#440: Light in the Night

Impressive displays of the northern lights have been very infrequent for more than half a decade now. Though we are slowly coming out of solar minimum, explosive outbursts of solar material from the Sun, called coronal mass ejections (CME), are still not occurring with the frequency that scientists have been expecting.

On Sunday, August 1, satellites recorded a CME heading directly towards the Earth. The anticipation of spectacular auroras became so great that even the mainstream media were reporting the possibility of a strong display of the northern lights possibly occurring later in the week.

Though high latitude observers did see some moderate auroral displays, most hopeful observers in southern Canada were left seeing either a dim horizon-hugging green glow or nothing at all. Colin Chatfield captured this image of the northern lights on the night of August 3 from near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Using a Canon 40D, he took a 20-second exposure at ISO 800 using a Tokina 10-17mm lens set to 10mm and f/3.5.

#439: The Moon Illusion

At one time or another, most of us have observed the Moon cresting the eastern horizon and noticed that it appears closer and larger than normal. Yet the Moon is actually about 6,500 kilometres farther away when it is near the horizon than when it is overhead, so distance has nothing to do with it. This apparent ballooning of the Moon when seen near the horizon is called the Moon illusion, and no one is completely sure why it occurs.

Phil Dyer of Abbotsford, British Columbia, took this image of the Moon rising over Mount Baker on July 24 using a Canon 40D and a 70mm-200mm f/2.8L lens (set to 200mm). Phil took a 1/40-second exposure at f/11 using ISO 400.

Does the Moon appear larger in Phil’s image than you would expect?

#438: Globular Cluster M92

Found in the constellation Hercules, the globular cluster Messier 92 is often overlooked by observers due to its proximity to the nearby larger and brighter cluster M13. About 27,000 light-years distant and glowing at magnitude 7.5, M92 is estimated to contain over 300,000 stars and is one of the premier objects of the summer night sky.

Gord Rife of Schomberg, Ontario, took this image of M92 using an 8-inch f/6.3 Newtonian astrograph equipped with a Baader field flattener. Twelve 10-minute exposures were taken using an SBIG ST-8300C CCD camera.

#437: Jupiter's Missing Southern Equatorial Belt

Jupiter’s atmospheric details tantalize planetary observers, some of whom sit with their eye pressed against the eyepiece for hours hoping to catch a brief moment of steady air and a highly detailed image.

One of the most significant changes in the Jovian cloudscape in more than a decade has been the disappearance of the southern equatorial belt during the past year. The belt has vanished before, only to return a year or two later. The reason for this behaviour is unknown.

André Montambault of Drummondville, Quebec, recently took this image of Jupiter, in which the absence of the southern equatorial belt is readily apparent. Shooting through a Celestron SC-8 with a NexImage camera attached to a 2x Barlow, he took 2,000 avi frames at 1/15 second with the gain set quite high. Processing was completed using RegiStax 4 and Adobe Photoshop.

#436: Comet McNaught

Although Comet McNaught was theoretically bright enough to be seen with the naked eye this spring, its proximity to the northeastern horizon shortly before the dawn light began to illuminate the morning sky made it very difficult to spot. Nonetheless, many observers and astrophotographers arose early (or stayed up late!) and successfully viewed or imaged the comet. McNaught is now buried deep in the morning twilight.

Sanjeev Sivarulrasa captured the comet shortly after 3 a.m. on June 21 from near Cobden, Ontario. Sanjeev stacked four 90-second images taken that morning through a Hutech-modified Canon 40D with a 135mm lens at f3.2 using ISO 800. Tracking was on a Takahashi EM-400 mount, and processing was accomplished using Stark Labs Nebulosity and Adobe Photoshop CS4.

 

 

#435: The Pinwheel Galaxy

Found high in the northwest, near the last star in the handle of the Big Dipper, the aptly named Pinwheel Galaxy is 25 million light-years from Earth.

Under a dark sky free of light pollution and interfering moonlight, a small telescope will show the galaxy as a tiny, fuzzy patch of sky. The view through a 10-inch or larger telescope can be extraordinary, revealing the pinwheel-like structure of the galaxy’s spiral arms.

