By: Sam Pitts (samsastro.com)
Honey Bee on a Mock Orange Bush
Western Honey Bee
Comet C/2001 Q4 Neat was discovered on August 4, 2001 by the Near Earth Asteroid Tracking Team (NEAT). This comet spent most of its time in the southern hemisphere until May 2004 when it went North and brightened.
Comet C/2001 Q4 NEAT, came within 0.34 astronomical units ( 1 AU = 92,955,807 Miles ) 31.6 million miles of earth. It reached perihelion (closest approach in it’s orbit) on May 15, 2004 . This hyperbolic comet will be flung out of our solar system, never to be seen again.
AU or Astronomical Unit (roughly earth’s distance from the sun) 93,000,000 miles.
I was lucky to have a clear May night in Oregon to image Comet C/2001 Q4 Neat May 24, 2004.
| Telescope / Lens | TEC 140mm f/7 Refractor |
| Mount Type | Astro-Physics 1200 |
| Camera | ST8XME |
| Filters | Astro-Don LRGB |
| Film | CCD |
| Exposure | 4 hours 5 minutes 245 RGB=45 min. @ -25° C |
| Processing | CCDSoft, AIP4Win, CCDStack & Photoshop CS2 |
| Date | 9-8-2007 |
| Location | June Mountain, near Dexter, Oregon |
| Conditions | 3252′ magnitude 6.2 Skies; Clear & Steady |
NGC 891 Edge on Spiral (HV19) Caldwell 23
NGC 891 is a great Edge on Galaxy in the constellation of Andromeda. NGC 891 is 30 million light years from earth at apparent magnitude 10.8 and 120 thousand light years across. At 13.5′ x 2.5 arcminutes, it shows up nicely in medium to large amateur telescopes.
This Edge on Spiral galaxy’s dust lanes are prominent and show nice detail in long exposures. The dust lanes are similar to out own Milky Way if observed from the same distance edge on. On a clear summer night, the dark rift from Cygnus down to Sagittarius is now given a different perspective. William Herschel discovered NGC 891 on October 6, 1784, this galaxy is a member of the NGC 1023 group of galaxies
NGC 7331 Deer Lick Group of Galaxies and Stephan’s Quintet
140mm f/7 Refractor, SBIG ST10XME LRGB filters Total exposure 4.5 Hours
| Telescope / Lens | TEC 140mm f/7 Refractor |
| Mount Type | Astrophysics 1200 |
| Camera | SBIG ST10XME |
| Filters | Astrodon LRGB |
| Film | CCD |
| Exposure | 185minutes (3 hours 5 min); LRGB (L=125,RGB=60@) |
| Processing | CCDSoft, CCDStack, AIP, Photoshop CS2-CS6 |
| Date | 10/25/2008 |
| Location | 25 miles SE of Cottage Grove, Oregon; 122° 52.595′ W 43° 31′ N |
| Conditions | 4568′ magnitude 6 Skies; Clear & 5-7 m.p.h. wind |
NGC 7331 (Deer Lick Group of Galaxies ) & NGC 7320 Stephens Quintet
The upper left is Stephens Quintet and the lower right is the Deer Lick group in the constellation of Pegasus. NGC 7331 the largest Galaxy in the Deer Lock group is 9° Northwest of ß Pegasi. The lower right edge of NGC7331 is pointed North and the companion galaxies are to the East. Galaxy NGC 7331 resembles what our own Milky Way galaxy would look like some 50 million light years away. This galaxy has an overall brightness of magnitude 10.3 . This group is a nice visual treat in medium to large amateur scope (10″ and up) NGC 7331 is 10.6′ x 3.8′ (the moon is 28′)
Stephens Quintet (upper left) is a small group of interacting galaxies 300 million light years away. You can see the lower two galaxies are interacting and a long arm extents from the one to the right. This detail is readily evident in the full resolution image. NGC7318A & NGC 7318B (magnitude 14) are colliding and nearby NGC 7319 (magnitude 14.4) may also be involved since it has an arm that stretches out. NGC 7320 (Mag. 13.3) is the top oblong one and NGC 7317 (14.8) is out to the left. Out further to the upper right of the main group is NGC 7320C at magnitude 16.6.
Galaxy NGC 7331 “Caldwell 30” 40 million light years. 12.1′ x 1.0′ magnitude 10.4. The other lenticular unbarred spirals NGC 7335, 7336 & barred spiral galaxy NGC 7340, elliptical galaxy NGC 7340. They are 332, 365, 348 and 294 million light years distant, respectively.
Discovered by William Hershel in 1784,
Stephan’s Quintet is a grouping of 5 galaxies, forming a compact group of galaxies. In the constellation of Pegasus, discovered in 1877 by Edouard Stephan, also known as Hickson Compact Group 92. NGC 7318B collides with the group and a shock wave larger than our own Milky Way galaxy spread between the galaxies. NGC 7320 is only a foreground galaxy at 39 million light years. The other five form a group 220-330 million light years away.
| Telescope / Lens | TEC 140mm f/7 APO Refractor |
| Mount Type | Astrophysics 1200 |
| Camera | SBIG ST10XME |
| Filters | Astrodon LRGB e-series of balanced filters (g-1) |
| Film | CCD |
| Exposure | 4 hours 20 minutes, LRGB 20min,10 min. & 5 min. subs; RGB 4 x 5 min |
| Processing | CCDSoft, CCDStack, AIP, Photoshop CS2-CS6 |
| Date | 07/24/2009 |
| Location | Snow Peak, S/E of Cottage Grove, Oregon |
| Conditions | 4658′ elevation, magnitude 6 Skies; Clear |
Abell 2151 Hercules Galaxy Cluster
The Hercules Galaxy Cluster Abell 2051 is a cluster of approximately 100 galaxies 500 to 650 million light years away. This amazing Galactic Cluster resides within the constellation of Hercules. The brightest galaxy NGC 6050 , an interacting spiral galaxy 24″ x 18″. NGC 6050 is dim at magnitude 15.4. It is also known as NGC 6050A and NGC5060B. Data on this Abell Cluster continues to change, as more is learned. Most current information lists a general distance of 509 million light years and 300 member galaxies.
I am amazed what a 5.5″ APO Refractor (TEC140 ED)can do and coupled with an SBIG ST10XME CCD (KAF3200 CCD Chip) can really go deep. The camera is one of the most sensitive front illuminated CCD chips available, with a quantum efficiency is around 85-86% at peak.
This attempt of my own Deep Field began after setting up remotely in Oregon for one night. Going as deep as I could and took over 4 hours of CCD images, capturing as many galaxies as possible. My Luminous frames were 5, 10 and 20 minutes long. So far I have counted over 200 plus galaxies in this image and continue to find more. There are so many tiny specs, when compared to a Hubble Telescope image, they are in fact galaxies. Some of these background galaxies could be over a billion light years away. In perspective, that would mean a 5.5″ amateur telescope and CCD went back one twelfth the age of the Universe…
One can see several interacting galaxies that are within the Hercules Cluster. While larger instruments can resolve greater detail , I am pleased with what a small telescope can accomplish in one night.