M1

Object: Messier 1 (M1, NGC 1952),

Type: Super Nova Remnant

Distance: 6500 Light Years (Approx) Constellation: Taurus
Date: 27th October 08
Equipment: William Optics Megrez 90 Canon EOS 40D
Subframes: 41 x 30 second exposures unguided at ISO800
Processed: No darks or flats were captured. Processed in Images Plus 2.0 with a non linear stretch or DDP. 7

Notes: Observed by a Chinese astronomers on July 4th 1054 AD, the Guest star was seen in daylight for 23 days and visible to the naked eye in the night sky for a staggering 653 nights.

Approx 10 Light years diamater expanding at 1,800 km/sec.

At the center of the nebula lies the Crab Pulsar, a rotating neutron star, which emits pulses of radiation from gamma rays to radio waves with a spin rate of 30.2 times per second. The nebula was the first astronomical object identified with a historical supernova explosion.

I am not entirely happy with this shot a bit more processing perhaps or a new series without frosty optics I really wanted to glimpse the Pulsar.

Back In Time: As the light left M1 we travel back to the year 4493BC. Chronicles suggest early Mesopotamian cultures in present day Iraq and Egyptian civilizations on the Nile. In England the Neolithic period was just commencing and Stonehenge wasn't far off being constructed.

M45 The Pliedies

Object: M45Type: Open Cluster
Distance: 380Light Years (Approx)
Constellation: Taurus

Date: 27th October 08

Equipment: William Optics Megrez 90 Canon EOS 40D

Subframes: 6 x 30 second exposures unguided at ISO800 and 1 x 3.5 Minute Autoguided exposure again at 800 ISO

Processed: No darks or flats were captured. Processed in Images Plus 2.0 with a Moderate non linear stretch or DDP. 7 Iterations on a adaptive Richardson Lucy deconvolution filter.

Notes: The Pleiades nebulae are blue-colored, which indicates that they are reflection nebulae, reflecting the light of the bright stars situated near (or within) them.

Back In Time: As the light left back in 1627, back on earth a Dutch ship sighted the coast of southern Australia, while the English were colonising the island of Barbados. An earthquake devastated southern Italy and astronomer Johannes Keppler published his laws on planetary motion The Rudolphine Times

Phd guiding test

03/10/08

This has been the first opportunity to test the rebuilt mount.

The above image is cropped and FOV approx 40' x 30' This is a 5 minute phd guided exposure.

Ignoring the flare around the Maia. There was an great deal of moisture in the air. The aim of the test was to get the guiding working. It passed with flying colours.