M106Spiral Galaxy in Canes Venatici 10.1” f/4.5   Mallincam DS432cTEC with Meade Series 4000 Nebular FilterExposures = 20 sec, Live-stacked frames = 65, Gain = 50 of 250 Located about halfway between Phecda in the bowl of the Big Dipper and Chara (Beta Canum Venaticorum), M106 is a bright spiral about 24 million light years…

M101Pinwheel Galaxy in Ursa Major 10.1” f/4.5   Mallincam DS432cTECExposures = 5-10-15-15 sec, Live-stacked frames = 30-30-30-20 (110 total), Gain = 25 of 250, Whitepoints = 255-255-255-175 A beautiful face-on spiral, M101 immediately appears very large in the view and it doesn’t take long for the spiral arms to reveal themselves. A number of other…

Total Solar Eclipse – April 8, 2024 80mm f/5, Mallincam DS432cTEC, various Exposure and Gain settingsApril 8, 2024  19:24 to 19:26 UTC High-altitude clouds threatened to spoil the show and persisted throughout the eclipse as viewed from the Johnstown Motel boat launch in Johnstown, ON, however they thinned just enough to provide great views and…

Total Solar Eclipse 80mm f/5, Mallincam DS432cTEC, variable Exposure and GainApril 8, 2024  19:24 to 19:26 UTC High-altitude clouds threatened to spoil the show and persisted throughout the eclipse as viewed from the Johnstown Motel boat launch in Johnstown, ON, however they thinned just enough to provide great views and enough sharp frames for capture…

M101Pinwheel Galaxy in Ursa Major 10.1” f/4.5   Mallincam DS432cTECExposures = 5-10-15-15 sec, Live-stacked frames = 30-30-30-20 (110 total), Gain = 25 of 250, Whitepoints = 255-255-255-175 A beautiful face-on spiral, M101 immediately appears very large in the view and it doesn’t take long for the spiral arms to reveal themselves. A number of other…

M104Sombrero Galaxy in Virgo 10.1” f/4.5   Mallincam DS432cTEC with 1.5x BarlowExposures = 5-10-15 sec, Live-stacked frames = 25-26-49 (100 total), Gain = 22 of 250  The Sombrero Galaxy, seen here with a 1.5x Barlow at about 125x magnification, was easily spotted about 11 degrees due west of 1st magnitude Spica right near the Virgo-Corvus…

NGC 4627 & 4631The Whale Galaxy in Canes Venatici 10.1″ f/4.5, Mallincam DS432cTEC with 1.5x Barlow Exposure = 10-15 sec, Live Stacked frames = 15-25, Gain = 22 of 250 NGC 4631 the Whale Galaxy, also known as Caldwell 32, is a long and bright 10th magnitude barred-spiral. In this image the Whale appears about…

M78 Reflection nebula in Orion 10.1″ f/4.5, Mallincam DS432cTEC Exposure = 7-13-20 sec, Live Stacked frames = 15-15-45 (75 total), Gain = 6 of 250 One of the few reflection nebula in the Messier catalog, M78 (also known as NGC 2068 and “Casper the Friendly Ghost” nebula) is the brightest portion in the image here,…

NGC 7000 North America Nebula in Cygnus 80mm f/5, Mallincam DS432cTEC with 0.5 focal reducer and Astronomik UHC filter Exposure = 10-25 sec, Live Stacked frames = 15-25 (40 total), Gain = 44 of 250 This image was taken with the 80mm scope to get a wider view (2 x 3 degrees) and a better…