Astrophotography Nachthemel.be, Gapaardkouter, Drongen (2026)

11/12/2022

The Mouth of the Cosmic Beast CG4

CG4 looks like a monster hand (or mouth) trying to grab a spiral galaxy.
It is commonly referred to as 'God's Hand' or 'Mouth of the Beast', a star-forming region located in the Puppis constellation, about 1,300 light-years from Earth.
It is one of several objects referred to as "cometary globules", because its shape is similar to that of a comet.
It has a dense head formed of gas and dust, which is around 1.5 light-years in diameter, and an elongated faint tail around 8 light-years in length.

CG4, and the nearby cometary globules, generally point away from the Vela Supernova Remnant, located at the center of the Gum Nebula.
The gas in the cloud is heated by nearby young, hot massive stars, causing it to glow in infrared.

The galaxy on the left (ESO 257-19) is huge and very far away (118 million light-years) and is only placed near CG4 by chance superposition.

LHaRGB-image acquired with the Planewave CDK24 telescope and FLI PL09000 camera from Telescope Live in El Sauce Observatory in Chile.

Total integration time 900 minutes
LHaRGB: 18 sub-frames of 300s with each filter (L, H-alpha, R, G and OIII).

Processing with PixInsight (using AutoIntegrate.js), StaXTerminator, Photoshop CC with AstroPanel Pro, Astronomy Tools, Topaz Sharpen AI and NoiseXTerminator plug-ins.

More info (in Dutch) and pics can be found in http://www.nachthemel.be/CG4.html

08/12/2022

B*W 56: the red rising 'mountain' in Puppis

B*W 56 is a large molecular cloud in the middle of the Gum Nebula (Gum 12), in the southern constellation of Puppis, about 1470 light years from Earth.
It is surrounded by 9 cometary globules and is likely to have been shaped by a similar process to adjacent CGs. While B*W 56 looks like a mountain rising out of the depths, it is actually more an outcrop that is resisting the stellar winds that are blasting it from above.

LHaRGB-image acquired with the Takahashi FSQ-106ED refractor and FLI PL16803 camera from Telescope Live in Heaven's Mirror Observatory in Australia.

Total integration time 500 minutes
LHaRGB: 10 sub-frames of 300s with each filter (L, H-alpha, R, G and OIII).

Processing with PixInsight (using AutoIntegrate.js), StaXTerminator, Photoshop CC with AstroPanel Pro, Astronomy Tools, Topaz Sharpen AI and NoiseXTerminator plug-ins.

More info (in Dutch) and pics can be found in http://www.nachthemel.be/B*W056.html

02/12/2022

A colorful portrait of Orion ✨🔥🌟

This widefield HSO-image shows the beautiful deep sky universe in the constellation Orion.

In the top right corner you’ll see the great Orion Nebula (also known as M42), located at about 1,500 light-years distance. M42 is one of the nearest and most active stellar nurseries in the Milky Way.
The Horsehead Nebula (or Barnard 33) can be found at the bottom left. It is a dark, light-gobbling nebula made of cold gas and dust, located just to the south of Alnitak, the easternmost star of Orion's Belt. It appears along the edge of the much larger, active star-forming, reddish nebula called IC 434. The Horsehead Nebula is approximately 1,375 light-years from Earth.
The Flame Nebula, on the left of the Horshead Nebula, is an emission nebula in the constellation Orion, about 900 to 1,500 light-years away. The blue subgiant star Alnitak energizes the hydrogen gas of the Flame Nebula.

HSO-image acquired with the Takahashi FSQ-106ED refractor and FLI PL16803 camera from Telescope Live in IC Astronomy Observatory in Spain.

Total integration time 225 minutes
HSO: 15 sub-frames of 300s with each smallband filter (H-alpha, SII and OIII).

Processing with AstroPixelProcessor, Photoshop CC with AstroPanel Pro, Astronomy Tools, Topaz Sharpen AI and NoiseXTerminator plug-ins.

More info and pictures can be found in www.nachthemel.be/orion.html

30/11/2022

NGC 1097, an active star-forming galaxy in Fornax 🌟

NGC 1097, also known as Caldwell 67 or Arp 77, is a barred spiral galaxy of some 125 thousand light-years across, located about 48 million light-years away in the southern constellation of Fornax , the Furnace.

NGC 1097 is a Seyfert galaxy. Lurking at the very center of the galaxy, a supermassive black hole 100 million times the mass of our sun is gradually sucking in the matter around it. The area immediately around the black hole shines powerfully with radiation coming from the material falling in.

The distinctive ring around the black hole is bursting with new star formation due to an inflow of material toward the central bar of the galaxy. These star-forming regions are glowing brightly thanks to emission from clouds of ionized hydrogen. The ring is around 5000 light-years across, although the spiral arms of the galaxy extend tens of thousands of light-years beyond it.

Image acquired with the Planewave CDK24 telescope and FLI PL9000 camera from Telescope Live in El Sauce Observatory, Chile.