Howard Trottier took this image of the Pinwheel Galaxy, also known as M101, from his new observatory in the Okanagan region of British Columbia. Using a PlaneWave CDK 17-inch astrograph riding atop a Paramount ME mount and an SBIG STL-4020M CCD camera, Howard took LRGB frames with a total of 105 minutes’ exposure. Processing was accomplished using MaxIm DL and Adobe Photoshop.

#434: Comet McNaught

Comet McNaught surprised some observers this past week when it became brighter than originally estimated. Found in the northeastern sky just before dawn, the comet is travelling through Perseus and into Auriga this month. It can be spotted with binoculars, displaying a faint tail one to two degrees long. However, that may quickly change, as the comet passed closest to Earth on June 15. Kerri-Ann Lecky Hepburn of Grimsby, Ontario, captured this image of Comet McNaught on the morning of June 8. She took 19 one-minute exposures using a QHY8 CCD camera shooting through an Astro-Tech 8-inch f/8 Ritchey-Chrétien telescope.

#433: M63

Messier 63, or the Sunflower Galaxy, shines at magnitude 8.5 and is found in the constellation Canes Venatici. Near overhead once darkness arrives, M63 is one of many deep-sky treasures that can be seen in this area of the night sky. M51, M94, M101, M64 and M106 are all excellent targets for galaxy observers and photographers. Ron Brecher took this image of M63 from his observatory near Guelph, Ontario, on the nights of May 28 and 29. Using a QHY8 CCD camera equipped with a UV/IR filter and shooting through an 8-inch f/8 Ritchey-Chrétien telescope atop an MI-250 mount, he combined nineteen 10-minute frames to create this photo. Processing was accomplished using ImagesPlus 3.0 and Adobe Photoshop.

#432: Solar Prominences

Although the Sun is ramping up toward solar maximum in 2013, sunspots are still few and far between, much to the chagrin of solar observers.

However, the past few months have seen an increase in solar prominences. With specialized solar-observing equipment, an observer can both view and photograph spectacular blasts of solar material being ejected from the surface of our closest star.

Karl Penny took this image of the Sun on the morning of May 18 from his driveway in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He attached his QHY5 guiding camera to a Lunt LS60THa telescope to photograph the numerous solar prominences he could see. Using different exposure times, Karl captured extensive detail.

Processing was completed using RegiStax and Adobe Photoshop.ount, he took 13 five-minute frames with a QHY8 CCD camera and a Tele Vue 0.8x reducer.

#431: Globular Cluster M3

Although not as spectacular as M13 (see Photo of the Week #430), globular cluster M3, in Canes Venatici, is still a beautiful cluster to behold. At magnitude 6.2, M3 is visible in binoculars as a fuzzy starlike object. The cluster is 34,000 light-years from Earth and is estimated to contain at least half a million stars.

Ron Brecher recently captured this image from his SkyShed observatory north of Guelph, Ontario. Using an 8-inch Ritchey-Chrétien telescope atop a Mountain Instruments MI-250 mount, he took 13 five-minute frames with a QHY8 CCD camera and a Tele Vue 0.8x reducer.

#430: Globular Cluster M13

Observers and astrophotographers who skywatch into the wee hours of the morning can now see or photograph some of the summer deep-sky objects rising in the eastern sky.

Jeff O’Meara of Boisbriand, Quebec, took this image of the globular cluster M13 using a 130mm f/8.35 Astro-Physics refractor mounted atop a Losmandy G-11. On the nights of April 18 and 24, Jeff used an SBIG ST-10XME CCD camera equipped with CFW-8a and Astrodon E-Series LRGB filters. To create this amazingly detailed image, he took 40 two-minute exposures using the luminance filters (binned 1x1) and 12 one-minute LRGB exposures (binned 2x2).

M13, containing more than one million stars, is 24,000 light-years from Earth, in the direction of the constellation Hercules. The view through an 8-inch or larger telescope is stunning. Using averted vision—focusing attention on the centre of the cluster while looking at its edge—will reveal more stars at the perimeter. The opposite occurs when you focus on the perimeter.

