Welostinplaces

Deepak & Manisha (Husband+Wife)
In awe of nature and its beings. Capturing landscape, wildlife, nature & more.

11/02/2026

Back in September, I visited Bald K**b NWR and finally managed to get some decent shots of wood storks after trying for years! These were taken at different times of the day, all against a plain blue sky. Individually, they didn't stand out much, but I couldn't bring myself to delete them, knowing how happy I was to get these shots. So I decided to make a composite, turning a few ordinary images into something that tells a better story! (Best viewed full screen.)

11/01/2026

The Flying Bat Nebula (Sh2-129) is a vast cloud of ionized hydrogen that glows red from nearby massive stars. Its intricate filaments surround one of astrophotography's most elusive objects.

The Squid Nebula (Ou4) was discovered only in 2011 by French amateur astrophotographer Nicolas Outters while photographing the Flying Bat. It is believed to be a massive bipolar outflow of gas, possibly expelled around 90,000 years ago by a system of massive stars known as HR 8119. Its exact origin remains uncertain. What makes the Squid particularly challenging to photograph is its incredibly faint oxygen (OIII) emission, requiring exceptionally long exposures to reveal its structure.

The Dark Seahorse is a dense cloud of interstellar dust that blocks the light behind it, creating a striking silhouette against the surrounding nebulosity.

The Squid was my primary target, but I deliberately framed the image to include the Dark Seahorse. My goal was to capture three different aspects of the interstellar medium in one composition: glowing hydrogen (red), ionized oxygen (blue), and dark obscuring dust.

Object: Flying Bat, Squid and Dark Seahorse Nebulae
Date: 46Hrs in Oct 2026
Sky: Bortle 4.5

Acquisition details:
Mount: Explore Scientific iEXOS100 PMC
Camera: SVBony SV605CC
OTA: Samyang 135mm f/2.0 ED UMC
Guiding: Svbony SV165 30mm + SVBony sv905c
Filter: IDAS NBZ
Controller: N.I.N.A
Lights: 551X 300s (~46Hrs)
Calibration Frames: 30 each of Dark, Bias, and Flats
Processed with SIRIL 1.4, Adobe Photoshop.

10/25/2026

A friend invited me to photograph under pristine Bortle 2 skies, and the Cocoon Nebula was my primary target for the night. I captured about 8 hours of broadband data, with plans to add narrowband data later from my usual Bortle 4.5 location. Capturing and processing the additional data took a while, but I'm very pleased with the final result. It turned out just as I had hoped!

About the Target:

The Cocoon Nebula (IC 5146) is a star-forming region in Cygnus, approximately 2,650 light-years away. The bright nebula spans about 15 light-years and combines red hydrogen emission with blue reflected starlight.

The bright central region is illuminated by young, hot stars, while the surrounding dark dust belongs to a much larger molecular cloud complex that includes Barnard 168. These dark lanes are dense clouds of gas and dust blocking background starlight.

Infrared observations have identified more than 200 candidate young stars throughout the cloud complex, showing that star formation extends well beyond the bright Cocoon itself.

Object: IC 5146 - The Cocoon Nebula and Surrounding Molecular Clouds
Date: 07/18, 10/06 of 2026
Sky: Bortle 2 (Broadband), B4.5 (Narrowband)

Acquisition details:
Mount: Celestron AVX
Camera: ZWO ASI 294MC Pro
OTA: Svbony SV550 80mm Triplet APO
Guiding: Svbony SV106 60mm + ASI 120mm Mini
Filter: Optolong L-Ultimate
Controller: N.I.N.A
Lights: 122 X 180s (6 hrs Broadband), 103 X 300s (8.5 hrs Narrowband)
Calibration Frames: 30 each of Dark, Bias, and Flats
Processed with SIRIL 1.4

10/23/2026

As I am revisiting the Cassiopeia region for a closer look after capturing it in a wide-field image about a year ago, the Bubble Nebula was one of the first targets on my list. I actually photographed this before the Lobster Claw Nebula I posted earlier, but it took me a little longer to process the data the way I wanted.

A little about the Bubble Nebula (NGC 7635):

Located approximately 7,100 light-years away in the constellation Cassiopeia, the Bubble Nebula is an emission nebula with a nearly spherical shell about 7 light-years across.

The bubble is formed by powerful stellar winds from a massive, hot star, roughly 45 times the mass of our Sun. These winds travel at over 4 million miles per hour, sweeping up surrounding gas and creating the remarkable bubble-shaped shell, which expands much more slowly than the winds themselves. The star appears off-center because the surrounding gas is not evenly distributed, causing the bubble to expand at different rates in different directions.
(High-Resolution link in comments)

Object: NGC 7635 - The Bubble Nebula
Date: 09/18, 10/05 of 2026
Sky: Bortle 4.5 (RRO)
Acquisition details:
Mount: Celestron AVX
Camera: Svbony Website SV605CC
OTA: Svbony Website SV550 80mm Triplet APO
Guiding: Svbony SV106 60mm + ASI 120mm Mini
Filter: Optolong Filter Images L-Ultimate
Controller: N.I.N.A
Lights: 151 X 300s (12.5 Hrs)
Calibration Frames: 30 each of Dark, Bias, and Flats
Processed with SIRIL 1.4

10/20/2026

Sh2-157, commonly known as the Lobster Claw Nebula, is a large emission nebula located in the constellation Cassiopeia, near the border with Cepheus. It lies approximately 8,000 - 11,000 light-years from Earth, within the Perseus Arm of our Milky Way galaxy, and spans roughly 150 - 200 light-years across.

