IC5146 – Cocoon Nebula Small silky ball laid at the end of a dark footpath, between Cassiopea and Cygnus, the small Cocoon Nebula glows with soft red and mauve colors in a sanctuary of stars. This lovely object, catalogued IC5146, Sharpless 2-125 or Caldwell 19, is a hot emission hydrogen cloud where young stars are… Continue reading IC5146 – Cocoon Nebula
Category: Observatory
IC434 – Horse Head area
IC434 – Horse Head area In the same constellation as the Great Orion Nebula, up north, there is a immense hydrogen cloud field offering a great background to two fantastic objects… The most famous one is the Horse Nebula, named after its shape as seen from our direction and catalogued as Barnard 33. It is… Continue reading IC434 – Horse Head area
M42 – Orion Nebula
M42 – Orion Nebula Given the amount of pictures on social networks, capturing and processing this famous nebula has become quite demanding. This target is visible during the cold season in the Northern hemisphere, from November to end of February in my backyard, counting roofs and vegetation. What makes this object difficult is the luminosity… Continue reading M42 – Orion Nebula
IC1805 – Heart Nebula
IC1805 – Heart Nebula The Heart Nebula is located between Cassiopea and Perseus. It is a large area that required a 2-pane mosaic to cover. There is a star cluster at the center of the nebula, catalogued as Melotte 15, and a huge amount of dusty filaments. This was my first pleasantly successful mosaic with… Continue reading IC1805 – Heart Nebula
NGC7635 – The Bubble Nebula
NGC7635, the Bubble Nebula. This strange object is the result of stellar winds produced by the star visible on the lower left, causing a shock wave on the clouds nearby. The propagation is not symmetric due to the differing density of those clouds. This picture took nearly 14 hours of 300-second H-Alpha exposures, combined with… Continue reading NGC7635 – The Bubble Nebula
Testing wheels for the observatory.
50% weight test on the roll-away observatory shows that rubber wheels sustain the load, but display damage due to rough concrete floor. Planning for wood rails… And single door was cut into double doors to balance the installation. #astrophotography
Roll-away observatory.
Applying basic knowledge to woodworking. It’s been 25 years since I left that course 🙂 This is a roll-away observatory, planned for installation end of this summer in my backyard. #astrophotography
Telescope piers.
I’m prototyping telescope piers with #3dprinting. Usual discussion over rat cage and fixed plate… Then, wood, metal or concrete implementation.