iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Doug Balogh @astro-doug.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

A break in the clouds a couple of nights ago allowed me to get a nice image of M97, the Owl Nebula. The name originates from what can be imagined to be two dark "eyes" of an owl. The 2nd image is a single frame of the many that went into this pic. #astronomy Click ALT for more info

A break in the clouds a couple of nights ago allowed me to get a nice image of M97, the Owl Nebula.

This nebula is a planetary nebula in the constellation Ursa Major. The name originates from what can be imagined to be two dark "eyes" giving the appearance of an owl’s head. The nebula was formed from ejected outer layers when a dying star exploded in a supernova. It is located about 2,030 light-years away. The real size of the nebula is actually 1LY across, but because of the distance, it appears small to us here on Earth.

The star exploded about 8000 years ago, and remnant core became a white dwarf that still bombards the gas cloud with radiation, causing it to glow. You can see the white dwarf in the center of the nebula.

I find planetary nebulae to be so interesting. In about 4 billion years, our sun will explode forming a planetary nebula similar to this, and a white dwarf star.

M97 is located near to the Big Dipper and is close to overhead in the evening hours in the spring. It is faint at magnitude 9.9, but can be seen with a modest telescope, as a small white disc.

The second image is an example of one single exposure of 300 seconds. I had collected about 60 such frames during the night, and then stacked the best 70% of those. The output of that became the starting point for the further processing I did to get the final picture.

Enjoy,

$This is a single 300 second exposure. 120mm APO refractor ZWO533MC camera IDAS D3 filter ZWO AM5 mount bout 40 were stacked to make the final image.$

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Doug Balogh @astro-doug.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

March had poor skies in my area, but I did manage to get a couple of interesting images of interacting galaxies. 1st are the mice galaxies. At 270 mil LY away, they are tough targets (NGC4676). Next is the Whale and Hockey Stick. Neighbors at 30 mil LY. Click ALT for more #astronomy

March turned out to be the worst month for astronomy since I’ve been looking up. I did manage to get a couple of share-worthy pics in the final days. First is the mice galaxies NGC4676. These are two galaxies that are merging and the gravitational forces have greatly distorted both. (Center of pic). Now, the pic may not look like much, but considering that these are a whopping 270 million light years away, seeing anything is an accomplishment!

[Taken with a SeeStar S50. Additionally processed with StarTools.]

Well, April is shaping up to be an exciting month:

Artemis 2 is scheduled to launch today. 1st humans back to the moon in over 50 years.

Venus is bright in the evening, and the best time to see Mercury all year will be early this month just before dawn.

On Apr 23rd, Uranus, Venus, and the Pleiades will be close together in the evening sky. Binoculars will reveal Uranus. Seeing its green color is a treat.

Jupiter shines brightly in Gemini in the evening hours. A small scope will reveal cloud details and the 4 Galilean moons.

The Lydid meteor shower breaks April 22. The 1-3 AM hours are best. Look towards the constellation Lyra.

Better pics next month!

Enjoy,
Doug

Next up is another pair of interacting galaxies. The Whale (NGC4631), and Hockey Stick (NGC4656). These are neighbors at only about 30 million light years. The larger Whale is causing the Hockey Stick galaxy to become mis-shaped. These two make for a nice picture. I’m sure I can do better with them. The full moon was out which tends to wash everything out. But March was so bad, I was desperate!!!

[Taken with a SeeStar S50. Additionally processed with StarTools.]

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Doug Balogh @astro-doug.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

Meet the Monkey Head Nebula, NGC1274. Located in the Milky Way, about 6350 LY away near the constellation Orion. The dark band in the upper part of the nebula can be envisioned as the monkey’s mouth. The bright spot in the center is a star-forming cluster. Click ALT for more info #astronomy

Photographing nebulae in the Milky Way is always challenging. There are literally thousands of stars in the picture that overwhelm the nebulosity. To bring out detail, I first removed all the stars, then processed the nebula. Separately, I processed the stars to achieve the brightness I wanted. I then recombined the stars and nebula and adjusted the balance to highlight the nebula, but yet give its context in the Milky Way.

