Nebulae

These glowing areas of gas often contain the youngest stars in our galaxy as well as some of the most fanciful images available to the astrophotgrapher. Reflection Nebula are blue or white,  while emission nebula are Normally Red or green. While emission and reflection nebula normally contain young hot stars, Planetary Nebulae are the result of stellar decrepitude. As most main sequence stars age they often swell up into red giants, this process often leaves the outer fringes of the stellar atmosphere  free to escape. Also matter is often thrown off the star by massive solar winds, The results of all this mass is often ionized and its interaction with the magnetic fields as well as the rotation of the star create small but very unique nebulae that vary from small  blue-green balls, to rings or rings within rings and other patterns including hourglasses and just about anything else.

M1 is a supernova remnant from a spectacular Supernova in the year 1054. Records from almost every culture including possibly American Indians living in the Southwest indicate that eh star was the brightest thing in the sky for many weeks and was even visible in the daytime. While it bears the popular designation of Messier 1, It was observed 1741 by John Bevis. Messier acknowledged  this in a letter in 1771. Charles Messier observed this object in 1758 and is his first object  of nuisance nebula or objects that interfered with his job and that was to search for comets. This color composite is an LRGB image taken with a C-14 operating at f7 and a ST-10 Binned 3x3.
M27 is also known as the Dumbbell Nebula. In a small telescope visual observers truly do see a dumbbell shape. This full color LRGB version taken with a C-14 and ST-10  at f7 and binned 3x3 shows, not only the dumbbell shape, but the intricate colors of ionized oxygen (blue-green)  and red (ionized  Hydrogen). This is large planetary nebula
M57  is the famous ring nebula. It is an ovalish planetary nebula with a distinct central star. The nebula is seen as a very dim smoke ring in smaller scopes. Larger scopes with high magnification will present the central star and allow for observing the detail in the ring. Taken with a C-14 at f7 and ST-10, LRGB  CCD Stack and Astrodon filters
The Trifid nebulas M-20 is a small nebula in the constellation of Sagittarius. It mist prominent characteristics are the dark shadows that separates it into3 ares and its unique color comobination of Emission and Reflection nebula (red and Blue Colrs). This B&W image was taken at the Texas Star Party Several years ago with an ST-7, AP 5 inch refractor and G-11 mount.
The Flame (NGC 2024) and Horse head (IC434 and B33) nebulae are shown in color.  This picture highlights another type of Nebula, a dark one. The Horse head protruding into the Red Emission nebula as well as the black ledge are all a large dark nebula. This is a dense area of dust and gas that attenuate visible light. This is an attempt by me to concentrate on the art and science of CCD astronomical imaging for artistic reasons. This image was taken with a STL-4020, Astro Don Filters, and a Takahashi FSQ 106N on an AP900 mount. THE LRGB Subframes were stacked in CCD Stack and the color combine accomplished in Photoshop with a slight color saturation adjust to bring out the colors.
IC-405, the flaming star Nebula in H Alpha. This an total of  1.5 hour image of the nebula with the STL-4020 and the FSQ106. The wide field give this nebula a different than "nominal" appearance
The California nebula or NGC1499 in Perseus is a large Emission Nebula similar to the red nebula behind the horsehead. It distinctive shape vaguely resembles California, thus the moniker. This is a very large nebula, the image only show about 60 percent of it. It is 1.5 in Hydrogen Alpha with the STL-4020 and TAK FSQ106.
The Rosette Nebulae in Monoceros surrounds the bright open cluster NGC 2239. This is a 2 hour image with a TAK FSq106 and ST-10 in H alpha.
The Cocoon Nebula is a small cloud of Ionized gas in the Constellation of Cygnus. Wider field images of this nebula show and impressive dark nebula that punctuated by the Cocoon at one end. this was taken with an ST-10 and a C-14 at f7
The image to the right is a wide field shot of the Orion Nebula (M42) the little separate nebula (M43) and the running man Nebula  (NGC1977). This image shows the wide field possible with the Tak fsq106 and the STL-4020. The image is over 90 minutes on a side. The image is assembled from 40minutes of  L and 20 minutes of R G B .
M42 This is a similar image to above taken on the previous night and cropped. In this case since NGC 1977 is out of frame I did not brighten the image as much. This kept more of the subtle colors in the nebula The exposure times are similar