Most of the photos shown here were made with an 8 inch Meade LX 200 Schmidt Cassegrain telescope. Some of the photos were manually guided and others were guided with the SBIG ST-4 autoguider.
The Great Nebula in Orion (M42)Without a doubt, the Orion Nebula is the most looked at and photographed deep sky object in the night sky. It is a naked eye object and appears as a "fuzzy" star in the middle of Orion's sword.
This photo is a 75 minute exposure on gas hypered Fuji Super G 800 Plus. Shot with 8 inch Schmidt Cassegrain at f/10 guided with ST-4 autoguider. Raw unprocessed photo.
Dumbell Nebula (M27)Large planetary nebula in Vulpecula. Shot on gas hypered Fuji HG 400 Plus using 8 inch Schmidt Cassegrain at F/10. Exposure is 45 minutes guided with ST-4 autoguider. Color enhanced in Adobe Photoshop.
The Eagle Nebula (M16)Bright nebula in Serpens, sometimes referred to as the Star-Queen nebula. The often published photo made by the Hubble Space Telescope details the central area of this nebula where new stars are being formed in dark pillars of gas and dust. Some of the newborn stars are just becoming visible out the the obscuring clouds. This photo shows much of the expanse of the entire nebula complex.
Made with 8 inch Schmidt Cassegrain at f/10. Exposure was 60 minutes on hypered Fuji HG 400, manually guided. Color enhanced in Adobe Photoshop
Globular Star Cluster M13Globular star clusters tend to be on the outskirts of the Milky Way. The debate continues on how "old" globulars really are. Located in the constellation Hercules, M13 is considered the "grandest" globular visible from our part of the northern hemisphere.
Photo made with 8 inch Schmidt Cassegrain at f/10. Exposure was 30 minutes on gas hypered Fuji Super G800 Plus. Guiding was with ST-4 autoguider. Photo cropped and color corrected in Adobe Photoshop.
Horsehead Nebula (B33)The famous "Horsehead Nebula" in Orion is one of the best examples of a dark nebula. It lies in front of the large area of nebulosity known as IC 434 just to the south of Zeta Orionis. IC 434 glows faintly with the light of ionized hydrogen giving it its red color and forming a backdrop for the dark Horsehead nebula (B33)
Image is composite of two 20 minute exposures with unhypered Fuji SuperG 800 Plus using 8 inch Schmidt Cassegrain scope at f/7. Scope was guided with ST-4 autoguider. Photo sharpened and color enhanced using Adobe Photoshop.
JupiterEyepiece projection shot of the planet Jupiter made on Fuji Super G 800 Plus. The GRS (Great Red Spot) is barely visible to the lower right.
Photo made with 8 inch LX 200, exposure was 3 seconds, and image sharpened and contrast enhanced in Adobe Photoshop.
Orion Nebula and NGC 1977Photo is 20 minute exposure on hypered Konica 3200 at f/6.3 with 8 inch schmidt cassegrain. This is an extremely good astrophoto film with accurate colors. The price for the increased speed is increased grain as evident here.
The Pleiades M45 (The Seven Sisters)Black and white image of the Pleides cluster in Taurus. The nebulosity around the stars glow from reflected light. A spectroscope analysis of the nebulosity shows the same specta as the parent stars. Note the striated pattern of the nebulosity surrounding the bright star Merope.
Shot using unhypered Fuji HG 400. Exposure was for 15 minutes at f/6.3 with 8 inch Schmidt Cassegrain. Photo converted to B&W to emphasize nebulosity. Sharpened and contrast enhanced in Adobe Photoshop.
Color Image Of The PleidesPhoto is 30 minute exposure made with unhypered Fuji SuperG 800 Plus and 8 inch SCT at f/7.
Trifid Nebula (M20)Bright diffuse nebula in Sagittarius. Exposure is 40 minutes on hypered Fuji SuperG 800 Plus film. Shot with 8 inch Schmidt Cassegrain at f/7. Guiding was with ST-4 through piggyback 90mm guidescope. Photo enhanced with Adobe Photoshop.
Whirlpool Galaxy (M51)The famous Whirlpool galaxy in Canes Venitici. M51 is a fine example of a face-on spiral galaxy. The dense area of stars offset from center is thought to be a "satellite" galaxy that is gravitationally associated with the huge center spiral. A trail of stars can be seen connecting the two.
Shot on gas hypered Kodak Technical Pan 2415 at f/10 with 8 inch Schmidt Cassegrain scope. Exposure was manually guided for a very painful 120 minutes.
Lagoon Nebula (M8)Shot with 8 inch Schmidt Cassegrain at f/10 using gas hypered Fuji HG 400 at f/10. Exposure was 60 minutes and manually guided. Enhanced with Adobe Photoshop to increase color saturation.
Hourglass in Lagoon NebulaCloseup view of the "Hourglass" in the heart of the Lagoon Nebula. The central hot star, O Herschel 36 is the primary source of the ionizing radiation for the brightest region in the nebula. The ionizing radiation induces photo-evaporation of the surfaces of the clouds and drives away violent stellar winds tearing into the cool clouds.
Andromeda Galaxy (M31)Photo of the central region of the Andromeda Galaxy. The full expanse of the galaxy would extend at least one additional photo width on either side. M31 is considered to be our closest neighbor galaxy with the exception of the Magellanic clouds. The Andromeda Galaxy is a huge spiral galaxy that is thought by some to be a near twin of our own Milky Way galaxy. This galaxy is a naked-eye object from dark sites.
