Integration time (running total):
    * L 18 X 180s (54m)
    * R 15 X 180s (45m)
    * G 17 X 180s (51m)
    * B 18 X 180s (54m)
    * HA 15 X 180s (45m)
    * Total: 4h09m

Notes

This beautiful face-on spiral galaxy is situated approximately 54m light-years from our Milky Way in Coma Berenices on the outer edge of the Virgo cluster of galaxies. Also visible are NGC4312 (bottom left) and NGC4322 and NGC4328 (above and to the right).

    Integration time (running total):
    * L 18 X 180s (54m)
    * R 15 X 180s (45m)
    * G 15 X 180s (45m)
    * B 17 X 180s (51m)
    * HA 15 X 300s (75m)
    * Total: 4h30m

Notes

Spring is the optimum time to observe this beautiful edge-on spiral galaxy. It is situated approximately 40m light-years from our Milky Way and measures 100,000 light-years from end to end. This evening the sky was remarkably transparent and stable which gave good guiding and generally excellent image quality. It…

A spectacular conjunction from 1st April 2025.

The photo shows the eclipse at 11:53 approximately 15 mins before the Moon’s transit had finished.

    Integration time (running total):
    * L 70 X 180s (210m)
    * R 60 X 180s (180m)
    * G 64 X 180s (192m)
    * B 65 X 180s (195m)
    * HA 68 X 300s (340m)
    * Total: 18h37m

Notes

Imaged over the course of three nights where the seeing was the best for several months. M81 was high in the sky thus avoiding (though no totally) the negative effect of the ever-worsening light pollution. I included a lot of time on the Hydrogen Alpha channel to enhance the star-forming regions in the spiral…

The seeing has been exceptional (for the UK) for the last few nights. This combined with the IR Pass filter seems to have helped to create the sharpset Moon photo I have ever made. Additionally, a monochrome camera was used and the combination appears to have made a significant improvement over similar images taken with a OSC camera. This is in fact two photos, the first being one of this evening’s shots of the illuminated Moon and the second another image with a different exposure…

    Integration time (running total):
    * L 70 X 60s (70m)
    * R 60 X 60s (60m)
    * G 64 X 60s (64m)
    * B 65 X 60s (65m)
    * L 70 X 10s (11m40s)
    * R 60 X 10s (10m)
    * G 64 X 10s (10m40s)
    * B 65 X 10s (10m50s)
    * HA 10 X 180s (30m)
    * Total: 5h32m

Notes

Orion will soon be gone from the sky for another season. I wanted to have a new attempt to produce a satisfactory photogrpah of the bright star-forming region around the Trapezium in the Great Orion nebula which is so…

Seeing index: 4
Transparency: 4
Jet stream: OK
Moon phase: 4%

    Integration time (running total):
    * OSC 85 X 120s (170m)
    * Total: 2h50m
    
    Integration time target
    * Target: 7 hours
    * Progress: 40%

Seeing index: Good (3)
Jet stream: Poor (30 m/s)
Transparency: Good (3)

    Integration time (running total):
    * S 57 X 300s (285m)
    * H 54 X 300s (270m)
    * 0 51 X 300s (255m)
    * Total: 13h30m

Notes

Imaged over the course of three nights and processed using the Hubble palette.

    Integration time (running total):
    * S 54 X 300s (270m)
    * H 53 X 300s (265m)
    * 0 51 X 300s (255m)
    * Total: 13h10m

Seeing index: OK (3)
Jet stream: Poor (40 m/s)
Transparency: Good (4)