Total exposure time 480 minutes
LRGB 12 subs of 600s with each filter
Dataset Telescope Live.

Processing with AstroPixelProcessor, Photoshop CC with AstroPanel Pro, Astronomy Tools, Topaz Sharpen AI and NoiseXTerminator plug-ins.

More info (in Dutch) can be found in http://nachthemel.be/NGC1097.html

27/11/2022

Meet the star nymphs, the Hyades ✨🔥🌟

The Hyades cluster is the closest star cluster to Earth, at a distance of 153 light years in the direction of the constellation of Ta**us, the Bull.
This cluster is very easy to spot in the night sky, because it has a compact and distinctive shape of the letter V.
The bright reddish-orange giant star Aldebaran is part of the V. The V shape represents the Face of the Bull in the constellation Ta**us. Aldebaran represents the Bull’s fiery red eye.

In Greek mythology the Hyades were nymphs of the five stars of the constellation Hyades and daughters of the heavens-bearing Titan Atlas.

LRGB-image acquired with the Takahashi FSQ-106ED refractor and FLI PL16803 camera from Telescope Live in IC Astronomy Observatory in Spain.

Total integration time 180 minutes
LRGB: 9 sub-frames of 300s with each color filter

Processing with PixInsight (using AutoIntegrate script), Photoshop CC with AstroPanel Pro, Astronomy Tools, Topaz Sharpen AI and NoiseXTerminator plug-ins.

More info (in Dutch) and pics can be found in http://www.nachthemel.be/Hyades.html

**us

25/11/2022

Barnard 22 and surroundings ✨

This image shows various dark nebulae including Barnard 22 (below left) and Barnard 18 (middle right) in the constellation of Ta**us, the Bull.

These absorption nebulae are part of the huge Ta**us Molecular Cloud TMC-1).
Located about 450 light-years from us, this vast complex of interstellar clouds is where a myriad of stars are being born, and is the closest large region of star formation.

LRGB-image acquired with the Takahashi FSQ-106ED refractor and FLI PL16803 camera from Telescope Live in IC Astronomy Observatory in Spain.

Total integration time 400 minutes
LRGB: 10 sub-frames of 600s with each color filter.

Processing with PixInsight (using AutoIntegrate script), StarXTerminator, Photoshop CC with AstroPanel Pro, Astronomy Tools, Topaz Sharpen AI and NoiseXTerminator plug-ins.

More info (in Dutch) and pics can be found in http://www.nachthemel.be/Barnard22.html

**us

23/11/2022

Dark clouds in Chamaeleon 🌟☁

Sandqvist 156 (Sa 156) is a dark nebula in the constellation of Chamaeleon.
It is part of the larger Chamaeleon II molecular cloud complex, at a distance of about 500 light years from Earth.

Dark nebulae (or absorption nebulae) are interstellar clouds that contain a very high concentration of dust. This allows them to scatter and absorb all incident optical light, making them completely opaque at visible wavelengths.

Image acquired with the officina Stellare RH200 telescope and FLI ML16200 camera from Telescope Live in El Sauce Observatory in Chile.

Total integration time only 80 minutes
2 sub-frames of 600s with each filter.

Processing with AstroPixelProcessor, PixInsight, StaXTerminator, Photoshop CC with AstroPanel Pro, Astronomy Tools, Topaz Sharpen AI and NoiseXTerminator plug-ins.

More info (in Dutch) and pics can be found in http://www.nachthemel.be/Sandqvist156.html

20/11/2022

Faint nebulae in Auriga 🌟

SHO-image of Sharpless 223, 224, 225 and 227 in the constellation Auriga.

Sh2-224 (bottom left) is a very faint supernova remnant at distance of about 14700 light years, in the Perseus arm of the Milky Way.
Sh2-223, Sh2-225 and Sh2-227 are faint emission nebulae, H II regions (i.e. starforming regions). The annotated image, plate solved in Astrobin, shows the position of the different DSO's.

SHO-image acquired with SPA-1 (Takahashi FSQ-106ED refractor and FLI PL16803 camera). Data from 6 one-clicks (data Sh2-224)

Total integration time 360 minutes
SHO: 12 sub-frames of 600s with each narrowband filter.

Processing with PixInsight (using AutoIntegrate script), StaXTerminator, Photoshop CC with AstroPanel Pro, Astronomy Tools, Topaz Sharpen AI and NoiseXTerminator plug-ins.

More info (in Dutch) and pics can be found in http://www.nachthemel.be/Sh2-224.html

17/11/2022

Nebulosity in Monoceros ✨☁️

This 2-panel mosaic shows two famous molecular clouds and emission nebulae in Monoceros, the Unicorn: NGC 2264 (Christmas Tree & Cone Nebula) on the left and NGC 2244 (Rosette Nebula) on the right.

The Cone Nebula is a famous H II region at an approximate distance of 2,700 light years from Earth and is located in the Orion Arm of the Milky Way. The nebula is part of the larger star forming region around the Christmas Tree Cluster. The two objects share the designation NGC 2264.
The Rosette Nebula is a vast brighter emission nebula located about 5,200 light years away. The star forming region lies near a large molecular cloud and is closely associated with the young open star cluster NGC 2244.