#429: Mercury and the Crescent Moon

April has been a great month for naked-eye planetary observing. Saturn is rising in the east, and Mars is high in the western sky once darkness arrives. Venus shines like a beacon in the west shortly after sunset and was joined by Mercury for two weeks.

On April 15, the thin crescent Moon could be seen to the upper right of faint Mercury, providing a beautiful target for astrophotographers.

Luc Bellavance of Rimouski, Quebec, took this 4-second exposure of the pair using a William Optics 80mm ED refractor and a Canon XSi digital camera at f6.8 and ISO 400.

#428: Auroral Activity

Aurora aficionados have been staring at an inactive night sky for the better part of five years now. Even though we are slowly coming out of the latest cycle of solar minimum, decent auroras have been extremely rare.

The beginning of April saw some moderately bright auroras light up the northern sky across Canada.

Steve Irvine of Big Bay, Ontario, took this image on the night of April 11 and notes that although it lasted less than an hour, it was the first good aurora he had seen in over three years. Steve took a 20-second exposure using a Canon 50D with a 20mm lens at f2.8 using ISO 800.

Is an aurora happening right now? See the SkyNews Aurora Watch page (HERE) to find out.

#427: Mercury and Venus

About 11 million light-years from Earth, M81 and its neighbour M82, both in the constellation Ursa Major, are the brightest pair of galaxies visible in the same field of view in backyard telescopes. Here we see M81, the brighter of the duo, a giant spiral galaxy similar in structure to our home galaxy, the Milky Way.

Patrick Dubé took images on three consecutive nights in November 2009 to create this final photo, using an SBIG ST-2000XM CCD camera equipped with a CFW8A filter wheel and Astrodon CRGB filters. The 10-hour composite time exposure was shot through a 12-inch AstroSysteme Austria f/3.6 astrograph mounted atop a Losmandy HGM Titan-50 mount. Processing was done using CCDStack, Adobe Photoshop and Neat Image.

#426: M81

About 11 million light-years from Earth, M81 and its neighbour M82, both in the constellation Ursa Major, are the brightest pair of galaxies visible in the same field of view in backyard telescopes. Here we see M81, the brighter of the duo, a giant spiral galaxy similar in structure to our home galaxy, the Milky Way.

Patrick Dubé took images on three consecutive nights in November 2009 to create this final photo, using an SBIG ST-2000XM CCD camera equipped with a CFW8A filter wheel and Astrodon CRGB filters. The 10-hour composite time exposure was shot through a 12-inch AstroSysteme Austria f/3.6 astrograph mounted atop a Losmandy HGM Titan-50 mount. Processing was done using CCDStack, Adobe Photoshop and Neat Image.

#425: Old Moon, Young Astro-Imager

Camera-on-tripod astrophotography is a recommended first step for the aspiring photographer who wants to capture images of the night sky. And while it does not require the financial investment that deep-sky photography does, on-tripod photography does require an investment in time.

Practically anyone can take an on-tripod astrophoto, but learning how to frame the image aesthetically to evoke emotion in the viewer takes practice.

As evidenced by this image, Gabriel Bliard, a 13-year-old from Peterborough, Ontario, demonstrates that he is willing to put in the effort to learn how to take an excellent on-tripod photo. Rising before dawn on October 16, 2009, Gabriel took this 1/20-second exposure of the slender crescent Moon in conjunction with Venus using a Fujifilm FinePix S5700 digital camera at f/3.5 and ISO 800.

#424: Mars

Many planetary observers and imagers have been anxiously awaiting the close approach of Mars during the first 10 weeks of the year. Unfortunately, throughout January and February, much of Canada has been cloudy or has experienced poor seeing conditions on the available clear nights.

Despite this, André Montambault of Drummondville, Quebec, captured these three images of Mars on February 2, 5 and 10. Using an 8-inch Celestron CPC Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, a 3x Barlow and an IR filter, he took 3,000 1/5-second avi frames each night with a Celestron NexImage. Final processing resulted in 150 to 160 frames from each session. Processing was completed using VirtualDub, RegiStax 4 and Adobe Photoshop.