Equipment:
Skywatcher 120ED
ZWO ASI 533MC
AM5N mount
Skywatcher 50ED/ZWO120MC guide
ZWO ASI Air Plus controller
40x300 sec subs
Stacked in DSS
Processed in StarTools
Bortles 7 skies

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Doug Balogh @astro-doug.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

Barnard’s Loop, only part of which is seen at the top of this pic), is a huge partial ring around Orion. A massive structure of 10 deg (20 moons) in length. Also in the pic are the Horsehead, Flame, Orion, Running Man, as well as other nebulous regions. Click alt for more info #astronomy

Barnard’s loop (part of which is seen at the top of the pic) is a huge structure as big across as 20 moons side-by-side.

It is a remnant of a supernova that exploded millions of years ago. It is faint, but may be seen as a fuzzy patch in exceptional skies.

The much brighter other objects in the pic are (bottom: M42, the Orion Nebula); (center: IC434 the Flame Nebula, and the dark Horsehead Nebula). Other nebulosities from the region are also visible.

Equipment:
135 mm Askar quint telescope.
2600 MC camera
NBZ filter
AM5 mount
240mm guide scope with 120 MC camera
30 x 300 sec subs stacked in DSS
Processed in StarTools

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Doug Balogh @astro-doug.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

Our interstellar visitor, comet 3I/Atlas has been getting lots of press. After several unsuccessful attempts, the skies cooperated at 4:00 AM today and I got a pic of it. Will be closest to Earth on Dec 19th, and visible with a small scope in dark skies. Click ALT for more info #astronomy

Comet 3I/Atlas is an interstellar comet, meaning it does not orbit our sun like other comets. Rather, calculations based on its trajectory suggest it arrived from a region near the center of the Milky Way.

Its age has been speculated to be in the 5+ billion year old range, making it possibly older than our solar system.

Only 2 other interstellar comets have ever been detected. One in 2017, and another in 2019.

There have been all kinds of wild claims about the comet, such as it moves like an alien spaceship, because of an unusual acceleration. The observed non- gravitational acceleration has been explained as outgassing caused by warming by the sun which acts like a jet propelling the comet. But some people sure have gotten lots of notary with outlandish alien claims.

The close approach brings the comet about 180 million miles from Earth, which isn’t terribly close, but is close enough to see with a backyard scope.

Its age will remain visible for another couple of months, but will be gradually fading from its current mag 12. Best seen now before sunrise.

Tech stuff
Skywatcher 120ED
ZWO 533 camera
IR/UV filter
ZWO AM5N mount
30 sec subs.
5 stacked in DSS
StarTools to process

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Doug Balogh @astro-doug.bsky.social · 13/12/2025

Merry Christmas from the Cosmos! 🎄 NGC 2264 normally appears totally red in color. However, I decided to have a little fun and “decorate the tree” for the holidays. Despite how this appears, I didn’t add anything to the image, rather I subtracted. Click ALT on the pic for more info #astronomy

Merry Christmas from the Cosmos! 🎄

This is a cluster of stars in a nebulous region referred to as NGC 2264, or the Cone Nebula/Christmas Tree cluster. It’s located about 2700 light years away in the constellation Monoceros. This normally appears totally red in color. However, I decided to have a little fun and “decorate the tree” for the holidays.

Despite how this appears, I didn’t add anything to the image, rather I started subtracting things. I started with an image of the cone nebula that I took an over a year ago. I removed the stars and began subtracting red, leaving the green and blue. I ended up removing a lot of red and some blue. I then increased the color saturation and added back a softened version of the stars.

The effect, bears no color resemblance to the actual nebula, of course, but it seems just right for the holidays!

A happy holiday season to all.

Doug

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Doug Balogh @astro-doug.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

Meet Algol - the Demon Star. Every 2.87 days it dims from mag 2 (about as bright as Polaris), to nearly gone to the unaided eye. This is a binary star system where a large dim star periodically eclipses its brighter but smaller companion star. Click ALT in the 1st pic for much more #astronomy

Algol at full brightness.

