Helix Nebula

Helix

(Ha) 20min X 10
(R) 15 min X 3
(G) 15 min X 3
(B) 15 min X 3
Camera: QSI683wsg at F/7
Telescope: Celestron 11" Edge HD
Mount: Celestron CGE Pro
Location: Lubbock, TX
Dates: Multiple nights on November 6-8, 2015
Captured with Nebulosity and guided with PHD guiding.
Processed with MaxIm DL 5 and Photoshop6.

Orion

Orion, a famous winter constellation in the northern hemisphere has been one of the most pronounced and recognizable constellations.  Its brightest stars are Rigel and Betelgeuse a blue-white and a red super-giant.
Orion was a gigantic, supernaturally strong hunter of ancient times.  One myth recounts Gaia's rage at Orion, who dared to say that he would kill every animal on the planet. The angry goddess tried to dispatch Orion with a scorpion.  This is given as the reason that the constellations of Scorpius and  Orion are never in the sky at the same time. However, Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer, revived Orion with an antidote.  This is said to be the reason that the constellation of Ophiuchus stands midway between the Scorpion and the Hunter in the sky.

Supermoon Lunar Eclipse

Every now and then, the sun, moon, and Earth are aligned exactly right to get a great lunar eclipse.  This one was special because it was a full "Harvest Moon."  Taken from my back yard in Lubbock, TX.  This is a 1/10 second exposure using a Canon 5D Mark II and my Celestron 11" Edge HD scope.  It was taken at F/7 on September 27, 2015.

M101 Pinwheel Galaxy

The Pinwheel Galaxy is an face-on spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major and is approximately 21 million light years away.  The Pinwheel has several different galaxies near it as seen in the image.  To the lower right is NGC 5474 which is being torn apart by the Pinwheels massive gravitational pull.  The interaction between the Pinwheel and other surrounding galaxies gives the Pinwheel a neat spiral design.

M101
(Lum) 5min X 18
(R) 15 min X 5
(G) 15 min X 5
(B) 15 min X 5
Camera: QSI683wsg at F/5
Telescope: Takahashi FSQ106N
Mount: Celestron CGE Pro

Location: Fort Davis, TX
Dates: May 17, 2015
Captured with Nebulosity and guided with PHD guiding.
Processed with MaxIm DL 5 and photoshop.

NGC 3628 Hamburger Galaxy

NGC 3628 is often called the Hamburger Galaxy because of its divided dust lanes.  At a distance of 35 million light years away, this galaxy can be found in the constellation Leo the Lion.  At a wider field of view, this galaxy is one of three galaxies that make up the Leo Trio.

NGC 3628
(Lum) 15min X 12
(R) 15 min X 4
(G) 15 min X 4
(B) 15 min X 4
Camera: QSI683wsg at F/7
Telescope: Celestron 11" Edge HD
Mount: Celestron CGE Pro
Location: Lubbock and Fort Davis, TX
Dates: Multiple nights on February 14, 2015 (Luminance) and April 19, 2015 (RGB)
Captured with Nebulosity and guided with PHD guiding.
Processed with MaxIm DL 5 and photoshop.

Comet Lovejoy C/2014 Q2

A new comet discovered by Terry Lovejoy in August 2014 from Australia is a great comet to view because of its path through the sky.  It is high up and excellent position for cameras and telescopes.  I took this image from Zodiac Ranch near Fort Davis, TX on the night of January 18, 2015.  It is at its maximum brightness and orbits the sun every 11,000 years. 

Lovejoy C/2014 Q2
(L) 3min X 2
(R) 3 min X 2
(G) 3 min X 2
(B) 3 min X 2
Camera: QSI683wsg at F/5
Telescope: Takahashi FSQ106
Mount: Celestron CGE Pro
Location: Fort Davis, TX
Dates: January 18, 2015
Captured with Nebulosity and guided with PHD guiding.
Processed with MaxIm DL 5 and photoshop.

 The smaller image is a widefield image using a Canon 5D Mark II that is modified for deep sky astrophotography.  It is a single 3-minute exposure piggybacking on my scope.