All posts by Peter Folkesson

M78 – 2017

2017-01-31 Peter Folkesson Leave a comment

2017-01-01 18:00-01:00
Clear, little wind, no moon, 99% humidity, -1 degrees C
HA: 80x90s LIGHT
L: 66x45s LIGHT

2017-01-02 20:00-00:00
Clear followed by high clouds, little wind, no moon, 80% humidity, -5 degrees C
RGB: (60+60+60)x45s LIGHT
L: 22x45s LIGHT

2017-01-27 19:00-23:30
Clear, little wind, no moon, 90% humidity, -3 degrees C
L: 196x60s LIGHT
R+B+G: (20+20+20)x45 s LIGHT

Camera: ASI1600MM-COOL+ZWO EFWmini, Baader R,G,B,7nm Ha, gain 200, offset 50, -20C
Lens: Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED + Sky-Watcher field flattener
Mount: HEQ5 Pro
Skywatcher SynGuider auto guider and Celestron 80mm guide scope
Software: Sequence Generator Pro, PixInsight, Photoshop
Location: Borås, Sweden

Astrophotos

IC1848 Soul Nebula – 2017

2017-01-19 Peter Folkesson Leave a comment

IC1848 - 2017 — IC1848 Soul Nebula – 2017

2017-01-15 18:00-21:00
Clear, little wind, rising moon, 85% humidity, -6 degrees C
Exposures Ha:
92x90s LIGHT
100x90s DARK
200 BIAS

2016-10-04 21:00-03:30
Some low clouds, windy, 80% humidity, 5 degrees C
Exposures Luminance:
90x30s+25x120s+20x240s LIGHT
100x240s DARK
200 BIAS

2014-04-03 22:00-05:00 (2 hours lost due to a combination of hardware and software problems)
Clear, moon at the horizon, no wind, 0 degrees C
Exposures RGB:
8x480s LIGHT
28x480s DARKS
200 BIAS

Camera L: ASI1600MM-COOL+ZWO EFWmini, Baader 7nm Ha, IDAS LPS-D1, gain 77 and 200, offset 12 and 50, -20C
Camera RGB: Canon EOS-600Da, IDAS LPS-P2, ISO800
Lens: Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED + Sky-Watcher field flattener
Mount: HEQ5 Pro
Skywatcher SynGuider auto guider and Celestron 80mm guide scope
Software: Sequence Generator Pro, BackyardEOS, PixInsight, Photoshop
Location: Borås, Sweden

Astrophotos

M103, NGC659, Tr1, NGC663, NGC654, LDN1334, IC166

2017-01-03 Peter Folkesson Leave a comment

2017-01-01 18:00-01:00
Clear, little wind, no moon, 99% humidity, -1 degrees C

M103+NGC663
Exposures (104.5 min):
L:59x30s LIGHT (29.5 min)
R+G+B: (50+50+50)x30s LIGHT (75 min)

Camera L: ASI1600MM-COOL+ZWO EFWmini, Baader R,G,B,7nm Ha, gain 200, offset 50, -20C
Lens: Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED + Sky-Watcher field flattener
Mount: HEQ5 Pro
Skywatcher SynGuider auto guider and Celestron 80mm guide scope
Software: Sequence Generator Pro, PixInsight, Photoshop
Location: Borås, Sweden

Astrophotos

NGC1931, IC417, IC410, IC405

2016-12-26 Peter Folkesson Leave a comment

2016-11-23 22:00-01:00
Clear, no wind, no moon, 95% humidity, 2 degrees C
2016-11-24 21:30-00:30
Clear, no wind, no moon, 99% humidity, some fog, -1 degrees C

NGC1931, IC417, IC410
Exposures:
Ha:90x90s LIGHT (135 min)
R+G+B: (55+40+50)x45s LIGHT (109 min)

2016-11-28 20:00-02:00
Several high clouds, little wind, no moon, 80% humidity, -1 degrees C
2016-12-02 18:30-02:30
Clear, no wind, no moon, 75% humidity, -3 degrees C

IC405
Exposures:
Ha: 144x90s
R+G+B: (60+63+59)x45s

200 BIAS
100 FLAT per filter
100 DARK per exposure time

Astrophotos

M42 in LRGB+Ha

2016-12-11 Peter Folkesson Leave a comment

2016-11-26 18:00-04:00
Clear, some wind, no moon, 85% humidity, 3 degrees C

M42
Exposures (163,5 min):
Ha:45x90s LIGHT
R: 31x10s+60x30s
G: 32x10s+57x30s
B: 54x30s

