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© Julian Shapiro
Image Gallery
Astroimages by Julian Shapiro
Deep sky objects, including colorful nebulae within the Milky Way and massive galaxies millions of light years from Earth.
M51 - Whirlpool Galaxy (DSC)
Leviathan Nebula
Shapiro-1
Crab Nebula - M1
In 1054, astronomers noticed a visiting star in their night sky. The “star” turns out to have been a supernova, the death of a massive star, resulting in a colorful explosion. Over the following millennium, the object expanded to 11 light years in size. The nebula is at a distance of 6500 light years in the constellation Taurus. At the center lies a pulsar, a form of neutron star with extreme magnetic properties and rotation speed. The pulsar is visible in my image surrounded by two very small arc-like structures, which are known as the termination shock, resulting from the collision of the pulsar’s winds and the nebula around it. A little-known feature of the crab nebula is the very faint jet extending off of the top edge. My photograph reveals its details in hydrogen and oxygen. Broadband integration additionally revealed faint dark nebulae to the right of the nebula.
Headphones Nebula - Jones-Emberson 1
Cassiopeia A (DSC)
Helix Nebula - NGC7293
The Helix Nebula is a large planetary nebula spanning 2.5 light years across in the constellation Aquarius. At a distance of only 650 light years, it's one of the closest to Earth. This makes it one of the brighter planetary nebulae in the sky at a magnitude of 6.6. It was discovered in 1824 by Karl Harding. Planetary nebulae such as the Helix are formed from the death of stars, leaving ring-like structures as well as a white dwarf that can be seen in the very center of the nebula. Each ring is expanding at a rate of 32-40 kilometers per second. The nebula also contains about 40,000 cometary knots, which appear as the thin, small structures pointing towards the center. Each knot is roughly the size of our solar system, and has a mass similar to the Earth. The Helix, like most planetary nebulae, is prominent in hydrogen and oxygen, shown as red and green/blue respectively in this image. The nebula has many prominent outer hydrogen structures, such as the large bowshock on the left. It also contains a unique set of radial rays in oxygen, which can be seen as the green/blue spikes extending outwards.
Gear:
OOUK CT10
ZWO ASI2600MM
ZWO SHORLGB Filters
ZWO EAF, EFW
Orion Atlas Pro
Software:
N.I.N.A. for image acquisition
Pixinsight & PS for processing
Acquisition Details:
Ha: 120 x 180s (6h)
Oiii: 80 x 180s (4h)
RGB: 10 x 60s each (30m)
All exposures guided and dithered
Total Integration: 10h30m
Taken from NM, USA (B2)
Gear:
OOUK CT10
ZWO ASI2600MM
ZWO SHORLGB Filters
ZWO EAF, EFW
Orion Atlas Pro
Software:
N.I.N.A. for image acquisition
Pixinsight & PS for processing
Acquisition Details:
Ha: 120 x 180s (6h)
Oiii: 80 x 180s (4h)
RGB: 10 x 60s each (30m)
All exposures guided and dithered
Total Integration: 10h30m
Taken from NM, USA (B2)
Trifid Nebula - M20
The Trifid Nebula is a bright emission nebula and star forming region with both a central star cluster and a surrounding blue reflection nebula. Discovered in 1764 by Charles Messier, it got the name “Trifid” meaning 3 lobes divided by the dark nebulae in the center, though it looks more like 4. The nebula spans 21 light years in diameter and is very prominent in both hydrogen/oxygen narrowband and broadband. It’s located in the constellation Sagittarius, towards the Milky Way core from Earth, which provides a rich field of stars and background h-alpha in the image. Though estimated distance to M20 ranges, most measurements say it’s approximately 5000-9000 light years from Earth. The Trifid Nebula’s luminosity and fascinating structure make it an excellent target for both viewing and imaging!
