, Chile
NGC 6960: The Witch’s Broom Nebula by Rod Pommier
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
NGC 6960: The Witch’s Broom Nebula, in Cygnus
NGC 6960, the Witch’s Broom (also Western Veil or Sharpless 103) Nebula is a remnant from a supernova about 10,000 years ago. Its amazing filamentary structure is due to compression of expanding shells of gas as they meet the resistance of the interstellar medium. That much of what we see as “empty” space is filled with dark dust is evidenced by there being more background stars visible below the nebula, where it has swept space clear of dust, than above it. The bright star, 52 Cygni, is a type K star and a foreground object with no physical association with the nebula but adds to the drama of the image. Please compare this image to my previous image of it taken with my Celestron Compustar C14, shown under Nebulae. The difference in sharpness, clarity, and detail is jaw-dropping.
Telescope & Mount: PlaneWave CDK17 on an L-500 mount
Exposures: Ha:L:R:G:B = 300:245:95:95:95 minutes = 11 hours, 40 minutes total exposure at f/6.8.
Rod Pommier – Pommier Observatory | Portland, Oregon USA
M33: The Pinwheel Galaxy by Rod Pommier
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
M33: The Pinwheel Galaxy, in Triangulum
Rod Pommier – Pommier Observatory | Portland, Oregon USA
IC1871 by Rick Schneider
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
IC 1871: “The Whirling Dervish in the Soul Nebula”
- Nov. 14, 2023
- PlaneWave CDK12.5, .66 reducer
- Paramount MX+
- QHYCCD QHY268M
- Narrowband (SHO), 20 hours integration
- Bortle 7 skies
NGC6946 by Rick Schneider
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
NGC 6946: “The Fireworks Galaxy”
- Nov. 6, 2023
- PlaneWave CDK17
- Paramount ME mount
- Apogee Alta U16M
- LRGB, 2.5 hrs integration
- Bortle 4 skies
IC63 by Rick Schneider
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
IC 63: “Ghost of Cassiopeia”
- Oct. 18, 2023
- PlaneWave CDK12.5, .66 reducer
- Paramount MX+
- QHYCCD QHY268M
- Narrowband (SHO), 20 hours integration
- Bortle 7 skies
Draco Triplet by Rick Schneider
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
Draco Triplet
- Jul. 22, 2023
- PlaneWave CDK12.5, .66 reducer
- Paramount MX+
- QHYCCD QHY268M
- LRGB , 17 hours integration
- Bortle 7 skies
M101 by Rick Schneider
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
M101: “The Pinwheel Galaxy- with Supernova”
- May 31, 2023
- PlaneWave CDK12.5, .66 reducer
- Paramount MX+
- QHYCCD QHY268M
- LRGB , 5 hours integration
- Bortle 7 skies
M51 by Rick Schneider
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
M51: “The Whirlpool Galaxy”
- May 19, 2023
- PlaneWave CDK12.5, .66 reducer
- Paramount MX+
- QHYCCD QHY268M
- LRGB , 5 hours integration
- Bortle 7 skies
Rick Schneider Observatory
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
PlaneWave CDK12.5 setup in my backyard.
Flip-roof 7’x7′ observatory
SH2-188 by Rick Shcneider
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
SH2-188
- Jan 1, 2024
- PlaneWave CDK12.5, .66 reducer
- Paramount MX+
- QHYCCD QHY268M
- Narrowband (HOO), RGB Stars, 18 hours integration
- Bortle 7 skies
SH2-155 by Rick Shneider
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
SH2-155: “The Cave Nebula”
- Oct. 3, 2023
- PlaneWave CDK12.5, .66 reducer
- Paramount MX+
- QHYCCD QHY268M
- Narrowband (SHO), 26 hours integration
- Bortle 7 skies
NGC 7380 by Rick Schneider
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
NGC 7380: “The Wizard”
- Aug. 31, 2023
- PlaneWave CDK12.5, .66 reducer
- Paramount MX+
- QHYCCD QHY268M
- Narrowband (SHO), RGB stars, 18 hours integration
- Bortle 7 skies
NGC 7023 by Rick Schneider
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
NGC 7023: “The Iris Nebula”
- Sept. 25, 2023
- PlaneWave CDK17
- Paramount ME mount
- Apogee Alta U16M
- LRGB, 2.5 hrs integration
- Bortle 4 skies
Stephan’s Quintet by Rick Schneider
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
“Stephan’s Quintet”
- Sept. 14, 2023
- PlaneWave CDK12.5, .66 reducer
- Paramount MX+
- QHYCCD QHY268M
- LRGB, 20 hours integration
- Bortle 7 skies
NGC281 by Dave Collings
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
NGC281: “The Pacman Nebula”
This is “The Pacman Nebula” NGC281 that I imaged in SHO Narrowband “Hubble Palette.” Took two weeks due to the weather and the number of hours required. You will find it incredible with the resolution of any APOD out there now and captured with a Plane Wave 12.5” CDK!
