Astrophoto: Hubble in the Bubble

The Bubble Nebula, also known as NGC 7635, seen in the Hubble Palette. Credit and copyright: Terry Hancock.

Here’s a beautiful look at the Bubble Nebula, taken by astrophotographer Terry Hancock using what’s known as the “Hubble Palette,” — imaging in very narrow wavelengths of light using various filters. This allows very subtle details to be revealed, things that the human eye cannot see. Terry has been working on this one for a while — since mid-August — but the results are spectacular!

Terry took images from his “DownUnder Observatory” in Fremont, Michigan. He explains the image and techniques he used:

This last capture over 10 nights took me since mid-August 2013 to complete due to very high moisture in our West Michigan Skies right through this shoot. So, the data is therefore noisy and not the best but it is time to call it done for this year and move on! Due to poor conditions I had to use the H-Alpha data I had from my RGB+HA version using the QHY11 and combine with only one night capture using the QHY9 with it’s 3nm H-Alpha filter.

Using narrow band filters and post processed using the Hubble Palette technique the SII filter is assigned to Red, SII is assigned to Green and OIII is assigned to blue channel.

Total exposure time was 26 hours — persistence pays off! Thanks to Terry for sharing his gorgeous image!

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Virtual Star Party – October 20, 2013: In Space, Nobody can Hear You Waka-Waka-Waka-Waka!

Sunday’s Virtual Star Party felt like a reunion, with Mike Phillips, Gary Gonella, and Roy Salisbury supplying images and Scott Lewis co-hosting. We were joined by newcomer James McGee streaming a beautiful view of the Moon – when it wasn’t blocked by his apartment tower.

The Moon was just past full, so it commanded attention, but we still got a beautiful view of some fainter nebulae, galaxies and star clusters.

Astronomers: Mike Phillips, Gary Gonella, Roy Salisbury, James McGee

Hosts: Fraser Cain, Scott Lewis

Objects: The Moon, Pac Man Nebula, Eagle Nebula, Swan Nebula, Lagoon Nebula, Andromeda Galaxy, M15 globular cluster, Dumbbell Nebula, Veil Nebula and more.

We hold the Virtual Star Party every Sunday night when it gets dark on the West Coast of North America. You can watch it live on Universe Today, on Google+, or from the Universe Today YouTube Channel.

Planet Aurora Astro-Bubble

A unique panoramic image from of the aurora seen over Norway on October 14. Credit and copyright: Göran Strand.

How fun is this?! “Here’s a panoramic image from the aurora on October 14,” wrote Swedish astrophotographer Göran Strand. “I’ve made a small world trapped inside a bubble floating in space. And a lonely photographer is trying to capture the ongoing aurora with his camera.”

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen photographers create their own little worlds from panoramic images (see here and here). Here’s a tutorial on how to do this.

Virtual Star Party – October 13, 2013

We’ve got a pretty bright Moon, but that just means we’ve got another target for the Virtual Star Party.

Tonight we had beautiful views of the Moon from David Dickinson and Cory Schmitz, and then some deep sky objects from Gary Gonella and Cory. We saw Andromeda Galaxy, Bubble Nebula, Swan Nebula, Lagoon Nebula, Dumbbell Nebula. And some viewers shared their photographs, including some amazing images of the International Space Station.

Host: Fraser Cain

Astronomers: Cory Schmitz, Gary Gonella, David Dickinson

We hold the Virtual Star Party every Sunday night as a live Google+ Hangout on Air. We begin the show when it gets dark on the West Coast. If you want to get a notification, make sure you circle the Virtual Star Party on Google+. You can watch on our YouTube channel or here on Universe Today.

Astrophoto: Uranus at Opposition

Uranus, imaged from Italy on October 3, 2013, when the planet was at opposition. Credit and copyright: Giuseppe Petricca.

