Tag: Skywatcher EQ-6

NGC 7293 Helix Nebula

The Helix Nebula, also known as NGC 7293, is a large planetary nebula located in the constellation Aquarius, about 650 light-years away from Earth. Often called the “Eye of God” due to its striking appearance, it features a bright, donut-shaped ring of gas and dust surrounding a central, faint white dwarf—the remnant core of a dying star. This nebula formed when the star shed its outer layers in the final stages of its life, creating the colorful halo we see today. It spans about 2.5 light-years and is one of the closest planetary nebulae to Earth, making it a popular object of study in astronomy.

TelescopeNewtonian 200/800 mm
Aperture200 mm
Focal length800 mm
MountSkywatcher EQ6R
AutoguidingZWO 174MM, WO 40/200 mm
CameraZWO 071MC @-0°C
CorrectorGPU
FiltersAntlia DualBand
Exposure131x180s, Gain 100, bin 1×1,
Date2024-10-05

NGC 104 Globular Cluster

NGC 104, also known as 47 Tucanae, is a massive globular cluster located in the constellation Tucana, about 13,000 light-years from Earth. It’s one of the brightest and most massive globular clusters in the Milky Way, containing several million stars densely packed within a roughly spherical shape. With a diameter of around 120 light-years, NGC 104 is easily visible to the naked eye in the southern hemisphere. The cluster is rich in older stars, giving it a golden hue, and is known for its dense core, where stars are packed thousands of times closer together than in our solar neighborhood.

TelescopeNewtonian 200/800 mm
Aperture200 mm
Focal length800 mm
MountSkywatcher EQ6R
AutoguidingZWO 174MM, WO 40/200 mm
CameraZWO 071MC @-10°C
CorrectorGPU
Filters
Exposure47x180s, Gain 100, bin 1×1,
Date2024-10-04

M78 Nebula

The M78 Nebula, also known as Messier 78, is a bright reflection nebula located in the constellation Orion, about 1,350 light-years from Earth. Known for its striking blue color, M78 is illuminated by the light of young, hot stars embedded within it. The nebula’s dust particles reflect this starlight, creating a luminous glow that highlights its wispy clouds and dark lanes of dust. M78 is one of the brightest reflection nebulae in the sky and is a fascinating region of active star formation, where new stars continue to emerge within dense pockets of gas and dust.

TelescopeNewtonian 200/800 mm
Aperture200 mm
Focal length800 mm
MountSkywatcher EQ6R
AutoguidingZWO 174MM, WO 40/200 mm
CameraZWO 071MC @-10°C
CorrectorGPU
Filters
Exposure200x180s, Gain 100, bin 1×1,
Date2024-10-03

NGC6960 Veil nebula

The previous picture of the Veil nebula was done by using a focal length of 1000 mm. Since this nebula is huge, I wanted to capture also the other parts. This time I reduced the focal length to 730 mm, by ASA corrector/reducer.

Telescope:Newton 254/1000 mm
Aperture:254 mm
Focal length:730 mm
MountSkywatcher EQ-6
AutoguidingOrion Mini Autoguider
Camera:Moravian instruments G2 8300M @ -30C
Corrector:ASA 2″ corrector/reducer
Filters:Baader Ha, OIII
Exposure:15x Ha, 15x OIII, 600 s, bin 1×1