- I have a total of 16 hours in this image consisting of 5 hours Ha, 6 hours OIII, and 5 hours of SII.
- The telescope is the Plane Wave Instruments 12.5” CDK with the PW 0.66 Reducer sitting on the Astro-Physics 1100GTO CP4 mount.
- Filters used are Chroma Ha, OII, and SII narrowband.
- Main camera is the ATIK 16200 Mono with ATIK EFW 2.2 filter wheel.
- Guide scope is the Astromania 400mm Refractor and ASI 290 guide camera.
NGC281 is a bright emission nebula and part of an HII region in the northern constellation of Cassiopeia and is part of the Milky Way’s Perseus Spiral Arm. It is located at a distance of 9,500 light-years from Earth. It has a magnitude of ~ 7.4. Long-exposure photography is necessary, preferably using narrowband H-alpha, Sulfer II and Oxygen III filters where the most details are resolved.
David Collings – Blue Ridge Observatory | Sparta, North Carolina USA
NGC1333 by Dave Collings
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
NGC1333 : Reflection Nebula
- Imaged on November 18 through November 20th capturing 16 hours of LRGB data.
- Plane Wave 12.5 CDK with the PW 0.66 reducer
- Astro-Physics 1100GTO CP4 mount.
- Main camera used is the ATIK 16200 Mono with Chroma filters.
- Guider scope is the Astromania 400mm Refractor and ASI290mm guide camera.
- The integration time was 7 hours Luminance, and 3 hours each for RGB for a total of 16 hours all 5 minute sub frames.
“NGC1333 is located in the northern constellation Perseus, positioned next to the southern constellation border with Taurus and Aries. The nebula is visible as a hazy patch in a small telescope, while a larger aperture will show a pair of dark nebulae designated Barnard 1 and Barnard 2. It is associated with a dark cloud L1450 (Barnard 205). Estimates of the distance to this nebula range from 980–1,140 light years from Earth. It contains a fairly typical hierarchy of star clusters that are still embedded in the molecular cloud in which they formed.”
David Collings – Blue Ridge Observatory | Sparta, North Carolina USA
IC63/IC59 by Dave Collings
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
IC63 / IC59: “The Ghost of Cassiopeia”
“IC 63, also known as “The Ghost of Cassiopeia”, is an area of molecular hydrogen clouds and dust located 550 light-years away in the constellation of Cassiopeia. This region is both an emission nebula and a reflection nebula. The gas and dust in this region are bombarded with radiation from the bright star Gamma Cassiopeia. This Blue-White Giant star that forms the middle star in the “W” form made by the constellation.”
- Total of 26 hours in this image due to the difficulty of it being so dim with minimal OIII signal.
- The image has 6 hours of Ha, 11 Hours of OIII, and 9 hours of SII. It was imaged on 4 different evenings taking over 2 1/2 weeks to collect the data.
- Plane Wave 12.5”CDK with 0.66 PW reducer sitting on an Astro-Physics 1100GTO CP4 mount.
- Main camera is an ATIK 16200 Mono with Chroma filters. This image is an SHO narrowband stacked and edited in PixInsight.
David Collings – Blue Ridge Observatory | Sparta, North Carolina USA
M33 by Dave Collings
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
M33: “The Triangulum Galaxy”
“M33, (The Triangulum Galaxy) is such a beautiful target to image. M33 is located 2.73 million light years from earth in the constellation Triangulum. It is a spiral galaxy like our Milky Way but slightly less than half the size. M33 has a lot of star formation areas occurring as seen in the image in the beautiful clusters and Ha regions. It took me 3 days to capture all the data, but it was worth it.
- Image time is 5 hours Luminance, 4 hours Ha, 1.5 hours of each RGB for a total of 13.5 hours.
- This was imaged with my Plane Wave 12.5″ CDK telescope with the 0.66 PW Reducer sitting on the Astro-Physics 1100 GTO CP4 mount.