#423: The Full Moon

The full Moon of January 29, 2010, wasn’t a typical full Moon. Due to its elliptical orbit, the Moon was also at perigee (closest point to Earth) that night. As a result, the full Moon appeared nearly 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than usual.

Gary Boyle took this image of the largest full Moon of 2010 rising over his house in Nepean, Ontario, using a tripod-mounted Canon 450D and a lens operating at 155mm. A 1/60-second exposure was taken at f5.6 using ISO 100.

#422: The Winter Night Sky

The entire winter sky is recorded here in a single exposure using a Canon 7D digital camera and the new Sigma 4.5mm fisheye lens. This lens offers a full 180-degree view for the standard APS-C format sensor now housed in most digital SLR cameras. Orion is near the bottom, the Big Dipper is at upper left, and the familiar W-shape of Cassiopeia is at upper right. North is at top.

SkyNews editor Terence Dickinson captured this 30-second ISO3200 shot on December 21 from the middle of the rural road in front of his home near Yarker, Ontario. Glow at lower left is from Kingston, 35 kilometres distant. This photo is part of a review of superwide-angle lenses suitable for astronomy that will appear in an upcoming issue of SkyNews.

#421: The Orion Nebula

Glowing at magnitude 5, the Orion Nebula (M42) appears as a “star” within the sword of Orion the hunter in the winter night sky. Binoculars reveal it as a grey smudge, but when viewed through a 4-inch or larger telescope, the nebula comes alive with detail. Although the human eye is not sensitive enough to discern colour in the nebula, a camera easily captures the nebula’s full beauty.

Sanjeev Sivarulrasa created this image of M42 using a Tele Vue 85mm refractor equipped with a 0.8x focal reducer. Shooting from near Arnprior, Ontario, with a Hutech-modified Canon 40D, Sanjeev took eighteen 6-minute frames, eighteen 40-second frames and eighteen 10-second frames using ISO 800.

 

 

 

 

#420: Solar Halo

Often seen during the winter months when thin clouds cover the sky, a solar halo is the result of ice crystals refracting sunlight. When only the right and left sides of the halo are visible, the phenomenon is referred to as a “sun dog.” A lunar halo is similar to a solar halo and is created at night by moonlight.

Steven Fahey of Irricana, Alberta, captured this solar halo on the morning of January 1, 2010. Steven took a 1/1,000-second exposure at ISO 400 with a Nikon D80 camera.

#419: Urban Stargazing

While light pollution hinders detailed observations of deep-sky objects from within urban areas, lunar and planetary observing is easily accomplished.

Ed Hitchcock took this 2.5-second exposure on December 21, near Toronto, showing the Moon and the planet Jupiter, both readily visible. Ed used a Nikon D60 at ISO 800 with an 18mm-55mm zoom lens..

 

 

 

 

 

#418: Lighting Up the Night

The Moon reflects a significant amount of light that can limit the ability to observe many faint objects through a telescope, but creative astrophotographers are often able to utilize that extra light.

Using a combination of light from the full Moon and his Christmas lights, Brian Allan of Sundre, Alberta, illuminated both the foreground and the background in this image that he captured on December 3.

Brian took a 5-second exposure at ISO 100 with a Canon 50 using a 28mm lens operating at f3.5.

#417: The Christmas Tree Cluster

With the holiday season fast approaching, Lynn Hilborn of Grafton, Ontario, recently turned his camera to NGC2264, the Christmas Tree cluster.

Also known as the Cone Nebula, NGC2264 is located in the constellation Monoceros, at a distance of 2,400 light-years. The star cluster itself is immersed in the nebula “tree.”

Lynn used a Tele Vue-NP101is refractor operating at f/4.3 and a Finger Lakes Instruments ML8300 CCD camera. LRGB = 400, 60, 60, 60.

#416: November 16 Meteor Over Ontario

At 8:58 p.m. on November 16, while many Ontarians were outside viewing the annual Leonid meteor shower, an extremely bright meteor lit up the sky. Observers report that the meteor was seen from Ottawa, Toronto and Huntsville.

