M42 – The Gorgeous Orion Nebula
Located below Orion's Belt, the Orion Nebula is now gracing our skies each night The skies were clear in Niagara last weekend, so I set up my telescope for a night of astrophotography imaging. There are so many great imaging options at this time of year. The Pleiades, the Pacman Nebula, the Andromeda Galaxy, the Triangulum Galaxy and the Dumbbell Nebula are all on display right now, to name a few. I settled on the Orion Nebula because it's an "all-nighter" object from my backyard viewing area. I set my trusty Canon 450D to capture 60 three minute exposures while I slept. The focusing, fram…
M27 – The Dumbbell Nebula – Find it in Binoculars or Photograph it
M27 - The Dumbbell Nebula The Dumbbell Nebula is well photographed by professional and amateur night sky photographers alike. It was one of the first deep-sky objects I imaged way back in 2011. A member of the astronomy forum I was a part of suggested that I give it a try, as it is a very gratifying object to image due to it's brightness. Sure enough, there it was! Even a 30 second exposure was enough to make this interesting planetary nebula "pop" on my display screen. I have re-imaged this object several times since that first night, and realized that it takes hours of exposures to increase…
Sadr Region in Cygnus – DSLR Astrophotography
The Sadr Region in Cygnus rises high overhead in midsummer, making it the perfect astrophotography target for your DSLR camera. The photo below shows the extensive amount of emission nebulosity surrounding the star Sadr (Gamma Cygni), the center of the "cross" in Cygnus. [caption id="attachment_6915" align="aligncenter" width="650"] Sadr Region using a DSLR and Telescope[/caption] Sadr Region in Cygnus Backyard astrophotography notes... 08/2016 I combined the data I captured last weekend with another 3 hours worth taken on Friday, August 21st from my backyard in St. Cath…
