[RGK]

Have come across terrace gardens with vegetables and flowers before, but this is the first time I've witnessed a hobby fueled by such intense passion. Truly impressive . Best wishes to you!

Do you intend to let astronomy-loving others (via friends or references, of course) see celestial events?

[graaja]

Originally Posted by madurai_dude

Wow! I started to learn about star gazing just few days ago & now I found a worthy thread to follow in this forum. You people are inspiring me to learn this wonderful hobby more and more. Thank you.

It's great to know you are interested and are starting to learn stargazing. If you happen to be in or around Bangalore, I would suggest you to visit a couple of star parties organized by BAS in Coorg. It would be a good opportunity to look at various telescope setups and to view various celestial objects through these setups.

Originally Posted by sukhbirST

Amazing and proud of you.

Thank you so much for the kind words!

Originally Posted by Miyata

In an extended automotive parlance, that's like your sun roof, the moon roof, and also the stars roof!

Congrats...Looks awesome. Your every deed / post here sure does cast a (very) large shadow.

Thank you so much for the kind words! Good comparison to automotive terminology

Originally Posted by RGK

Have come across terrace gardens with vegetables and flowers before, but this is the first time I've witnessed a hobby fueled by such intense passion. Truly impressive . Best wishes to you!

Do you intend to let astronomy-loving others (via friends or references, of course) see celestial events?

Thank you for the kind words!

This setup is mainly for photography. Though the equipment can be used for visual as well, With the light pollution in my location, it is not possible to do much of visual astronomy. So other than a few friends who are interested in seeing the photography setup, I don't have plans to open this to everyone

[am1m]

Read in the paper today that a group of amateur astronomers/astro photographers were planning to map/photograph(?) the complete face of Jupiter over a session. Didn't entirely grasp the details, but it's amazing what can be achieved by amateur astronomers these days. Something like this would have been the preserve of NASA or other government agencies only, while we were growing up.

Truly the democratization of science, the way it should be in all scientific fields. With Jupiter shining bright in our winter skies, the real continuation of this oldest of hobbies. Far advanced before most of the other sciences, simply because our ancestors had little else to do during those long, dark nights, but stare at the sky, observe, and wonder.

Am motivated to re-kindle some of my childhood interest with a visit to the Vainu Bappu Observatory. Has anyone visited? I believe one can just drive down from Bangalore and get a chance to look through their telescopes at night? Any information will be much appreciated, thanks.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by am1m

Am motivated to re-kindle some of my childhood interest with a visit to the Vainu Bappu Observatory. Has anyone visited? I believe one can just drive down from Bangalore and get a chance to look through their telescopes at night? Any information will be much appreciated, thanks.

I think the observatory is open to the public on Saturdays, but I am not sure if you can observe through the telescope.

If you would like to re-kindle your interest in astronomy and do some deep sky observation, I would suggest you join for a night or two during the star parties organized by BAS (Bangalore Astronomical Society) in Coorg. They organize these star parties during winter months from December to March during the weekend closer to the new moon. There will be many amateurs with their telescopes for visual observation as well as photography, and there is also an 18" telescope that BAS volunteers operate to show interesting objects in the sky.

The first star party for this season should happen during the weekend 28th and 29th December as the New Moon falls on 31st December.

[quasimodo]

Hi @graaja!
Sir, your work is amazing and I am floored by your dedication. My wife loves astronomy and star gazing. I plan to gift her a telescope and I have been going through your notes. I am not very well versed with the technicalities of the set up but from what I could gather I have shortlisted the GSO 8″ Dobsonian (Silver) Telescope from spacearcade.in. It comes with a Rockerbox – azimuthal mount. Wanted to ask you if this would be a good choice? Use case will start with solar system and then move on to deep space gazing. Lastly- is there something that I should be wary about or keep in mind while getting this setup? Thanks a lot in advance for all your wisdom.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by quasimodo

...I have shortlisted the GSO 8″ Dobsonian (Silver) Telescope from spacearcade.in. It comes with a Rockerbox – azimuthal mount. Wanted to ask you if this would be a good choice? Use case will start with solar system and then move on to deep space gazing. Lastly- is there something that I should be wary about or keep in mind while getting this setup? Thanks a lot in advance for all your wisdom.

Thank you for the kind words, and I apologize for the delay in responding.