From Grafton, the meteor appeared in the north, slicing downward through the Little Dipper and disappearing just above the northern horizon. The meteor was also seen by SkyNews assistant editor Todd Carlson. From his location, the meteor appeared in the southeastern sky near the Aries and Pisces border, travelling downward and breaking up near Orion.

Malcolm Park just happened to be shooting a photo of his friend’s house in Grafton at the exact moment the meteor appeared. He used a Nikon D3 for this 20-second exposure at f/3.2 through a 14mm lens and ISO 1600.

#415: Scene in the City

Although light pollution prevents urban stargazers from observing many deep-sky objects, our own solar system offers targets that can be easily seen with the naked eye and are breathtaking when viewed through a telescope.

For nearly six months, Venus has been shining in the eastern sky before dawn. Saturn is now visible nearly 45 degrees from the horizon just as morning sunlight begins to encroach. Mars is currently close enough to Earth that surface details can be seen through a telescope, and the Moon is always a fascinating view. Jupiter shines brightly in the southern sky once darkness arrives, and although Mercury currently cannot be seen due to its proximity to the Sun, it can be spotted a few times a year near the horizon at twilight.

Not only can these objects be observed with the naked eye from both urban and rural settings, but they photograph rather nicely.

Luca Vanzella took this 3.2-second exposure showing Mercury, Venus, Saturn and the Moon over Edmonton, Alberta, on the morning of October 16. He used a Canon XTi with the lens set to 49mm and f5.6 at ISO 200.

#414: Just Passing Through

Even though an astrophotographer may be imaging a part of the sky that barely covers the size of a fingernail, a surprise shows up every now and then during the processing of the photo. Due to their vast numbers, satellites are often captured inadvertently in astro-images, and occasionally, a meteor streaks through the camera’s field of view. When Tim Lahey of Owen Sound, Ontario, was photographing the Horsehead and Flame Nebulas at Arizona Sky Village on October 23, 2009, he witnessed many meteors over the course of the night. One, by pure chance, just happened to travel through the part of the sky that he was imaging. Tim used a Canon XT digital camera to take this 6-minute exposure at ISO 800 through a Tele Vue NP101 mounted on a Sky-Watcher EQ6 Pro mount.

#413: Orion Nebula

If you are up before dawn, the winter constellations are now prominently visible in the eastern sky. The constellation Orion, due south at 5 a.m., holds one of the treasures of the night sky: the Orion Nebula. Also known as M42, the nebula appears like an out-of-focus star to the unaided eye. But when viewed with binoculars, it shows itself to be a distinct fuzzy patch. Through a telescope, M42 displays wispy tendrils stretching outward.

Stuart Heggie photographed the Orion Nebula from his home in Flesherton, Ontario, using a GSO Ritchey-Chrétien telescope and an SBIG STL-11000 CCD camera. Stuart took eight 5-minute RGB exposures to create this detailed image.

#412: October's Dawn Conjunctions

For the past two weeks, anyone who rises before dawn has had the opportunity to watch a celestial dance on the eastern horizon. Venus, Mercury and Saturn have put on a dazzling show.

The thin crescent Moon joined the triple play last week, adding another element of beauty to the tranquil scene.

Steve Irvine, a regular contributor to SkyNews, took this image of the trio of planets at 6:34 a.m. on October 8 from the shoreline of Georgian Bay near Owen Sound, Ontario. That morning, Mercury and Saturn were only one-third of a degree apart. Venus is the bright “star” seen near the pair.

He used a Canon 50D with a 50mm lens at f3.5, ISO 250, to take the 2.6-second exposure.

#411: The Andromeda Galaxy

Commonly known to backyard astronomers as M31, the Andromeda Galaxy can be observed through a telescope even under moderate light pollution. But the best view is from a dark observing location on nights free of moonlight. To the unaided eye, M31 appears as a hazy patch. A telescope reveals the overall shape, the bright core region and dust lanes and its two small companion galaxies.

