Neil Fleming's pics

(click image to view & discuss)	SH2-101 This complex and stunning area of nebulosity (Sh2-101) is commonly known as the “Tulip Nebula”.  It is located in Cygnus, about a couple of degrees southwest of NGC6888, the “Crescent Nebula”. This area is strong in Ha and SII emissions, and is located about 2,000 light years away from us.  Sh2-101 lies inside the Orion spiral arm of our galaxy, as does our own solar system. The star believed to be fueling the emissions of the Tulip nebula is HDE 227018. This image also shows the famous Cygnus X-1 system. Cygnus X-1 is the brightest source of hard X-rays in our sky.  It is a binary system, consisting of HDE 226868, a large blue super giant, and a companion that is thought to be a “black hole”. The more compact of the two objects in the system is thought to be between 20 and 35 solar masses.  Since the largest possible mass of a neutron star can not exceed three solar masses, the compact object is almost certainly a black hole.  HDE 226868, highlighted below, is an O9-B0 supergiant with a surface temperature of 31,000 kelvins, comprising about 20-40 solar masses.  These two objects share an orbital periodicity of 5.6 days. The matter being stripped off HDE 226868 by the black hole's powerful gravity forms an accretion disk around the black hole, as well as forming an associated wind corona from the blue supergiant.  This process results in the plentiful X-ray emissions that were first discovered 30 years ago (Bowyer et al. 1965).  The distance to Cygnus X-1 is about 8,000 light years, or 2,500 parsecs. These images were processed by incorporating Ha, SII, and RGB data, taken over several nights during May of 2007.  Taken with a TMB 203 F/7, and an STL-6303 camera equipped with Astrodon filters. Dates Taken: - 5/4/2007 through 5/9/2007 Equipment Used: - TMB 203 F/7 - SBIG STL-6303 - Paramount ME - FLI PDF - Astrodon 50mm filters Exposures: - Ha:  10x30 minute subs, totaling 5 hours - SII: 7x30 minute subs, totaling 3 hours, 30 minutes - RGB:  6x8 minute subs each channel, 48 minutes per channel, or two hours and 24 minutes in total Processing: This image was done up as an Ha/SII + RGB image. First processed as an Ha/sG/SII narrowband image.  The Ha was assigned to red, the SII to blue, and I used Noel Carboni's Photoshop Actions to synthesize the green data. The RGB was processed traditionally, and incorporated into the Ha/sG/SII image in two steps:  The main RGB nebulosity was incorporated at a fairly low opacity, while the RGB stars were incorporated in at 100%, in "color" blend mode. See http://www.flemingastrophotography.com/sh2101.html for further images and additional details. Submitted by Neil Fleming on 07/10/2007 18:36:03
(click image to view & discuss)	M3 M3 is one of the most outstanding globular clusters, containing an estimated half million stars.  At a distance of about 33,900 light years, it is further away than the center of our Galaxy, the Milky Way, but still shines at magnitude 6.2, as its absolute magnitude is about -8.93, corresponding to a luminosity of about 300,000 times that of our sun.  M3 is thus visible to the naked eye under very good conditions - and a superb object with the slightest optical aid. Its apparent diameter of 18.0 arc minutes corresponds to a linear extension of about 180 light years; Kenneth Glyn Jones mentions an estimate of even 20 arc minutes from deep photographic plates, corresponding to about 200 light years linear diameter.  It appears somewhat smaller in amateur instruments, perhaps about 10 minutes of arc.  But its tidal radius, beyond which member stars would be torn away by the tidal gravitational force of the Milky Way Galaxy, is even larger: About 38.19 minutes of arc. Thus, this cluster gravitationally dominates a spherical volume 760 light years in diameter. Date Taken: - 3/30/2007 Equipment Used: - TMB 203 F/7 - SBIG STL-6303 - Paramount ME - FLI PDF - Astrodon 50mm filters Exposures: - Red:  20x3 minute subs, totaling 1 hour - Green: 20x3 minute subs, totaling 1 hour - Blue:  20x3 minute subs, totaling 1 hour Processing: CCDStack: - Initial sub registration - RGB combine - Deconvolution (Positive Constraint, 20 runs) - DDP PSCS2: - Gradient control (see my gradient control tip in the tips and tricks section) - Noise control (NeatImage) - Slight sharpening via Smart Sharpen in PS-CS2 Further details available at: http://www.flemingastrophotography.com/m3dss.html Submitted by Neil Fleming on 07/10/2007 19:03:52