Last week, we asked if you were looking for an observing challenge: looking for planet Uranus when it reached opposition — where it is opposite the Sun the sky, meaning the planet rises as the Sun sets. Giuseppe Petricca from Italy took the challenge and ran with it. His skies over Sulmona, Abruzzo in Italy cleared, and not even 12 hours after the official time of opposition he got this shot using his new Toucam Pro II on a Newtonian 200/1000 on EQ5 unmotorized mount.

Nice!

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Astrophoto: Comet LINEAR Meets a Spiral Galaxy

The current brightest comet in the skies, Comet C/2012 V2 LINEAR, appears to pass by the bright spiral galaxy NGC 2997 in Antlia on September 29, 2013. Credit and copyright: Damian Peach.

Just in from the pretty pictures department: Award-winning Astrophotographer Damian Peach from the UK took this gorgeous image this morning of Comet C/2012 V2 LINEAR passing by bright spiral galaxy NGC 2997. While the cosmic duo looks like they are right next to each other, Damian notes that in reality, the comet is 17 light minutes away from Earth while NGC 2997 is 38 million light years away.

The specs: 0.11m F5.6 with STL-11k. LRGB. L: 5x3mins. RGB: 1x2mins.

Check out more of Damian’s fantastic collection of images at his website or Facebook page.

Want to get your astrophoto featured on Universe Today? Join our Flickr group or send us your images by email (this means you’re giving us permission to post them). Please explain what’s in the picture, when you took it, the equipment you used, etc.

Lovely Astrophotos: Aurora Among the Clouds

Aurorae dance across the sky and among the clouds over Norway on September 28, 2013. Credit and copyright: Frank Olsen.

Frank Olsen reports that the weather in arctic part of Norway has been fantastic lately. Even so, the aurora are starting to make nightly appearances.

“I was standing on the very tip of an island in Vesterålen with a spectacular view, looking out on the Atlantic ocean,” he said. “With the full moon behind me, the clouds were amazing.”

Clouds mixed in with the aurora made for some lovely views. In all, Frank said he nabbed almost 400 images on his memory card! See another shot, below.

Aurora among the clouds at twilight in Norway on September 18, 2013.  Credit and copyright: Frank Olsen.
Aurora among the clouds at twilight in Norway on September 18, 2013. Credit and copyright: Frank Olsen.

As we’ve said previously, these gorgeous sights must be payback for enduring the long winters in northern Norway. You can see more of Frank’s beautiful imagery of aurora, the night sky and more at his Flickr page, his website (he has prints for sale) or his Facebook page.

Want to get your astrophoto featured on Universe Today? Join our Flickr group or send us your images by email (this means you’re giving us permission to post them). Please explain what’s in the picture, when you took it, the equipment you used, etc.

And the Winners Are … Amazing ‘Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2013’ Photos Revealed

The overall winner of Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2013 photo from Mark Gee, titled 'Guiding Light to the Stars.' Credit and copyright: Mark Gee.

Feast your eyes!! Every year of the “Astronomy Photographer of the Year” competition provides incredible images of our night sky — whether they are striking pictures of vast galaxies millions of light years away, or dramatic images of the night sky taken much closer to home — and this year is no different. The awards were just announced at a special presentation at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England for this fifth year of the competition, which is run by the Observatory in association with Sky at Night Magazine.

Above is the overall winner, from Mark Gee, which was the winner of the “Earth and Space” category, a gorgeous view of the Milky Way taken from Cape Palliser on the North Island of New Zealand.

Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2013 has four main categories: Earth and Space, Our Solar System, Deep Space, and Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year. There are also three special prizes: People and Space, Best Newcomer (with the prize newly named for Sir Patrick Moore), and the Robotic Scope category, for images taken by a computer-controlled telescope accessed over the internet.
All the winning images here are linked to the originals posted in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year Flickr stream, so feel free to click on the images to see larger versions on Flickr.

Special congrats to Adam Block of the Mount Lemmon Sky Center in Arizona for winning the “Deep Sky” category. Adam is a “regular” on Universe Today, as we frequently feature his beautiful images in the astrophotos we share.

Here are the rest of the winners!