Exposure was 60 minutes on gas hypered Fuji HG 400 film. Made with 8 inch Schmidt Cassegrain operating at F/10. Manually guided. Color corrections made in Adobe Photoshop.
The Rosette Nebula and NGC 2244The Rosette nebula in Monoceros is a huge area of gas and dust surrounding the bright star cluster known as NCG 2244. The nebula measures some 80' in diameter and is a difficult object to view with small telescopes.
Exposure was 120 minutes on gas hypered Fuji Super G 800 Plus using 8 inch f/10 Schmidt Cassegrain telescope with f/6.3 focal reducer. Guided with ST-4 and digitally enhanced in Adobe Photoshop.
Ring Nebula (M57)Planetary nebula in Lyra. Possibly the best known nebula of this type known. The "ring" is a result of a star nearing the end of its life-cycle and in the process of shedding its outer layers. The "parent" star is now a blue dwarf and visible at the center. Blue dwarfs are the hottest stars known with surface tempertures of up to 100,000 Kelvins.
Exposure was 30 minutes at f/10 with 8 inch Schmidt Cassegrain scope. Film was gas hypered Fuji HG 400. Manually guided. Raw photo.
Comet HyakatakeComet Hyakatake in late March, 1996. Two minute "piggyback" exposure at f2.8 with 55mm lens.
Lunar EclipseTotal lunar eclipse on the night of November 29, 1993. Photo shot with 8 inch Schmidt Cassegrain at f/6.3. The overexposed section of the lunar disk is a result of the earth's umbrial shadow not precisely centering on the lunar disk.
Fifteen second exposure on Fuji HG 400 film.
Sunflower Galaxy (M63)Photo is 90 minute exposure at f/10 using 8 inch schmidt cassegrain scope and gas hypered Fuji SG 800 Plus. Due to light pollution and some heavy handed enhancement in Photoshop, the colors depicted here are inaccurate. I was going after contrast to better show structure in the galaxy.
Southeast Limb of MoonEyepiece projection shot of the Humbolt crater area. The deep crater just right of center is Gibbs. Humbolt is the large crater just above left of center.
Exposure was 3 seconds on Fuji Super G 800 Plus using 8 inch Schmidt Cassegrain and eyepiece projection.
Star TrailsCamera was mounted piggyback with scope drive turned off while scope was aimed at Polaris. Exposure looks to be about 15 minutes and can't recall how far I stopped down the lens. Shows rotation of stars around Polaris due to earth's rotation.
Mersenius Crater and Western Mare HumorumExposure and Film Data not available (lousy record keeping)
Theophilus and Cyrillus CraterAt top center in the lunar highlands is Descartes Crater which was the site of the Apollo 16 landing area.
M101M101 is one of the finest examples of a face-on spiral galaxy. It is unusual in that it is one of the bluest galaxies known since most of its light comes from the hot Population 1 stars in the spiral arms. The total mass of M101 is estimated at 16 billion times that of our sun. This is only about 10% of the mass of our own Milky Way galaxy. The estimated distance is about 15 million light years.
Image is composite of 35 and 20 minute exposures on unhypered Fuji G800 Plus with an 8 inch Schmidt Cassegrain at f/7. Guided with ST-4 through 90mm piggyback guidescope and enhanced in Adobe Photoshop.
M33The Pinwheel Galaxy in the constellation Triangulum is the closest neighbor galaxy after the Andromeda system M31. It is a tough object to view in small telescopes due to its 6.0 magnitude being spread out over 1/2 degree of sky. The best photographs of M33 show its diameter being nearly 1 degree by 1/2 degree. To view well, a 6 inch instrument under dark skies will begin to resolve the faint spiral arms of the galaxy. Larger instruments will reveal the spiral arms out to almost the same apparent diameter as the moon.
Photo was made with 8 inch Schmidt Cassegrain operating at f/6.3. Film was gas hypered Fuji G400, exposure was 40 minutes. Guided with ST-4 autoguider.
NGC 4565Thought by some astronomers to be a member of the Virgo cluster of galaxies, NGC 4565 in Coma Berenices most likely is not a member of that group at all. The apparent size of 15' and estimated distance of just over 20 million light years would indicate a diameter of some 90,000 light years. A figure more in line with average galaxy sizes.
NGC 4565 is visually the largest and most famous of the edge on galaxies. It's notable dust rift that photographically runs the entire width of the galaxy is most likely similar to the great dark rift seen in our own Milky Way galaxy.
Photo is 150 minute exposure on gas hypered Fuji Super G 800 Plus film. Made with 8 inch Schmidt Cassegrain telescope operating at f/10. Guided with ST-4 autoguider and digitally enhanced in Adobe Photoshop.
The Swan Nebula or Omega Nebula (M17)Diffuse nebula located in Sagittarius. M17 contains no conspicuous star cluster as does its neighbor M8. Perhaps the chief illuminating stars are hidden within the thick cloud of the nebula.
M17 lies at an estimated distance of 5700 light years. The bright parts of the nebula are around 12 light years in length with the fainter outer portions about 40 light years in diameter
Exposure was 60 minutes on hypered Fuji 400 using an f/10 Schmidt Cassegrain telescope. Scope was manually guided and image digitally enhanced in Adobe Photoshop.
The Andromeda GalaxyBasically the same image as the previous photo on this page except this version shot at f/7 which gives a slightly larger field of view and includes the satellite galaxy M32. Another companion galaxy (M110) is just off the photo.
Photo is 1 hour exposure at f/7 with 8 inch Schmidt Cassegrain on Fuji Super G Plus 800. Guided with SBIG ST-4 autoguider through 90mm guidescope.