Chris Vedeler's Astrophotography
Click on the picture for a larger image
Home

      Astrophotography

M42 The Orion Nebula (more info)
Date: November 15 2009 
Scope: Astro-Physics 160 f/7.5 refractor with AP .75x focal reducer
Mount: Astro-Physics 900 GTO2
Guiding: Orion 80mm f/11.4 guide scope w/Meade DSI
Camera: Q453 / QHY8 CCD using MaximDL for image acquisition
Exposures: 6 x 900 seconds lights, + 5 x 180 second lights, 0 Darks
Location:  Mayer, AZ at Cuttin' Edge Observatory

Notes:  Arguably the most impressive nebula in the night sky.  I decided that it deserved another try after my previous best M42 shot from October 2007 (see below).  I have learned a lot since then and have a better camera and mount.  With the cleaner signal from the QHY8 I was able to bring out the dust that surrounds the whole region.  My autoguiding was plagued with problems and so I had to reject almost a full hour of data.  The seeing was also only about 4 - 6 arc seconds with the Jet Stream directly above.  So, with only 1 hour and 45 minutes of total exposure time and all the issues I was up against, this turned out rather well.

IC 1805 The Heart Nebula (more info)
Date: November 3rd 2009 
Scope: Takahashi FSQ-106EDX
Mount: Takahashi
Guiding: 
Camera: SBIG STL-11000M
Exposures: 14 x 900 seconds through H-Alpha filter
Location:  Mayer, AZ at Cuttin' Edge Observatory

M45 The Pleiades (more info)
Date: October 23th 2009 
Scope: Takahashi FSQ-106EDX
Mount: Software Bisque Paramount ME
Guiding: 
Camera: SBIG STL-11000M w/ FW8
Exposures: 3 x RGB 900 seconds, 8 x Lum 900 seconds
Location:  Mayer, AZ at Cuttin' Edge Observatory

Notes:  Another remotely captured image using the Cuttin' Edge Observatory.  Processing mono images into color requires a whole new level of knowledge and this was really good practice for me.  Thanks to Chris Johnson for all of his help! 

M78 (more info)
Date: October 17th 2009 
Scope: Astro-Physics 160 f/7.5 refractor with AP .75x focal reducer
Mount: Astro-Physics 900 GTO2
Guiding: Orion 80mm f/11.4 guide scope w/Meade DSI
Camera: Q453 / QHY8 CCD using MaximDL for image acquisition
Exposures: 12 x 900 seconds lights, 0 Darks
Location:  Farnsworth Ranch, AZ

Notes:  This is a rarely imaged reflection nebula in Orion.  Being in such close proximity to much more interesting targets such as the Horsehead and M42 (both below) this interesting faint reflection nebula is often over looked. 

IC 2118 The Witch Head Nebula (more info)
Date: October 16th 2009 
Scope: Astro-Physics 160 f/7.5 refractor with AP .75x focal reducer
Mount: Astro-Physics 900 GTO2
Guiding: Orion 80mm f/11.4 guide scope w/Meade DSI
Camera: Q453 / QHY8 CCD using MaximDL for image acquisition
Exposures: 12 x 900 seconds lights, 0 Darks
Location:  Farnsworth Ranch, AZ

Notes:  This target has been on my list for years.  I was always intimidated by its size (it doesn't fit in the field of view of my scope) and it's faintness.  I decided to attempt it anyway.  You can see only the Witch's nose, lips and chin in my shot.  It is an ancient super nova remnant reflecting blue light from nearby Rigel (not in the frame) from 40 light years away.  

IC 1805 The Heart Nebula (more info)
Date: October 16th & 17th 2009 
Scope: Astro-Physics 160 f/7.5 refractor with AP .75x focal reducer
Mount: Astro-Physics 900 GTO2
Guiding: Orion 80mm f/11.4 guide scope w/Meade DSI
Camera: Q453 / QHY8 CCD using MaximDL for image acquisition
Exposures: 12 x 900 seconds lights, 0 Darks
Location:  Farnsworth Ranch, AZ

Notes:  A beautiful area of glowing gas in Cassiopeia.  It resembles the shape of a heart.

M31 The Andromeda Galaxy (more info)
Date: August 15 2009 
Scope: Astro-Physics 160 f/7.5 refractor with AP .75x focal reducer
Mount: Astro-Physics 900 GTO2
Guiding: Orion 80mm f/11.4 guide scope w/Meade DSI & PHD Guide
Camera: Q453 / QHY8 CCD using Nebulosity for image acquisition
Exposures: 12 x 600 seconds lights, 0 Darks
Location:  Mayer, AZ at Cuttin' Edge Observatory

Notes:  Even at 2 million light years away, this closest neighbor galaxy to our own is still too large to fit into the field of view of my telescope.  I plan on taking a 2x2 mosaic of this galaxy at some point. 

