Your best photos submitted to the magazine this month
PHOTO OF THE MONTH
The Carina Nebula
Emmanuel Valin, remotely via SADR Observatory, Coquimbo, Chile, 6/7 January 2023
Emmanuel says: “Getting remote access to the world-class skies of Chile was a way to escape the light pollution and cloudy conditions of my Paris area backyard. Once I obtained access to remotely image from the SADR Observatory, the Carina Nebula was at the top of my list of deep-sky objects in the Southern Hemisphere.”
Equipment: QHYCCD QHY163M camera, TS Optics Imaging Star 71mm f/4.9 refractor, Sky-Watcher EQ8 mount
Exposure: Ha 40x 300” and 10x 600”, OIII 10x 300”
Software: Siril, SiriLic, PixInsight, Photoshop
Emmanuel’s top tips: “For anyone interested in starting astrophotography, my first tip would be to join an astronomy club. Experienced enthusiasts can offer guidance and potentially lend you equipment. Secondly, practise as much as possible. Even if you are limited by light pollution, focus on mastering your setup. As you gain experience, you can venture out to darker skies. Lastly, appreciate and enjoy every step of the process. The joy of astrophotography is not solely in the final image, but also in the journey. Consider each step a reward in and of itself, and any successful image as a bonus.”
The Fireworks Galaxy with open cluster
Jared Bowens, Clarksdale, Missouri, USA, 19 June–28 October 2022
Jared says: “I’m quite pleased with the colours and details, and that I captured two objects in one image: NGC 6946 and, towards the upper right, the open star cluster NGC 6939.”
Equipment: Canon 60D DSLR, Orion 8-inch f/3.9 Newtonian, Celestron AVX mount
Exposure: ISO 1250, 7.2h total
Software: DeepSkyStacker, PixInsight, Photoshop
The Milky Way
Egor Goryachev, Rooisand Desert Ranch, Namibia, 2 June 2022
Egor says: “It was a windy night when the Milky Way was setting in the west in the early morning, making a nicely shaped arch. I took this shot less than an hour before the morning twilight.”
Equipment: Nikon D750 DSLR, Sigma Art 50mm f/1.4 lens, iOptron SkyGuider Pro mount
Exposure: ISO 6400 f/2.8, 30”
Software: Starry Landscape Stacker, PixInsight, Lightroom, Photoshop
The Spanish Dancer Galaxy
Sean Liang, archival data from El Sauce Observatory, Chile, March 2021–November 2022
Sean says: “I live in a tropical area where heavy clouds block the sky during the rainy season – nearly half the year! – so remote astronomy was my only option.”
Equipment: FLI ProLine PL9000 camera, Planewave CDK24 astrograph, Mathis MI-1000/1250 mount
Exposure: 13h total
Software: PixInsight, Photoshop
Aurora borealis
Andrew Parker, Reculver, Kent, 24 March 2023
Andrew says: “Reculver Towers on the Kent coast is an ideal dark-sky spot for looking north. Having seen a break in the weather, I decided to take the plunge and head out. I took a test shot as soon as my camera was set up and straight away the aurora revealed itself.”
Equipment: Canon RP camera, Canon EF 24–70mm lens, tripod
Exposure: ISO 3200 f/4, 8”
Software: Photoshop
Venus after lunar occultation
Ismaeel Moinuddin, Lahore, Pakistan, 24 March 2023
Ismaeel says: “Venus led the Moon low into the western horizon, both glimmering through the parting clouds from recent rain.”
Equipment: Canon 1100D DSLR, Celestron PowerSeeker 70AZ refractor and mount
Exposure: ISO 6400 f/10, 1”
Software: GIMP, Snapseed, Lightroom
Milky Way over the Everglades
Anthony Sleiman, Florida, USA, 24 February 2023
Anthony says: “In the foreground is a cypress tree called the Z Tree. Native Americans used to bend the trees like that to make markers, enabling them to explore the area without getting lost.”
Equipment: Sony A7R III full-frame camera, Tamron 17–28mm lens, Artcise CS80C tripod
Exposure: ISO 3200 f/2.8, 15”
Software: Lightroom, Photoshop
Lunar occultation of Venus
Shreya Roy, Kolkata, India, 24 March 2023
Shreya says: “I spent 1.5 hours capturing the distance of the Moon and Venus to make this 15-image composite that shows the entire event.”
Equipment: Nikon D5600 DSLR, Nikkor 70–300mm lens, Digitek tripod
Exposure: ISO 800 f/6.3, 15x 1/10”–1/125”
Software: Lightroom, Snapseed
The Flaming Star Nebula with Tadpoles
Richard Guest, Kingwinsford, West Midlands, 14 March 2023
Richard says: “This was taken from my back garden. I was aiming just to capture the Flaming Star, but when I ran some sub-frames I could see the Tadpoles would fit nicely in the final image.”
Equipment: ZWO ASI2600MC camera, Celestron NexStar Evolution 8-inch EdgeHD Schmidt-Cassegrain with Hyperstar
Exposure: 61x 59”
Software: PixInsight, Topaz AI
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Whether you’re a seasoned astrophotographer or a beginner just starting out, we’d love to see your images. Send them to us at www.skyatnightmagazine.com/send-us-your-astrophotos
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