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B o b C h r i s t m a s ' D I G I T A L A s t r o p h o t o G a l l e r y
A few years ago, I switched over from film astrophotography to digital astrophotography, and I've never looked back.
I took these astrophotos with a Canon Digital Rebel 300D digital SLR camera body. So far I've used just two lenses:
--- Tamron 300mm f/2.8 telephoto lens
--- Canon 18 - 55mm, f/3.5 - 5.6 zoom lens
All images shown here except the Aurora, Jupiter / Milky Way and the Centaurus / Crux shots were taken through the Tamron telephoto lens. Some were cropped and magnified. Except for the Aurora and Centaurus / Crux images, all of these were taken with the lens and camera mounted on a Super Polaris equatorial mount, with its axis of rotation pointed at the north pole of the sky. The mount is equipped with an electrically-driven clock drive, whose purpose is to automatically track the stars in the sky, thus compensating for the Earth's rotation. This prevents the "trailing" of the stars on such images.
Most of these images were taken from Spectacle
Lake Lodge near Barry's Bay,
Many of these images are composite ("stacked") images, combined into single images using Deep Sky Stacker.
NOTE 1: The M17 composite image consists of one image taken at Starfest, and another image taken at Spectacle Lake.
NOTE 2: Images are listed in reverse chronological order.
All images Copyright ©, by Bob Christmas
Click on any image for a bigger view. Then (if necessary) click again on bigger-view image to get full-size.
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Globular Cluster M5, May 6, 2013
Composite of 10 stacked images, plus darks & flats.
Location in Sky: Serpens Caput Location on Earth: Barry's Bay, Ontario Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8 Settings: f/2.8, ISO 800 Exposures: 10 x 1
minute = 10 minutes total |
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Aurora at Spectacle Lake, October 8, 2012
Location on Earth: Barry's Bay, Ontario Lens: Canon EFS 18-55mm Settings: 22mm, f/4.5, ISO 800 Exposures: 21 seconds |
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The Pac-Man Nebula (NGC 281), October 8, 2012
Location in Sky: Cassiopeia Location on Earth: Barry's Bay, Ontario Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8 Settings: f/2.8, ISO 1600 Exposures: 9 X 2.085 minutes = 18 minutes 46 seconds total |
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Gamma Cygni Nebula Complex (IC 1318), October 8, 2012
Location in Sky: Cygnus Location on Earth: Barry's Bay, Ontario Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8 Settings: f/2.8, ISO 1600 Exposures: 9 X 2.046 minutes = 18 minutes 25 seconds total |
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Kemble's Cascade, October 7, 2012
This is a curious J-shaped chain of stars that end at open cluster NGC 1502 near lower left.
Location in Sky: Camelopardalis Location on Earth: Barry's Bay, Ontario Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8 Settings: f/2.8, ISO 800 Exposures: 10 X 2 minutes = 20 minutes total |
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Collage of the Transit of Venus, June 5, 2012
LEFT TO RIGHT: 6:24pm ET; 6:50pm ET; 7:20pm ET
Location on Earth: Burlington, Ontario Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8, with Baader solar filter Settings: f/11, ISO 100 Exposures: 1/500 second each |
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Cozumel's Light Dome, Centaurus, and the Southern Cross (Crux), April 22, 2012
This image shows the lights of Isla Cozumel, off the Caribbean coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, and, above the light dome, Alpha Centauri (Rigil Kent) and Beta Centauri (Hadar) point to the Southern Cross (Crux). Composite of 9 stacked images taken on a fixed tripod. A single image of the sea-front and Cozumel was masked and blended in at the bottom.
Location in Sky: Centaurus and Crux Location on Earth: Maya Riviera, Quintana Roo, Mexico Lens: Canon EFS 18-55mm, set at 34mm Settings: f/4.5, ISO 1600 Exposures: 9 X 30 seconds = 4 minutes 30 seconds total |
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Venus and the Pleiades (M45), April 4, 2012
The planet Venus is beside the Pleiades star cluster (M45). Composite of 5 stacked images.
Location in Sky: Taurus Location on Earth: Burington, Ontario Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8 Settings: f/4, ISO 400 Exposures: 5 X 20 seconds = 1 minute 40 seconds total |
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The Andromeda Galaxy (M31), September 25-26, 2011
This image of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) also shows its dwarf elliptical companions, M32 and M110.
Composite of 8 stacked images. North is to the left.
Location in Sky: Andromeda Location on Earth: Barry's Bay, Ontario Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8 Settings: f/2.8, ISO 800 Exposures: 8 X 3.173 minutes = 25 minutes 23 seconds total |
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The Antares / Rho-Ophiuchi Region and M4, May 5, 2011
This is the Rho-Ophiuchi nebula complex, with the bright star Antares (Alpha Scorpii) at lower right, globular cluster M4 at upper right, globular cluster NGC 6144 closer to Antares, and the triple-star Rho-Ophiuchi at left.
