Your best photos submitted to the magazine this month
PHOTO OF THE MONTH
Saturn
Prabhakaran (Prabhu), Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, 21 November 2021
Prabhu says: “At the time of this capture, Saturn was only 40˚ above the horizon. Generally, when the planets are low in the sky the atmospheric seeing makes it difficult, but if the seeing is excellent then by using an ADC (atmospheric dispersion corrector) one can capture a lot of the subtle details. This image was taken next to the United Arab Emirates’ eastern coast in Fujairah, which has very good atmospheric seeing because of the stable temperature above the ocean. I was able to capture the planet’s beauty by taking short videos; many of Saturn’s rings and bands in its atmosphere are visible.”
Equipment: ZWO ASI462MC camera, Celestron CPC Deluxe 1100 EdgeHD Schmidt-Cassegrain
Exposure: 7.5’, 50 per cent of best frames stacked
Software: RegiStax, WinJupos, AutoStakkert!
Prabhu’s top tips: “For planetary imaging, use a telescope that is eight inches (200mm) and above in size. Begin by checking online for seeing conditions and the global jet stream winds, then acclimatise your scope to avoid the tube currents interfering with the light path inside the scope and blurring the planet’s details. Use an ADC (atmospheric dispersion corrector), especially if the target planet is low in altitude. A focal extender will magnify the planet; I used Explore Scientific’s 3x focal extender. For best results, use a planetary camera with a high frame rate to capture as many short videos as possible, before using software for stacking and derotating your frames.”
JWST going up
Samit Saha and Soumyadeep Mukherjee, Sukna, West Bengal, India, 25 December 2021
Soumyadeep says: “This shows Ariane 5 carrying the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) past the Sculptor Galaxy, NGC 253.”
Equipment: Nikon D5600 DSLR camera, Samyang 135mm lens, iOptron SmartEQ Pro mount
Exposure: ISO 500 f/2, 40x 2”
Software: Sequator, PixInsight, Adobe Camera Raw, Adobe Photoshop
The Rosette Nebula
Hannah Rochford, Bruton, Somerset, 10 December 2021, 3, 4 January 2022
Hannah says: “This is my first ever deep-sky photo in mono. I’ve only used a DSLR camera and lens before, so this is totally new to me!”
Equipment: ZWO ASI2600MM camera, Sky-Watcher Evostar 80ED refractor, Sky-Watcher EQ6-R mount
Exposure: Ha 37x 300”, OIII 36x 300”, SII 34x 300”
Software: DeepSkyStacker, Photoshop
Aurora in Scotland
Emily Stephen, Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, 12 March 2021
Emily says: “I was using my new lens for the first time and was lucky enough to capture the Northern Lights a few miles from where I live.”
Equipment: Nikon D3400 DSLR camera, Velbon EF-41 tripod
Exposure: ISO 1600, 15”
Software: Nikon NX Studio
Comet C/2021 A1 Leonard
Chris Morriss, Taupo, New Zealand, 26 December 2021
Chris says: “I was surprised how much detail I could capture in the comet’s tail given the low altitude (about 14˚) and a nearby streetlight shining into my telescope.”
Equipment: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro camera, Celestron C11 Schmidt-Cassegrain, 10Micron GM1000 HPS mount
Exposure: 15x 10”
Software: Astro Pixel Processor, PixInsight, Adobe Photoshop
The Andromeda Galaxy
Drew Evans, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA, November 2021
Drew says: “This image of M31 was captured with 25 hours of mono data in Bortle Class 4 skies.”
Equipment: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro camera, William Optics GT81 refractor, Celestron CGX-L mount
Exposure: R 66x 300”, G 53x 300”, B 60x 300”, L 88x 180”, Ha 67x 300”
Software: Astro Pixel Processor,PixInsight, Lightroom
The Moon
Andrei Pleskatsevich, Minsk, Belarus, 2 September 2020
Andrei says: “I took this in a field one night as I tested my telescope after collimation.”
Equipment: Fujifilm X-T30 mirrorless camera, Celestron NexStar Evolution 9.25-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain
Exposure: 3’ video, best 2,000 frames stacked
Software: PIPP, AutoStakkert!, Astra Image
The Cone and Fox Fur Nebulae
Toni Fabiani Méndez, Àger, Lerida, Spain, Nov–Dec 2021
Toni says: “Honestly my best photo to date; I was very happy with the result.”
Equipment: ZWO ASI183MM Pro camera, Sky-Watcher Esprit 100ED refractor, Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro mount
Exposure: Ha 44x 600”, OIII 14x 600”, SII 24x 600”
Software: PixInsight, Adobe Photoshop
Comet C/2021 A1 Leonard meets M3 – Mazin Younis, Adar, Morocco, 3 December 2021 – Equipment: ZWO ASI294MC-Pro camera, Sky-Watcher Esprit 100ED refractor, iOptron CEM40 mount 
NGC 7822 – Nigel Arnold, York, 4, 5, 7 January 2022 – Equipment: QHY 268M camera, Sky-Watcher Esprit 100ED refractor, Celestron CGX Mount 
The Pleiades – Vicki Pink, Southampton, 6 and 10 December 2021 – Equipment: Altair Hypercam 269C, Sky-Watcher Evostar 72ED DS Pro refractor, Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro mount 
Eratosthenes crater – Mainak Chakraborty, Baruipur, Kolkata, India, 4 October 2021 – Equipment: ZWO ASI290MM camera, Explore Scientific 10-inch Truss Dobsonian 
NGC 3184 – Ron Brecher, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, 9 January 2022 – Equipment: QHY600M camera, Sky-Watcher Esprit 150ED refractor, Paramount MX mount 
Fish Head Nebula – Rouzbeh Bidshahri, Vancouver, Canada, 20 December 2021 – Equipment: QHYCCD 268M camera, Planewave CDK 12.5 astrograph, Astro-Physics AP1100 GTO CP4 mount 
Geminids meteor shower – Meena Singelee, Schwartzsee, Zermatt, Switzerland, 13 December 2021 – Equipment: Canon 200D DSLR, Rokinon 14mm f2.8 lens 
Orion over Carlton Marshes – George Roberts, Lowestoft, Suffolk, 3 January 2022 – Equipment: Canon 600D DSLR, Sigma EX 10–20mm lens, Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer mount 
The Jellyfish Nebula – Mike Read, Corsley, Wiltshire, 5 January 2022 – Equipment: QHY268M camera, Sky-Watcher Esprit 100ED refractor, Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro mount
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Whether you’re a seasoned astrophotographer or a beginner, we’d love to see your images. Email them to contactus@skyatnightmagazine. com. Ts&Cs: www.immediate.co.uk/terms-and-conditions
We’ve teamed up with Modern Astronomy to offer the winner of next month’s Gallery a Hama Lens Pen, designed for quick and easy cleaning of telescope optics, eyepieces and camera lenses. It features a retractable brush and non-liquid cleaning element. www.modernastronomy.com • 020 8763 9953