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Sirius Skies Astrophotography

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Sirius Skies Astrophotography

Deep-space astrophotography brought to you from Perth WA! My name is Jacob Heppell from Perth, WA. I dipped my toe in the water with 8” goto dobsonain.

I’m a born and breed Aussie who grew up on a farm in the beautiful dark skies of country Victoria. At the time, I had to make do with pair of binoculars, a star chart and few astronomy books. It wasn’t until I moved to Perth in 2016, after completing my PhD, that I looked into astronomy a bit more. Initially, I wasn’t intending to do astrophotography but when I attached my DSLR to the dobsonian an

d saw the images I was hooked! About a year down the track I decided that, if I’m going to continue with astrophotography, I need to buy a setup dedicated to this purpose. I really liked the Newtonian telescope format (great bang for your buck with regard to aperture and speed) so decided to buy a Skywatcher 250 F4 Quattro and a NEQ6 equatorial mount (later hypertuned and belt modded). Initially, I continued with the DSLR as dedicated astronomy cameras were beyond my budget at the time but with the emergence of an APS-C CMOS monochrome camera, I decided it was time to ditch the DSLR and go the dedicated astronomy camera route. In this case, I went straight to monochrome (QHY 268M)! My inner city life limits backyard imaging to narrowband but every clear new moon weekend, I can be found at one of several dark-sky locations imaging deep-space objects that are otherwise impractical to image under light-polluted city skies. I like to mix up the targets between those that are more technically challenging (requires a lot of data and processing) and the "big bright and beautiful" targets.

21/12/2025

The northern region of the Small Magellanic Cloud. An area that features quite a few patches of nebulosity. The most prominent are the [OIII] rich regions NGC346 (left of centre) and NGC371 (just below centre); both of which I could easily see through my 10" skywatcher goto dob using an [OIII] filter in my bortle ~7-8 backyard!
I imaged this target a few years ago as a Ha[OIII] bicolor, but knowing there was at lest a little [SII] in the region, I couldn't help but go for an SHO. Was by no means [SII] rich, but enough to "break the bicolor" with a few golden streaks and slightly more dynamic reds.

Skywatcher 10" F4 Quattro, Tele Vue Paracorr II coma corrector, NEQ6 mount (hypertuned, belt modded), QHY268M (SGP software), QHYCFW3L (7x2"), QHYOAG Medium, QHY5-III 678M guide camera (PHD2 guiding), Antlia 2" LRGB Dark Series filters, Antlia 2" [SII] 2.5nm Ultra narrowband filter (47 x 20min subs), Antlia 2" H-alpha 2.5nm Ultra narrowband filter (47 x 20min subs), Antlia 2" [OIII] 2.5nm Ultra narrowband filter (39 x 20min subs). Stacked/Registered with Deep Sky Stacker/Registar (calibration frames included), post-processing in Photoshop CC.

21/06/2025

Finally finished processing my SHO rendition of the big, bright and beautiful Running Chicken Nebula (IC2948)(stars are RGB). Went through about half dozen different iterations (pixel math and PS processing) then settled on this one after weighing up each one, and getting some feedback from fellow astrophotographers. The color scheme is fairly typical of my style. The challenge (as is often the case) was determining how to best represent the [OIII].

Skywatcher 10" F4 Quattro, Tele Vue Paracorr II coma corrector, NEQ6 mount (hypertuned, belt modded), QHY268M (SGP software), QHYCFW3L (7x2"), QHYOAG Medium, QHY5-III 678M guide camera (PHD2 guiding), Antlia 2" LRGB Dark Series filters, Antlia 2" [SII] 2.5nm Ultra narrowband filter (47 x 20min subs), Antlia 2" H-alpha 2.5nm Ultra narrowband filter (47 x 20min subs), Antlia 2" [OIII] 2.5nm Ultra narrowband filter (39 x 20min subs). Stacked/Registered with Deep Sky Stacker/Registar (calibration frames included), post-processing in Photoshop CC.

01/06/2025

The big, bright and beautiful Running Chicken Nebula (IC2948) in the constellation Centaurus. One of a number of gorgeous nebulas in the region that are well known to astrophotographers in the southern hemisphere, and are much loved photographic targets. Here the nebula is represented in HaLRGB (true color but with the detail and contrast of H-alpha). I also acquired [SII] and [OIII] data so an SHO rendition is coming soon.