Algol, aka “The Demon Star”, or “beta-Persei”, is a famous variable star whose periodic dimming was first noted in antiquity. Algol translates in Arabic to “ghoul.” In the constellation Perseus, Algol represents the eye of Medusa, which turned living things into stone. In the night sky Perseus, holding the Medusa’s head, has turned the Kraken into stone, thus saving nearby Cassiopeia.

Every 2.87 days, this star dims from magnitude 2 (similar to the North Star - Polaris) to mag 3.5 which approaches the limit of visual observing. I took the two pictures on successive evenings, Nov 26th and 27th. I used a telescope to capture the detail, and of course, everything is brighter that it would appear to the eye.

Note the detail of the small stars near Algol on both pics. During the dimming period (2nd pic), you can see much more of these small stars, as Algol dims.

What’s going on??? In one of my previous posts, I talked about star systems where 2 (or more) stars orbit each other. That’s what’s happening here. A small bright star is eclipsed when a larger dimmer star passes in front of it. These stars are so close together that a telescope cannot resolve them. And the 2.87-day dimming cycle is the time for one complete orbit! Imaging the Earth flying around the sun in 2.87 days. That’s a very short year, and by that clock - I would be 9284 years old!

The ancient anstonomers may have noted this dimming phenomenon thousands of years ago, and the Egyptian calendar associated the dimming with unlucky days. Documentation is lacking however to be absolutely certain if the connection.

At mag 2 and 3.5, you can see the dimming without a telescope. Observe Algol at regular brightness. Note the surrounding stars and make notes. Then return when Algol has dimmed. It will nearly have disappeared to the eye. A schedule can be found at: https://skyandtelescope.org/observing/the-minima-of-algol/

My 3rd pic shows where you can find B-Persei…

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Doug Balogh @astro-doug.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

Saturn’s rings are GONE! (They aren’t really, we just can’t see them.) How is this possible? Pics taken 2 yr ago, 2 mo ago, and last night. The rings are only 30 feet thick. Viewed edge-on it’s not surprising we can’t see them at 825 M mi. Click ALT on the 1st pic for more info. #astronomy

Picture taken in 2023.

Saturn is famous for its beautiful rings. But if you point your telescope at the planet tonight, you will find the rings are GONE!

While the rings span 175,000 miles across, they are only 30 feet thick. Yes, not a typo, 30 FEET thick.

Saturn (like Earth) rotates on an axis that is not perpendicular to its orbit around the sun. So we mostly view Saturn when it is either tilted away or toward us. During the times of greatest tilt, we get to see the rings in all their glory. The picture I took 2 years ago wasn't during the time of the greatest tilt, but the rings are still impressive.

Then sometimes, Saturn's axis of rotation is exactly perpendicular to Earth. During this time, we are looking at the rings edge-on. At a distance of 825 million miles away and being only 30 feet thick, it's not surprising that we cannot see them, unless we are using a powerful telescope.

My big telescope does pick up a faint shadow of the rings, but to the eye, they are gone. I can actually change the contrast of my image and to make them totally disappear, but I thought that would be cheating!

We only get to see this phenomenon once every 17 years, so you don't want to miss this. Right now, we will have a couple of weeks where the rings are "gone". Get out your telescopes and have a look. Saturn is just to the South of over-head around 10:00 at night, and it is the brightest object in that area of the sky. Easy to find. What a special treat to see Saturn with no rings!

Enjoy,
Doug

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Doug Balogh @astro-doug.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

Pluto, our famous dwarf planet has eluded my camera for years. Not any more! I captured it 2 nights ago, confirming location using 2 independent references. Pluto is 6x smaller than our moon, averaging 3.9 billion miles away, so understandably hard to find. Click ALT for more info #astronomy

Pluto is located in the Kuiper belt, a region of objects well beyond Neptune’s orbit. Pluto’s wild elliptical orbit has it averaging 3.9 billion miles away from the sun. But it periodically can actually be closer than Neptune!