This massive cloud of ionized hydrogen is shaped by intense ultraviolet radiation and powerful stellar winds from young, massive stars. One particularly interesting object within the region is WR 157, a Wolf-Rayet star, an evolved massive star losing material through extremely powerful stellar winds. The region contains both ionized gas and dark dust clouds, creating the intricate filaments and structures visible in narrowband images.

About a year ago, when I was still fairly new to astrophotography, I captured a wide-field image of this region (image in the comments). I was amazed by how many interesting targets were packed into a single frame and decided that someday I'd return to photograph them individually. A year later, with a little more experience and a bigger scope, I'm finally getting around to that plan. The Lobster Claw is one of the first, and there are more to come!

Object: Sh2-157 - Lobster Claw Nebula (Narrowband and HOO)
Date: 10/07, 10/08 of 2026
Sky: Bortle 4.5 (RRO)

Acquisition details:
Mount: Celestron AVX
Camera: ZWO ASI294MC Pro
OTA: Svbony Website SV550 80mm Triplet APO
Guiding: Svbony SV106 60mm + ASI 120mm Mini
Filter: Optolong Filter Images L-Ultimate
Controller: N.I.N.A
Lights: 219 X 300s (18 Hrs)
Calibration Frames: 30 each of Dark, Bias, and Flats
Processed with SIRIL 1.4

10/15/2026

The Heart of Cygnus: Sadr, Crescent Nebula & WR 134

A wide-field view of the heart of Cygnus, one of the richest nebula regions in our Milky Way.

The bright star Sadr (Gamma Cygni), about 1,800 light-years away, appears surrounded by the enormous Gamma Cygni Nebula (IC 1318), located roughly 4,900 light-years away.

Also highlighted are two fascinating nebulae: the Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888) and the much fainter WR 134 Nebula, both formed by powerful stellar winds from massive, evolved Wolf-Rayet stars. Located approximately 5,000 and 6,000 light-years away, these glowing shells reveal how massive stars shape the space around them.

A region filled with glowing hydrogen, oxygen, and dark dust clouds, all captured in a single wide-field frame.

Object: Sadr, Crescent Nebula & WR 134
Date: 07-19-2026, Sep 18, Oct 5, 2026
Sky: Bortle 4.5 (RRO) and Bortle 2

Acquisition details:
Mount: Celestron AVX
Camera: ZWO ASI294MC Pro
OTA: Samyang 135mm F2
Guiding: Svbony SV165 30mm + SV905C
Filter: Svbony Website SV220 (HA/OIII), IDAS NBZ
Controller: N.I.N.A
Lights: 144X 300s (12 Hrs)
Calibration Frames: 30 each of Dark, Bias, and Flats
Processed with SIRIL 1.4 (Using VeraLux and SyQon)

Astrobin: https://app.astrobin.com/i/baxt3g

10/05/2026

Every photographer has that one lens in their kit that’s a little different, fun, and unconventional. This is one of those lenses in my kit.

With a crazy 220° field of view, it can literally see behind the camera! That comes with its own challenges. My fingers, feet, or even myself can easily end up in the frame unless I hold the camera in a very specific way and keep it far away from me.

I have some big plans for this little lens and can’t wait to try more with it!
AstrHori 6mm f2.8
Sony a7iii

10/01/2026

Summer Jewels (Rho Ophiuchi in Broadband + Narrowband)

One of my favorite targets in the summer sky, captured the way I’ve wanted to for a long time.

This was my first attempt at combining narrowband data with a broadband image, and what better target to try it on than Rho Ophiuchi? It took some learning and experimenting, but this has become my favorite image I’ve captured this year.

The technical side is a little too much for a Facebook post, so if you’re interested in how I captured and processed it, I’ve shared the full process in the blog below.

Detailed Blog: https://welostinplaces.wordpress.com/2026/10/01/summer-jewels-rho-ophiuchi-in-broadband-and-narrowband/

Object: Rho Ophiuchi in Broadband + Narrowband
Date: 07-18-2026, Aug 10, 11, 12-2026
Sky: Bortle 4.5 (RRO) and Bortle 2

Acquisition details:
Mount: Celestron AVX
Camera: ZWO ASI294MC Pro
OTA: Samyang 135mm F2
Guiding: Svbony SV165 30mm + SV905C
Filter: SvBony UV/IR Cut, IDAS NBZ 2"
Controller: N.I.N.A
Lights: NB:76X 300s, BB: 43X300s (~10 Hrs)
Calibration Frames: 30 each of Dark, Bias, and Flats
Processed with SIRIL 1.4 (Using VeraLux and SyQon)

Astrobin: https://app.astrobin.com/u/deepakpati?i=judtfh

09/29/2026

For the past 2-3 years, I’ve been trying to get a good shot of Wood Storks here in Arkansas. Somehow, every time I made the early morning drive and waited at the spot where they were seen the day before, I came back with nothing. Last year I finally saw a few, but they were way out in the field, and I never got the shot I wanted.

So when I heard they were back at Bald K**b NWR this year, I was excited, but knowing my luck with them, I didn’t rush over. I finally made it out there last weekend, and thanks to my friend Daniel, we went on a little adventure through some back roads and spots I probably would never have tried on my own.

At our second stop, we found this group. I managed to catch one coming in to land, and what really caught my attention was the green shimmer on its wings as the sunlight hit them at just the right angle. I don’t remember seeing that in any of my Wood Stork photos before, so this had to be the first one I processed.

Plenty more from this trip once I get through them!

Address

Port Aransas, TX
78373

Website

http://www.welostinplaces.com/

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