(click image to view & discuss)	IC443 Object Description: This is a photo of IC443, a “supernova remnant” (SNR) located in the constellation Gemini.  It is commonly known as the “Jellyfish Nebula”, and is considered to be one of the highlights of the winter astro season. These types of objects are created by one of the most important processes in the universe - a supernova event - when a star explodes and scatters the heavier chemical elements it has synthesized during its lifetime back into space.  This material will eventually coalesce into future stars and planetary systems. IC443 is thought to have been formed between 30,000 and 35,000 years ago, and most likely is the remains of the pulsar, G189.6+3.3.  Located about 5,000 light years away, the pulsar’s X-ray emissions excite the material of the nebula, causing the chemical components to emit light in their characteristic wavelengths.  Additionally, the expanding bubble of gas continues to plow through the interstellar medium (ISM), which are latent clouds of gas in our galaxy), and further glow is added due to this interaction.   This nebula is comprised of hydrogen, oxygen, silicon, carbon, and iron, which were created through the nuclear fusion process during the predecessor star’s lifetime.  Photographically, it is strong in both Ha and SII light, so our narrowband filters pick this up well. The two bright stars are Eta (Propus) and Mu Geminorum (Tejat).  Under RGB imaging, Tejat is noticeably reddish in color, illustrating its cool 3650 Kelvin degree surface and class M3 status. Lying 230 light years away (less than half the distance of Propus), Tejat is a red giant that radiates about 1540 times more energy than the Sun. The low temperature leads to a star of tremendous size, one that is actually large and close enough for an accurate measure of its angular size, 0.0135 seconds of arc. Tejat therefore has a radius 104 times that of the Sun, or 0.48 Astronomical Units, about half the size of the Earth's orbit. Dates Taken:   - 11/18/2006 through 3/1/2007 Equipment Used:   - TAK FSQ   - TMB 203 F/7   - SBIG STL-6303   - Paramount ME   - FLI PDF   - Astrodon 50mm Ha, with 6nmm bandpass Exposures:   - FSQ:  12x30 minute subs plus 14x5 minute subs, totaling 7 hours, 20 minutes   - TMB: 16x30 minute subs plus 29x5 minute subs, totaling 10 hours, 25 minutes   - Overall:  17 hours and 45 minutes Processing: This image is a composite or hybrid of the data from the FSQ 106-NSV F/5 (530mm) and the TMB 203 F/7 (1421mm). Further details available at http://www.flemingastrophotography.com/ic443.html Submitted by Neil Fleming on 07/10/2007 19:11:19
(click image to view & discuss)	IC1805 IC1805 - The "Heart" Nebula Object Description: This large complex of faint nebulosity is located in the constellation of Cassiopeia.  It has often been referred to as the "Heart" nebula.   IC 1805 is a young star cluster surrounded by Ha emitting nebulosity.  The hydrogen has been ionized by ultraviolet radiation from young hot stars.  This area lies some 7500 light years away from Earth, and this view of the area spans about 2 degrees. The largest and very diffuse part of this image, IC1805, contains large and bright star cluster Melotte 15 at its center.  Other star clusters including; NGC1027, Berkeley 65, and Markarian 6 are located around its edges.  