IC 4592 Blue Horsehead in Scorpious

Not having a modded camera, I was limited to shooting reflection nebula with my unmodded 400D DSLR. First was M78 and next was this obscure object in Scorpious. I knew this will be challenging as it was very faint. Caliraya skies might not be dark enough to acquire good data but that burning desire to revisit this object led me to image it again. The usual process went on - acquisition, processing & post-processing. I got a pleasant surprise during post-processing when I noticed that it had striking resemblance with the Witch Head Nebula I shot last year. Both were looking at a bright star. The witch head at Rigel, and now the Blue Horse head at Graffias or Beta Scorpii. But the similarity ended there. The Blue Horse head is extremely faint. So faint that I might be so foolish to shoot it with a stock DSLR. I was wondering why there were not many images of it on the web compared to its namesake-horsehead nebula in Orion. Now I know-it is not photogenic!

M78 in Orion

M78 in Orion. My modded 350D DSLR was having err99 message last Sunday so I have to use my trusty un-modded 400D to capture this bright reflection nebula in constellation Orion. The sky allowed only 50 minutes total exposure before clouds rolled in. Initially, I didn't recognize the reddish hue at lower left, thinking it might have been a severe color gradient due to light pollution. It took time for me to realize that it was actually part of the huge Barnard's Loop!

Flaming Star Nebula & Surrounding Region

I was looking for the very faint supernova remnant, Simeis147 when I chanced upon this object. I reckoned that the SNR was between the two bright stars in the Taurus-Auriga area so I slewed my camera towards that area. But, what appeared in the display was the familiar shape of the Flaming star nebula. Aware of the possibility of short time of clear sky, I continued to shoot several frames until clouds covered the area. I was glad that I made the welcome "mistake" and I was able to image this object! However, Simeis 147 is still in my short list of imaging projects.

M45 Stars and Dust

Along with the Witch Head Nebula, I got a 30 minute worth exposures of M45 sailing in constellation Taurus the Bull. Most images of M45 emphasizes the brilliance of the star cluster. However, in this image I opted to highlight the nebulous dust in the region. Previously thought as the birthplace of newly born stars, it was later understood that the star cluster has no relationship to the dusty nebula but rather simply passing through it.

I had no intention of capturing this object that night but since Orion was clouded out, I slew my camera lens to M45 which was clear at that time. I got a measly 30 minutes total exposure before it started to drizzle. It took me a week before I started processing this beautiful object. Hope its not yet too late to add more data next time we head out.. .

Witch Head Nebula and Rigel

This the second time I "caught" the witch. First was that she was unable to fit in the frame. Only her mid-face and protruding chin were shown in the image. But last Sunday, I figured that I could put her and Rigel in just one frame by using the 200 mm lens and the 350D. I made 20 subs of 5 minutes totaling 100 minutes all. Processing as usual was difficult as this was a faint target. Faint nebulosity together with the brilliance of the star Rigel - a processing nightmare. But here she is. . . looking at Rigel. Seemingly amazed at the how the supergiant illuminates the field!

Reminiscing Caliraya

I miss imaging under clear night sky so I reckoned that  re-processing the image of the southern jewel, Eta Carinae Nebulae would somehow alleviate my melancholy. I tried to bring out the stars colors and some fine details that were not prominent in the last image. And I had fun coming back to the old processing techniques that were almost forgotten. Looking forward to another astro-imaging season!

Venus Transit 2012

A Planet Transiting the Sun - so what? It's just a round speck of dark object crossing the disk of the sun. I can't help myself getting amused by all the commotion surrounding this rare phenomenon. I later learned that this event is so rare that the next one will not happen anymore in my lifetime. Hmmm... interesting. I must have been carried away by my astro friends' enthusiam that on the last minute, I decided to take a day off from work to view and perhaps take a picture of this "very rare celestial event". Weather forecast was not very promising-it was already June so I cannot blame myself when I chose to just stay home and observe there. I set up my scope at our roofdeck, fitted the solar filter and wait for Venus to enter the sun's disk. I had difficulty focusing as it was very cloudy and the sun barely penetrated the thick haze. I fired shots at the appointed time of ingress and continued firing every two or three minutes thereafter. Most of the time it was very cloudy but I stayed. There was a moment when I took a peek at the eyepiece and saw that round speck hovering over the sun's disk among the sunspots. At that instant, something gripped me. I was watching live with my very own eyes the celestial dance of the second planet from the sun. It was really  a very small dot against a huge ball of burning gas. Somehow I also felt a bit small. So small and insignificant as a I watched Venus against the backdrop of a brilliant Sun. Then I realized I was not just watching Venus, I was actually watching myself. It's me on Earth-a similar sized planet. Whew, there must be something in the heat of the Sun that made me think in an unusual way. Eventually, heavy clouds covered the spectacle and I started to dismantle my setup.

A Planet Transiting the Sun - so what? It's just a round speck of dark object crossing the disk of the sun. Yes, but I was able to see myself in the perspective of the infinite Universe! Seemed my sunburns  were worth it!