Skywatcher 10" F4 Quattro, Tele Vue Paracorr II coma corrector, NEQ6 mount (hypertuned, belt modded), QHY268M (SGP software), QHYCFW3L (7x2"), QHYOAG Medium, QHY5-III 678M guide camera (PHD2 guiding), Antlia 2" LRGB Dark Series filters, Antlia 2" [SII] 2.5nm Ultra narrowband filter (47 x 20min subs), Antlia 2" H-alpha 2.5nm Ultra narrowband filter (47 x 20min subs), Antlia 2" [OIII] 2.5nm Ultra narrowband filter (39 x 20min subs). Stacked/Registered with Deep Sky Stacker/Registar (calibration frames included), post-processing in Photoshop CC.

30/03/2025

The well-known Pencil Nebula (NGC2736)(also known as Herschel's Ray) in the constellation Vela. It's quite distinctively linear (hence the name) and forms part of the much larger Vela Supernova Remnant. Initially, I was planning on making an Ha[OIII] bicolor image, but I was surprised by how [SII] was present. So I decided to go for glory and make a full SHO image (with RGB stars).

Skywatcher 10" F4 Quattro, Tele Vue Paracorr II coma corrector, NEQ6 mount (hypertuned, belt modded), QHY268M (SGP software), QHYCFW3L (7x2"), QHYOAG Medium, QHY5-III 678M guide camera (PHD2 guiding), Antlia 2" RGB Dark Series filers, Antlia 2" [SII] 2.5nm Ultra narrowband filter (39 x 20min subs), Antlia 2" H-alpha 2.5nm Ultra narrowband filter (42 x 20min subs), Antlia 2" [OIII] 2.5nm Ultra narrowband filter (61 x 20min subs). Stacked/Registered with Deep Sky Stacker/Registar (calibration frames included), post-processing in Photoshop CC.

04/02/2025

The reflection nebula vdB 98 in the constellation Puppis. If you're looking for a big, bright nebula then this isn't it! It's small, very faint, and rarely imaged. While I'm generally not in the habit of chasing such targets, I didn't have any ongoing projects that demanded some dark sky time so decided to try something a little of the beaten track. The nebula was just barely perceptible in the individual subs but came to life after the magic of stacking and post-processing!

Skywatcher 10" F4 Quattro, Tele Vue Paracorr II coma corrector, NEQ6 mount (hypertuned, belt modded), QHY268M (SGP software), QHYCFW3L (7x2"), QHYOAG Medium, QHY5-III 678M guide camera (PHD2 guiding), Antlia 2" LRGB Dark Series filter. Stacked/Registered with Deep Sky Stacker/Registar (calibration frames included), post-processing in Photoshop CC.

27/01/2025

The Angel Nebula (NGC2170) in the constellation Monoceros. A beautiful, but faint, combination of reflection and emission nebulosity with an appearance that's definitely worthy of it name.
I managed to acquire one night of LRGB data late last month. Was hoping for another night to bump up the SNR a little due it's faintness but didn't get that far. Although incorporating a couple of nights of H-alpha went a long way to improve the image.

Skywatcher 10" F4 Quattro, Tele Vue Paracorr II coma corrector, NEQ6 mount (hypertuned, belt modded), QHY268M (SGP software), QHYCFW3L (7x2"), QHYOAG Medium, QHY5-III 678M guide camera (PHD2 guiding), Antlia 2" LRGB Dark Series filers, Antlia 2" H-alpha 2.5nm Ultra narrowband filter. Stacked/Registered with Deep Sky Stacker/Registar (calibration frames included), post-processing in Photoshop CC.

08/12/2024

The planetary nebula that is the Helix nebula (NGC7293) in SHO with RGB stars. A well known and much-loved astrophotography target that really needs no intro or explaining here!
I captured this target a few years ago as a Ha[OIII] bicolor but didn't bother with [SII] as it was extremely faint and not something that is really associated with planetary nebulas. This time however, I decided I will give it a go and see how well the [SII] (15 hrs in total) plays with the Ha and [OIII]. Overall I'm happy with the result. I didn't blend the [SII] as strongly as I could have. Just enough to "break the bicolor" and give that extra color dimension of an SHO..

Skywatcher 10" F4 Quattro, Tele Vue Paracorr II coma corrector, NEQ6 mount (hypertuned, belt modded), QHY268M (SGP software), QHYCFW3L (7x2"), QHYOAG Medium, QHY5-III 678M guide camera (PHD2 guiding), Antlia 2" RGB Dark Series filers, Antlia 2" [SII] 2.5nm Ultra narrowband filter, Antlia 2" H-alpha 2.5nm Ultra narrowband filter, Antlia 2" [OIII] 2.5nm Ultra narrowband filter. Stacked/Registered with Deep Sky Stacker/Registar (calibration frames included), post-processing in Photoshop CC.