Composite of 10 stacked images. North is to the left.
Location in Sky: Scorpius/Ophiuchus constellation
border Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8 Settings: f/2.8, ISO 1600 Exposures: 10 X 2 minutes = 20 minutes total |
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Globular Clusters M10 and M12 May 5, 2011
The globular clusters M10 (left) and M12 (right) in Ophiuchus are about 3.4 degrees apart in the sky.
NOTE: The trail at upper right, I suspect, is a geosynchronous satellite because the trail is approximately 15 arcminutes long in each of the individual minute-long exposures. Extrapolating to one hour, this would be 900 arcminutes = 15 degrees. Since the Earth rotates 15 degrees every hour, and the trail is less than 2 degrees south of the celestial equator, this would mean the satellite is stationary over the same spot on the Earth.
Composite of 6 stacked images.
North is at upper right, approximately perpendicular to the satellite track..
Location in Sky: Ophiuchus Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8 Settings: f/3.5, ISO 800 Exposures: 6 X 1 minute = 6 minutes total |
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Globular Cluster M3, May 4, 2011
Composite of 6 stacked images. Cropped excerpt of full image.
Location in Sky: Canes Venatici Location on Earth: Barry's Bay, Ontario Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8 Settings: f/3.5, ISO 800 Exposures: 6 x 1
minute = 6 minutes total |
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The Hercules Globular Cluster (M13), May 4, 2011
Composite of 10 stacked images. Cropped excerpt of full image.
Location in Sky: Hercules Location on Earth: Barry's Bay, Ontario Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8 Settings: f/3.5, ISO 800 Exposures: 10 x 1
minute = 10 minutes total |
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Collage of Total Lunar Eclipse, December 21, 2010
RIGHT TO LEFT: 2:55am ET; 3:25am ET; 3:50am ET
Location on Earth: Burlington, Ontario Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8 Settings: f/3.5, ISO 400 Exposures: 1/2 second each |
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The Sculptor Galaxy (NGC 253) and Globular Cluster NGC 288, October 8, 2010
NGC 253 is at upper right, NGC 288 is at lower left.
Composite of 5 stacked images.
Location in Sky: Sculptor Settings: f/2.8, ISO 1600 Exposures: 5 x 2 minutes = 10 minutes total |
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The Pleiades Star Cluster (M45) October 7, 2010
This is the Pleiades Cluster (M45), also known as the Seven Sisters or Subaru. North is to the right.
Composite of 6 stacked images.
Location in Sky: Taurus Settings: f/2.8, ISO 1600 Exposures: 6 x 2 minutes = 12 minutes total |
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The Triangulum
Galaxy (M33),
Composite of 6 stacked images.
Location in Sky: Triangulum Location on Earth: Barry's Bay, Ontario Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8 Settings: f/2.8, ISO 1600 Exposures: 6 x 2 minutes = 12 minutes total |
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The Lagoon Nebula (M8) and Trifid Nebula (M20), October 5, 2010 Composite of 5 stacked images. North is to the right.
Location in Sky: Sagittarius Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8 Settings: f/2.8, ISO 1600 Exposures: 5 X 94 seconds = 7 minutes 50 seconds total |
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The North America Nebula (NGC 7000), October 5, 2010 This emission nebula is named because of its shape, as is the fainter Pelican Nebula at right.
Composite of 10 stacked images.
Location in Sky: Cygnus Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8 Settings: f/2.8, ISO 1600 Exposures: 10 X 90 seconds = 15 minutes total |
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The Heart of The Virgo Galaxy Cluster (Markarian's Chain), April 12, 2010 This image contains numerous galaxies at the heart of the Virgo Galaxy Cluster, on the border of the constellations Virgo and Coma Berenices. The brightest of these are the elliptical galaxies M84, M86 and M87.
Composite of 4 stacked images.
Location in Sky: Virgo and Coma Berenices Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8 Settings: f/2.8, ISO 1600 Exposures: 4 X 125 seconds = 8 minutes 20 seconds total |
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"The Leo Trio" of Galaxies [clockwise from top] NGC 3628, M65 and M66, April 11, 2010
Composite of 5 stacked images.
Location in Sky: Leo Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8 Settings: f/2.8, ISO 1600 Exposures: 5 X 120 seconds = 10 minutes total
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Mars and M44 (Beehive Cluster), April 11, 2010
Composite of 3 stacked images.
Location in Sky: Cancer Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8, set at f/4 Settings: f/4, ISO 1600 Exposures: 3 X 98 seconds = 4 minutes 54 seconds total |
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The Rosette Nebula (NGC 2237, 39, 46), April 11, 2010
Composite of 8 stacked images.
