M13 – Hercules Cluster
Short and sweet while waiting for M27 to transit. 14 x 2min EdgeHD 8″ QHY 8L 0.7x Focal Reducer Hutech IDAS-LPS light pollution filter (with diminishing returns now that wideband LED street lamps are becoming popular)
Messier 27 – some good data FINALLY!
FINALLY got some good data on the Dumbell Nebula (Messier 27). The last few days have been clear and calm-ish but at night it has still been pretty turbulent. I intended to just knock the cobwebs out since I haven’t been able to use the scope for a few months and the first few nights …
M57 revisited
I tend to not enjoy going out in the summer thanks to the mass of biting insects, hot and sweaty conditions and a multitude of other things. Unfortunately some of my favorite objects are out in the summer months. M57 is one of them. Easily seen in modest telescopes this small but bright nebula really …
Happy (star) trails to you
A little bit of playing around with a GoPro and some clever software.
You’d think I’d by sick of Orion by now . . .
But I’m not. M42/43 continues to make me smile. The new-ness never seems to wear off even after 15 years of imaging the same region of space every (cooperative) winter. Even from the backyard in the North Dallas suburbs you can get reasonable detail with enough exposure time and a good light pollution filter. That …
LED Light Pollution begins its slow Intrusion
Cities are the bane of the amateur astronomer. Light pollution continues to grow at an astonishing rate as our cities increase in size and population. That doesn’t mean astronomy is impossible, just more challenging. The use of filters designed specifically to quench low pressure sodium and mercury vapor lights has gone a long way. Enjoy …