The brightest part of IC1805 consists of the nebulae IC1795 and NGC896. Just to the east of this nebula lies IC1848, the "Embryo" or "Soul" nebula, visible in another image on this web site. This image is a tricolor narrowband image, taken with Ha, OIII, and SII filters. Dates Taken: - 10/30/06 through 12/2/06 Equipment Used: - TAK FSQ - SBIG STL-6303 - Paramount ME - FLI PDF - Astrodon 50mm Ha, OIII, and SII filters, with 6nm bandpass Exposures: - Ha: 12.5 hours of 30 minute subs - OIII: 9 hours of 30 minute subs - SII: 10.5 hours of 30 minute subs    ...totalling 32 hours Processing: CCDStack: - Calibration - Image registration - Initial channel combines - Hot/cold pixel reduction - Gentle deconvolution - DDP Photoshop CS2: - Color combine - Gradient removal - Color adjustments - Noise control - Shadow/highlight adjustments - Contrast enhancement (Noel Carboni's Photoshop Actions) - Contrast curves - Sharpening Further information available at http://www.flemingastrophotography.com/ic1805.html Submitted by Neil Fleming on 07/11/2007 16:47:18
(click image to view & discuss)	IC1848 IC1848 - The "Embryo" or "Soul" Nebula Object Description: Located just over 4° N of h Persei, IC 1848 is a faint emission nebula located just SE of IC1805.  It is variously referred to as the "Soul Nebula" or "Embryo Nebula", due to its resemblance to a baby.  The same field of view also contains Collinder 33 and Collinder 34 star clusters as well as faint nebulae IC1871 and Sh2-198. Both IC1848 and IC1805 are not visible to our naked eyes. IC1848 has a size of 60 arc minutes in east-west and 30 minutes in north-south direction.  The nebulae float together at a distance of about 2500 light years away. This image is a tricolor narrowband image, taken with Ha, OIII, and SII filters. Dates Taken: - 9/30/06 through 10/22/06 Equipment Used: - TAK FSQ - SBIG STL-6303 - Paramount ME - FLI PDF - Astrodon 50mm Ha, OIII, and SII filters, with 6nm bandpass Exposures: - Ha: 8 hours of 30 minute subs - OIII: 14.5 hours of 30 minute subs - SII: 11.75 hours    ...totalling 34.25 hours Processing: CCDStack: - Calibration - Image registration - Initial channel combines - Hot/cold pixel reduction - Gentle deconvolution - DDP Photoshop CS2: - Color combine - Gradient removal - Color adjustments - Noise control - Shadow/highlight adjustments - Contrast enhancement (Noel Carboni's Photoshop Actions) - Contrast curves - Sharpening Further information available at http://www.flemingastrophotography.com/ic1848.html Submitted by Neil Fleming on 07/11/2007 16:57:36
(click image to view & discuss)	IC1396 IC1396 - The "Elephant Trunk" Nebula Object Description: IC 1396 is one of the largest emission nebula complexes in the night sky, measuring some 140 x 170 arcminutes - almost three degrees in size!  It resides in the constellation of Cepheus, and is actually a stellar "nursery" that hosts many young and newly-formed stars.  This large nebula can be seen with the naked eye under extremely dark skies.  There is a bright central star cluster, also designated IC1396, which will interfere with your ability to see the faint nebulosity while visually observing this area with a rich-field telescope.  The entire nebular complex is criss-crossed by dark nebulae, which obscure the emission nebula behind them, many of which bear their own Barnard designations. One of the most prominent parts of this object is vdb142, known as the "Elephant Trunk Nebula", and sometimes the, "Emperor Nebula", after its resemblance to the evil emperor in Star Wars. This entire complex is thought to be some 3,000 light years from Earth. Dates Taken: - 9/12/2006 through 10/21/2006 Equipment Used: - TAK FSQ - SBIG STL-6303 - Paramount ME - FLI PDF - Astrodon 50mm Ha, OIII, and SII filters, with 6nm bandpass Exposures: - Ha: 7 hours of 30 minute subs - OIII: 14 hours of 30 minute subs - SII: 9 hours of 30 minute subs ...totalling 30 hours Processing: CCDStack: - Calibration - Bloom repair - Image registration - Initial channel combines - Hot/cold pixel reduction - Gentle deconvolution - DDP Photoshop CS2: - Color combine - Gradient removal - Color adjustments - Final bloom repair - Noise control - Shadow/highlight adjustments - Contrast enhancement (Noel Carboni's Photoshop Actions) - Contrast curves - Sharpening More details and versions available at http://www.flemingastrophotography.com/ic1396.html Submitted by Neil Fleming on 07/11/2007 20:00:30