- My main camera is the ATIK 16200 Mono using Chroma filters. I stacked and edited the sub-frames using PixInsight.
It is a stunning beautiful image to capture and it was a pleasure imaging it again. It has been 5 years since I last imaged it.”
David Collings – Blue Ridge Observatory | Sparta, North Carolina USA
https://www.blueridge-observatory.com
WR134 by Dave Collings
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
WR 134: “The Blue Dolphin”
- Processed and captured as a HOO narrowband.
- 16 hours of just OIII and another 7 hours of Ha to make this image appear in all its splendor.
- I imaged WR 134 from 8-20-2023 to 9-16-2023 for many evening sessions (1 month) of imaging to get enough data to pull out the details!
- PlaneWave CDK12.5
- PW 0.66 reducer
- ATIK 16200 Mono main camera with Chroma narrowband filters.
- Mount is an Astro-Physics 1100GTO CP4.
“The details of the Dolphin are incredible making it easy to identify the nose, head, body, eye, dorsal fin, and tail fin. What a great target for the Planewave 12.5” CDK to show off its capabilities. Very pleased with my final stack image of WR 134. ”
David Collings – Blue Ridge Observatory | Sparta, North Carolina USA
CED214 by Dave Collings
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
CED214: “The Emission Nebula”
Check out the details of the rising pillars of dust and smoke from new young star formations.
- This was imaged beginning on 8-31-2-23 and finished on 9-9-2023.
- 18 hours of Ha, OIII, and SII were imaged to stack this beautiful nebula in SHO narrowband.
- Planewave 12.5” CDK
- PW 0.66 reducer
- Main camera: ATIK 16200 Mono captured this incredible detail
- Mount is the Astro-Physics 1100GTO CP4
- Filters used for these sub-frames are Chroma narrowband filters
David Collings – Blue Ridge Observatory | Sparta, North Carolina USA
The Western Veil Nebula by James Turner
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
NGC 6960: The Western Veil Nebula
Optics: 24 inch f6.8 PlaneWave Corrected Dall-Kirkham
Mount: Astrophysics 3600GTOPE
Camera: Apogee Alta U16M, Astrodon MonsterMOAG
Filter: Astrodon 3 nm Ha, OIII, SII
Dates: Oct 20, 2011 – Oct 31, 2011
Location: Covington Observatory, Englewood, Colorado
Exposure : Two frame mosaic, 20 minute subs, 12 hours total time
Acquisition: MaxIm DL, ACP
Processing: MaxIm DL, Adobe Photoshop CS5
www.deepskygallery.com | © Turner, James
M33 by James Turner
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
M33: Galaxy in Triangulum
Optics: 24-inch f6.8 PlaneWave Corrected Dall-Kirkham
Mount: Astrophysics 3600GTOPE
Camera: Apogee Alta U16M, Astrodon MonsterMOAG
Filter: Astrodon LRGB
Dates: Sep 3 – Sep 30, 2011
Location: Covington Observatory, Englewood, Colorado
Exposure: LRGB, 20 min subs; 24 hours total time
Acquisition: MaxIm DL, ACP
Processing: MaxIm DL, Adobe Photoshop CS5
www.deepskygallery.com | © Turner, James
The Pelican Nebula by Dave Collings
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
IC5070: “The Pelican Nebula”
- Plane Wave Instruments 12.5” CDK telescope with the PW 0.63 reducer on the Astro-Physics 1100 GTO CP4 mount.
- Main camera is the ATIK 16200 Mono with Chroma Filters capturing this beautiful 11 hours of Narrowband Ha-OIII-SII.
- Subframe captures were 5 minutes each for the Ha-OIII-SII.
“The details show an active mix of star formations and evolving gas clouds. The foreground has a dark dust molecular cloud.”
David Collings – Blue Ridge Observatory | Sparta, North Carolina USA
M22 by Dave Collings
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
This is M22 sitting in the middle of the Milky Way, a stunning amount of stars!
- Captured with my Plane Wave Instruments 12.5” CDK telescope with the PW 0.63 reducer on the Astro-Physics 1100 GTO CP4 mount.
- My main camera is the ATIK 16200 Mono capturing this beautiful 5-hour LRGB Globular Cluster nestled in our Milky Way.
Being 3000 ft up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of NC allows for very dark skies yielding good details of the massive amount of stars in our Milky Way galaxy. Subframe captures were 60 secs each for Luminance and 120 secs each for RGB.