Location in Sky: Monoceros Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8 Settings: f/2.8, ISO 1600 Exposures: 8 X 90 seconds = 12 minutes total |
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The Helix Nebula
(NGC 7293),
Location in Sky: Aquarius Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8 Settings: f/2.8, ISO 1600 Exposures: 7 X 92 seconds = 10 minutes 44 seconds total |
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Galaxy NGC 891,
Location in Sky: Andromeda Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8 Settings: f/2.8, ISO 1600 Exposures: 4 X 159.75 secs = 10 minutes 39 secs total |
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The Pinwheel
Galaxy (M101),
A classic spiral galaxy near the handle of the Big Dipper. North is to the right.
Location in Sky: Ursa Major Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8 Settings: f/2.8, ISO 1600 Exposures: 5 X 2 minutes = 10 minutes total |
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Galaxy NGC 2403,
A pretty spiral galaxy near the nose of the Great Bear (Ursa Major). North is to the right.
Location in Sky: Camelopardalis Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8 Settings: f/2.8, ISO 1600 Exposures: 3 minutes + (3 X 2 minutes) = 9 minutes total |
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Galaxies M81 and
M82,
Bode's Galaxies M81 (centre) and M82 (right), near the bowl of the Big Dipper. Two other galaxies appear in the image, NGC 3077 at top, and NGC 2976 at lower left. North is to the right.
Location in Sky: Ursa Major Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8 Settings: f/2.8, ISO 1600 Exposures: 3 minutes + (3 X 2 minutes) = 9 minutes total |
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The Owl Nebula (M97) and Galaxy M108, April 15, 2009
The Owl Nebula (M97) is a planetary nebula at lower right. The spiral galaxy M108 is the elongated smudge at upper left. These objects are barely a degree apart in the sky, near the bowl of the Big Dipper. North is to the left.
Location in Sky: Ursa Major Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8 Settings: f/2.8, ISO 1600 Exposures: 3 X 2 minutes = 6 minutes total |
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Galaxy NGC 4565,
An edge-on spiral galaxy with a dust lane. A few other much smaller galaxies pepper the image. North is at left.
Location in Sky: Coma Berenices Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8 Settings: f/2.8, ISO 1600 Exposures: 3 minutes + 2 minutes + 2 minutes = 7 minutes total |
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Open Cluster M35,
Another much farther away open cluster, NGC 2158, appears just to the lower right of M35.
Location in Sky: Gemini Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8 Settings: f/2.8, ISO 1600 Exposure: 2 minutes |
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The Summer Milky Way and Jupiter Setting Over Spectacle Lake, September 23, 2008
Lens: Canon EFS 18-55mm, set at 28mm and f/6.3. Exposure: 10 minutes |
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Open Cluster NGC 7789 in Cassiopeia, September 22, 2008
Location on Earth: Barry's Bay, Ontario Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8 Settings: f/2.8, ISO 1600 Exposure: 2 minutes |
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The Swan or
Omega Nebula (M17),
An emission nebula in Sagittarius. This is a stack (composite) of two separate images taken 13 months apart!
Location in Sky: Sagittarius Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8 Settings: f/2.8, ISO 1600 Exposures: 2 minutes + 2 minutes = 4 minutes total |
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The Eagle Nebula
(M16),
An emission nebula in Serpens, just over the border from Sagittarius.
Location in Sky: Serpens Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8 Settings: f/2.8, ISO 1600 Exposure: 2 minutes |
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Open Star Cluster NGC 6939 and Galaxy NGC 6946, September 21, 2008 Above right is the open cluster NGC 6939, and, at lower left, is the Firecracker Galaxy (NGC 6946), so nicknamed because so many supernovae have occurred in it.
Location in Sky: Cepheus Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8 Settings: f/2.8, ISO 1600 Exposure: 3 minutes |
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Galaxies NGC 4631 and NGC 4656, May 6, 2008 The Whale Galaxy (NGC 4631), and, below and to its left, the Hockey Stick Galaxy (NGC 4656).
Location in Sky: Canes Venatici Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8 Settings: f/2.8, ISO 1600 Exposure: 3 minutes |
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Collage of Total Lunar Eclipse, February 20, 2008
RIGHT TO LEFT: 10:07 pm; 10:32 pm; 10:57 pm
Location on Earth: Burlington, Ontario Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8 Settings: f/4, ISO 400 Exposure: 1/2 second each |
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Open Cluster M67, May 6, 2007
Location in Sky: Cancer Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8 Settings: f/2.8, ISO 1600 Exposure: 60 seconds |
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M1 (the Crab Nebula) and a tumbling satellite, March 20, 2007
Location in Sky: Taurus Lens: Tamron 300mm f/2.8 Settings: f/2.8, ISO 1600 Exposure: 48 seconds |
NEW
Keep on the lookout for future images!
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| FEEL FREE TO E-MAIL ME | |||