(click image to view & discuss)	NGC6992 - The Eastern Veil This is a short, 3-hour Ha shot of the Eastern Veil from a couple of nights ago. (I'm in the middle of collecting OIII data for a couple of objects in the pipeline, but the moon is getting in the way, at present ). So, I took the opportunity to swing over to this object to snag some exposures. I almost, but not quite, get the entire nebula in the FOV. Makes me want to do an eventual mosaic. Date Taken: - 8/3/2007 Equipment Used: - TMB 203 F/7 - SBIG STL-6303 - Paramount ME - Optec 3" rotator - Starlight Instrument's Digital Feather Touch Focuser - Baader Planetarium 7nm Ha Filter Exposures: - 6x30-minute Ha sub exposures, 3 hours in total More information and different sizes available at: http://www.flemingastrophotography.com/ngc6992.html I hope you enjoy! ...Neil Submitted by Neil Fleming on 08/07/2007 19:43:57
(click image to view & discuss)	SH2-132 - The "Dumbledore Nebula" Object Description: Sharpless 2-132 is a very faint emission type nebula on the Cepheus/Lacerta border.  It lies at a degree southeast of Epsilon Cep, and has a size of about 40 arc minutes.  It's easy to locate because of its proximity to the distinctive triangle of stars formed by delta, epsilon and zeta Cephei (delta Cep is the prototypical Cepheid variable). From northwest to southeast, zeta, epsilon and Sh2-132 form an almost straight line. The distance between zeta and epsilon is 1.25 degrees, and between epsilon and the nebula is 1.0 degree. Helping to locate the nebula is a very wide optical double about 1/4 degree due west of it. Sh2-132 lies in the field of the Cepheus OB1 association. If it is related to Cep OB1, whose distance is given as 10,000 to 12,000 light-years, then it would be located well out in the Perseus arm of our Galaxy, and be more than 250 light-years in extent. Date Taken: - 7/24/2007 through 8/12/2007 Equipment Used: - TMB 203 F/7 - SBIG STL-6303 - Paramount ME - Optec 3" rotator - Starlight Instrument's Digital Feather Touch Focuser, (with electronic focusing) - Astrodon narrowband filters Exposures: Main Nebula: - Ha: 17x30 minutes (8.5 hours) - OIII: 19 x 30 minutes (9.5 hours) - SII: 22 x 30 minutes (11 hours)     Totaling 29 hours Stars: - R: 8 x 5 minutes - G: 8 x 5 minutes - B: 11 x 5 minutes Processing: CCDStack: For each data set: 1)  Calibration with darks, flats, and bias frames 2)  Bloom rejection 3)  Impute (minor) bloomed pixels 4)  Image registration 5)  Normalization (Auto) 6)  Data rejection (Poisson sigma) 7)  Mean combine 8)  Hot/Cold Pixel rejection 9)  Impute hot/cold pixels 10) Deconvolution, Positive Constraint, 25 iterations Photoshop CS2: For each data set: 1) Overall “contrast curve” 2) Noel Carboni’s Photoshop action for “local contrast enhancement” 3) Noise removal (NeatImage) 4) Color combine, in the two palettes mentioned above 5) Color adjustments through levels, curves, and saturation adjustment layers 6) Shadow-highlight to bring up the background data 7) Layered in RGB-based star data 8) Sharpening Submitted by Neil Fleming on 03/30/2008 23:34:48
(click image to view & discuss)	IC410 - The "Tadpoles" Object Description (Adapted from APOD): A faint, dusty rose of the northern sky, emission nebula IC 410 lies about 12,000 light-years away in the constellation Auriga. The cloud of glowing hydrogen gas is over 100 light-years across, sculpted by stellar winds and radiation from embedded open star cluster NGC 1893. Formed in the interstellar cloud a mere 4 million years ago, bright cluster stars are seen just below the prominent dark dust cloud near picture center. Notable near the center position in this wide, detailed view are two relatively dense streamers of material trailing