Here are some of my images. Click on the thumbnail to see the full sized image, then use your Back button to return to this page. 

NGC7635 "The Bubble Nebula"

Fainter than I had expected. I needed 11 x 10min exposure at f3.3 to produce this result.  The nearby bright stars were excellent as guide stars for my HX516 camera via the 80mm guidescope

Nebulosity near IC1805

Just cruising around the heavens and I came across this interesting area. Exposure 10 x 10mins at f3.3 Processed in AA3 and finished in PS. 

IC1795

An Emission Nebula in Cassiopeia. Taken on 15/9/04. A bit of a problem with vignetting but worth the effort to get some sort of result. My usual 10 x 600Sec at f3.3. Processed in AA3 filtered in Neat Image and final tweaking in PS

             NGC6888  (The Crescent Nebula)

In the constellation Cygnus at a distance of 4,700 light years.

Taken on 7th Sept at 10.30 UT. Exposure was 10 x 600sec at f3.3. This was much fainter than I had expected and I feel another 30 mins of exposure would have made a noticable difference

M16 (The Eagle Nebula)

Taken on 28/6/04 at 00.35UT. Exposure was 12 x 600S at f3.3 taken through my usual setup of MX7C camera and LX200, guided by my 80mm refractor using an HX516. I wanted to take more frames but the the sky was beginning to brighten as the early dawn approached and so I eventually gave up and went to bed! Pleased with the result

M20 (The Triffid Nebula)

Taken on 13/6/04 at 00.30 UT. Exposure 9 x 600 sec at f3.3, taken through my LX200 and guided with a 80mm refractor piggybacked. Would have liked to have taken some more frames but morning twilight was approaching at 3am local time. There was some haze at this low altitude over the nearby town of Maynooth. Processed in AA3 and final tweaks with curves in Photoshop

                                                Comet Neat C/2001 Q4

Same image as below but with a Larson-Sekanina filter applied to bring out the faint details.

Comet Neat C/2001 Q4

Taken on 26/5/04 at 00.14 U.T.     25 x 1 minute tracked on the comet using an HX516 camera on my 80mm guidescope. Some haze. A definite greenish tinge to the comet. Cropped in Photoshop

M88

Some vignetting that I must correct. All the same, an improvement on my previous attempts at this object. Exposure 9x600s at f3.3 processed as before

M101

I like this object - a classical spiral galaxy in Ursa Major. Exposure 9x600 sec at f3.3, processed in AA3 and finished in Photoshop 

M106

Taken on the same night as the one below, 17/2/04 at 22.00 U.T. My usual exposure as below, processed in AA3 and cropped in Photoshop

M109

Back to the deep sky objects.  M109 in Ursa Major taken on 17/2/04 at 20.05 U.T.   I used my usual 9x600sec exposure at F3.3. The background isn't as flat as I would like it to be but I processed it in a rush. Still I'm fairly happy with the result.

M15

I tend to find most star clusters less interesting than Nebulae and galaxies but I decided to try my hand at this one in Pegasus. 5 x 120 sec at f3.3. I feel these would be better at f6.3 or even f10

NGC1977 (Running Man)

A nebula in Orion near M42. Exposure of 9 x 600 sc at f3.3 on 29/12/03. Not very sure about the colour intensity although it certainly is blue

M42

The famous Orion Nebula taken on 27/12/03 at 21.50 UT with an exposure of 10 x 600sec at f3,3. Processed in AA3 and final tweaking  with layers and curves in Photoshop

Flame Nebula

Near Alnitak in Orion, this image was taken at F3.3 through the 10" LX200, processed in AA3 and final adjustments in Photoshop. Exposure was 9 x 600 sec on 29/12/03 and began at 23.10 UT

Deer Licks Group

A group of galaxies in Pegasus. Poor seeing but a set of 10 x 10 min images stacked etc in AA3 brings out the basics.

NGC281

A more difficult object with relatively low surface brightness. A stack of 8 x 10 min at f3.3 on 29th Oct. As usual, processed in AA3 including stacking, deconvolution and star bloat removal.