Jean Guimond recently captured this image of M31 from his home in Quebec City, using a Takahashi 150mm refractor equipped with a focal reducer and an SBIG ST-11000M CCD camera with an internal colour filter wheel.

#410: Winter Stars Start to Shine

The days are getting shorter, the leaves are changing colours, and constellations not seen in months are rising again in the eastern sky: Winter is coming.

The Andromeda Galaxy is one of the showpiece objects found near overhead once darkness arrives during the winter months. In the fall, it can be seen rising in the eastern sky after 9 p.m. and is high enough for observing after 11 p.m.

While at the Huronia Star Party near Stayner, Ontario, on September 19, Gord Rife of Schomberg took this photo showing parts of the constellations Perseus and Andromeda, including the deep-sky objects M31 and the Double Cluster.

Gord took 17 three-minute exposures using a modified Canon 350D, mounted atop a Losmandy G11, with a 35mm f2.8 Nikkor lens operating at f4.

#409: The Moon Meets Venus

Those who were up before dawn two weeks ago were treated to a celestial show starring Venus and the Moon. Each morning, the thin crescent Moon was lower in the sky, and on September 16, the Moon was in conjunction with Venus.

Mike Boschat of Halifax, Nova Scotia, took this photo of Venus and the 27-day-old Moon on September 17, the day after the pair’s closest encounter. He used a Canon 350D camera at ISO 400 and its 18mm-55mm stock lens set to 55mm and f5.6 to take this 8-second exposure.

#408: The International Space Station and the Shuttle

The shuttle Discovery landed on Friday evening, September 11, in California after a successful 14-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

On its own, the ISS reflects a significant amount of light and can be easily seen, often just after sunset or before sunrise. But with the shuttle docked, the ISS was even brighter than normal, and the pair was visible several times during the shuttle’s recent mission.

Seeing the shuttle and the ISS travelling separately but in tandem across the sky is a rare occurrence. This happened last week after the shuttle had undocked from the ISS, and many SkyNews readers reported viewing the pair cross the sky after sunset on both September 9 and 10.

The second pass over central and eastern North America on September 9 provided some excitement for many observers. A C-shaped mist was seen trailing the shuttle, giving it a cometlike appearance.

The appendage was the result of a wastewater dump in preparation for the shuttle’s landing (originally scheduled for the evening of September 10). SkyNews assistant editor Todd Carlson notes that one evening in the mid- to late 80s, when he was a teenager, he saw a similar occurrence while the shuttle was passing over southern Ontario.

From near Peterborough, Ontario, Rick Stankiewicz captured this shot of the shuttle and the ISS crossing the evening sky on September 9 using a Canon 400D and a Sigma 10-20mm lens (set to 10mm and f4). Rick took a 60-second exposure at ISO 800.

# 407: The Milky Way

Many Canadian amateur astronomers would probably agree that late summer and early fall are a great time of year for observing. Pesky mosquitoes have, for the most part, disappeared, nighttime temperatures are cool but not cold, and darkness arrives earlier each night. With Sagittarius and Scorpius sinking into the western horizon within hours of complete darkness, observers might take this opportunity to view the treasures of the summer Milky Way for the last time this year. Sanjeev Sivarulrasa of Ottawa, Ontario, took this image of the Milky Way on August 26 from the dark skies of the La Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve in Quebec. The single 8-minute exposure was captured using a Canon 40D at ISO 800 with a Canon 24-70 f2.8 L-series lens set to 24mm and f4. Tracking was accomplished using a Vixen SXD mount.

# 406: The Perseid Meteor Shower

The annual Perseid meteor shower earlier this month proved to be an excellent show. Although the light of the gibbous Moon interfered with observations, SkyNews readers report seeing many brilliant meteors throughout the night.

Pierre Martin, a highly experienced meteor watcher living near Ottawa, Ontario, claims that this year’s display was the best he has ever seen. Observing on the nights of August 11/12 and 12/13 under perfectly clear skies, Pierre says there was a continuous stream of several meteors every minute, with the occasional burst of simultaneous meteors. He took images over the course of each night.