This widefield HSO-image is acquired with the Takahashi FSQ-106ED refractor and FLI PL16803 camera from Telescope Live in IC Astronomy Observatory, Oria, Spain.

Total integration time 870 minutes
SHO: 22 sub-frames of 600s with each narrowband filter for NGC 2244 and 14 sub-frames of 300s for NGC 2264

Processing with AstroPixelProcessor, Photoshop CC with AstroPanel Pro, Astronomy Tools, Topaz Sharpen AI and NoiseXTerminator plug-ins.

More info (in Dutch) and pics can be found in http://www.nachthemel.be/NGC2264.html

14/11/2022

Sharpless 205 and 206: fiery nebulae 🔥✨

This wide-field image shows the large emission nebula Sh2-205 dominating the center, and the even brighter nebula Sh2-206 at upper left.
These nebulae are located in the Perseus arm of our Milky Way Galaxy on the border of Perseus and Camelopardalis.

The large diffuse nebula Sh 2-205, also known as the Peanut nebula, is ionized by the O9 class multiple star HD 24431.
This nebula lies at the edge of the Cam OB1 association, a group of young, massive, short-lived OB stars. The association is about 3,300 light years distant from the Sun.

Sh2-206, also known as NGC 1491, is an older, evolved HII region ionized by the O5 star BD +50 886. It is located at a distance of about 10,700 light years.

These emission nebulae and HII regions are glowing deep red because the hydrogen gas in the nebula is energized by hot, massive stars embedded within. These stars emit copious amounts of ultraviolet (UV) light that causes the gas to glow. The intense radiation from the star is also eroding the gas clouds surrounding it.

This wide-field HSO-image is acquired with the Takahashi FSQ-106ED refractor and FLI PL16803 camera from Telescope Live in IC Astronomy Observatory, Oria, Spain.

Total integration time 600 minutes
20 sub-frames of 600s with each filter (H-alpha, SII and OIII).

Processing with PixInsight, StarXTerminator, Photoshop CC with AstroPanel Pro, Astronomy Tools, Topaz Sharpen AI and NoiseXTerminator plug-ins.

More info (in Dutch) and pics can be found in http://www.nachthemel.be/Sh2-205.html

11/11/2022

Topsy Turvy Galaxy 🌟✨

NGC 1313, also known as the Topsy Turvy Galaxy, is a barred spiral galaxy in the direction of the southern constellation Reticulum. It has a diameter of about 50,000 light-years, or about half the size of the Milky Way.
It has been termed a "starburst" galaxy because the many new and massive blue stars and emission nebulae it contains are indicative of continuing star formation. The field also contains faint wispy nebulosity that appears to be associated with NGC 1313 and some "cosmic cirrus" from our own galaxy (see wide field image).

The first image was captured with the ASA500N telescope and FLI PL16803 camera from Telescope Live in El Sauce Observatory, Chile.
Total integration time 160 minutes.
LRGB: 8 subs of 300s with each filter.

The second wide field image was realised with the Takahashi FSQ-106ED refractor from Telescope Live in Heaven's Mirror Observatory, Australia.
Total integration time 400 minutes.
LRGB: 10 subs of 600s with each filter.

Processing with Astro Pixel Processor, Photoshop CC with AstroPanel Pro, Astronomy Tools, Topaz Sharpen AI and NoiseXTermintor plug-ins.

More info (in Dutch) and pics can be found in http://www.nachthemel.be/ngc1313.html

08/11/2022

Nebulosity around NGC 1333 and IC 348 🌟

NGC 1333 and IC 348 are reflection nebulae, embedded in the star-forming region called the Perseus molecular cloud.
You can find it in the constellation of Perseus, positioned next to the southern constellation border with Ta**us and Aries.
NGC 1333 (at top of image) is associated with a dark cloud L1450 (Barnard 205). Estimates of the distance to this nebula range from 980–1,140 light year.
IC 348 (at bottom of image) is a 2 million year old open star cluster surrounded by a reflection nebula of about 15 light-years across, located some 1000 light-years away from Earth.

This widefield LRGB-image is acquired with the Takahashi FSQ-106ED refractor and FLI PL16803 camera from Telescope Live in IC Astronomy Observatory, Oria, Spain.

Total integration time 400 minutes
LRGB: 10 sub-frames of 600s with each filter.

Processing with PixInsight, StarXTerminator, Photoshop CC with AstroPanel Pro, Astronomy Tools, Topaz Sharpen AI and NoiseXTerminator plug-ins.

Astrophotography Nachthemel.be

11/12/2022

08/12/2022

02/12/2022

30/11/2022

27/11/2022

25/11/2022

23/11/2022

20/11/2022

17/11/2022

14/11/2022

11/11/2022

08/11/2022

Adres

Website

Meldingen

Snelkoppelingen

Delen

Type