2016-11-27 18:00-01:00
Low clouds, windy, no moon, 60% humidity, 0 degrees C

M42
Exposures (103 min):
Ha: 85x20s+40x90s LIGHT
RGB: (12+3+50)x10s LIGHT

2016-12-02 18:30-02:30
Clear, no wind, no moon, 75% humidity, -3 degrees C

M42
Exposures:
L: 140x30s+ 201x10s LIGHT (103,5 min)

Astrophotos

Ced214, NGC7822

2016-12-06 Peter Folkesson Leave a comment

2016-11-26 18:00-04:00
Clear, some wind, no moon, 85% humidity, 3 degrees C

Ced 214, NGC7822
Exposures (269 min):
Ha:90x90s LIGHT (135 min)
R+G+B: (59+60+60)x45s LIGHT (134 min)
DARK: 100
FLAT: 100
BIAS: 200

Astrophotos

NGC7789 – Caroline’s Rose

2016-12-02 Peter Folkesson Leave a comment

2016-11-26 18:00-04:00
Clear, some wind, no moon, 85% humidity, 3 degrees C

NGC7789
Exposures:
LRGB: (60+60+60+60)x30s LIGHT

Camera L: ASI1600MM-COOL+ZWO EFWmini, Baader R,G,B,IDAS LPS-D1, gain 200, offset 50, -20C
Lens: Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED + Sky-Watcher field flattener
Mount: HEQ5 Pro
Skywatcher SynGuider auto guider and Celestron 80mm guide scope
Software: Sequence Generator Pro, BackyardEOS, PixInsight, Photoshop

Astrophotos

Veil Nebula – 2016

2016-11-20 Peter Folkesson Leave a comment

Veil Nebulae - 2016 — Veil Nebula – 2016

2016-09-04 21:30-02:00
Clear, no moon, some wind, 75% humidity, 11 degrees C
NGC 6960 – Western Veil L:
80x30s+20x120s LIGHT
NGC 6992 – Eastern Veil L:
58x30s+60x120s LIGHT

2016-08-24 23:00-02:00
Clear, rising moon, little wind, 92% humidity, 14 degrees C
NGC 6960 – Western Veil L:
45x120s LIGHT

100 DARKS
200 BIAS

2014-09-03 23:00-04:00
Clear, 12 degrees C
NGC 6992, NGC 6960 – Veil Nebula RGB:
30x480s LIGHT

18x300s DARK
200 BIAS

Camera L: ASI1600MM-COOL, IDAS LPS-D1, gain 77, offset 12, -20C
Camera RGB: Canon EOS-600Da, IDAS LPS-P2, ISO800
Lens: Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED + Sky-Watcher field flattener
Mount: HEQ5 Pro
Skywatcher SynGuider auto guider and Celestron 80mm guide scope
Software: Sequence Generator Pro, BackyardEOS, PixInsight, Photoshop

Astrophotos

NGC281 – Pacman Nebula

2016-11-05 Peter Folkesson Leave a comment

2016-10-29 19:00-03:00
Very clear, some wind, 75% humidity, 5 degrees C

NGC281
Exposures:
Ha:90x90s RGB:(60+60+60)x30s LIGHT (225 min)
100x90s+100x30s DARK
200 BIAS

Astrophotos

NGC 1499 – California Nebula 2016

2016-11-02 Peter Folkesson Leave a comment

2016-10-29 19:00-03:00
Very clear, some wind, 75% humidity, 5 degrees C

NGC1499
Exposures:
Ha: 90x90s (135 min)
100x90s DARK
200 BIAS

2014-12-25 18:30-23:00, 23:30-04:00
Clear, setting moon, -10 degrees C

NGC1499 – The California Nebula
Exposures:
30x480s LIGHT
30x480s DARK
200 BIAS
Camera L: ASI1600MM-COOL+ZWO EFWmini, Baader R,G,B,7nm Ha, gain 200, offset 50, -20C
Camera RGB: Canon EOS-600Da, IDAS LPS-P2, ISO800
Lens: Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED + Sky-Watcher field flattener
Mount: HEQ5 Pro

Astrophotos

Sh 2-155 – Cave Nebula

2016-10-31 Peter Folkesson Leave a comment

2016-10-28 20:00-02:00
Clear, hard wind, intermittent high clouds, 80% humidity, 7 degrees C

