Astrophotography – A Darker View

Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS)

Along with much of the astronomy community I have been eagerly anticipating the arrival of Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) since its discovery last year.

As orbital parameters and brightness estimates were calculated it became apparent that this comet had the potential to be one of the brightest comets in decades. Better yet, the show would be available to both hemisperes, not just for those south of the equator like Comet C/2006 P1 McNaught back in 2007.

As the comet passes perihelion, it’s close approach to the Sun on Sept 27th, it will briefly appear in the dawn. As maximum elongation conveniently happened on the weekend I planned an outing to meet this icy visitor.

A Better Sun…

After yesterday’s unsatisfactory image of the Sun I set out to do it right today.

The conditions were about the same, the telescope and camera the same, but no clouds cutting short my time at the camera. I took a few video segments and processed these with AutoStakkert! to produce a stack of the best 900 frames out of 1800. The result is a much better image.

The image is more representative of what you see at the eyepiece, with somewhat more detail visible to the eye. These active sunspots have been the source of strong flares including at least one X class flare. The resulting CME’s have sparked displays of aurora over the last few days.

A parade of large sunspots crossing the disk of the Sun on 11 Aug 2024

The equipment is capable of yet better images, but I would need better conditions than the poor seeing we usually get in Waikoloa. Perhaps load up the ‘scope and travel to higher ground.

Rho Ophiuchi Region in Monochrome

Lagoon Region

Taking the AT6RC tube off and installing the Televue 76mm on the mount changes the game a bit. Lower magnification, wider field, a setup I find more appropriate for Waikoloa skies.

The average seeing in Waikoloa is 2 or 3 arcseconds, or worse… Not the 0.5 arseconds typical at the summit. This leads to mushy stars at higher magnification, fuzzballs rather than pinpoints. Lower magnification sidesteps this problem.

Still using the borrowed ASI2600MC color camera for a few more days, seeing just what it is capable of. The slightly larger sensor is nice and the data easier to process, but still I am seeing limitations that annoy me in the fine details. The color balance is difficult to deal with as well.

I will be going back to the ASI1600MM and filter wheel soon enough. I do need to up my processing game, the software side has changed substantially over the years and I need to transition. Will be giving PixInsight a spin over the next month.

The Lagoon Nebula Region including M8, M20, M23, NGC6544, IC 4678, Bochum 14, and much more

M3

M3 Globuar Cluster — The globular cluster M3

M67

The Lagoon in Hydrogen-Alpha

M8, The Lagoon Nebula taken in H-alpha light at 656nm

M42

The Beehive

Using the ZWO ASI2600MC Camera

Due to a plan that failed I ended up with a borrowed astro camera for a couple weeks. Since I have it I may as well play with it a bit.

The camera is the ZWO ASI2600MC Pro, a one-shot color camera specificaly for astrophotography. I have the ASI1600MM Pro a monochrome camera set up with a filter wheel, but have never really had a chance to use one of the modern one shot color cameras.