Focal Pointe Observatory
Astrophotography by Bob Franke

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IC 5146 (Cocoon Nebula)

Click the image for a wide field display.

 

Instrument

Celestron C11 @ ~f/10.3 (~2900 mm fl)... reduced to 1.27 arcsec / pixel.

Mount

Paramount ME

Camera

SBIG STL-11000 w/ internal filter wheel, AstroDon Filters

Acquisition Date

10/09/07 to 10/30/07  Chino Valley... with CCDAutoPilot3

Exposure

Lum    120 min (24 X 5 min, BIN 1 x 1)
RGB    120 min.  (24 x 5 bin 2x2) each

Software

CCDSoft, Photoshop CS w/ the Fits Liberator plugin and Noel Carboni's actions, Sigma Clip (pre beta 11) and Paint Shop Pro.

Comment

North is to the top.

Messier 27 (M27) is excellent example of a gaseous emission nebula created as a sun-like star runs out of nuclear fuel in its core. The nebula forms as the star's outer layers are expelled into space. Known by the popular name of the "Dumbbell Nebula", the beautifully symmetric interstellar gas cloud is about 1,200 light-years away in the constellation Vulpecula.

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Instrument

Celestron C11 @  F/6.1 (1705 mm)  1.087 arcsec / pixel

Mount

Losmandy G11

Camera

SBIG ST-7 with CFW-8A color wheel

Acquisition Date

8/19/05 to 9/2/05  Near downtown Seattle

Exposure

Lum   285 min  (19 x 15 min)
Red     60 min  (  6 x 10, bin 2 x 2)
Green  60 min  (  6 x 10, bin 2 x 2)
Blue    60 min  (  4 x 15, bin 2 x 2)

Software

CCDSoft, FocusMax, PhotoShop CS & Paint Shop Pro.  The DitherMat was used to dither the luminance layer

Comment

North is to the top.