Light from Pluto takes about 5.5 hours to reach us.

Despite its tiny size (1/6 the mass of our moon), Pluto has 5 moons. Charon is the largest at nearly 1/2 the size of Pluto itself.

Pluto was demoted from a planet and re-classified as a dwarf planet when astronomers changed the definition of a planet. One of the criteria for planet-hood is that a planet must clear its orbit of material. Pluto has not done this.

Pluto’s position was verified using both ASI Air Plus, and Stellarium/NINA.

Tech stuff:
Skywatcher 120 ED
ZWO 533MC
ZWO AM5-N
Askar FMA 135/ZWO 120MC
5 x 300 sec subs stacked in ASI Deep-Stack
Processed in StarTools

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Doug Balogh @astro-doug.bsky.social · 12/10/2025

Supernova’s are rare. Last in our Milky Way was over 200 years ago. So to see them, we need to look outside our galaxy to other galaxies. Turns out, one ignited in July, in Galaxy NGC7731. It is fading, but still visible. My image from about a week ago. Click ALT in pic for more info #astronomy

Supernova 2025rbs is type 1a supernova.
A type 1a occurs when a binary star system is made up of white dwarf and red giant stars. The white dwarf collects hydrogen from the red giant until it has collected enough for nuclear fusion to occur. The result is a bright star for a while. But in a matter of weeks, the fuel gets used up and it fades out and goes dark. The arrows point to it in my pic.

2025rbs first lit up in mid July this year. It has been fading since. A telescope with camera is required to see it now.

Visually, the galaxy NGC7331 is located near the constellation Pegasus. But unlike the actual stars in Perseus, NGC7331 is about 40 million LY away. So the supernova 2025rbs resides that far away as well.

Wish I had imaged it a month ago when it was brighter, but well, this is still pretty cool!

Tech stuff:
ZWO SeeStar S50
About 500 10 sec exposures stacked
Bortles 7 skies, waxing Gibbous moon.

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Doug Balogh @astro-doug.bsky.social · 28/09/2025

This is the North America Nebula - so named because of it’s shape. It is a massive gas / dust cloud located near Cygnus. To the lower right lies the Pelican Nebula. This is a massive object about 4 moons x 3 moons. The red color is due to ionized hydrogen gas. Click ALT for more info #astronomy

The North America Nebula (NGC7000, center) is a massive cloud of hydrogen gas and dust. In 1890, German astrophotographer, Max Wolf, noted the shape and coined the name.

Lower right is the Pelican Nebula (IC5070). The name Pelican Nebula was adopted due to the resemblance to a flying pelican. The flying bird is facing upward with the small nebula with the bright star in between, serving as the feet.

These are located about 2500 LY away from us. The North America Nebula alone is about 90 light years in diameter, and appears visually the size of 4 x 3 moons side by side.

Recent research has actually shown that these structures are actually one giant gas cloud. The reason that they appear as two nebulae is because there is a dark band of dust (L935) that obscures light positioned between them.

There is one powerful star positioned in between the two nebula, providing the ultraviolet energy that making both of these glow. Were the dust cloud not there, it would appear as one of the brightest stars in the sky.

In dark skies, binoculars or a telescope are required to see it. A camera is needed to get details.

I took this over 2 nights.

Scope: RASA8 (400mm fl)
Camera: ASI 2600mc
Mount ZWO AM5N
Control: ZWO ASI AIR plus
50 mm Svbony guide scope/ ASI 120mm
DSS
Processed in StarTools
5 min subs x 130
Stacked the best 80%

Clear skies,

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Doug Balogh @astro-doug.bsky.social · 24/09/2025

This is the Andromeda galaxy. It is the nearest complete galaxy to us at about 2.5 M LY away, containing over a trillion stars. So bright, it can be seen with the unaided eye in clear skies. My pic is the first. The 2nd was in Astronomy Magazine this month. Click ALT for more info #astronomy

Andromeda Galaxy, M31

So named because it resides in the constellation Andromeda. Andromeda, as you recall was the princess saved by Perseus from the Kraken.

