Observation Log - December 1, 2000 - Tinton Falls, NJ

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[NOTE: The seeing was only average tonight, and I had a short session due to clouds. Temperature was 39 degrees F. Setup was focuser/f/3.3 reducer/camera. Tonight the images were all taken WITHOUT the usual IR blocking filter. Also, a weird "synthetic flat" was created from photos taken at the end of the session of the cloud cover. -GW]

NGC7292, a galaxy in Pegasus, magnitude 12.5, dimensions 2'.3 x 1'.8, surface brightness is 13.2 mag/sq arcmin. The frames were shot between 7:13 and 8:00 p.m. the evening of the 1st, and the f/3.3 focal reducer was used. This composite was made from 34 exposures for a total integration time of 34 minutes. All images were processed in MaxIm with dark frame subtraction, and a synthetic flat frame, then aligned and added. The resulting image was filtered with Digital Development (FFT, low-pass, mild), and the image was finished with a contrast stretch. [The synthetic flat was made by taking the last seven frames of the session, which were taken through clouds, and adding them together after applying a kernel filter (median 5x5) and an erosion filter to each image. This technique worked pretty well to provide a flat where otherwise none would have been available.]

NGC660, a galaxy in Pisces, magnitude 11.2, dimensions 10'.0 x 4'.5, surface brightness is 13.8 mag/sq arcmin. I find this strange object listed as a "peculiar" galaxy, a "starburst" galaxy, and an "interacting pair" depending on the source! The frames were shot between 8:04 and 9:40 p.m. the evening of the 1st, and the f/3.3 focal reducer was used. This composite was made from 77 exposures for a total integration time of 77 minutes. All images were processed in MaxIm with dark frame subtraction, and a synthetic flat frame, then aligned and added. The resulting image was filtered with Digital Development (FFT, low-pass, mild), and an unsharp mask (FFT, low-pass, mild), and the image was finished with a contrast stretch.