Gear:
OOUK CT10
ZWO ASI2600MM
ZWO SHORLGB Filters
ZWO EAF, EFW
Orion Atlas Pro
Software:
N.I.N.A. for image acquisition
Pixinsight & PS for processing
Acquisition Details:
Ha: 15 x 180s (45m)
Oiii: 30 x 180s (1hr30m)
RGB: 15 x 30s each (22.5m)
All exposures guided and dithered
Total Integration: 2.63hr
Taken from NM, USA (B2)
Gear:
OOUK CT10
ZWO ASI2600MM
ZWO SHORLGB Filters
ZWO EAF, EFW
Orion Atlas Pro
Software:
N.I.N.A. for image acquisition
Pixinsight & PS for processing
Acquisition Details:
Ha: 15 x 180s (45m)
Oiii: 30 x 180s (1hr30m)
RGB: 15 x 30s each (22.5m)
All exposures guided and dithered
Total Integration: 2.63hr
Taken from NM, USA (B2)
Veil Nebula - NGC6960
The Western Veil Nebula is a section of the large Cygnus Loop supernova remnant, which exploded about 10000-20000 years ago. The remains of the explosion now span a massive 3 degrees in the sky, which is about 6 times the size of the full moon. The Veil Nebula is about 110 light years in diameter, and estimated to be 2100-2400 light years away. The nebula has significant amounts of hydrogen alpha and ionized oxygen, which appear as red and blue respectively in the image. The western segment of the supernova, which is the section shown in my photo, is also known as the “Witch’s Broom,” and has the bright star 52 Cygni in the foreground. The nebula was originally discovered in 1784 by William Herschel.
Gear:
OOUK CT10
ZWO ASI2600MM
ZWO SHORLGB Filters
ZWO EAF, EFW
Orion Atlas Pro
Software:
N.I.N.A. for image acquisition
Pixinsight & PS for processing
Acquisition Details:
Ha: 30 x 180s (1.33hr)
Oiii: 40 x 180s (1.66hr)
RGB: 10 x 30s each (15m)
All exposures guided and dithered
Total Integration: 3hr15m
Taken from NM, USA (B2)
Gear:
OOUK CT10
ZWO ASI2600MM
ZWO SHORLGB Filters
ZWO EAF, EFW
Orion Atlas Pro
Software:
N.I.N.A. for image acquisition
Pixinsight & PS for processing
Acquisition Details:
Ha: 30 x 180s (1.33hr)
Oiii: 40 x 180s (1.66hr)
RGB: 10 x 30s each (15m)
All exposures guided and dithered
Total Integration: 3hr15m
Taken from NM, USA (B2)
Crescent Nebula - NGC6888
The Crescent Nebula is a striking emission nebula in Cygnus, surrounding a central Wolf-Rayet star. Wolf-Rayets are very rare and extreme stars, with luminosities millions of times brighter than the sun. They have very short lifetimes of only hundreds of thousands of years. They lose mass at a very quick rate, creating massive ejections of elements including hydrogen (red) and oxygen (blue) as shown in this image. Wolf-Rayets have extreme temperatures of up to 50,000 degrees Kelvin, giving them a blue-white appearance. As these stars have a mass greater than the Oppenheimer-Volkoff limit, once they go supernova, they will create a black hole. The Wolf-Rayet in the Crescent Nebula, WR 136, is nearing the end of its life, and its stellar winds shape the mass it releases into a shell. This creates the beautiful 25 lightyear wide nebula that we can observe from Earth.
Gear:
OOUK CT10
ZWO ASI2600MM
ZWO SHORLGB Filters
ZWO EAF, EFW
Orion Atlas Pro
Software:
N.I.N.A. for image acquisition
Pixinsight & PS for processing
Acquisition Details:
Ha: 60 x 180s (3hr)
Oiii: 80 x 180s (4hr)
RGB: 10 x 60s each (30m)
All exposures guided and dithered
Total Integration: 7.5hr
Taken from NM, USA (B2)
Gear:
OOUK CT10
ZWO ASI2600MM
ZWO SHORLGB Filters
ZWO EAF, EFW
Orion Atlas Pro
Software:
N.I.N.A. for image acquisition
Pixinsight & PS for processing
Acquisition Details:
Ha: 60 x 180s (3hr)
Oiii: 80 x 180s (4hr)
RGB: 10 x 60s each (30m)
All exposures guided and dithered
Total Integration: 7.5hr
Taken from NM, USA (B2)
Lagoon Nebula - M8
The Lagoon Nebula is a large emission nebula and star forming region in Sagittarius. At about 5200 light years away, it’s located towards the core of our Milky Way galaxy. In dark enough skies, M8 is visible to the naked eye as a faint smudge. The whole region spans about 110 light years, and includes many Bok globules, which are small, dense dark nebulae. The brightest part of the nebula has a very small but distinct hourglass structure, which Hubble photographed in 2018. At roughly the center of the nebula is a star cluster, NGC6530, which are responsible for ionizing the surrounding gas, causing it to shine. The nebula was originally discovered by Giovanni Hodierna in the 1650s.