M22 has an estimated 80,000 Suns in its cluster. The age of M22 is estimated to be 12 billion years and is only 10,000 light years from Earth located in Sagittarius.
David Collings – Blue Ridge Observatory | Sparta, North Carolina USA
The Crescent Nebula by Dave Collings
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
NGC6888: “The Crescent Nebula”
- Plane Wave Instruments 12.5” CDK telescope with the PW 0.63 reducer on the Astro-Physics 1100 GTO CP4 mount.
- Main camera is the ATIK 16200 Mono with Chroma filters for HA, OIII, and SII.
- Imaged in narrowband HOO for 8 hours total with 4 hours of Ha and 4 hours of OIII.
- Stacked as a bi-color image with Ha to Red, OIII to Green, and Blue with some pixel math allowing some Ha to the Blue channel.
“NGC6888 is an emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus, about 5000 light-years away from Earth. NGC6888 has an apparent magnitude of 7.4. It is formed by the fast stellar wind from the Wolf-Rayet star (WR 136) colliding with and energizing the slower-moving wind ejected by the star when it became a red giant star. The result of the collision is a shell and two shock waves, one moving outward and one moving inward revealing the beautiful OIII and Ha of the Crescent.
Being 3000 ft up in the Blue Ridge Mountains allows for very dark skies yielding good details of deep space objects.”
David Collings – Blue Ridge Observatory | Sparta, North Carolina USA
M63 ‘The Sun Flower Galaxy’ by Dave Collings
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
M63: The Sun Flower Galaxy
This is M63 ‘The Sun Flower Galaxy’. It took me 6 weeks to capture all the data needed for this LRGB image due to weathering. I finally got it done after capturing 10 hours of LRGB data.
- Plane Wave 12.5” CDK telescope with the PW 0.66 Reducer on an Astro Physics 1100 GTO CP4 mount.
- Main camera is an ATIK 16200 Mono CCD with an ATIK EFW3 Filter wheel with Chroma LRGB Ha & OIII, SII, HA 3nm filters.
- Guide scope is Astromania 400mm Refractor with an ASI 290mm guide camera.
- A total of 10 hours of imaging was used to create this beautiful LRGB image of M63 “The Sun Flower Galaxy’.
- All sub-frames were 300 sec. each gathering 4 hours of Luminance, 2 hours each Red, Green and Blue.
- Voyager software is used for capture and running the entire observatory. PixInsight was used for stacking the subs and editing to bring out all the fine detail of M63.
“I imaged M63 ‘The Sun Flower Galaxy’ 5 years ago that was published in Sky & Telescope magazine, but this image, today, of M63 using my Plane Wave 12.5” CDK telescope is 3 times the quality and details my old published image from just 5 years ago! Again, it sure says a lot about Plane Wave telescopes!”
David Collings – Blue Ridge Observatory | Sparta, North Carolina USA
Supernova Discovered in M101- The Pinwheel Galaxy
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
“This is an extremely rare event that I captured on May 24, 2023.
When I heard NASA thought they saw a super Nova in one of the spiral arms of M101 on May 23rd, I imaged M101 again on May 24th. I did very clearly see the new huge Super Nova, an extremely rare event to image.
They are in black and white by inverting the images to make it easier to see all the stars in the galaxy and the Super Nova.
- The image of M101 on the left was 12 hours of LRGB data inverted and B&W.
- The image on the right capturing the Super Nova in M101 was only 15 minutes of Luminance data only!
That says a lot about the Plane Wave 12.5” CDK !!”
The picture above depicts the original color image published in April, M101 by Dave Collings, now alongside M101 imaged on May 24, 2023.
David Collings – Blue Ridge Observatory | Sparta, North Carolina USA
Eta Carinae by Ted Wolfe
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
- Captured with the PlaneWave CDK 12.5
- Taken in the Atacama Desert, Chile
Vela Supernova by Ted Wolfe
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
- Captured with the PlaneWave CDK 12.5
- Total of 6.5 hours of imaging
- ZWO ASI6200 CMOS
- Taken in the Atacama Desert, Chile
- Processing was on Prism, Maxim DL, Registar, and Photoshop CS6.
Cosmic Bat Nebula by Dave Collings
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
LDN-43: “The Cosmic Bat Nebula”
- Plane Wave 12.5” CDK telescope with the PW 0.66 Reducer on an Astro Physics 1100 GTO CP4 mount.
- Main camera is an ATIK 16200 Mono CCD with an ATIK EFW3 Filter wheel with Chroma LRGB Ha & OIII, SII, and HA 3nm filters.