M1 The Crab Nebula

A colour version of a previously taken object. Taken on 29/10/03 and was a stack of 8 x 10min at f3.3 processed in AA3 and cropped.

The Horsehead Nebula in Orion

I took a total of 9 hours of 10 minute exposures (or rather the telescope and cameras did, while I was asleep),  most of which were affected by clouds, satellites and even aircraft. The best 12 were processed in AA3 to produce this image.

M101 Galaxy in Ursa Major

Object was low in the North at the time but 8 x 10 mins, stacked and processed in AA3 produced this image. taken on 25th Oct '03

M81 Galaxy in Ursa Major

An object dimly visible in binoculars but needing a telescope to see any detail. Exposure of 6 x 10 min on 16/10/03 and processed in AA3

M74 Galaxy in Pisces.

 A surprisingly dim object needing my 6 x 10 min exposure to capture the spiral arms.

The Cocoon Nebula in Cygnus

A delicate object and really would need more exposure to bring out the dim extremities of this object. Taken on 15/10/03 with an exposure of 6 x 10 mins

As usual, processed in AA3

M33 Galaxy in Triangulum

An extended object needing the full capability of my f3.3 to capture most of its size.

Exposure was 18 x 10 min (3 hours!!), stacked and processed in AA3

NGC891 - an edge on galaxy in Andromeda. 

Working at f3.3 with an exposure of 6 x 10 min on 16/10/03

Processed in AA3 and final adjustment in Photoshop

I am still trying to get the best out of my f3.3 focal reducer. The FR to camera distance is very sensitive to producing the correct FR number. I used a different set of spacer rings to produce an FR of 3.9 and I may settle for this.

M27 taken on 10/10/03 at 22.30 U.T. Total of 5 exposures, each of 600 sec, stacked and processed in AA3. A full moon was not far away. A definite improvement on my previous attempt

This is the core of M33 taken through my 10" LX200 at f5 on 2/9/03 at 01.10 U.T. Eight images each of 600 sec in High Res Progressive mode, stacked and processed in AA3. Guiding was via an 80mm refractor piggybacked on the LX200. I used Mike Smith's colour synthesis, and Spanishchris's artificial flat plug-ins.

Another attempt to beat the seeing. The best 32 out of 50 images taken at exposure of 0.1 Sec, binned 2x2 on 7/8/03 at 22.50 UT. Processed hard in AA3. CM is 215 Degrees

The best 20 out of 60 images at 0.1 Sec binned 2x2 working at f70.

Imaged on 5/9/03 at 22.06 U.T.

I don't think I'm going to get any better than these as the seeing and low altitude are against me. Stacked and processed in AstroArt 3

CM is 223

The best 18 out of 50 images taken on the night of 29/8/03 at 22.23 U.T.

Individual exposure was 0.1 sec., binning was 2x2, stacked and processed using AA3.

CM is 289, Hellas and Syrtis Major visible

Mars taken with MX7C on 28/8/03 at 00.25 U.T.

Stack of 40 images each of 0.11 sec exposure binned at 2x2 and processed in AA3

Taken with LX200 10" using a TeleVue PowerMate 5X giving a measured f70

Seeing very poor at an elevation of 20 deg

Mars taken at 23.30 U.T on 27/8/03

best 40 out of 50 exposures each of 0.2 Sec, stacked and processed with AA3

Taken with LX200 at f70

Again taken at f70 on 27/8/03 at 22.25 U.T.but this time using an exposure of 0.01 sec to try to beat the poor seeing. The best 40 out of 55 exposures stacked and processed in AA3

Mars taken with MX7C at f30 on 8/8/03 at 00.15 UT

Stack of 30 images 2x2 binned and 0.01 sec

Processed in AA3

LX200 at f35

M20 taken with MX7C and LX200 at f6.3.

20x60s averaged and dark subtracted

22/7/03 at 02.00 UT

Seeing was poor and there was a lot of light pollution from nearby town

M57 taken with MX7C and LX200 at f6.3

Exposure 6x200s stacked

Self guided using HRSG

Processed with AA3