AZ Remote #9, January 2023

First Comet Capture - C/2022 E3 (ZTF)

So getting a presentable image of this object was a real learning experience, both in the data collection and certainly in the data processing. I was constrained to using a mono camera, usually an advantage for deep sky imaging, but in the case of 'fast' moving and visually changing objects like a comet probably not the best choice. This image is made from about an hour's worth of total data, split up into 5 frames of 180 seconds each from 4 filters (LRGB). The frames were then dark subtracted and registered, and then the stars were batch removed and the star data and comet data processed separately, with the comet aligned using the newly improved Comet Alignment module in PixInsight. Finally, the 2 images were recombined to produce a composite with aligned comet data and pinpoint stars. This comet is currently rising close to 2200 MST, and is visible via binoculars in the night sky most of the night, although the moon will start to affect it's visibility. it may even be approaching naked eye visibility from extremely dark skies as it gets closer to the earth into the month of February on its journey now outbound from the Sun. It has an orbital period of ~50,000 years, so this is our only chance to experience its rare green glow. Equipment: QHY268M Camera @ -10C and Gain:56 Offset:25 Software Bisque MyT Mount Stellarvue SVQ100 Astrograph Refractor, 580mm @ f/5.8 Antlia Pro Filters (LRGB) Askar FMA180 Guidescope/ASI290MM Software: Pixinsight Commercial Version 1.8 Lightroom CC Photoshop CC N.I.N.A. Control Software Star XTerminator (Russell Croman) Noise XTerminator (Russell Croman) Light Frames: Luminance: 5 x 180 secs ( 15 mins) Red: 5 x 180 secs ( 15 mins) Green: 5 x 180 secs ( 15 mins) Blue: 5 x 180 secs ( 15 mins) 1 hr total Dark Frames: 10 x 180 secs (30 mins) No Bias Frames No Flat Frames

Monkey Head Nebula (NGC 2174) In Modified SHO, with RGB Stars

The Monkey Head Nebula (here shown with the small Sh2-247 object in the lower left) emits well in all 3 of the common NB filters. This was the first image with the new QHY268M after the light leak issue was fixed. This is from just over 15 hours of data, processed in modified SHO palette (toning down the green from the stronger Hα a little bit) to bring out some nice interacting colors of the signals as they mix together. In order to get the monkey head orientation correct and to include Sh2-247 (with my fixed sensor angle) this ended up as a vertical image... Some details from Wikipedia: NGC 2174 (also known as Monkey Head Nebula) is an H II[1] emission nebula located in the constellation Orion and is associated with the open star cluster NGC 2175.[1] It is thought to be located about 6,400 light-years away from Earth. The nebula may have formed through hierarchical collapse. Equipment: QHY268M Camera @ -10C and Gain:56 Offset:25 Software Bisque MyT Mount Stellarvue SVQ100 Astrograph Refractor, 580mm @ f/5.8 Antlia Pro Filters (3nm narrowband plus LRGB) Askar FMA180 Guidescope/ASI290MM Software: Pixinsight Commercial Version 1.8 Lightroom CC Photoshop CC N.I.N.A. Control Software Star XTerminator (Russell Croman) Noise XTerminator (Russell Croman) Light Frames: Ha - 56 x 300 secs ( 4 hrs 40 mins) OIII - 61 x 300 secs (5 hrs 05 mins) SII - 60 x 300 secs (5 hrs) Red: 30 x 15 secs (7 mins 30 secs) Green: 30 x 15 secs (7 mins 30 secs) Blue: 308 x 15 secs (7 mins 30 secs) 15 hrs 07 mins 30 secs total Dark Frames: 10 x 15 secs (2.5 mins) 10 x 300 secs (50 mins) Flat Frames: 10, each filter Bias Frames: 60