M31, a barred spiral galaxy, is huge with over trillion stars - estimated to be 3X bigger than our Milky Way. It is also visually huge - bigger than 6 moons in length and 2 moons across. Note the two satellite galaxies, M210 (below center) and M32 (located in the upper arm left of center. These are both dwarf galaxies.

At 2.5 million LY away M31 is the closest complete galaxy to ours. It’s diameter is estimated to be 152,000 LY. Interestingly, M31 is moving towards the Milky Way, and the two are expected to merge in a few billion years!

To be clear, M31 is not the closest galaxy to us. There are, of course, an estimated 50+ dwarf galaxies that surround our Milky Way, but these lack a complex structure, and are thought not to have a black hole in their centers. Many of these dwarf galaxies are much more like star clusters.

I’ve taken many pics on M31 over the years. While an easy target because of the brightness, bringing out details without over processing - which makes it look artificial - has always been challenging. I think I was finally successful. You be the judge.

Scope: RASA 8
Camera: ASI 2600 MC
Mount: Celestron AVX
Guide: Sbvony 50mm/ASI 120 mini
Control: ASI Air Plus
Stack: DSS
Process: StarTools

Exposure: 180 sec X 120 subs collected over 2 nights.
I stacked the best 70% of the subs.

The first pic is mine from a couple of nights ago. The 2nd pic was published in Astronomy Magazine this month. It is the work of: Adriano Anfuso.

Andromeda Galaxy

Picture published in Astronomy Magazine, October 2025. Work of: Adriano Anfuso.

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Doug Balogh @astro-doug.bsky.social · 19/09/2025

How often have you looked up in the sky and seen a star and thought..... "OK. That's just another star", and you move your attention to something else? Well, to be honest, I used to do so too. Not necessarily anymore. Click ALT on pics for the star’s names and more info #astronomy

Polaris

When we think about orbiting objects, we naturally think about the planets. But actually it is common for stars to orbit other stars as well. For this to occur, the stars must be close enough that they become gravitationally bound to each other. These systems are called binary star systems. Almost always, the stars are close enough together that they visually appear as a single star to the eye.

A famous example is Polaris, our North Star (shown below). Visually a single star, but with a telescope the small companion star emerges.

Another popular double star is Albireo. With one blue and one yellow star it is a visually striking example binary system and popular with backyard astronomers because of the easily-distinguished colors.

But the fun doesn't stop there!. There are triplet and quadruplet star systems as well. The star Omicron Cygnus (below) is a triple star system. It is also known as the red, white, and blue star system. To the eye it appears as one star, but with binoculars or a telescope, it is easily resolved into the three stars. The red is center, the blue is left and the white is right. The different colors are because these are different types of stars.

Epsilon Lyra is an even more complex system made up of four stars. Two closely paired binaries are orbiting each other. It is particularly striking because of the symmetry. It is a single star to the eye. Separating it into two stars is easily done with binoculars, but to resolve the tight binaries, you will need a good scope. But what a treat when you see it!

So grab your binoculars and telescopes. To locate these, open up your favorite phone app and it will guide you to these gems. All are visible in the Northern Hemisphere this time of year.

Clear skies,
Doug

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Doug Balogh @astro-doug.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

This is my re-do of the Tulip Nebula, SH 2-101. It’s an attractive nebula, but what makes it even more interesting is that the black hole Cygnus X-1 is nearby. It is in a binary system where Cygnus X-1 and an observable star orbit each other. So cool! Click ALT for more info #astronomy

The indicated star is Cygnus X-1. The binary pair consists of a supergiant star (about 20 solar masses), and an estimated 15 solar mass black hole. The pair is located about 7000 LY from us. Cygnus X-1 is one of the strongest X-Ray sources from space that we can detect. It produces X-Ray bursts that last milliseconds.

The pair orbit each other every 5.8 days.
You cannot see the black hole, of course, but it presence is detected because of the effect it has on the companion star and the effect of the high-energy X-Rays on the surrounding area.

