Messier (M27) is a planetary nebula. Also commonly called the dumbbell nebula since it has the shape of a dumbbell. It is in the constellation Velpecula and is approximately 1300 light years away. It is a favorite summer time image since it lies in the summer triangle ( made up of three stars named Altair, Deneb, and Vega).
This image was taken in the early morning around 1am in my backyard in Midland, TX on July 29th, 2011. I used a light pollution filter and this image is at F2 with a QHY8 CCD camera and a Hyperstar. I used my 11" Celestron HD as my imaging platform.
A 5min exposure stacked with 10 images for the final result.
Click on the image for zooming.

Whirlpool Galaxy

This is my favorite object to image. I spend a lot of time trying to make this image better and better every time.

M51, designated the Whirlpool galaxy is 37 million light years from Earth.

Taken at Zodiac Ranch, June 2, 2011.

Equipment:
Celestron 11" HD w/ hyperstar, QHY8 CCD camera. 8-min exposure.

I actually had to cut the number of exposures do to some clouds that spoiled my last 5 images.

Leo Trio

The Leo Trio is a group of galaxies approximately 30 million light years from Earth. They lie in the constellation Leo the Lion. Their strong gravitational pull from one another distorts their shapes. This trio makes a great photograph. This image is an 8-min exposure.

Equipment:
Celestron 11" HD w/hyperstar and a QHY8 CCD camera. Captured with Nebulosity with a total of 12 images stacked for a final result.

Taken at Zodiac Ranch, Fort Davis, TX on June 1, 2011.

M101 with neighbors

M101, Pinwheel Galaxy and neighboring galaxies. To the left of M101, we have NGC 5474. Notice other smaller fainter galaxies in the field of view. This image is a 5min exposure. Total exposure time is 50 minutes. Processed with stacking software. No flats, but stacked with darks to get rid of some hot pixels. Need to try some flats to get rid of some vignetting. This image was taken on May 29, 2011 at around 3am at Zodiac Ranch, Fort Davis, Texas. M101 is found in the constellation Ursa Major. Check out my previous posts of another image of this object.

NGC 4298 / 4203

A pairing of spiral galaxies about 60 million light years away. Both NGC 4298 and NGC 4203 are located in the constellation Coma Berenices. This image was taken in Fort Davis, TX and is a 5-min exposure for a total of two hours total exposure time.

The Pinwheel Galaxy is a face on spiral galaxy about 25 million light years away. The objects light took 25 million years to reach my telescope. Impressive to say the least. The Pinwheel Galaxy, designated Messier 101 is in the constellation Ursa Major. M101 has a diameter of 170,000 light years and is larger than our own Milky Way Galaxy. This image is a 5-min exposure exposed for 100 minutes. Used 20 images and stacked and processed them to come up with a final result.

This image was taken in Fort Davis on April 1, 2011 at Zodiac Ranch where a friend of mine has his private observatory under the dark skies of southwest Texas.