- Guide scope is Astromania 400mm Refractor with an ASI 290mm guide camera.
- A total of 9 hours of imaging was used to create this beautiful LRGB image of LDN-43 “The Cosmic Bat Nebula”. All sub-frames were 300 sec.
- 4 hours of Luminance, 2 hours of red, and 1.5 hours of Green and Blue.
“It has amazing detail that even blew me away for a 12.5” Plane Wave Telescope. What a joy to capture this target.”
David Collings – Blue Ridge Observatory | Sparta, North Carolina USA
NGC4725 by Dave Collings
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
A beautiful galaxy about 41 Million light years from Earth and spans 100,000 light-years across!
- Image shot in LRGB. 7 hours Luminance, 2 hrs. Red, 2 hrs. Blue and 2 hrs. Green for a total of 13 hours. All sub-frames were 300 sec. exposures.
- Plane Wave 12.5” CDK telescope with the PW 0.66 Reducer on an Astro Physics 1100 GTO CP4 mount.
- Main camera is an ATIK 16200 Mono CCD with an ATIK EFW3 Filter wheel with Chroma LRGBHa & OIII, SII, and HA 3nm filters.
- Guide scope is Astromania 400mm Refractor with an ASI 290mm guide camera.
David Collings – Blue Ridge Observatory | Sparta, North Carolina USA
M101 Pinwheel by Dave Collings
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
The M101 Pinwheel stacked after 14 hours of HaLRBG. Captured with the PlaneWave 12.5 CDK telescope.
David Collings – Blue Ridge Observatory | Sparta, North Carolina USA
M100 by Dave Collings
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
Captured in LRGB 9-hour image all of 300-sec subframes with the PlaneWave 12.5 CDK telescope.
David Collings – Blue Ridge Observatory | Sparta, North Carolina USA
M104 Sombrero by Dave Collings
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
The M104 Sombrero in an LRGB 9-hour image all of 300-sec subframes. Captured with our PlaneWave 12.5 CDK telescope.
David Collings – Blue Ridge Observatory | Sparta, North Carolina USA
IC443 Jelly Fish Nebula by Dave Collings
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
Imaged over 3 evenings during a Gibbous Moon! This narrowband image was captured on March 29, March 30 and April 2, 2023 by David Collings at the Blue Ridge Observatory in Sparta, NC.
Captured with our PlaneWave 12.5” CDK telescope using Chroma filters, 3 hrs. of Ha, 3 hrs. of SII and 3 hrs. of OIII for a total of 9 hours imaging.
NGC2359 Thor’s Helmet by Dave Collings
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
David Collings – Blue Ridge Observatory | Sparta, North Carolina USA
M20 Trifid Nebula by Dave Collings
Submitted by Chelsea Chin
David Collings – Blue Ridge Observatory | Sparta, North Carolina USA
M27 Dumbbell Nebula by Dave Collings
Submitted by support@hoydenbranding.com
David Collings – Blue Ridge Observatory | Sparta, North Carolina USA
NGC7635 Bubble Nebula by Dave Collings
Submitted by support@hoydenbranding.com
David Collings – Blue Ridge Observatory | Sparta, North Carolina USA
M16 Eagle Nebula by Dave Collings
Submitted by support@hoydenbranding.com
Imaged in HOS Narrowband with a PlaneWave CDK12.5.
David Collings – Blue Ridge Observatory | Sparta, North Carolina USA
NGC4631 Whale Galaxy by Dave Collings
Submitted by support@hoydenbranding.com
David Collings – Blue Ridge Observatory | Sparta, North Carolina USA
IC405 Flaming Star Nebula by Dave Collings
Submitted by support@hoydenbranding.com
David Collings – Blue Ridge Observatory | Sparta, North Carolina USA
NGC7293 Helix Nebula by Dave Collings
Submitted by support@hoydenbranding.com
David Collings – Blue Ridge Observatory | Sparta, North Carolina USA
IC1795 Fish Head Nebula by Dave Collings
Submitted by support@hoydenbranding.com
David Collings – Blue Ridge Observatory | Sparta, North Carolina USA
M78 Reflection Nebula by Dave Collings
Submitted by support@hoydenbranding.com
David Collings – Blue Ridge Observatory | Sparta, North Carolina USA
Flame Nebula with CDK12.5 by Dave Collings
Submitted by support@hoydenbranding.com
David Collings – Blue Ridge Observatory | Sparta, North Carolina USA
LDN 673
Submitted by support@hoydenbranding.com
9-hours total exposure with Planewave CDK12.5 at f/5, Astrodon filters, and ST11000 CCD.