An 8" Dobsonian is definitely a good telescope to begin with. I am assuming you have selected the 8" Bresser Messier Dobsonian from the below link?

https://spacearcade.in/product/bress...r-8-dobsonian/

Bresser is a good company and I have heard some good reviews about their scopes. I would suggest you check out some online reviews, too. You need to mainly check for reviews on the smoothness of movement on the axes and for the quality of optics.

Also, check if the scope comes with a proper finder scope or a red dot finder. It is preferable to have a good finder scope.

You can also check out the GSO dobsonian telescopes available on Tejraj website. GSO also makes very good scopes.

[quasimodo]

Originally Posted by graaja

I am assuming you have selected the 8" Bresser Messier Dobsonian from the below link?

https://spacearcade.in/product/bress...r-8-dobsonian/

You can also check out the GSO dobsonian telescopes available on Tejraj website. GSO also makes very good scopes.

I am actually looking at the GSO 8" at Spacearcade (Tejraj is out of stock) from the below link- https://spacearcade.in/product/gso-8...ver-telescope/

They are providing the 8×50 finder with achromatic objective. I am assuming that this is the proper finder scope?

[graaja]

Originally Posted by quasimodo

I am actually looking at the GSO 8" at Spacearcade (Tejraj is out of stock) from the below link- https://spacearcade.in/product/gso-8...ver-telescope/

They are providing the 8×50 finder with achromatic objective. I am assuming that this is the proper finder scope?

Check this model on the same website.

https://spacearcade.in/product/gso-8-dobsonian-white/

For 2.5K more, this one has a dual speed focuser, which is much better than the single speed in the silver one. Also, this comes with a 30mm 2" eyepiece that will have a wider field of view. These two features are very good value additions for the extra price.

[graaja]

It has been a long time since my last update after installing the roll-off-roof design. Usually, by the end of December, we have clear skies in Coimbatore. But this year, the skies have been cloudy till January. We started having some clear skies at the end of January, and I have captured a few targets since then.

I usually try to shoot as many targets as possible with 3 or 4 hours of data per target. But this time, I wanted to focus on fewer targets with more data on each target.

Gear Update:

I got a few new gear this year.

Celestron EdgeHD 9.25 SCT Telescope: This has been on my wishlist for a long time. The EdgeHD series from Celestron is made for photography and has a flat field throughout the image circle. Normal SCTs have something called Coma, which results in field curvature and stars being elongated towards the edge of the frame. Also, this scope has a longer focal length compared to the RC8 scope. Without the reducer, the scope has a focal length of 2350mm and with reducer 1645mm. This helps shoot smaller objects like galaxies and planetary nebulae at a higher resolution.

With 2 piers installed, I got some accessories like a focuser, mini PC, etc., to complete the 2nd setup. Now, I can run both setups simultaneously on two different targets.

Below are a few pictures of both the setups.

The EQ6-R Pro with the EdgeHD 9.25 scope. This is quite a heavy setup weighing more than 50 kilos (18 kilos for the mount, 20 kilos for the counterweights, and 14 kilos for the scope and accessories). It was quite a workout lifting the scope, while balancing on the ladder and fixing it to the mount. All my kettlebell workouts and calisthenics training helped for sure


Both the setups with the roof closed.


As the environment around my home is very dusty, I keep the setups covered in the daytime to reduce exposure to dust.


The lighter AM5 setup with the William Optics GT81 refractor with Moon and Venus in the background.


The EdgeHD in action.


Both the setups in action. The EdgeHD shooting the Medussa nebula, and the GT81 shooting the HorseHead nebula.


I control both the setups using remote desktop running on my laptop or PC from inside the house.


PS: The red light in the observatory stays on only when I am working on the setups for some fine-tuning or calibration. During data capture, the light remains off.

[graaja]

The Leo Triplet - 2-Panel Mosaic

The Leo Triplet is a group of 3 interacting galaxies in the constellation Leo. M65 is a slightly inclined spiral galaxy with a diameter of 90,000 light years. M66 is a barred spiral galaxy with asymmetrical arms with a diameter of 95,000 light years. NGC 3628, also known as hamburger galaxy, is an edge-on spiral galaxy with a diameter of 140,000 light years. These galaxies are at a distance of some 35 million light years from Earth.

A couple of years back, when I was just starting out, I shot these galaxies using the Celestron SE6 SCT scope. This is the picture I shot then.


