Gallery XX

I shot some DSOs with the Stellacam EX and the C14 telescope at the Donald C. Martin Observatory on 11/2/03. These images were limited by thin clouds that moved through the area while I was shooting.  For most of the images, the "sense up" was 128x, gain was at max and mode was ELC.

 First up was M42 in Orion, these first two shots were 40 second images shot at f6. A bit on terminology, the  StellaCam EX can add video frames, up to 128 frames or 2 seconds worth. Thus it can make a "2 second exposure", I grab one frame every 2 seconds and add them on the fly with a program called Astrovideo to build a "fits" image. So a 40 second image is really the sum of 20, 2 second long images.

For M 42 I cranked the "sense up" down to 64. I did this to bring out the Trapezium. Almost see 6 stars don't ya.

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The next one was shot at f3. "Sense up" at 128x. 10 seconds.

M43 came next at f3

and then for more time

up next was M1, but this did not dazzle at 120 seconds

M78 was shot at f6 (L) and f3 (R) for 120 seconds

NGC 2023 (bright nebula ?RN) for 120 seconds

The Hubble variable nebula NGC 2263 was photogenic at f3 for 120 seconds. It looks like a comet.

I finished with NGC 2392, the Eskimo Nebula first at prime focus (480 and 600 seconds) and then with a 2.5x powermate (600 seconds) but this last shot was hurt by the clouds. But

I can see the Eskimo. dark eyes, bright white nose, black moustache and mouth.  In the small pictures above, don't the hot pixel trails look like tears? The outer shell is his jacket hood, faintly visible. A tuft of white fur from the top edge of his hood is seen over his head on the smaller shots.

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