This image is a composite of hundreds of 20-second exposures taken on August 11/12 between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Pierre used a Canon 30D operating at ISO 640, with a 16mm lens at f2.8, and centred his camera on the constellations Ursa Minor and Ursa Major.

 

# 405: M13

One of the must-see objects of the summer night sky, M13 is a spectacular globular cluster found in the constellation Hercules. The cluster boasts more than a million stars, so even the smallest telescope shows M13 as a distinct hazy patch.

Located 25,000 light-years from Earth, M13 shines at magnitude 7.0 and can be seen with the naked eye from a very dark observing site.

Ron Brecher of Guelph, Ontario, took this image of M13 with a QHY8 CCD camera on a 152mm f/8 TMB refractor. He then processed the 13 five-minute exposures using ImagesPlus and Adobe Photoshop.

# 404: Magenta Sunsets

During the summer, amateur astronomers have to contend with many things. Insects, late sunsets and early sunrises are the most common annoyances, but another problem occasionally develops during the summer: forest fires.

The amount of smoke rising into the sky may sometimes appear to be insignificant, but the billions of tiny smoke particles can dramatically affect observing.

Brian Allan captured this image of the setting Moon on July 24 from near Bergen, Alberta, which readily shows the effect of the forest fires in British Columbia. Brian used a William Optics ZenithStar 80mm refractor mounted atop an EQ6 Pro German equatorial mount to take the 1/3-second exposure using ISO 400 with a Canon 50D digital camera.

# 403: The Dumbbell Nebula

Glowing at magnitude 7.5, M27—commonly known as the Dumbbell Nebula—is 1,000 light-years from Earth and can be found in the constellation Vulpecula. This planetary nebula appears as a fuzzy cloudlike object in a small telescope.

Ed Hitchcock of Meaford, Ontario, used an Orion StarShoot Pro camera and a Celestron C8 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope mounted atop an HEQ5 German equatorial mount to create this image of the Dumbbell Nebula. Ed took ten 10-minute exposures and processed the data with MaxIm Essentials and Adobe Photoshop.

# 402: Jupiter's Mystery Spot

On July 19, Australian planetary photographer Anthony Wesley discovered a black spot near the south pole of Jupiter. Since then, the rotation of the giant planet has “pulled” the mark into a somewhat elongated shape, and recent reports put its size at three times larger than when it was discovered.

But what caused the spot? Scientists speculate that a small comet or asteroid may have impacted the planet’s cloudy atmosphere, similar to what occurred in July 1994 when Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 crashed into Jupiter.

Rolf Meier captured this image of Jupiter on the morning of July 21 from Ottawa, using a Lumenera SKYnyx camera equipped with a 2x Barlow and a Celestron 14-inch SCT. The small dark blemish can be seen at lower left (north is up).

Located in Jupiter’s System II, at 210 degrees, the mystery spot follows the Great Red Spot (seen at lower right) in its transit around the planet by two hours and six minutes.

# 401: The Shuttle and the ISS

Last week, the space shuttle successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS)—perfect timing for a series of nighttime passes over North America.

With the recent addition of new solar panels, the ISS appears brighter than before, and because of its current coupling with the shuttle, it can be more easily seen than normal.

Most images of the ISS are taken with a camera on a tripod, which results in a long starlike streak traversing the night sky. But with the advent of superior webcams and the ingenuity of astrophotographers, highly detailed photos of the ISS are being produced.

This incredibly detailed single-frame webcam image showing the shuttle docked to the ISS was taken by Darryl Archer at 10:38 p.m., EDT, on Tuesday, July 21. Tracking his 14-inch Celestron SCT by hand, Darryl took the 1/2,000-second shot at f/7 from near Kitchener, Ontario.

# 400: A Change of Plans

Astrophotographers are well aware that they are at the mercy of Mother Nature. And although meteorologists may do their best, predicting the weather isn’t an exact science.
Shawn Nielsen and an astrophotography buddy recently planned to spend an entire night imaging deep-sky objects near Waterloo, Ontario. Unfortunately, clouds rolled in partway through the night, and their imaging project appeared to be over.

