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  1. Mike Lewis

    M20 Up Close

    So I originally thought I wasn't done taking data on this target yet, but as I often do I started to play with the data I had to see how it was coming along and one thing led to another and - well, I think I AM done with this target after all :) This is the Trifid Nebula, M20, located in the...
  2. Mike Lewis

    Yellow Carpet - Canyon Rim Campground

    Here is a shot trying to capture the amazing flower blooms in various areas around the campsite we were staying at in Flaming Gorge. Pretty cool and hopefully indicative of what we might get to experience in July near Crested Butte (our next camping trip...) Comments and critiques most welcome...
  3. Mike Lewis

    Tree with a View - Flaming Gorge

    Here is another image from the recent Flaming Gorge trip. Taken along the Canyon Rim Trail right near our campsite, a very easy flat trail with lots of overlooks along the way. Comments and critiques welcome. ML
  4. Mike Lewis

    M101 with SN 2023 ixf 'Quickie'

    So firstly, thanks to Jim for getting me over to this target when this supernova was popping off, it was fun to have documented it myself. That being said, this is an image that I would have normally spent more time on, but I ran up against the necessity to have my remotely located set up torn...
  5. Mike Lewis

    Flaming Gorge Sunrise

    So just back from a quick 3 night camping trip to the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area - what a magnificent place, and not that many folks there during the week anyway. Had a great trip and I guess I should be excited to post my favorite image from the trip but I am still feeling very sad...
  6. Mike Lewis

    Why I love NB Mono Imaging, and a Conundrum...

    So here are some versions of M27, also known as the Dumbbell Nebula. As the title suggests, the 2 main versions were imaged in NB, with data collected from all 3 common filters, Hα, OIII, and SII. This is a fun target as it has an OIII signal that is just as strong as the Hα signal (more common...
  7. Mike Lewis

    M82 in HαRGB

    This dramatic edge on galaxy is M82, known as the Cigar Galaxy. It is a starburst galaxy, with intense star formation occurring at rates ~10 times higher than in our own Milky Way Galaxy. The starburst activity is thought to be from interactions with nearby M81. M82 is thought to be at a...
  8. Mike Lewis

    M106 in LRGB with Hα Added

    Here is a close up of Messier 106, located in the Canes Venatici constellation. This amazing galaxy was discovered in 1781 and is one of the largest and brightest galaxies located nearby, having a size roughly equivalent to the Andromeda Galaxy. It harbors a very active supermassive black hole...
  9. Mike Lewis

    NGC 5033, Holmberg VIII, and NGC 5014

    Sometimes one's astrophotography composition is controlled by the camera rotation, and in my case of operating remotely, that is often the case. On this image my main target was NGC 5033, the large irregular spiral in the lower left of the frame. I also wanted to get NGC 5005 in the frame, but...
  10. Mike Lewis

    M51, The Whirlpool Galaxy, In LRGB plus Hα

    I am enjoying going back to some of my previously imaged galaxies and getting a much closer and more detailed view using this longer focal length telescope. This iconic target is one of the most mesmerizing objects in the night sky. First discovered by Charles Messier in 1773, M51 contains 2...
  11. Mike Lewis

    Close Up Moon Experimentation

    And now for something completely different (for me anyway). Here is a Moon close up, produced from lucky imaging techniques from about ~1.5 mins of 1080p video of the Moon, using my EdgeHD 925 with reducer (1645mm focal Length) and my ASI1600MM camera. This was shot through my Hα filter, which...
  12. Mike Lewis

    Bode's Galaxy (M81)

    Some targets are imaged often, but still manage to provide really nice results (like many iconic scenic locations here on Earth). M81 is certainly in that category, a large tilted grand spiral design galaxy. I have now captured this 3 times; once as part of a well known composite with M82 (a...
  13. Mike Lewis

    New Scope Online - 1st Image - NGC2903

    So it has taken a little while to get my new (purchased used but new to me) higher magnification scope online. It started out with collimation problems, and then I had to work through a few issues with getting the new setup to run under NINA and also some issues with focus and star sizes...
  14. Mike Lewis

    M78 with part of Barnard's Loop

    So here is my final image from the remote session, as my friend is traveling back to CO from AZ for a while. I hope to get back to imaging at the back part of March, and that will be with my higher magnification OTA. I REALLY introduced myself to a bunch a annoyance on the post-processing of...
  15. Mike Lewis

    Spider and Fly Nebulae in Narrowband, with Surrounding Nebulosity

    So this was a good example of how you never know what you are going to get. I started out expecting good signals in all 3 NB wavelengths for this target, but soon found out that the OIII signal is very very weak, as well as being very localized to just the central regions of these 2 nebulae. On...
  16. Mike Lewis

    Seagull Nebula in Modified SHO with RGB Stars

    So I am really enjoying being able to make posts of new original material here again, although after this one, I am all caught up again on post processing and will have to go get some more data to post. In fact, I was not thinking I was ready to post this data yet, having only ~5 and a half...
  17. Mike Lewis

    Monkey Head Nebula (NGC 2174) in Modified SHO with RGB Stars

    So here is the first deep sky image after all the light leak nonsense was fixed. It sure was a lot nicer processing this data without a bunch of mysterious intermittent gradients all over the place. This object was fun to process, although once again, in order to get the 'Monkey head' portion...
  18. Mike Lewis

    C/2022 E3, A First Version

    This was such a learning experience figuring out how to capture and then process this comet that I cannot really say yet if this will be my final best result, but if it turns out to be I am pretty happy with the results. I ended up capturing comet data on 2 separate nights, with the first night...
  19. Mike Lewis

    Light Leak Update - Calling all QHY268M Users...

    OK, so after a lot of lost imaging time and effort flat black painting the inside of my QHYCFW3L filter wheel, it was sent back down with the camera to AZ to be reassembled to the OTA. That was done yesterday, and a typical check was made to make sure all systems were connected properly and that...
  20. Mike Lewis

    Best of 2022

    I stated thinking I would not have 10 shots, and ended with some difficult decisions at cutting images off the list. I guess that is a good thing :) 1. A February trip to the Saint George area of Utah was very fun, and seeing the Kolob Canyons portion of Zion National Park was certainly the...
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