away from the nebula's central regions. These "tadpoles" (seen just below center) are regions of denser, cooler gas, and more slowly resist the erosive radiation from the hot stars. High radiation slowly eats away at these gaseous pockets and the matter streams away from the stars, creating the tails seen in the image. Potentially sites of ongoing star formation, these cosmic tadpole shapes are about 10 light-years long. Dates Taken: - 11/16/2007 through 11/30/2007 Equipment Used: - TMB 203 F/7 - SBIG STL-6303 - Paramount ME - Optec 3" rotator - Starlight Instrument's Digital Feather Touch Focuser, (with electronic focusing) - Astrodon narrowband Ha filter Exposures: - Ha: 26x30 minutes (13 hours) Processing: CCDStack: 1)  Calibration with darks, flats, and bias frames 2)  Bloom rejection 3)  Impute (minor) bloomed pixels 4)  Image registration 5)  Normalization (Auto) 6)  Data rejection (Poisson sigma) 7)  Mean combine 8)  Hot/Cold Pixel rejection 9)  Impute hot/cold pixels 10) Deconvolution, Positive Constraint, 25 iterations Photoshop CS2: 1) Noel Carboni’s Photoshop action for “local contrast enhancement” 2) Shadow-highlight to bring up the background data 3) High Pass filtering technique to bring out large and medium-scale structures 4) Noise removal (NeatImage) 5) Contrast curve adjustment layer 6) Additional deconvolution and sharpening Submitted by Neil Fleming on 03/30/2008 23:36:50
(click image to view & discuss)	NGC281 - The "Pacman" Nebula Object Description (Thanks to SEDS, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, and Rob Gendler, for factual content): NGC 281 (Sharpless 184) is a bustling cradle of star formation about 10,000 light years away.  The nickname for NGC281 is the "Pacman Nebula", and is derived from its resemblance to the famous early video game character.  I actually see this as a "devilish Pacman", due to the faint "horns" visible in the image. The visible part of the nebula we see in this image is located about 2 degrees east of Alpha Cassiopeia, and is thought to be about 60 light years in size.  The central stars are being formed from the surrounding gas, which emits a large amount of hydrogen alpha (Ha) light after being excited by stellar radiation. In this image, we see a small open cluster of stars, large lanes of obscuring gas and dust, and dense knots where stars may still be forming.  The dark areas overlaying the brighter ones in the middle of the image are dense clouds of gas known as Bok Globules.  The largest Bok globule seen in the image above is thought to be about 2.6 light years in diameter. The cluster of stars near the large Bok Globule is an open cluster categorized as IC1590.  Made up of bright B and O stars, they provide the energy for excitement of the nebular material in the region. X-ray data of this region shows gas of a temperature of a few million degrees and spectra illustrating significant amounts of magnesium, sulfur and silicon. The presence of these elements suggests that supernova recently went off in that area. Dates Taken: - 11/23 through 11/27, 2007 Equipment Used: - TMB 203 F/7 - SBIG STL-6303 - Paramount ME - Optec 3" rotator - Starlight Instrument's Digital Feather Touch Focuser, (with electronic focusing) - Astrodon narrowband 6nm Ha filter Exposures: - 15x30 minute subs, a total of 7.5 hours exposure Processing: CCDStack: 1)  Calibration with darks, flats, and bias frames 2)  Bloom rejection 3)  Impute (minor) bloomed pixels 4)  Image registration 5)  Normalization (Auto) 6)  Data rejection (Poisson sigma) 7)  Mean combine 8) Deconvolution, Positive Constraint, 25 iterations Photoshop CS2: 1) Noel Carboni’s Photoshop action for “local contrast enhancement” 2) Shadow-highlight to bring up the background data 3) High Pass filtering technique to bring out large and medium-scale structures 4) Noise removal (NeatImage) 5) Contrast curve adjustment layer 6) Additional deconvolution and sharpening Submitted by Neil Fleming on 03/30/2008 23:38:08
