Nebula Astrophotography
     The photos below were taken with using piggyback and prime focus astrophotography techniques. Here, the term nebula is used broadly to include emission and reflection nebula. Emission nebula, such as the Orion Nebula, are powered by bright hot stars, whose ultraviolet radiation excites electrons, causing them to move to higher orbital shells around the nucleus. As the electron returns to a lower energy state it emits radiation at a characteristic wavelength that is due to the energy difference between the excited and a lower energy state. Hydrogen is the most dominant element, and most of the emission occurs at a wavelength of 6562.8 angstroms, which is seen as red in the photos below. Emission can be caused by other phenomena, such as shock waves from a supernova. The Veil Nebula, which is believed to be the remnant of a supernova explosion that occurred about 40,000 years ago is an excellent example of shock wave induced fluorescence.
Click on the pictures to see full size versions.
 
The Veil Nebula (186kb)
26 August 2000, 7:27-8:43UT (76 minutes)
Takahashi 4" f/6, hypered PPF
Deep-Sky filter

NGC6992/6995 (167kb)
3 June 2000, 8:50-11:10UT (2 hours, 20 minutes)
Takahashi 4" f/8, hypered PPF
Deep-Sky filter (?)
NGC6992/6995 (86kb)
30 August 1997, 7:03-8:03UT (1 hour)
  Brandon 80mm f/6, hypered PPF
Deep-Sky filter

NGC6992/6995 (103kb)
27 September 1997, 5:07-6:37UT (90 minutes)
Meade SCT 10" f/6.3, hypered PPF
Deep-Sky filter
Pickering's Triangular
Wisp (156kb)
29 September 1997, 6:35-8:35UT (2 hours)
Meade SCT 10" f/6.3, hypered PPF
  Deep-Sky filter

NGC6960 (170kb)
2 July 2000, 8:15-10:35UT (2 hours, 20 minutes)
Takahashi 4" f/8, hypered PPF
Deep-Sky filter


The Milky Way
in Cygnus (591kb)
The dew shield of  my Meade SCT
obscures the bottom of the FOV
2 September 1994 (10 minutes)
50mm lens, f.2.8, Kodak Gold 400ASA
Sky-1A Filter
NGC7000
IC5067/5070/(182kb)
The North American and Pelican Nebulae
26 August 2000, 5:16-6:21UT (65 minutes)
Takahashi 4" f/6, hypered PPF
Deep-Sky filter



NGC 7000 (192kb)
The North American Nebula
28 July 2000, 5;53-7:53UT (2 hours)
Takahashi 4" f/8, hypered PPF
Deep-Sky filter

 
The Milky Way
in Sagittarius (568kb)
23 July 1995 (15 minutes)
50mm lens, f.2.8, Kodak Gold 200ASA
Sky-1A Filter
M8/M20 (70kb)
The Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae
5 August 2002, 5:59-6:59UT (1 hour)
Takahashi 4" f/6, hypered PPF
IDAS Light pollution filter
M20 (222kb)
The Trifid Nebula
Blue channel stretched to emphasize the
reflection nebula
8 June 1997, 8:13-8:58UT (45 minutes)
Meade SCT 10" f/6.3, hypered PPF
Deep-Sky filter 		M8 (44kb)
The Lagoon Nebula


Meade SCT 10" f/6.3, hypered PPF
Deep-Sky filter
M16 (672kb)
The Eagle Nebula
 4 July 2000, 5:52-7:22 (90 minutes)
Takahashi 4" f/8, hypered PPF
Deep-Sky filter

M16 (672kb)
The Eagle Nebula
Improvement due to image processing
4 July 2000, 5:52-7:22 (90 minutes)
Takahashi 4" f/8, hypered PPF
Deep-Sky filter
M16 (108kb)
The Eagle Nebula
22 July 1998
Takahashi 4" f/8, hypered PPF
Deep-Sky filter

M16 (28kb)
The Eagle Nebula/The Pillars of Creation
Scan of central portion of print
22 July 1998
Takahashi 4" f/8, hypered PPF
Deep-Sky filter
M17 (37kb)
The Swan Nebula
Controlled experiment showing PJM
does not perform as well as PPF
2 August 1997, 5:32-6:02UT (30 minutes)
Meade SCT 10" f/6.3, hypered PJM
Deep-Sky filter

M17 (30kb)
The Swan Nebula
Controlled experiment showing PPF
outperforms PJM from emission nebula
2 August 1997, 6:47-7:17UT (30 minutes)
Meade SCT 10" f/6.3, hypered PPF
Deep-Sky filter


NGC1499 (111kb)
The California Nebula
26 August 2000, 9:36-10:52UT (76 minutes)
Takahashi 4" f/6, hypered PPF
Deep-Sky filter

IC5146 (133kb)
The Cocoon Nebula
5 August 2002, 7:52-9:22UT (90 minutes)
Takahashi 4" f/6, hypered PPF
IDAS Light pollution filter
M45 (99kb)
The Pleiades
(cropped to approximate an f/8 FOV for
comparison with the image tot he right)
5 October 2002
Takahashi 4" f/6, hypered Supra 400
IDAS Light pollution filter

M45 (14kb)
The Pleiades
This artistic impression of faux nebulosity
was obtained by shooting through thin cloud
3 November 2002, 7:47-8:47UT (1 hour)
Takahashi 4" f/8, hypered Supra 400
IDAS Light pollution filter


M42/43 (15kb)
The Orion Nebula
28 August 1997, 10:33-11:03UT (30 minutes)
Meade SCT 10" f/6.3, hypered PPF
  No filter!!!

M42/43 (37kb)
The Orion Nebula
9 February 1997, 6:32-7:02UT (30 minutes)
Meade SCT 10" f/6.3, hypered PPF
Deep-Sky filter
B33, IC434,
NGC2023/24 (10kb)
The Horsehead and Fire Nebulae
  8 March 1997, 3:30-4:30UT (1 hour)
Meade SCT 10" f/6.3, hypered PPF
  Deep-Sky Filter

B33, IC434,
NGC2023 (36kb)
The Horsehead Nebula
9 February 1997, 3:48-4:48UT (1 hour)
Meade SCT 10" f/6.3, hypered PPF
Deep-Sky Filter



All photos are copyright K. R. Sperber
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