M8 The Lagoon Nebula (more info)
Date: August 15 2009 
Scope: Astro-Physics 160 f/7.5 refractor
Mount: Astro-Physics 900 GTO2
Guiding: Orion 80mm f/11.4 guide scope w/Meade DSI & PHD Guide
Camera: Q453 / QHY8 CCD using Nebulosity for image acquisition
Exposures: 8 x 900 seconds lights, 0 Darks
Location:  Mayer, AZ at Cuttin' Edge Observatory

Notes:  My best attempt at this beautiful nebula. 

NGC 7000 The North America Nebula (more info)
Date: July 8 2009 
Scope: Takahashi FSQ-106EDX
Mount: Software Bisque Paramount ME
Guiding: 
Camera: SBIG STL-11000M w/ FW8
Exposures: 12 x 900 seconds lights through H-Alpha
Location:  Mayer, AZ at Cuttin' Edge Observatory

Notes:  This image was the result of testing the remote capabilities of the Cuttin' Edge Observatory.  None of the equipment is mine, but I got to drive the remote software and pick the target.  Many thanks to Chris Johnson for letting me beta test his amazing setup! 

M16 The Eagle Nebula (more info)
Date: June 21 2009 
Scope: Astro-Physics 160 f/7.5 refractor
Mount: Astro-Physics 900 GTO2
Guiding: Orion 80mm f/11.4 guide scope w/Meade DSI & PHD Guide
Camera: Q453 / QHY8 CCD using Nebulosity for image acquisition
Exposures: 10 best of 20 x 600 seconds lights, 0 Darks
Location:  Mayer, AZ at Cuttin' Edge Observatory

Notes:  My best attempt at this beautiful nebula. 

M20 The Trifid Nebula (more info)
Date: May 24 2009 
Scope: Astro-Physics 160 f/7.5 refractor
Mount: Astro-Physics 900 GTO2
Guiding: Orion 80mm f/11.4 guide scope w/Meade DSI & PHD Guide
Camera: Q453 / QHY8 CCD using Nebulosity for image acquisition
Exposures: 10 x 900 seconds lights, 0 Darks
Location:  Mayer, AZ at Cuttin' Edge Observatory

Notes:  One of my favorite summer time objects.  It is nicely framed at the 1200mm focal length of the AP160 and the Q453 camera.  Beautiful pinks and blue.  With the Q453 camera I'm finally able to take some quality summer time objects thanks to it's active cooling.

M45 The Pleiades (more info)
Taken October 26 2008
Scope: Astro-Physics 160 f/7.5 refractor with AP .75x focal reducer
Mount: Astro-Physics 900 GTO2
Guiding: Orion 80mm f/11.4 guide scope w/Meade DSI & PHD Guide
Camera: Canon 350xt modified
Exposures: 10 x 12 minutes ISO800
Location: Farnsworth Ranch, AZ

Notes:  A beautiful star cluster sometimes mistaken for the little dipper.  I didn't like the framing on my first attempt the previous night so I re-shot M45 to frame it better.  I was originally going to try a mosaic, but decided to shoot the Horsehead instead that same night.  Good choice it turns out.

M51 The Whirlpool Galaxy (more info)
Taken March 28 2009
Scope: Astro-Physics 160 f/7.5 refractor  
Mount: Astro-Physics 900 GTO2
Camera: Canon 350xt modified
Exposures: 8 x 12 minutes ISO800
Location: Farnsworth Ranch, AZ

Notes:  This is about an 80% cropped image.  I reprocessed this image on June 7th 2009 after learning a bit more about what to do and when and I liked the result enough to upgrade this image from my so-so pile to be displayed here among my best images.  Post processing makes all the difference.

The Horsehead Nebula (more info)
Taken October 25 2008
Winner of Cloudynights October 2008 best image
Scope: Astro-Physics 160 f/7.5 refractor with AP .75x focal reducer
Mount: Astro-Physics 900 GTO2
Camera: Canon 350xt modified
Exposures: 10 x 12 minutes ISO800
Location: Farnsworth Ranch, AZ

Notes:  Certainly one of the most interesting areas of the night sky.  It combines emission nebula, reflection nebula and dark nebula in one area creating reds, blues, yellows and of course the famous dark horsehead.  I was very happy with how this turned out.  Probably my best astro-image yet.  It was this image that made me wonder what I could gain from upgrading to CCD.  Time will tell.

M42 The Orion Nebula (more info)
Taken October 14 2007
Scope: Astro-Physics 160 f/7.5 refractor
Mount: Orion Atlas EQG w/EQMOD
Camera: Canon 350xt modified
Exposures: 8 x 10 minutes, 8 x 2 minutes, 8 x 30 seconds
Location: Farnsworth Ranch, AZ

Notes:  The awesome Orion Nebula.  This was taken using my relatively cheap Orion Atlas mount.  This shows what this inexpensive mount is capable of when everything works perfectly.  The AP900 is superior in every way however and gives consistent high quality results that the Orion can't match.  However, I have yet to better this image.  This was my first serious attempt at astrophotography in about 8 years and the first with my AP160 refractor.   I reprocessed the data in 2008 and this is the result.  

   Images not quite worthy of above.

M33 The Whirlpool Galaxy

M81 & M82 Galaxies
Taken 3/27/2009