NGC 7023 with a CDK500 by Jeff Lovelace
Submitted by Matt Dieterich
NGC 7023 with a CDK500 by Jeff Lovelace.
Comet NEOWISE with a CDK600 by Kurious George
Submitted by Matt Dieterich
Comet NEOWISE with a CDK600 by Kurious George
PK 136+05 with a CDK500 by Jeff Lovelace
Submitted by Matt Dieterich
PK 136+05 with a CDK500 by Jeff Lovelace
Needle Galaxy (NGC4565) by Kurious George
Submitted by Matt Dieterich
NGC 4565 with a CDK600 by Kurious George.
Hercules Cluster by Tony Hallas
Submitted by Planewave Instruments
The Hercules Galaxies Cluster (Abell2151) taken with CDK17.
Abell 2151 (Hercules Galaxies Cluster) by Bob and Janice Fera
Submitted by Planewave Instruments
Abell 2151 – The Hercules Galaxy Cluster
by Bob and Janice Fera
Planewave CDK17 17″ f/6.8 Cassegrain
Apogee U16M CCD Camera
Astrodon Filters
LRGB Composite
L:460 R:100 G:100 B:100 minutes
Sub Exposures: L:23x20m R:5x20m G:5x20m B:5x20m
All exposures unbinned
Image acquired with CCDAutopilot
Processed in CCDstack and Adobe Photoshop
Taken June 4-7, 2016 from Sierra Remote Observatories, CA
Jupiter taken by NARIT team in Thailand
Submitted by Planewave Instruments
Taken by Saran Poshyachinda and Thanakrit Santikunaporn
CDK 700 from Thailand
Mars taken by NARIT team in Thailand
Submitted by Planewave Instruments
Taken by Saran Poshyachinda and Thanakrit Santikunaporn
CDK 700 from Thailand
Saturn by NARIT team in Thailand
Submitted by Planewave Instruments
Taken by Saran Poshyachinda and Thanakrit Santikunaporn
CDK 700 from Thailand
47 Tucanae by Damian Peach
Submitted by Planewave Instruments
CDK20″ @ F4.5. FLI camera. RGB: 45mins.
Possibly the finest globular cluster in the entire sky. Visible to the naked eye alongside the Small Magellanic Cloud, the massive ball of stars is 16,700 light years away from our solar system and is 120 light years in diameter. Unlike Omega Centauri (the skies bright cluster of this type) 47 Tucanae is much denser toward the core giving the cluster a “3D” appearance in the telescope.
Cartwheel Galaxy by Damian Peach
Submitted by Planewave Instruments
CDK20″ with FLI-PL6303E camera. LRGB. L: 60mins. RGB: 5mins.
Located in the southern constellation Sculptor, this collisional ring galaxy was likely formed from a collision between two galaxies in the distant past. The blue ring of material is a region of active star formation dominated by hot blue stars. This ring of material is 150,000 light years in diameter which is larger than our own milky way galaxy. The Cartwheel Galaxy is 500 million light years away and glows at 15th magnitude.