The Seagull Nebula in NB with RGB Stars

The Seagull Nebula (IC 2177) is an emission nebula between the constellations Monoceros and Canis Major. It emits in all the of the main emission bands used in amateur astrophotography, Hα, OIII, and SII. This rendition uses the SHO palette with some of the Hα green contribution reduced to bring out the subtle coloring in the weaker OII and SII channels. From Wikipedia: IC 2177 is a region of nebulosity that lies along the border between the constellations Monoceros and Canis Major. It is a roughly circular H II region centered on the Be star HD 53367.[5] This nebula was discovered by Welsh amateur astronomer Isaac Roberts and was described by him as "pretty bright, extremely large, irregularly round, very diffuse."[6] The name Seagull Nebula is sometimes applied by amateur astronomers to this emission region, although it more properly includes the neighboring regions of star clusters, dust clouds and reflection nebulae. This latter region includes the open clusters NGC 2335 and NGC 2343.[7] Equipment: QHY268M Camera @ -10C and Gain:56 Offset:25 Software Bisque MyT Mount Stellarvue SVQ100 Astrograph Refractor, 580mm @ f/5.8 Antlia Pro Filters (3nm narrowband plus LRGB) Askar FMA180 Guidescope/ASI290MM Software: Pixinsight Commercial Version 1.8 Lightroom CC Photoshop CC N.I.N.A. Control Software BlurXTerminator (Russell Croman) Star XTerminator (Russell Croman) Noise XTerminator (Russell Croman) Light Frames: Ha - 14 x 480 secs ( 1 hr 52 mins) OIII - 14 x 480 secs (1 hr 52 mins) SII - 11 x 480 secs (1 hr 28 mins) Red: 14 x 30 secs (7 mins) Green: 13 x 30 secs (6 mins 30 secs) Blue: 13 x 30 secs (6 mins 30 secs) 5 hrs 32 mins total Dark Frames: 10 x 30 secs (5 mins) 10 x 480 secs (1 hr 20 mins) Flat Frames: 10, each filter Bias Frames: 60

Spider and Fly Nebulae in Modified SHO with RGB Stars

These 2 nebulae are often imaged together, and therefore have taken on related colloquial names. The Spider Nebula (IC417) is right of middle with the Fly Nebula (NGC1931) shown directly below. I also see a large insect with antennae trundling into the top of the frame. 😄 2 star clusters can also be seen on the left side of the image, NGC1912 being the larger one towards the edge of the frame, and NGC1907 the smaller about 1/3 of the way into the frame from the left. This is a 3 band narrowband capture, but the OIII signal was weak and only seemed to appear in the center of the 2 nebulae. Stars were added from additional short captures in natural light. These 2 nebulae contain star forming regions and are estimated to be between 7,000 (Spider) and 10,000 (Fly) light years distant in the direction of the constellation Auriga. Equipment: QHY268M Camera @ -10C and Gain:56 Offset:25 Software Bisque MyT Mount Stellarvue SVQ100 Astrograph Refractor, 580mm @ f/5.8 Antlia Pro Filters (3nm narrowband plus LRGB) Askar FMA180 Guidescope/ASI290MM Software: Pixinsight Commercial Version 1.8 Lightroom CC Photoshop CC N.I.N.A. Control Software Star XTerminator (Russell Croman) Noise XTerminator (Russell Croman) Light Frames: Ha - 44 x 480 secs ( 5 hrs 52 mins) OIII - 44 x 480 secs ( 5 hrs 52 mins) SII - 41 x 480 secs (5 hrs 28 mins) Red: 24 x 30 secs (12 mins) Green: 24 x 30 secs (12 mins) Blue: 24 x 30 secs (12 mins) 17 hrs 48 mins total Dark Frames: 10 x 30 secs (5 mins) 10 x 600 secs (1 hr 40 mins, optimized) Flat Frames: 10, each filter Bias Frames: 60

M78 and Part of Barnard's Loop

This colorful region shows off both the blue reflection nebula known as M78, and also a glowing tendril of the much larger emission nebula called Barnard's Loop, both of which are part of the larger Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. The loop is a remnant of a supernova explosion estimated to have occurred approximately 2 million years ago. This image is made in natural light but with Hα emission line data added to accentuate the faint nebulosity of the loop to better bring out it's structure and color. Equipment: QHY268M Camera @ -10C and Gain:56 Offset:25 Software Bisque MyT Mount Stellarvue SVQ100 Astrograph Refractor, 580mm @ f/5.8 Antlia Pro Filters (3nm narrowband plus LRGB) Askar FMA180 Guidescope/ASI290MM Software: Pixinsight Commercial Version 1.8 Lightroom CC Photoshop CC N.I.N.A. Control Software BlurXTerminator (Russell Croman) StarXTerminator (Russell Croman) NoiseXTerminator (Russell Croman) Light Frames: Ha -10 x 480 secs ( 1 hrs 20 mins) Red: 11 x 180 secs (33 mins) Green: 11 x 180 secs (33 mins) Blue: 11 x 180 secs (33 mins) 2 hrs 59 mins total Dark Frames: 10 x 180 secs (5 mins) 10 x 600 secs (1 hr 40 mins, optimized)