Vern’s Weblog

NGC 7026, in the constellation Cygnus, is a bright planetary with a darker central disk which gives the appearance of two brighter nodules. Hence its nicknames the “tiny dumbell” nebula or the “cheeseburger” nebula.

Image taken from Louisville, CO June 27, 2006 at 0:31 MDT with Celestron Nexstar11, F3.3 focal reducer, and Astrovid Stellacam II video camera. Camera settings: integrate 128, gain 9/14, medium gamma. Images were dark subtracted, flat field and bias corrected with ImagePlus. Aligned and stacked 150 images with Registax3. Brightness enhanced with ImagePlus, cropped with Photoshop Elements. Sky was clear, temperature 55°F, 46% humidity, transparency very good, turbulence 6/10.

NGC 6894 is small (40 arc-sec), fairly dim (vmag 12.3) planetary nebula in the constellation Cygnus. A magnitude 14 star is visible in the northwest. Its central (vmag 17.6) star is just barely visible in the image below.

Image was taken June 20, 2006 at 07:07 UT from Louisville, CO with Celestron Nexstar11 telescope, F3.3 focal reducer, and Stellacam II video camera at 9/14 gain, integrate 128, gamma medium.  Aprox 150 images acquired in 10 minutes were dark subtracted, flat field and bias corrected. Aligned and stacked with Registax3. Sky was partly cloudy, temperature was 64°F, 40% humidty, transparency was good, turbulence was 5/10.

The cat’s eye nebula, NGC 6543,  is a small, bright, bluish-green planetary nebula in the constellation Draco.

Image taken on June 20, 2006 at 06:51 UT from Louisville, CO with a Celestron Nexstar11 telescope, Meade F3.3 focal reducer, and Astrovid Stellacam II video camera. Camera settings were 9/14 gain, integrate 128 (4.2 sec), and medium gamma. The 10 minute video images were dark subtracted, flat field and bias corrected with ImagesPlus, stacked and aligned with Registax3. Weather conditions were partly cloudy, turbulence 5/10, transparency good, no wind, temperature was 64°F, 40% humidity.

The space turtle, NGC 6210 in Hercules,  is a bright bluish planetary in the constellation  Hercules. In the below image four jets can be seen extending outward from the central gas cloud.

Image taken on April 20, 2006 at 06:30 UT from Louisville, CO with Celestron Nexstar11 telescope, Meade F3.3 focal reducer, and Astrovid Stellacam II video camera. Camera set to integrate 128 frames, medium gamma, and 9/14 gain. Image was dark subtracted, flat field and bias corrected.

Last night the sky was clear for maybe 10 or 15 minutes and then totally overcast for about the same time. I either had to put my toys away early or else try for whatever might be in the clear. Never being one to go to bed early, I noticed that Messier 57 happened to be in the clear so I captured a 10 minute video while I checked the lists to see what was open.

Equipment used was Celestorn Nexstar11 mounted on AptAstro wedge, Meade F3.3 focal reducer, and AstroVid Stellacam II video camera set to integrate 128 (4.25 sec), gamma at medium, and gain at 9/14. Partly cloudy, temperature was 68°F, no wind, transparency varied from very good to poor.