Cave Nebula
Exposures:
Ha:86x90s RGB:(50+44+58)x30s L:60x30s LIGHT (235 min)
100x90s+100x30s DARK
200 BIAS

Camera L: ASI1600MM-COOL+ZWO EFWmini, Baader R,G,B,7nm Ha, gain 200, offset 50, -20C
Camera RGB: Canon EOS-600Da, IDAS LPS-P2, ISO800
Lens: Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED + Sky-Watcher field flattener
Mount: HEQ5 Pro
Skywatcher SynGuider auto guider and Celestron 80mm guide scope
Software: Sequence Generator Pro, BackyardEOS, PixInsight, Photoshop

Astrophotos

M52, Bubble Nebula, Lobster Claw Nebula – 2016

2016-10-18 Peter Folkesson Leave a comment

2016-10-05 20:30-04:00
Clear, windy, 80% humidity, 5 degrees C
M52
Exposures Luminance:
90x30s+25x120s+20x240s LIGHT
100x240s DARK
200 BIAS

2015-08-12 23:30-03:30
Very clear, no moon, no wind, 9 degrees C
M52
Exposures RGB:
27x480s LIGHT
49x480s DARK
200 BIAS

Astrophotos

IC1805 Heart Nebula – 2016

2016-10-16 Peter Folkesson 2 Comments

2016-10-04 21:00-03:30
Some low clouds, windy, 80% humidity, 5 degrees C
IC1805
Exposures Luminance:
90x30s+25x120s+20x240s LIGHT
100x240s DARK
200 BIAS

2015-12-13 17:30-21:00 (2 hours lost due to Canon driver issue with Windows 10 and USB 3.0 setting in VMWare Fusion 8.1.0)
Some low clouds followed by fog, no wind, -3 degrees C
IC1805
Exposures RGB:
9x480s LIGHT
60x480s DARK
200 BIAS

Astrophotos

IC1848 Soul Nebula – 2016

2016-10-15 Peter Folkesson Leave a comment

2016-10-04 21:00-03:30
Some low clouds, windy, 80% humidity, 5 degrees C

IC1848
Exposures Luminance:
90x30s+25x120s+20x240s LIGHT
100x240s DARK
200 BIAS

2014-04-03 22:00-05:00 (2 hours lost due to a combination of hardware and software problems)
Clear, moon at the horizon, no wind, 0 degrees C

IC1848
Exposures RGB:
8x480s LIGHT
28x480s DARKS
200 BIAS

Astrophotos

M33 – 2016

2016-10-08 Peter Folkesson Leave a comment

2016-10-03 21:00-03:30
Some initial high clouds, some wind, 85% humidity, 5 degrees C

M33
Exposures Luminance:
59x30s+30x120s+39x240s LIGHT

100x240s DARK
200 BIAS

2016-09-09 22:00-01:30
Clear followed by fog, setting moon, no wind, 99% humidity, 12 degrees C

M33
Exposures Luminance:
126x30s+64x120s LIGHT

2014-10-29 22:30-00:30
Some initial clouds followed by clear, humid, 2 degrees C

2014-10-28 19:30-23:30
High and fast moving low clouds, humid, 9 degrees C

M33 – Triangulum Galaxy
Exposures RGB:
30+20x360s LIGHT
40+40x360s DARK
200 BIAS

Astrophotos

NGC7331 and Stephan’s Quintet – 2016

2016-09-28 Peter Folkesson Leave a comment

2016-09-08 22:00-01:30
Clear, no moon, no wind, 98% humidity, 15 degrees C

NGC7331
Exposures L:
120x30s+60x120s LIGHT
200 DARK
200 BIAS

2015-08-21 22:30-03:30
Clear, no moon, no wind, 12 degrees C

2015-08-20 00:00-01:00
Low clouds, no moon, no wind, 14 degrees C

2015-08-19 23:00-03:00
Very clear, no moon, no wind, 14 degrees C

NGC7331
Exposures RGB:
52x480s LIGHT
85 DARK
200 BIAS

Astrophotos

NGC6888 – Crescent Nebula

2016-09-14 Peter Folkesson Leave a comment

2016-09-05 21:30-00:30
Some high clouds, no moon, some wind, 80% humidity, 9 degrees C