The Tulip Nebula (SH2-101) is not the easiest target to image. At mag 9, it is a requires lots of data collection and cooperative skies. In fact its total brightness is less than that of the star we were talking about. It is an emission nebula, about 6000 LY from Earth. It was first catalogued in 1959.

SH 2-101 is a challenging target to image. It’s located in the Milky Way and there are tons of stars in front of it. To enhance it, I removed the stars, developed the nebula alone hi, and then added it to the image containing the stars.

Clear skies,
Doug

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Doug Balogh @astro-doug.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

This, the Eastern Veil Nebula, is the other half of the supernova remnant that I posted yesterday. The debris expanding over the past 15K years or so, giving the current very large structure. Both are particularly beautiful due to the amount of oxygen (blue). Click ALT for more info #astronomy

I took this image of the Eastern Veil Nebula (NGC6992) last night. I’ve imaged it several times over the years, but haven’t been satisfied enough to share till now. The Western Veil Nebula that I posted yesterday is the other half of it.

The Eastern Veil Nebula, is part of the remnants of a supernova from a massive star, some 20x bigger than our sun. That exploding star (supernova) created this massive cloud of dust and gasses. Astronomers estimate the explosion took place some 10-20,000 years ago. The supernova would have then been brighter in the sky than Venus and visible in the daytime sky - even though it is about 2,400 LY away.

Since the supernova, the remnants have expanded to about 3 visual degrees which is equivalent to 6 moons lined up. So this is a BIG object in the sky! It’s fun to think what our night sky would look like if objects like this were brighter (or closer).

This is located near an arm of the Milky Way, near Cygnus the Swan, so there are plenty of stars in the background. It is positioned almost directly overhead at midnight this time of year - but you will need a telescope equipped with a camera to see it. Nearby stars are bombarding this gas/dust cloud with energy, making it glow. The red is from the presence of hydrogen, and the blue from oxygen.

Satisfied with the detail in this pic.

Enjoy,
Doug

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Doug Balogh @astro-doug.bsky.social · 31/08/2025

The Witches Broom Nebula is the remnant from a supernova from 10-20K years ago. Nearby stars energize the dust/gas cloud that formed from the explosion and make it glow. It’s a big object - as long as 6 moons side by side. Telescope needed to view. Click ALT for more info #astronomy

I took this image of the Western Veil Nebula (NGC6960) last night. I’ve imaged it several times over the years, but haven’t been satisfied enough to share till now.

The Western Veil Nebula, or Witches Broom Nebula, as it is also called, is the remnant of a supernova from a massive star, some 20x bigger than our sun. That exploding star (supernova) created this massive cloud of dust and gasses. Astronomers estimate the explosion took place some 10-20,000 years ago. The supernova would have then been brighter in the sky than Venus and visible in the daytime sky - even though it is about 2,400 LY away.

Since the supernova, the remnants have expanded to about 3 visual degrees which is equivalent to 6 moons lined up. So this is a BIG object in the sky! It’s fun to think what our night sky would look like if objects like this were brighter (or closer).

This is located near an arm of the Milky Way, near Cygnus the Swan, so there are plenty of stars in the background. It is positioned almost directly overhead at midnight this time of year - but you will need a telescope equipped with a camera to see it. Nearby stars are bombarding this gas/dust cloud with energy, making it glow. The red is from the presence of hydrogen, and the blue from oxygen.

Let your imagination run a little bit, and you can see how it got its nickname of the “Witches Broom.”

Enjoy,

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Doug Balogh @astro-doug.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

I was collecting the tulip nebula last night. The nebula is faint and will require lots more data. But my research led to find that the indicated star is a binary star with a as its partner. Not that much to look at, but fun to know about. #astronomy Click ALT for more info.

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Doug Balogh @astro-doug.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

Scope is a Celestron C11. ZWO 533Mc camera; IR/UV cutoff filter; ZWO AM5N mount. Not guided because I took videos. ASI AirPlus controller. Abt 2000 frames each. Stacked 40%.