05/10/2024

My narrowband project for winter 2024 completed! The emission nebula NGC6357 (also known as the Lobster nebula) in the constellation Scorpius. Another great gem of the southern sky that's dominated by Ha, but has sufficient [SII] and [OIII] that a SHO combination was practical. I decided to go for a look that was somewhere in between natural color and my usual SHO color scheme. This is what I came up with.

Skywatcher 10" F4 Quattro, Tele Vue Paracorr II coma corrector, NEQ6 mount (hypertuned, belt modded), QHY268M (SGP software), QHYCFW3L (7x2"), QHYOAG Medium, QHY5-III 678M guide camera (PHD2 guiding), Antlia 2" LRGB Dark Series filers, Antlia 2" [SII] 2.5nm Ultra narrowband filter, Antlia 2" H-alpha 2.5nm Ultra narrowband filter, Antlia 2" [OIII] 2.5nm Ultra narrowband filter. Stacked/Registered with Deep Sky Stacker/Registar (calibration frames included), post-processing in Photoshop CC.

14/07/2024

A patch of refection/emission nebulosity with a few components (IC1283/IC1284/NGC6595/NGC6589) that's wedged in between Messier 8 (Lagoon nebula) and Messier 17 (Omega nebula). It doesn't have a common name that I know of but after showing a draft image to some fellow astrophotographers, they came up with "hermit crab nebula" and "twiddlebug nebula". I can see the resemblance for both!
The combination of reflection and emission nebulosity always has a nice appeal to me as I can compliment the LRGB taken at a dark sky with Ha narrowband taken from my yard over as many nights as I like. In this case, one night of LRGB, and two nights of Ha did the trick!

Skywatcher 10" F4 Quattro, Tele Vue Paracorr II coma corrector, NEQ6 mount (hypertuned, belt modded), QHY268M (SGP software), QHYCFW3L (7x2"), QHYOAG Medium, QHY5-III 678M guide camera (PHD2 guiding), Antlia 2" LRGB Dark Series filers, Antlia 2" H-alpha 2.5nm Ultra narrowband filter. Stacked/Registered with Deep Sky Stacker/Registar (calibration frames included), post-processing in Photoshop CC.

19/05/2024

My narrowband project for autumn 2024. The emission nebula Gum 37 (also known as the Southern Tadpole Nebula), and the associated star cluster (NGC3572), in the constellation Carina. Another great gem of the Carina region that I'm gradually working my way through over the years! I went for my usual pixel-math SHO color scheme. However, I found that the resulting SHO rendition was far less pleasing than my previous SHO targets like NGC2467. A big part of that seems to be that the [OIII] signal is weak and strongly overlaps with the Ha. Whereas I'm used to having either (or both) a bright [OIII] core or a faint [OIII] curtain separate from the Ha (see my recent image of NGC2467).
Because of that, I decided to create a Ha[OIII] bicolor (of sorts) that would approximate true color. Personally I found this to be more pleasing but I'll let you all decide which one you like more.

Skywatcher 10" F4 Quattro, Tele Vue Paracorr II coma corrector, NEQ6 mount (hypertuned, belt modded), QHY268M (SGP software), QHYCFW3L (7x2"), QHYOAG Medium, QHY5-III 678M guide camera (PHD2 guiding), Antlia 2" LRGB Dark Series filers, Antlia 2" [SII] 2.5nm Ultra narrowband filter, Antlia 2" H-alpha 2.5nm Ultra narrowband filter, Antlia 2" [OIII] 2.5nm Ultra narrowband filter. Stacked/Registered with Deep Sky Stacker/Registar (calibration frames included), post-processing in Photoshop CS5.

17/04/2024

My broadband project for the April 2024 new moon. The southern showpiece that is Messier 83. A beautiful face-on spiral galaxy over 100,000 light years in diameter and 15 million light years away in the constellation Hydra. There's a lot of structure to this galaxy with well-defined spiral arms, dark dust lanes throughout, and a lot of nebulas (red/pink regions).
This target also happens to be first light with my new Antlia 2" LRGB Dark Series filters!

Skywatcher 10" F4 Quattro, Tele Vue Paracorr II coma corrector, NEQ6 mount (hypertuned, belt modded), QHY268M (SGP software), QHYCFW3L (7x2"), QHYOAG Medium, QHY5-III 178M guide camera (PHD2 guiding), Antlia 2" LRGB Dark series filters. Stacked/Registered with Deep Sky Stacker/Registar (calibration frames included), post-processing in Photoshop CC.

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