With the longer focal length of 1645mm of the EdgeHD, it is not possible to fit all three galaxies in the same frame. So, I decided to do a 2-panel mosaic.

A mosaic is a technique used in Astrophotography where multiple frames are shot and stiched to form a single image. This is similar to stitching a panorama in landscape photography. The advantage of Mosaic is that the final image has a much higher resolution.

I usually shoot galaxies either using a color camera, or if using a monochrome camera, I use the L, R, G and B filters and combine the images to form a color image. Galaxies have these hydrogen rich star forming regions which are reddish in color. To add these details to the galaxies, the galaxies are shot with Hydrogen Alpha (Ha) filter, which captures only the wavelength from Hydrogen. This image is then added to the LRGB image to produce more details of the star forming regions. I decided to use this method and shoot in HaLRGB.

I split the image into two panels. The first panel has M65 and M66, and the second panel has NGC3628. I collected 12+ hours of data for each panel. I then processed each image individually, and stitched them together to form the final image. Below is the exposure details for each panel.

Exposure Details:

Total integration: 25 hours 28 minutes

Panel 1: 12 hours 49 minutes

L - 83 * 180 = 249 minutes
R - 28 * 300 = 140 minutes
G - 27 * 300 = 135 minutes
B - 26 * 300 = 130 minutes
Ha - 23 * 300 = 115 minutes

Panel 2: 12 hours 39 minutes

L - 88 x 180 - 264 minutes
R - 28 x 300 - 140 minutes
G - 25 x 300 - 125 minutes
B - 22 x 300 - 110 minutes
HA - 24 x 300 - 120 minutes

The below pictures show various steps in constructing the final image.

Panel-1 individual channels.


Panel-1 processed.


Panel-2 individual channels.


Panel-2 processed.



The Final Image:

Below is the final image with both panels stitched. Notice the pinkish blobs in M66 in the bottom right (the active star forming regions rich in Hydrogen), and the details of the dust lanes on NGC3628 and the reddish glow of the core. It took about 3 hours to integrate individual pictures and more than 5 hours of post processing to get this final image. Click the image to open in full resolution. I had to compress a little to fit with the upload size limit.

[graaja]

Abell 21 - The Medussa Nebula



Abell 21, also known as the Medusa Nebula, is a large, ancient planetary nebula in the constellation Gemini. It was discovered by George Abell in 1955 as part of his catalog of planetary nebulae. Abell 21 is a planetary nebula, which means it is the final evolutionary stage of a dying low-mass star (similar to our Sun). As the star ejects its outer layers, they expand and glow due to ultraviolet radiation from the exposed core. This is what will happen to our Sun too in a few billion years when it runs out of fuel.

It is located 1500 light years from earth. It is about 1.7 to 2 light years in size.

Unlike younger planetary nebulae, the Medusa Nebula appears faint and diffuse, with a complex structure resembling a tattered shell. The nickname "Medusa" comes from its tendril-like filaments, which look like the snake-like hair of the mythical Gorgon.

I shot this image using the EdgeHD scope on the EQ6-R Pro mount with the ASI2600MM monochrome camera. I shot this image in narrowband using Sii (Sulfur), Oiii (Oxygen) and Ha (Hydrogen Alpha) filters, and combined using the Hubble Palette, the color scheme used by the Hubble Space Telescope. The stars were shot with RGB filters and added to the narrowband image.

Below is the image exposure details.

Exposure Details:

SHO Nebula - 13 hours 5 minutes
RGB Stars - 1 hour 4 minutes

Sii - 53 * 300 seconds = 265 minutes
Ha - 54 * 300 seconds = 270 minutes
Oiii - 50 * 300 seconds = 250 minutes
R - 23 * 60 seconds = 23 minutes
G - 21 * 60 seconds = 21 minutes
B - 20 * 60 seconds = 20 minutes


Horsehead & Flame Nebulae (Barnard 33 & NGC 2024)



The Horsehead Nebula (Barnard 33) and the Flame Nebula (NGC 2024) are located in the Orion constellation, near the bright star Alnitak, the leftmost star in Orion’s Belt. These are situated about 1400 light years from Earth.

The Horsehead Nebula is a dense cloud of dust and gas that appears as a silhouette against the bright red emission nebula IC 434 (ionized by nearby stars). The "horsehead" shape is due to interstellar gas and dust blocking background light. It is part of the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex, a massive star-forming region. It is about 3.5 light-years across.

