Mike Lewis
Staff Member
Sorry for being late to the party. I thought it would be easy to pick 10 or less images this year, but due to a big year for my astrophotography, it was harder than I expected. That also resulted in me posting 4 scenic shots and then 6 astro shots this year. With trips coming up this year to Patagonia and Iceland, perhaps that balance will shift the other way next year, we will see.
1. The first image is a Cone nebula/Christmas Tree Cluster image from just after the beginning of the year last year. I made 2 mixes of this one, but I liked the more traditional SHO version a little more, so that is posted again here:
1. Cone Nebula / Christmas Tree Cluster
2. What turned out to be about the last significant astro image taken with my older refractor setup from Green Valley, Arizona was Sh2-284. It is a fantastic area of the sky, and I really liked the blue red mix that came out of the data.
2. Sh2-284 in Narrowband with RGB Stars:
3. With only 3 scenic 'trips' last year, not as many images to choose from, but a trip to Sedona and the Grand Canyon area did produce some shots I liked. This one is one of those images that you take where you can't quite decide why you like it, but you just do. So it is posted here, a shot of Courthouse Butte and Bell Rock:
3. Courthouse Butte and Bell Rock:
4. A 1 night stay at Grand Canyon NP produced a blue hour image that came about after a hoped for sunset did not materialize.
4. Blue Hour View:
5. A quick trip up to Badlands NP was fun but predictably hot. The 2nd full day at the park had us take off towards the lower disconnected portion of the park, but as we started out a great view at Hay Butte Overlook presented itself.
5. Hay Butte Overlook, Badlands NP:
6. The trip back from Badlands NP included a stop at Devil's Tower in Wyoming. Here is a blue hour capture right after the sun was down:
6. Tower at the Blue Hour:
7. A long driving trip ensued at the end of June start of July as I drove down to Green Valley, AZ for final shakedown testing of my new astro setup at my friend's house before delivering it in person to a new location in central Texas at Starfront Remote Observatories (SFRO) near Brady, TX. The drive through Texas was a bit harrowing, with predictably awful rains that I just managed to miss the worst of, but the new location started producing some great images after a number of teething issues got worked out. Here is one of WR134, a large Wolf Rayet star and the surrounding area in NB.
7. WR134 in Narrowband:
8. Another classic astro target I had always wanted to try for finally came together under the dark skies of SFRO - The Dark Shark Nebula.
8. The Dark Shark Nebula:
9. Another astro image from SFRO of a very faint object, the Garlic Head Nebula, showing off the very dark skies at the new location.
9. The Garlic Head Nebula (CTB1) and the Little Rosette in NB:
10. The end of the year saw another astro image, this time an HαRGB rendition of the Angel Nebula.
10. Angel Nebula (NGC 2170) in HαRGB:
1. The first image is a Cone nebula/Christmas Tree Cluster image from just after the beginning of the year last year. I made 2 mixes of this one, but I liked the more traditional SHO version a little more, so that is posted again here:
1. Cone Nebula / Christmas Tree Cluster
2. What turned out to be about the last significant astro image taken with my older refractor setup from Green Valley, Arizona was Sh2-284. It is a fantastic area of the sky, and I really liked the blue red mix that came out of the data.
2. Sh2-284 in Narrowband with RGB Stars:
3. With only 3 scenic 'trips' last year, not as many images to choose from, but a trip to Sedona and the Grand Canyon area did produce some shots I liked. This one is one of those images that you take where you can't quite decide why you like it, but you just do. So it is posted here, a shot of Courthouse Butte and Bell Rock:
3. Courthouse Butte and Bell Rock:
4. A 1 night stay at Grand Canyon NP produced a blue hour image that came about after a hoped for sunset did not materialize.
4. Blue Hour View:
5. A quick trip up to Badlands NP was fun but predictably hot. The 2nd full day at the park had us take off towards the lower disconnected portion of the park, but as we started out a great view at Hay Butte Overlook presented itself.
5. Hay Butte Overlook, Badlands NP:
6. The trip back from Badlands NP included a stop at Devil's Tower in Wyoming. Here is a blue hour capture right after the sun was down:
6. Tower at the Blue Hour:
7. A long driving trip ensued at the end of June start of July as I drove down to Green Valley, AZ for final shakedown testing of my new astro setup at my friend's house before delivering it in person to a new location in central Texas at Starfront Remote Observatories (SFRO) near Brady, TX. The drive through Texas was a bit harrowing, with predictably awful rains that I just managed to miss the worst of, but the new location started producing some great images after a number of teething issues got worked out. Here is one of WR134, a large Wolf Rayet star and the surrounding area in NB.
7. WR134 in Narrowband:
8. Another classic astro target I had always wanted to try for finally came together under the dark skies of SFRO - The Dark Shark Nebula.
8. The Dark Shark Nebula:
9. Another astro image from SFRO of a very faint object, the Garlic Head Nebula, showing off the very dark skies at the new location.
9. The Garlic Head Nebula (CTB1) and the Little Rosette in NB:
10. The end of the year saw another astro image, this time an HαRGB rendition of the Angel Nebula.
10. Angel Nebula (NGC 2170) in HαRGB:
