Latest things going on
2024-12-22 Update
This image was taken in my back yard in Chandler, AZ and represents a sum total of 15 hours and 52 minutes of exposure time. I utilized three different light pollution filters to minimize the light pollution from the city. While the final product is composed of 238 exposures at 4 minutes for each exposure, I actually took 761 exposures of 4 minutes each over a period of 14 nights and ended up tossing just about 75% of all the exposures taken to ensure I only used the best of the image. The remaining 238 exposures were then digitally stacked and processed for the final result.
Lower's Nebula(SH 2-261) is found in the constellation Orion. Sh2-261 is a large faint region of predominantly ionized hydrogen.
2024-10-24 Update
Working on putting together a family get-together for May of next year in Durango, CO.
2024-12-15 Update This image was taken in my back yard in Chandler, AZ and represents a sum total of 15 hours and 40 minutes of exposure time. I utilized three different light pollution filters to minimize the light pollution from the city. While the final product is composed of 235 exposures at 4 minutes for each exposure, I actually took 951 exposures of 4 minutes each over a period of 14 nights and ended up tossing just about 75% of all the exposures taken to ensure I only used the best of the image. The remaining 235 exposures were then digitally stacked and processed for the final result. In 2019 I took an image of the entire Heart Nebula and thought this time I would take a deep-dive into the core. The Heart Nebula (IC-1805, SH 2-190) is also known as the Running Dog Nebula. This gas cloud is located about 7,500 light years away from Earth in the Persius Arm of our galaxy in the constellation Cassiopeia. This photo is the core of the Heart Nebula. The nebula's intense red output is driven by the radiation emanating from a small group of stars near the nebula's center. This open cluster of stars, known as IC 1805, contains a few bright stars nearly 50 times the mass of the Sun, and many more dim stars that are only a fraction of the Sun's mass. The Heart Nebula is also made up of ionized oxygen and sulfur gasses. The shape of the nebula is driven by stellar winds from the hot stars in its core. The nebula also spans almost 2 degrees in the sky, covering an area four times that of the diameter of the full moon. 2024-10-24 Update Working on putting together a family get-together for May of next year in Durango, CO.
2024-10-17 Update
Just finished updating the Astrophotography Targets page. Now in addition to the monthly list of targets for imaging, I have added information on how to get the most out of your system for imaging including topics such as Back Focus, Image Scale, and Dither & Drizzle.
2024-10-12 Update
Well comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshaw-ATLAS) was a bit of a disappointment. Headed out to PicketPost Trailhead with about 25 other astronomers and were treated to a great sunset. The comet was less impressive, although we were able to spot it and get some photos. Click on thumbnail to see full image.
 Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshaw-ATLAS) |  Sunset at Picketpost Trailhead |  Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshaw-ATLAS) |
2024-10-06: We just completed migrating the website to the new Platform utilizing WordPress to create the new website. There are many sections that still need to be flushed out, but most of the Astronomy , Gardening(Laura) and Recipes(Laura) have been worked out. Current focus will now be re-directed to the 2025 calendar and starting to build the Hiking section with a new structure (Based on location rather than date. Tons of work to still do!
What's coming Up?
October 12: Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshaw-ATLAS) should have best visibility on the evening of October 12 when it is closest to earth at a distance of 0.47 AU (This is about 1/2 the distance from us to the sun). Current predictions are that it may be quite bright. Find out more details on this comet here. Optimum viewing time looks to be about 6:30pm where it should be about 10 degrees above the horizon (See image below) Current guess on brightness is in the neighborhood of 1 - 3 magnitude, that would put it about as bright as Jupiter and should be pretty easy to locate about midway between the bright objects of Venus(on the left) and Arcturus the star (On the right). Most recent data along with estimated brightness info can be found on the Comet Weekly Website.
Current plans are to head out to PicketPost Trailhead that evening (weather permitting) to view it and do some astronomy after it sets. I plan on arriving by 5:30pm. Sunset is about 6pm that evening. Other astronomers have been invited to attend. Lastest information on the Whitlow fire can be found here.
BE WARNED: Comets are among the most unpredictable objects there are so many times estimates of size and brightness are wildly off.
