The Cygnus Rift

Pip Stakkert really pushed the data obtained last week with our un-modded and modded Canon DSLR cameras. The Cygnus rift created by obscuring dust is flanked and pierced by glowing emission radiation from ionised gas.

" The Milky Way runs through the constellation Cygnus and diagonally through the Summer Triangle asterism created by the alpha stars Deneb, Vega and Altair. The small constellation Delphinus the dolphin can be seen to the left and above the star Altair. The 'Coathanger' asterism otherwise known as Brocchi's Cluster or Collinder 399 is an open star cluster which may be seen in the above image to the right and above Altair. This cluster of approximately 10 stars presents in the shape of a coat hanger and can be seen in a pair of low power binoculars". -Joel Cairo CEO of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

The Summer Triangle August 2023

 

The Summer Triangle created by stars Deneb, Vega and Altair. Compilation image captured with  un-modded and astro-modded Canon DSLRs. The lens used was an Sigma EX zoom widefield lens at f=14mm. 10x2minute RAW lights were captured with each camera at ISO800 which were mounted o a Star Adventurer EQ mount. The lights were stacked using Affinity Photo2 and combined using Registar software. The final image is a square crop of the much wider view shown below. 

" It is very nice to return home from Italy and get stuck into some serious astro-imaging. The other night we were blessed with an hour or two of clear, stable moonlight free night sky. Pipp Stakkert and I spared no time in setting up the Observatory 'mini-rig' and we managed to capture 40 minutes of photons from the Milky Way and the bright stars Deneb, Vega and Altair which make up the asterism 'The Summer Triangle'." - Kurt Thrust current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

Summer nights have arrived at last

 

The Summer Triangle - Canon 600d on Star Adventurer MountStack of 2 minute lights at .f=18mm and ISO 1600. Cropped from a widefield image.; Credit: Pip Stakkert.
 

" The weather took a turn for the better, so the whole Jodrell Plank Observatory team spent  Friday evening taking snaps of the starry Universe. All the summer favourites were on display including the asterism, 'The Summer Triangle'. An asterism is a pattern of stars that is readily visible and identifiable. For example, The Plough is an asterism made from the brighter stars in the constellation Ursa Major the Great Bear. The Summer Triangle is very obvious in the northern hemisphere summer sky and has the alpha stars from three separate constellations. Deneb from Cygnus the Swan, Vega from the Lyre  and Altair from Aquila the Eagle. These three prominent stars are bright and clearly visible to the naked eye as soon as darkness falls. So why not go out and see if you can identify them?". - Kurt Thrust current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

The Veil Nebula with Meteor- Canon 600d on Star Adventurer Mount

            Stack of 2 minute lights at .f=90mm and ISO 1600. Credit: Pip Stakkert.                                                  

                                           Plate Solving by Astrometry Net

"Between 10 and 20 thousand years ago a star twenty times more massive than our Sun ran out of fusible elements and exploded in a massive core collapse supernova. The Veil Nebula is the remnant cloud of ionised gas and dust that has expanded over time to cover an area of the sky some thirty-six times the area of the Moon. This area is based upon a recent estimate of its distance from the Earth of 2400 light years. It is calculated that the nebula is expanding at 1.5 million kilometers per hour! The Veil Nebula was first discovered in 1784 by the astronomer William Herschel.

The attractive open star cluster NGC 6490 can be seen in our image and to the right of the Veil. NGC 6490 is in the adjoining constellation Vulpecula the Fox. The cluster is a billion years old and approximately 2500 light years distant.

Whilst  we were imaging this area of sky we noticed a number of meteors one of which is visible in our image of the Veil and to its left. For some days, The LVST radio telescope has been recording increasing numbers of meteor radar reflections. We await the Perseid Shower with added excitement, as this year, visibility will not be limited by moonlight. Let's keep our fingers crossed for good weather on the 12th and 13th of August and an excellent display!"  -  Joel Cairo CEO of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

Perseids August 2020

Meteor shooting between Vega and Deneb at 1:00 BST on the 11th August 2020.
Canon 600d DSLR with EOS 18-55mm lens at f=18mm - all on a Star Adventurer equatorial mount.  50 x 1 minute RAW exposures stacked using DeepSkyStacker and the frame containing the meteor aligned and combined with the stacked image using Registar. The final image was cropped and enhanced. Credit: Joel Cairo

" Having recently joined the team at the Jodrell Plank Observatory, I was pleased that I was able to take a short summer holiday before taking up my full duties as CEO. During my stay by the sea in Bamburgh Northumberland, I managed to do a bit of astro-imaging between the clouds which seemed to materialize each evening as night fell. I was very lucky to have captured a Perseid meteor against the stars of the summer Milky Way two days before the predicted shower maximum". - Joel Cairo CEO of the Jodrell Plank Observatory