Attempting to make the most of it, though, Shawn decided to try some wide-field on-tripod astrophotography shortly before dawn showing the clouds being illuminated by the rising Moon.

Using a Canon 350XT digital camera equipped with a Tamron AF18-250mm lens set to 18mm and f3.5, he took this 15-second photo at ISO 1600.

# 399: Catch the ISS

During the summer months, with the Sun setting late and rising early, there are often multiple opportunities to see the International Space Station (ISS) each night. See SkyNews Space Station & Satellite Predictions to find out when the ISS can be seen from your location.

With the installation of new solar panels in March, the ISS now has a greater surface area to reflect sunlight, which has increased its brightness. Depending on the pass, the ISS sometimes appears even brighter than the planet Jupiter.

Phillip Chee of Peterborough, Ontario, captured the ISS as it swept over Ontario on Thursday, July 9. Phillip combined four 1-minute exposures taken with a Nikon D200 at ISO 160 using a 10.5mm f/2.8 lens.

# 398: Collaborative Astrophotography

Some astrophotographers combine images obtained with two different telescopes in order to achieve a final result showing greater details. Rarely though do we see two astrophotographers combine their data together in order to create a composite image.

Recently astrophotographers Stef Cancelli of Toronto and Kerry-Ann Lecky Hepburn of Grimsby realized that suitable imaging nights were scarce and they decided to combine their photographic data. The result in this stunning image of galaxy M106.

A total of 19 hours and 40 minutes of shooting was completed between March 22 and April 3 with Kerry using a Celestron C6 and a QHY8 CCD camera and Stef using a Vixen VC200L and an SBIG ST10XME CCD camera.

# 397: The Stars and Storms of Summer

With the warm days of summer now here, many Canadians must also contend with the humidity that comes with higher temperatures. Often accompanying these muggy days are intense thunderstorms that are sometimes very isolated. Living along the southern shore of Ontario’s Georgian Bay, Steve Irvine captured this photo over the bay on Thursday, June 25, showing a severe thunderstorm that he estimates was approximately 100 kilometres to the north. Fortunately for him, it was a perfectly clear night where he was taking photos, as can be seen by the number of stars captured in the picture. Steve took this 25-second exposure using a Canon 50D at ISO 800 equipped with a Canon 20mm lens at f/3.2.

# 396: The Pac-Man Nebula

If you were a teenager in the ’80s, you will no doubt remember the arcade game Pac-Man. Emission nebula NGC281 closely resembles the shape of the character that was manoeuvred around the game’s grid while attempting to avoid ghosts.

Found in the constellation Cassiopeia, NGC281 may not have any ghosts hovering nearby, but it does have a small open cluster of stars near the centre of the nebula.

Eric Roy took this image of NGC281 from his backyard observatory in Saint-Colomban, Quebec, using an SBIG STL-11000 CCD camera equipped with Astronomik filters and a Takahashi FSQ 106mm refractor mounted atop an Astro-Physics 1200GTO mount.
Total exposure time was 10 hours.

# 395 | The Moon and Antares

Occasionally the Moon crosses in front of (occults) major stars in our night sky. On June 6 the bright star Antares, found in the constellation Scorpius, came close to being occulted from the backyard of André Montambault’s home in Drummondville, Quebec.

André captured the event using a Celestron NexImage attached to his Celestron CPC SC8 equipped with an f/6.3 focal reducer. 2000 frames were taken to photograph the Moon and then 1000 overexposed frames were taken to capture Antares. The images were combined and processed using Adobe Photoshop, Registax 4 and Virtualdub.

# 394 | Return of the Summer Milky Way

Those who wish to stay up late and observe — which is essentially a given now that twilight lingers in the western sky until 11:00 p.m. in most areas of Canada — can now see the Milky Way rising on the eastern horizon.

Sahaja Freed of Timmins, Ontario took this image — compiled from 17 minutes worth of exposures — of the summer triangle using a 28mm Sigma lens attached to a Canon 350D being used at ISO 800.

The area is so dense with stars that long exposures reveal many which prevents the three stars that comprise the summer triangle — Deneb, Altair and Vega — from easily being seen.