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Doug Balogh @astro-doug.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

Saturn’s moon Titan casts its shadow on Saturn where we Earthlings can see it once every 15 (or so) years. Even then, you have to be in the right location. North America was the right location for 2025. I took these last night. Click ALT on the first pic for more info #astronomy

$You can see Titan’s shadow on the upper left of Saturn. In my next picture taken about 30 min later, you can see the shadows moved towards the center of Saturn, due to the orbit of Titan, wrt the location of the sun. My 3rd pic is purposely over exposed to show the moons Rhea (far left), Titan left high above the rings, and Dione (right immediately above the ring). Titan is the 2nd largest moon in the solar system (Jupiter’s Ganymede is the largest). To put that in perspective, Titan is larger than the planet Mercury. The 15-year-ish cycle is due to Saturn’s tilt on its axis, so like Earth, it has seasons. Its long slow orbit around the sun account for the long cycle. So for a shadow to be seen from Earth, Titan must be in just the right spot. Titan orbits Saturn once every 16 days, so we actually get to see the shadow about a half dozen times on a 16 day cycle during the transit year. Then Saturn’s tilt changes enough and the shadow no longer hits Saturn. Aug 29, Sept 4, and Sept 20 are the last chances to see the transit. You will need a pretty good telescope, however to see the shadow. I tried my 4” 900 mm refractor, but was disappointed. Tech stuff: Scope 11” SCT focal length 3000 mm Mount: ZWO AM5N Camera: ZWO 533MC Video: about 40% of 2000 frames stacked$ Titan’s shadow mid transit, Aug 3 4:50 AM, EDT

Titan’s shadow mid transit, Aug 3 4:50 AM, EDT

Saturn’s moons Rhea (far left), Titan (left above the rings), Dione (right just above the rings).

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Doug Balogh @astro-doug.bsky.social · 31/07/2025

The Messier catalog is a popular list of astronomy targets for backyard astronomers, and I’m working my way through it. I have about 50 so far out of 110. I will be periodically updating this post as I add more images. For more on Charles Messier, click on ALT #astronomy

Charles Messier was an astronomer active in the late 1700’s. His interest was comets, and he would sit in his roof-top in Paris and search the heavens at night.

Of, course, light pollution was not a thing in Paris at that time.

The best telescopes of the time were about as powerful as the beginner scopes are today. Thus, to Messier, the objects we now to know as galaxies, star clusters and nebulae appeared only as fuzzy patches of light. Just like the comets he was searching for.

So to avoid confusion on whether he was finding a new comet, or simply finding one of these non-comet objects, he created a catalog of the objects he did not want to find again. Other astronomers of the time helped him and the list grew to 100 objects. Later 10 more objects were added, and the list now stands at 110 objects.

The Messier Objects catalog is very popular with backyard astronomers because many of the objects in it are fairly bright making them easy to locate for the amateur.

It’s kind of funny to think that this list of unwanted objects, is now the # 1 list for amateur astronomers.

I expect to be conspiring all of these in about 6 months. Some are not visible for a while.

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Doug Balogh @astro-doug.bsky.social · 30/07/2025

Yesterday was an active day for solar flares. It takes a special Hydrogen alpha telescope to see solar flares. One of my better. The sun goes through an 11-year activity cycle in which the poles flip. Mid cycle is the most active time. Click ALT for much more info #astronomy

According to various sourses:
Solar flares are sudden, intense bursts of electromagnetic radiation from the sun's atmosphere that appear as bright flashes of light. Flares occur near sunspots where opposite magnetic fields meet. They can last minutes to hours and release energy, light, and high-speed particles into space.

Flares are often linked to coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which are solar magnetic storms. When CMEs are aimed at Earth, we may be treated to Northern Lights, and may experience interruption of communications and GPS.

The sun’s magnet field switches on an 11-year cycle. Solar activity is most intense during the middle of the cycle, which we are in now. It is not understood why the magnetic poles flip. In a few years, the sun’s magnet field will be “calm” and there will be long periods without any sunspots or flares.