The winner for the Deep Space category in Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2013 goes to Adam Block: Celestial Impasto. Credit and copyright: Adam Block/Mt. Lemmon Sky Center.
The winner for the Deep Space category in Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2013 goes to Adam Block: Celestial Impasto. Credit and copyright: Adam Block/Mt. Lemmon Sky Center.
The winner for the ‘Our Solar System’ category in Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2013 is Man-To Hui: ‘Corona Composite of 2012: Australian Totality’. Credit and copyright: Man-To Hui.
The winner for the ‘Our Solar System’ category in Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2013 is Man-To Hui: ‘Corona Composite of 2012: Australian Totality’. Credit and copyright: Man-To Hui.
The winner for the Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2013 is Jacob Marchio: The Milky Way Galaxy. Credit and copyright: Jacob Marchio.
The winner for the Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2013 is Jacob Marchio: The Milky Way Galaxy. Credit and copyright: Jacob Marchio.
The Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2013 goes to Sam Christopher Cornwell  for his ‘Venus Transit, Foxhunter’s Grave, Welsh Highlands’. Credit and copyright: Sam Christopher Cornwell.
The Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2013 goes to Sam Christopher Cornwell for his ‘Venus Transit, Foxhunter’s Grave, Welsh Highlands’. Credit and copyright: Sam Christopher Cornwell.
Winner of the best Robotic Scope Image for Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2013 is László Francsics: The Trapezium Cluster & Surrounding Nebulae. Credit and copyright: László Francsics
Winner of the best Robotic Scope Image for Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2013 is László Francsics: The Trapezium Cluster & Surrounding Nebulae. Credit and copyright: László Francsics
The winner for the People and Space Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2013 is Mark Gee: ‘Moon Silhouettes.’ Credit and copyright: Mark Gee.
The winner for the People and Space Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2013 is Mark Gee: ‘Moon Silhouettes.’ Credit and copyright: Mark Gee.

If you are impressed — or inspired — by these images, look to join in the competition for next year’s Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition! We’ll provide info on how to submit your photos when it becomes available (usually in January every year).

Astrophoto: Full Solar Halo and a Dragonfly

A full solar halo -- plus a dragonfly -- seen above John Chumack's observatory dome on September 15, 2013. Credit and copyright: John Chumack/Galactic Images.

A beautiful atmospheric effect wasn’t the only thing hovering above John Chumack’s observatory dome this weekend. A dragonfly flits over John’s observatory in Dayton, Ohio, joining a spectacular solar halo, a ring around the Sun created by ice crystals in Earth’s atmosphere. John used a simple point & shoot Canon XS 160 camera to capture the scene.

See more of John’s work at his website, Galactic Images, or at his Flickr stream.

Want to get your astrophoto featured on Universe Today? Join our Flickr group or send us your images by email (this means you’re giving us permission to post them). Please explain what’s in the picture, when you took it, the equipment you used, etc.

Beautiful Timelapse: Night Sky at the Shore

Stars swirl over the Batsto Mansion in New Jersey. Credit and copyright: Jack Fusco.

Need a little inspiration to go out and do some stargazing this weekend? Look no further than this gorgeous timelapse by Jack Fusco. There are awesome views of both sea and sky, the Milky Way, star trails, awesome cloud scenes and funky, directionally-challenged moving lights in the sky.

I’ve been working on a timelapse of the night sky over the New Jersey coastline,” Jack told us via email. “New Jersey definitely isn’t the best location for stargazing, but I think given the circumstances, many people will be surprised. I hope it inspires people to set some time aside to stargaze where they live even if they previously thought it wasn’t worth trying.”

Jack said he’s been working on this one for 10 months, and it’s definitely worth the hard work he’s put in.

Jack also gives a shout out to those affected by Hurricane Sandy last year. “A special thank you to all of those who have worked so hard to restore the homes of those lost during Sandy,” he writes on Vimeo. “Thank you to every volunteer that has spent time bringing the beauty back to our boardwalks and our beaches. The last year has been filled with heartbreak and devastation with much work still being done.”

Check out more of Jack’s work on his website and Facebook.

Home At The Shore from Jack Fusco on Vimeo.