(click image to view & discuss)	NGC6992 - The Eastern Veil, Take II Object Description: (Credit, with thanks, goes to Steven James O'Mera, as written in the book Deep Sky Companions) About 15,000 years ago an unknown star died in a spectacular fashion in the constellation of Cygnus, the Swan.  The event, a Type II supernova explosion, would have briefly dominated the night sky on Earth.  If prehistoric peoples were in the habit of gazing toward the heavens for meaning, they might have found it in the sudden appearance of this "new" star, which could have rivaled the full Moon in brilliance and remained visible for weeks in broad daylight.  The creators of the oldest known human art, the Cro-Magnon, might have witnessed this stellar apparition, and conceivably they recorded the event in a cave painting somewhere - though if they did, the artwork remains undiscovered.   What is captured here is the remnant of that powerful blast.  Popularly known as the Veil Nebula, NGC 6960, NGC 6992, and NGC 6995 together constitute the corpse of a single supergiant star that perished in that supernova explosion.  Also known collectively as the Cygnus Loop, its various pieces are parts of an expanding shell of dimly glowing gas measuring six Moon diameters in our sky, or 80 light-years in space.  It appears loop-like in part because we see more gas in a give square arc minute of sky when we look at the shell's edges than when we gaze through its middle.  The Veil Nebula complex is thought to be between 1,300 and 1,500 light years away. A Type II supernova announces the death of a supergiant star - one that starts life with at least 8 times the mass of the Sun.  Such stars age about 1,000 times faster than does our Sun.  As it ages a supergiant star forges ever-heavier atomic nuclei, from carbon early in its life to iron near the end.  Each nuclear-fusion stage releases energy and helps the star fight the ever-present pull of gravity.  Once the star's core creates iron, however, nuclear fusion can proceed there no further. (Energy is consumed, rather than generated, by the fusion of elements heavier than iron.) Since energy is no longer being released, the outward pressure that supported the star stops.  The star succumbs to the force of gravity, and within seconds the core of the once-mighty supergiant collapses into a sphere only 10km across.  The rest of the star rushes inward, only to rebound off that dense core.  A quarter-second later, the star ends its life in a cataclysmic explosion that will shine with the light of a billion Suns - the luminosity of a small galaxy.  The blast hurls several solar masses of material outward at speeds measured in thousands of km per second.  Plowing through space, the ejecta collides with interstellar material, heating it up and causing it to glow.  The ejecta will continue to expand into space until it fully dissipates and becomes part of the interstellar medium.  Sprinkled among the outward-fleeing debris are the newly forged atoms of heavy elements like gold, silver and calcium. Dates Taken: - 8/13/2007 through 9/17/2007 Exposures: - This is a two-panel mosaic of the area - 43x30-minute Ha sub exposures, about 21 hours in total, about 22 subs or 10.5 hours per panel Equipment Used: - TMB 203 F/7 - SBIG STL-6303 - Paramount ME - Optec 3" rotator - Starlight Instrument's Digital Feather Touch Focuser - Astrodon 6nm Ha Filter Processing: CCDStack: 1)  Calibration with darks, flats, and bias frames 2)  Bloom rejection 3)  Impute (minor) bloomed pixels 4)  Image registration 5)  Normalization (Auto) 6)  Data rejection (Poisson sigma) 7)  Mean combine 8)  Hot/Cold Pixel rejection 9)  Impute hot/cold pixels 10) Deconvolution, Positive Constraint, 25 iterations Photoshop CS2: 1) Overall “contrast curve” 2) Noise removal (NeatImage) 3) Noel Carboni’s Photoshop action for “local contrast enhancement” 4) Shadow-highlight to bring up the background data 5) Sharpening and additional deconvolution Submitted by Neil Fleming on 04/14/2008 12:29:43