Recent Posts / Updates

  • M42 (2022-11-26)

    M42 and M43 Great Orion Nebula and De Mairan’s Nebula 10.1″ f/4.5, Mallincam DS432cTEC with 0.5 focal reducerExposures = 2-12-22-22 sec, Live Stacked frames = 15-15-15-45 (90 total), Gain = 2-2-2-6 of 250 The Great Orion Nebula M42 is most of what we see here in this image, with the exception of the upside-down “comma”…


  • Uranus (2022-11-27)

    10.1″ f/4.5, Mallincam DS432cTEC with 5x barlowExposure = 400 ms, Gain = 35 of 250 November 27, 2022  0:59 UTC The green disk of Uranus here is about 3.7 arc seconds across and at magnitude 5.6, 18 days past opposition. Uranus


  • Asteroid – 4 Vesta (2022-08-28)

    Asteroid – 4 Vesta 10.1″ f/4.5, Mallincam DS432cTEC Exposure = 5 sec, Live Stacked frames = 1, Gain = 17 of 250 August 28, 2022 04:08 UTC Vesta on this night is about 5 days past opposition and having just past it’s maximum brightness at magnitude 6.0. The brightest star in this image is 41…


  • NGC 7293 (2022-08-27)

    NGC 7293Helix Nebula in Aquarius 10.1″ f/4.5, Mallincam DS432cTEC with Astronomik UHC filter Exposure = 10-15-20-29 sec, Live Stacked frames = 20-20-20-20-10 (90 total), WhitePoint = 255-255-255-255-220, Gain = 30 of 250 Also known as Caldwell 63 and the “Eye of God”, the Helix Nebula is a planetary nebula that spans approximately 15 arcminutes in this…


  • Mars

    Mars 10.1″ f/4.5 (stopped to 3.8″ f/12), Mallincam DS432CTEC with 2.5x barlow  Exposure = 2.696 msec, Gain = 80 of 250 October 18, 2020  04:53 UTC Mars just past opposition. Major surface features visible are Syrtis Major (dark area to the lower right) and darker southern highlands. Mars south pole is at approximately 2 o’clock…


  • M71

    M71 Arrowhead cluster in Sagitta 10.1″ f/4.5, Mallincam DS432cTEC with 0.5 focal reducer and Astronomik UHC filter Exposure = 5 sec, Live Stacked frames = 25, Gain = 70 of 250 M71 is a loosely packed globular cluster with a resolvable core, which makes it look very much like an open cluster at first glance.…


  • M31

    M31, M32, and M110 Andromeda Galaxy and satellite galaxies 80mm f/5, Mallincam DS432cTEC with 0.5 focal reducer and Astronomik UHC filter Exposure = 20-40-80 sec, Live Stacked frames = 10-10-10 (30 total), Gain = 60 of 250 A wide-angle view of M31 that includes satellite galaxies M32 (appears as a fuzzy pale-yellow bright star below-right…


  • M31, M32, and M110

    M31, M32, and M110 Andromeda Galaxy and satellite galaxies 80mm f/5, Mallincam DS432cTEC with 0.5 focal reducer and Astronomik UHC filter Exposure = 20-40-80 sec, Live Stacked frames = 10-10-10 (30 total), Gain = 60 of 250 A wide-angle view of M31 that includes satellite galaxies M32 (appears as a fuzzy pale-yellow bright star below-right…


  • Neptune (2022-08-06)

    Neptune 10.1″ f/4.5, Mallincam DS432cTEC with 5x barlowExposure = 566 msec, Gain = 120 of 250August 6, 2022  5:40 UTC Neptune appears as a distinctly green small disk in this view. According to the RASC Observer’s Handbook the disk is 2.3 arcseconds across. Approximately 4 arcminutes northward is a 9.6 magnitude star designated UCAC4-435-121272. In…


  • Saturn (2022-08-06)

    Saturn 10.1″ f/4.5, Mallincam DS432cTEC with 5x barlow Exposure = 85 msec, Gain = 12 of 250 August 6, 2022  5:20 UTC The three main rings of Saturn, the outer A ring, the Cassini Division, the B ring, and the very faint C ring all appear to be visible in this image. The shadow of…