Gear:
OOUK CT10
ZWO ASI2600MM
ZWO SHORLGB Filters
ZWO EAF, EFW
Orion Atlas Pro
Software:
N.I.N.A. for image acquisition
Pixinsight & PS for processing
Acquisition Details:
Ha: 30 x 180s (1.5hr)
Oiii: 40 x 180s (2hr)
RGB: 60 x 10s each (30m)
All exposures guided and dithered
Total Integration: 4hr
Taken from NM, USA (B2)
Gear:
OOUK CT10
ZWO ASI2600MM
ZWO SHORLGB Filters
ZWO EAF, EFW
Orion Atlas Pro
Software:
N.I.N.A. for image acquisition
Pixinsight & PS for processing
Acquisition Details:
Ha: 30 x 180s (1.5hr)
Oiii: 40 x 180s (2hr)
RGB: 60 x 10s each (30m)
All exposures guided and dithered
Total Integration: 4hr
Taken from NM, USA (B2)
NGC6914
Horsehead Nebula - IC434
The Horsehead Nebula is a large cloud of ionized gas located within the larger Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. The nebula's bright hydrogen alpha gives it its recognizable pink-red color. The nebula was first discovered by Williamina Flemming in 1888 and is about 1500 light years away from Earth. At the center is a smaller thick cloud about 4 light-years tall, with the shape of a horse's head. This cloud, located in front of the rest of the nebula, blocks the light from behind it, giving the image an interesting contrast. Near the top and center of the image is the star Sigma Orionis, which has a fascinating magnetic effect on the gas below it, creating streaks toward the star in the photograph. To the left of the horsehead is the Flame Nebula (NGC2024) and the small reflection nebula below the horsehead is NGC2023.
Gear:
C8 SCT at F2
Starizona Hyperstar
L-eNhance
ASI2600MC Pro
Orion Atlas Pro
Software:
Sharpcap for polar aligning
N.I.N.A. for image acquisition
DeepSkyStacker for stacking
Photoshop for processing
Pixinsight for processing
Acquisition Details:
Ha/Oiii: 105 x 120s (3.5hr) F2
All exposures guided and dithered
Total Integration: 3.5hr
Gear:
C8 SCT at F2
Starizona Hyperstar
L-eNhance
ASI2600MC Pro
Orion Atlas Pro
Software:
Sharpcap for polar aligning
N.I.N.A. for image acquisition
DeepSkyStacker for stacking
Photoshop for processing
Pixinsight for processing
Acquisition Details:
Ha/Oiii: 105 x 120s (3.5hr) F2
All exposures guided and dithered
Total Integration: 3.5hr
Orion Nebula - M42
The Orion Nebula is a large diffuse nebula located in the sword of the constellation Orion. M42 is located only 1344 light years away, making it one of the brightest deep sky objects and visible to the naked eye. The nebula is estimated to be about 3 million years old, and stretches 24 light years across. The discovery of M42 is credited to astronomer Peiresc in 1610. Noted by the astronomers who viewed it, there were four central bright stars known as the trapezium. The Orion Nebula was the first nebula to be photographed, when Henry Draper took a long-exposure image of it with his 36” telescope in 1880. Today, the Orion Nebula is one of the most common astrophotography targets due to its large size and brightness. Located adjacent to M42 is the Running Man Nebula (Sh2-279). Surrounding both the Running Man and Orion nebulae is a large amount of hydrogen emission gas in the Orion molecular cloud complex. To capture this gas, I added narrowband data to show the faint reds in the background of the image.
Gear:
C8 SCT at F6.3
C8 SCT at F2
Celestron F6.3 Reducer
Starizona Hyperstar
L-eNhance
ASI2600MC Pro
Orion Atlas Pro
Software:
Sharpcap for polar aligning
N.I.N.A. for image acquisition
DeepSkyStacker for stacking
Photoshop for processing
Pixinsight for processing
Acquisition Details:
Ha/Oiii: 90 x 120s (3hr) F2
RGB: 45 x 120s (1.5hr) F2
RGB (HDR): 30 x 120s (1hr) F10
All exposures guided and dithered
Total Integration: 5.5hr
Gear:
C8 SCT at F6.3
C8 SCT at F2
Celestron F6.3 Reducer
Starizona Hyperstar
L-eNhance
ASI2600MC Pro
Orion Atlas Pro
Software:
Sharpcap for polar aligning
N.I.N.A. for image acquisition
DeepSkyStacker for stacking
Photoshop for processing
Pixinsight for processing
Acquisition Details:
Ha/Oiii: 90 x 120s (3hr) F2
RGB: 45 x 120s (1.5hr) F2
RGB (HDR): 30 x 120s (1hr) F10
All exposures guided and dithered
Total Integration: 5.5hr
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