Andromeda Galaxy by Martin Pugh
Submitted by Planewave Instruments
M31- Andromeda Galaxy
Scope Planewave CDK17
Camera SBIG STXL 11002 with AO-X
Mount Paramount
Filters Astrodon HaLRGB
Exposures 8 panel mosaic
Location SRO Sierra remote Observatories CA. 2015
NGC7380 by Bill Snyder
Submitted by Planewave Instruments
Scope Planewave CDK17
Camera SBIG STXL 11002 with AO-X
Mount Paramount
Filters Astrodon Ha3nm OIII3nm SII3nm
Exposures Ha 10hrs OIII 5.5hrs SII 7.5hrs 30min subs Total hrs 23 hrs
Location SRO Sierra remote Observatories CA. 2015
IC1795 Fishhead Nebula by Bill Snyder (APOD Dec 24, 2014)
Submitted by Planewave Instruments
Scope Planewave CDK17
Camera SBIG STXL 11002 with AO-X
Mount Paramount
Filters Astrodon Ha3nm OIII3nm SII3nm
Exposures Ha 7hrs OIII 6hrs SII 6hrs 30min subs Total hrs 19 hrs
Location SRO Sierra remote Observatories CA. 2014
M51 by Warren Keller
Submitted by Planewave Instruments
Whirlpool Galaxy (M51)
CDK 14
SBIG STXL-11002
Paramount ME II
24 hours HaLRGB
Abell 7 by Don Goldman (APOD Dec 5, 2013)
Submitted by Planewave Instruments
Mount: PlaneWave Ascension A200HR
OAG: Astrodon MonsterMOAG
Acquisition: CCDAutoPilot5
Calibration: CCDStack2
Observatory Site: Siding Springs, iTelescope.net, NSW, Australia
Filters: Astrodon Gen2 RGB, 5nm H-a, 3 nmOIII
Guider: SBIG ST-i
Camera Operation: MaximDL5.24
Processing: Photoshop CC, PixInsight1.8
NGC2024: The Flame Nebula
Submitted by Planewave Instruments
NGC 2024: The Flame Nebula
Optics: 24 inch f/6.8 PlaneWave Corrected Dall-Kirkham
Mount: Astrophysics 3600GTOPE
Camera: Apogee Alta U16M, Astrodon MonsterMOAG
Filter: Astrodon 3nm Ha
Dates: Jan 25 and Feb 27, 2013
Location: Covington Observatory, Englewood, Colorado
Exposure : 100 minutes Ha data, 10 min subs
Acquisition: MaxIm DL, ACP
Processing: MaxIm DL, Adobe Photoshop CS5
www.deepskygallery.com | © Turner, James
IC 5070, The Pelican Nebula
Submitted by Planewave Instruments
© Hallas, Tony(Ha)(OIII) R (Ha) G (OIII) B (OIII)
L = 900 x 9 each 1 x 1
RGB = 900 x 7 2 x 2
Ha = 2700 x 10 1 x 1
0 III 2700 x 6 1 x 1
Plane Wave CDK 17 f6.8
Apogee 16803 camera
Astrodon Gen II filters
AP 1200 GTO mount
Taken July 2010
IC 1396A, Elephant’s Trunk Nebula
Submitted by Planewave Instruments
© Trottier, HowardObject: IC1396A, “Elephant’s Trunk Nebula”.
Instrument: PlaneWave CDK17.
Focal Ratio: f4.5 (with PlaneWave focal reducer).
Mount: Paramount ME.
Camera: SBIG STL-4020M.
Dates: August 6-15 2010 (3 nights).
Integrated exposure: L (300 minutes unbinned), RGB (100 minutes each, 2×2 binning).
Location: Cabin in the Sky Observatory, South Okanagan, British Columbia, Canada.
Image Capture: MaxIm DL, TheSky6, FocusMax.
Image Processing: MaxIm DL, CCDInspector2, CCDStack2, CCDSharp, Photoshop CS5.
Website: http:www.sfu.ca~trottierobservatory.html
M 1, Crab Nebula
Submitted by Planewave Instruments
© Fera, Bob and Janice
M1- The Crab Nebula in Taurus
by Bob and Janice Fera
Planewave CDK17 17″ f6.8 Cassegrain
SBIG STL11000M CCD Camera
Astrodon Filters
LRGB Composite
L:180 R:75 G:75 B:75 minutes
Sub Exposures: L:9x20m R:5x15m G:5x15m B:5x15m
RGB exposures binned 2×2
Image acquired with CCDAutopilot
Processed in CCDstacK and Adobe Photoshop
Taken November 14, 15, 2009 from Eagle Ridge Observatory, Foresthill, CA
Rosette Nebula
Submitted by Planewave Instruments
© Fera, Bob and JaniceThe Horsehead Nebula in Orion
by Bob and Janice Fera
Planewave CDK17 17″ f6.8 Cassegrain
SBIG STL11000M CCD Camera
Astrodon Filters
LRGB Composite
L:100 R:60 G:60 B:60 minutes
Sub Exposures: L:5x20m R:6x10m G:6x10m B:6x10m RGB exposures binned 2×2