The Flame Nebula glows reddish-orange due to hydrogen gas ionized by Alnitak. It contains a dark central lane, which is a dust cloud blocking part of the bright emission. It is actively forming stars, with a hidden cluster of young stars embedded within. It is about 12 light-years across.

I shot this image using the William Optics GT81 refractor telescope on the ZWO AM5 harmonic mount with ASI2600MC color camera.

Exposure Details: 6 hours 30 minutes of exposure - 130 individual pictures of 3 minutes exposure each.

The below picture shows my very first attempt at capturing the horsehead nebula in February 2022.

[graaja]

Astrophotography Trip - December 2024

The first star party conducted by BAS (Bangalore Astronomical Society) for this year happened in December 2024. During this star party, I photographed two deep space objects - the Embryo Nebula and the surrounding cloud complex and an area in the Vela constellation, which has several objects like a dark nebula, emission nebula, and open clusters. I also captured a couple of wide-field pictures of the winter Milky Way. Here are a few pictures from this trip.

A Star Field from Vela Constellation:



A picture of a rich star field in the Vela constellation. This is an integration of about 3 hours of data. The frame consists of the following objects.

Collinder-197: Collinder 197 is a young open star cluster composed of several dozen to a few hundred hot, blue stars. It's estimated to be around 300 million years old and is located approximately 2,000 to 3,000 light-years away from Earth.

RCW-32: RCW 32 is an emission nebula shaped by aggressive stellar winds from the stars within and around it. The bright central star, HD 74804, is a double-star system that significantly influences the nebula's structure.

NGC-2671: NGC 2671, also cataloged as Collinder 201, is an open cluster in the constellation Vela. It is described as fairly rich in stars, a little compressed toward the middle, covering about 4' of the sky and containing about 40 stars of magnitude 12 to 13

Collinder-203: Collinder 203, also known as Trumpler 10, is an open cluster in the constellation Vela. It is part of the Collinder catalog, which was compiled by Swedish astronomer Per Collinder in 1931


NGC-1333 Embryo Nebula and the Surrounding Molecular Cloud Complex:



NGC-1333 is a reflection nebula situated in the Perseus molecular cloud in the constellation Perseus. This is located about 1000 light years from Earth. This is also known as the Embryo Nebula, as it contains several young stars. The presence of Class 0 and Class 1 stars indicates that this is one of the youngest known star-forming regions. NGC-1333 is part of a molecular cloud complex that extends over several hundreds of light-years. This cloud hosts several star-forming regions. This picture is an integration of about 10 hours of data.


I also shot a couple of wide-field images of the Winter Milky Way.

This picture shows the Orion Constellation, Jupiter, and the Pleiades Open Cluster.


This picture shows the Winter MilkyWay with Andromeda Galaxy to the left side and Pleiades at the top middle of the frame.


To close this update, a picture of the setup that lets me take these pictures and the car that lets me take the setup to places.


That’s all folks, I have for now.

[Jupizire]

This is inspiring, to say the least, @graaja.
Are the colourful images the outcome of image processing by the PC? Or does the nebula look like that even to our naked eyes when viewed through telescope? Have never seen through a telescope. Hence the dumb question.

I am just wondering if you could graciously allow the interested team-bhpians to visit your place on a fri/Sat night for sky grazing! Wishful thinking !

[ToffeeTraveller]

Wow! What an interesting hobby. T-BHP is truly a inspiring community comprising people having very different passions - trekking, astronomy, biking, etc. Terrific stuff, @gjraaja, keep them coming.

[expcretrvlsmile]

Incredible just incredible.
This is an inspiring read!! Were you able to get shots of the Planetary Alignment in Jan.

Are there any sky watching clubs in our country where ordinary people like us can observe the distant planets and stars. Last month, we have been searching around Kochi to find a place to watch the planetary alignment but unfortunately we could not find any club or societies hosting the event. However we did not lose hope - picked up the phone and tried to capture Mars ourselves.

Being a skeptic, I didnt believe what had been captured. I think this is due to the bokeh effect when trying to capture an out of focus object. But anyways it was something and I think people here can be a better judge on how/what was captured.

No edits are made in the original image. Phone used - iphone 15pro