Observation Log - October 24, 2000

Observation Log - October 24, 2000 - Tinton Falls, NJ

[NOTE: The weather tonight wasn't good enough for serious astrophotography, with high cirrus clouds covering most of the sky all night long. I could see stars through the cloud cover, however, and decided to use the night to experiment with the f/3.3 focal reducer on the 12" LX200. Images taken tonight and displayed below were all part of that experimentation. -GW]

A Meteor!. This meteor was caught while passing near M71, a globular cluster in Sagitta. After shooting about 5,000 frames with my MX516, I finally captured an image of a meteor! This is a single frame, IMG1109.FIT, taken at about 08:16 p.m. on 10/23/00, The image was taken using the f/3.3 focal reducer, and processed in AstroArt with dark frame removal and flat frames, then moved into MaxIm for a simple final contrast stretch. Actually, it looks like it was two pieces, traveling on parallel paths. I wonder if there is any scientific value in this image? Here's a version with less contrast, to show the shape of the outburst... I'm assuming from the profile of this brightening that this is, indeed, a meteor and not just a plane (of which I have DOZENS of images!)

M13, a globular cluster in Hercules, magnitude 5.8, diameter 21', distance 23,400 light years. This is a composite image created from 7 exposures totaling 14 minutes, taken between 07:16 and 07:39 p.m. the evening of the 23rd. Images were taken using the f/3.3 focal reducer. Images were processed in AstroArt with dark frame removal, flat frames, then compositing, and Digital Development. The image was moved into MaxIm for the final contrast stretch. As a point of comparison, here is the raw composited image with no darks or flats applied. This shows the problems inherent in using the f/3.3 focal reducer. And here is an image of the flat frame, which was an average of 15 individual flats taken on the evening twilight sky prior to the imaging session.

M27, the Dumbbell Nebula in Vulpecula, a planetary nebula, magnitude 7.6, dimensions 8'.0 x 4'.7, distance is 815 light years. Images were taken using the f/3.3 focal reducer. The 11 images were taken on the 12" for a total integration time of 22 minutes. Images were taken between 7:44 and 8:07 p.m. the evening of the 23rd. The image was processed with AstroArt, for dark frame, flats and compositing. That image was moved into MaxIm for further processing with a Digital Development (FFT, low-pass, hard) filter. This image was then contrast stretched.

M39, an open cluster in Cygnus, magnitude 4.6, diameter 30', distance is 950 light years. Images were taken using the f/3.3 focal reducer. The 11 images were taken on the 12" for a total integration time of 22 minutes. Images were taken between 8:47 and 9:09 p.m. the evening of the 23rd. The image was processed with AstroArt, for dark frame, flats and compositing. That image was moved into MaxIm for further processing with a Digital Development (FFT, low-pass, hard) filter. This image was then contrast stretched.

M52, The Scorpion, an open cluster in Cassiopeia, magnitude 6.9, diameter 16', distance 5,100 light years. The f/3.3 focal reducer was in place on the Meade 12" LX200. The frames were shot between 09:40 and 10:02 p.m. on the evening of the 23rd. The composite used 11 exposures for a total integration time of 22 minutes. All images were processed with dark frames, flat frames, and compositing in AstroArt. Then they are finished in MaxIm with a Digital Development (Kernel, low-pass), and finally a contrast stretch.

M71, a globular cluster in Sagitta, magnitude 8.4, diameter 7'.2, distance 13,000 light years. Images were taken using the f/3.3 focal reducer, for an effective f/ratio of f/4. This is a composite of 10 images with a total integration time of 20 minutes.Images were processed in AstroArt with dark frame removal, flat frame, then compositing, then moved into MaxIm for Digital Development (FFT low-pass, mild), and finally a contrast stretch. Images were taken between 08:14 and 8:36 pm the evening of the 23rd.

NGC7243, an open cluster in Lacerta, magnitude 6.4, apparent diameter 21'. Images were taken using the f/3.3 focal reducer. The 12 images were taken on the 12" for a total integration time of 23 minutes. Images were taken between 10:21 and 10:48 p.m. the evening of the 23rd. The image was processed with AstroArt, for dark frame, flats and compositing, then a high-pass, adaptive filter. That image was moved into MaxIm for further processing with a contrast stretch.

NGC891, a spiral galaxy in Andromeda, magnitude 9.9, dimensions 14' x 3'. Images were taken using the f/3.3 focal reducer. This is a composite made from 34 images for a total integration time of 68 minutes. Images were first processed using AstroArt for dark frame removal and flat frames, then aligned and averaged. The image was transferred to MaxIm, and processed for background flattening and removal, unsharp mask (FFT, low-pass, medium), and a contrast stretch. Images were taken between 12:51 and 02:04 a.m., the morning of October 24th, 2000.

The following two images make up the Double Cluster in Perseus...

NGC869, an open cluster in Perseus, magnitude 5.3, diameter 30'.0. Images were taken using the f/3.3 focal reducer. This is a composite made from 11 images for a total integration time of 22 minutes. Images were first processed using AstroArt for dark frame removal and flat frames, then aligned and averaged. The image was transferred to MaxIm, and processed for background flattening and removal, unsharp mask (FFT, low-pass, medium), and a contrast stretch. Images were taken between 11:14 and 11:26 p.m., the evening of October 23rd, 2000.

NGC884, an open cluster in Perseus, magnitude 6.1, diameter 30'.0. Images were taken using the f/3.3 focal reducer. This is a composite made from 9 images for a total integration time of 18 minutes. Images were first processed using AstroArt for dark frame removal and flat frames, then aligned and averaged. The image was transferred to MaxIm, and processed for background flattening and removal, unsharp mask (FFT, low-pass, medium), and a contrast stretch. Images were taken between 11:44 and 12:07 a.m., the morning of October 24th, 2000.