Image acquired with CCDAutopilot
Processed in CCDstacK, PIXInsight LE and Adobe Photoshop
Taken December 17, 18, 2009 from Eagle Ridge Observatory, Foresthill, CA
Barnard 147 in Cygnus
Submitted by Planewave Instruments
© Snyder, BillCamera Apogee U16
Mount Paramount ME
Filters Astrodon Ha5nm OIII3nm SII5nm
Exposures Ha 4.3hrs OIII 4hrs
SII4hrs 20min subs
Location Sierra Nevada Mountains CA. Heavens Mirror Observatory SRO
billsnyderastrophotography.com
NGC 5395, Heron Galaxy
Submitted by Planewave Instruments
© Snyder, BillCamera Apogee U16
Mount Paramount ME
Filters Astrodon LRGB
Exposures RGB 2Hrs each L 8Hrs LRGB 15min subs Total time 14hrs
Location Sierra Nevada Mountains CA. Heavens Mirror Observatory SRO
billsnyderastrophotography.com
NGC 5921
Submitted by Planewave Instruments
© Snyder, BillCamera Apogee U16
Mount Paramount ME
Filters Astrodon LRGB
Exposures RGB 1.5Hrs each L 7.5Hrs LRGB 15min subs Total time 12hrs
Location Sierra Nevada Mountains CA. Heavens Mirror Observatory SRO
billsnyderastrophotography.com
M 42, The Orion Nebula
Submitted by Planewave Instruments
Optics: 24 inch f6.8 PlaneWave Corrected Dall-Kirkham
Mount: Astrophysics 3600GTOPE
Camera: Apogee Alta U16M, Astrodon MonsterMOAG
Filter: Astrodon 3nm narrowband
Dates: Oct 23 – Nov 1, 2011
Location: Covington Observatory, Englewood, Colorado
Exposure : Ha; OIII; SII: 100, 600, 1200 sec subs; 6 hours total time
Acquisition: MaxIm DL, ACP
Processing: MaxIm DL, Adobe Photoshop CS5
www.deepskygallery.com | © Turner, James
Caldwell 49, Rosette Nebula
Submitted by Planewave Instruments
Mount: Astrophysics 3600GTOPE
Camera: Apogee Alta U16M, Astrodon MonsterMOAG
Filter: Astrodon 3 nm narrowband
Dates: March 4 – 8, 2012
Location: Covington Observatory, Englewood, Colorado
Exposure: Ha, OIII, SII 20 min subs; 8.66 hours total time
Acquisition: MaxIm DL, ACP
Processing: MaxIm DL, Adobe Photoshop CS5
www.deepskygallery.com | © Turner, James
M 8, Lagoon Nebula
Submitted by Planewave Instruments
Mount: Astrophysics 3600GTOPE
Camera: Apogee Alta U16M, Astrodon MonsterMOAG
Filter: Astrodon 3 nm narrowband
Dates: July 12 – Aug 24, 2012 Location: Covington Observatory, Englewood, Colorado
Exposure : Ha and OIII 20 min subs; SII 30 min subs; 6 hours total time
Acquisition: MaxIm DL, ACP
Processing: MaxIm DL, Adobe
Photoshop CS5, HOS palette
www.deepskygallery.com | © Turner, James
NGC 2175; Monkey Head Nebula
Submitted by Planewave Instruments
Optics: 24 inch f6.8 PlaneWave Corrected Dall-Kirkham
Mount: Astrophysics 3600GTOPE
Camera: Apogee Alta U16M, Astrodon MonsterMOAG
Filter: Astrodon Ha, OIII, SII
Dates: December 15 – 25, 2011
Location: Covington Observatory, Englewood, Colorado
Exposure : 20 minute subs, 15 hours total time
Acquisition: MaxIm DL, ACP
Processing: MaxIm DL, Adobe Photoshop CS5
www.deepskygallery.com | © Turner, James
NGC 2264, Cone Nebula
Submitted by Planewave Instruments
Optics: 24 inch f6.8 PlaneWave Corrected Dall-Kirkham
Mount: Astrophysics 3600GTOPE
Camera: Apogee Alta U16M, Astrodon MonsterMOAG
Filter: Astrodon 3 nm Ha
Dates: Nov 13, 2011 – Mar 17, 2012
Location: Covington Observatory, Englewood, Colorado
Exposure : 20 minute subs, 12 hours total time
Acquisition: MaxIm DL, ACP
Processing: MaxIm DL, Adobe Photoshop CS5
www.deepskygallery.com | © Turner, James
M65/66 by Bill Snyder (APOD June 15, 2012)
Submitted by Planewave Instruments
Scope Planewave CDK17
Camera Apogee U16
Mount Paramount ME
Filters Astrodon LRGB Ha5nm
Exposures R2hrs G1.5hrs B1.5hrs L 7.5Hrs Ha 3hrs Ha 20min subs LRGB 10min subs
Location Sierra Nevada Mountains CA. Heavens Mirror Observatory SRO