NGC6888 L
Exposures:
240x30s LIGHT
200 DARK
200 BIAS

NGC6888 RGB
Exposures:
7x480s LIGHT
100 DARK
200 BIAS

Camera L: ASI1600MM-COOL, IDAS LPS-D1, gain 139, offset 21, -20C
Camera RGB: Canon EOS-600Da, IDAS LPS-P2, ISO800
Lens: Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED + Sky-Watcher field flattener
Mount: HEQ5 Pro
Skywatcher SynGuider auto guider and Celestron 80mm guide scope
Software: Sequence Generator Pro, BackyardEOS, PixInsight, Photoshop

Astrophotos

NGC869, NGC884 – Double Cluster

2016-08-18 Peter Folkesson Leave a comment

2016-08-14 23:00-02:00
Clear, moon, some wind, 96% humidity, 10 degrees C

Doble Cluster L
Exposures:
60x45s LIGHT
100 DARKS
200 BIAS

2016-01-04 17:30-19:00
High clouds followed by low clouds, no wind, -5 degrees C

2016-02-03 19:00-03:30
Clear, no wind, no moon, moist, -2 degrees C

Double Cluster RGB
Exposures:
9x300s+8x480s LIGHT
120x480s DARK
200 BIAS
Camera L: ASI1600MM-COOL, IDAS LPS-D1, gain 0, offset 10, -20C
Camera RGB: Canon EOS-600Da, IDAS LPS-P2, ISO800
Lens: Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED + Sky-Watcher field flattener
Mount: HEQ5 Pro
Skywatcher SynGuider auto guider and Celestron 80mm guide scope
Software: Sequence Generator Pro, BackyardEOS, PixInsight, Photoshop

Astrophotos

NGC 7023 – Iris Nebula

2016-08-13 Peter Folkesson Leave a comment

2016-08-07 00:00-03:00
Low clouds, no moon, no wind, 99% humidity, 12 degrees C
2016-08-12 00:30-02:30
Clear, setting moon, no wind, 94% humidity, 5 degrees C

NGC7023 L
Exposures:
214x30s+40x45s+60x120s LIGHT
300 DARKS
200 BIAS
Camera L: ASI1600MM-COOL, IDAS LPS-D1, gain 77, offset 12 and gain 100, offset 17, -20C

2015-08-14 23:30-03:00
Very clear, no moon, some wind, 14 degrees C
2015-08-18 23:00-03:00
Clear, no moon, some wind, 14 degrees C

NGC7023 RGB
Exposures:
52x480s LIGHT
85x480s DARK
200 BIAS
Camera RGB: Canon EOS-600Da, IDAS LPS-P2, ISO800

Lens: Sky-Watcher Esprit 80ED + Sky-Watcher field flattener
Mount: HEQ5 Pro
Skywatcher SynGuider auto guider and Celestron 80mm guide scope
Software: Sequence Generator Pro, BackyardEOS, PixInsight, Photoshop

Blog

ASI1600MM-COOL test

2016-07-29 Peter Folkesson Leave a comment

M27Test2_LRVB_Test3 — M27 luminance with ASI1600MM-COOL, RGB with Canon EOS600Da

2016-07-28 23:30-01:00
Clear, no moon, no wind, 12 degrees C

2016-08-02 00:00-02:00
Low clouds, no moon, no wind, 10 degrees C

2016-10-03 21:00-03:30
Some initial high clouds, some wind, 85% humidity, 5 degrees C

Took some more test luminance frames on 2016-07-28, 2016-08-02 and 2016-10-03 to decide upon gain, offset and exposure time. Added RGB from previous DSLR image of same object, see https://astrophotos.se/?p=600

66x30s+17x60s+9x90s+19x120s+8x180s+26x240s+3x300s exposures with ASI1600MM-COOL and IDAS LPS-D1 filter used for luminance (224.5 minutes total exposure) taken with gain 77, offset 12 and gain 100, offset 17 settings of the camera cooled to -20C. 16x300s+8x240s+9x180s exposures with Canon EOS600Da used for RGB (139 minutes total exposure for RGB)

With gain 77 setting, the 120s exposures seem to be optimal (with some caveat since the sky was not fully dark). With gain 100, offset 17 I could not see any difference in amount and detail of nebulosity and stars when stacking 23 30s exposures compared to 3 240s exposures apart from the 30s stack had less noise and less saturated stars. This suggests that 30s exposures could be used.

Peter Folkesson's astrophotos