I have included NASAs image, and have oriented my image to align with NASAs. The NASA image was taken from space, with highly specialized equipment, but it is interesting to compare what we can see on Earth vs NASA.

Tech stuff:
Scope - Lunt LS50, double stack
Camera - ASI 533MC
Stack: ASI video stack
Process: Mac
Image is a composite to enhance the flares.

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Doug Balogh @astro-doug.bsky.social · 27/07/2025

NGC543 aka Cat's Eye nebula is the most complex known to exist. Center is a dying Wolf-Rayet star responsible for creation. It has a very faint outer ring. The small core/larger faint ring make this a challenging target. I ended up using 2 different scopes. Click ALT for much more info #astronomy

NGC543 aka the "Cat's Eye" nebula is a planetary nebula located in Draco. Discovered in 1876 by William Herschel, it is one of the most complex planetary nebulae known. Hubble has revealed knots, jets, bubbles and complex arcs, illuminated by a central hot planetary nucleus. At the center of it all is a dying Wolf-Rayet star. In addition, the Hubble has shown a dart-board pattern of concentric rings emanating from the center. There is also a much fainter and larger outer ring. Wow, right!

Located about 3000 LY from us, the nebula is estimated to be about 1000 years old (meaning it is actually 4000 years old now).

Wolf-Rayet (W-R) stars are exceedingly rare. Of the 100 billion stars in the Milky Way, only about 1000 are estimated to be W-R stars. W-R stars are abt 20x bigger than our sun, all that mass causes them to live out their lives in only 1 million years instead of the 10 billion years like our sun. As a result, they burn 20x the fuel 10,000x faster than our sun. Their short lives are incredibly bright! The dying W-R is throwing off materials as it dies which has formed the complex structures in the nebula. Eventually, the W-R will explode into a supernova destroying this nebula, but leaving behind other remnants which may form a new nebula.

The size of the core is 20" (90x smaller than the moon) and it appears as a faint fuzzy star to the eye. Include the outer ring and the size is about 6 arc minutes (1/4 the size of the moon). Taking a single picture of the core and the faint outer ring is difficult. Instead, I took 2 images using different scopes. The star at 8:00 in the core pic sits on the ring.

Tech stuff:
Scopes (core): C11; (ring): RASA 8
Mounts (core): AM5N; (ring): AVX
Camera: ZWO2600 MC (used same camera on both)
Guides (core): Skywatcher 50ED-ZWO 290MM; (ring) SVbony 60mm-ZWO120MC
Subs (core): 2 sec x 120; (ring): 5 minutes x 40
Stacking (core): ASI Deep Stack; (ring): DSS
Processing: StarTools (both)

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Doug Balogh @astro-doug.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

NGC7129 is a delightful star cluster & nebula region in Cepheus. Quite the busy place! 1st, it’s a star-forming region with over a 100 stars less than a mil years old. Then, it also has reflection, emission, and dark nebulosity. Taken over last 2 nights Click ALT for much more info #astronomy

This is NGC7129, sometimes referred to as the rosebud nebula. It is a wonderful space object to observe. It’s located in the constellation Cepheus, about 3,300 light years from us. It’s close enough to Polaris that it remains above the horizon all year, but the summer is by far the best time to observe it - at it’s highest in the sky. Because of the small size and low brightness, this a challenging target for a backyard astrophotographer.

Though small (about 1/4 the size of the moon) and faint (magnitude 11.5), it is loaded with different types of objects. First, this a star cluster of over 130 stars. Many are very young, less than 1 million years old. By contrast, our sun is over 4.5 billion years old. So this is a very active star-forming region of space. These energetic stars energize the region, and we can also easily see emission (red) and reflection (wispy large bluish area) nebulas. Finally there is also a dark nebula region (4:00 - 5:00 in the picture), where clouds of gas and particles obscure stars behind - noted by the absence of stars in that area.

I photographed this over the last 2 nights. Enjoy.

Tech stuff:
Celestron C11
ASI 2600 camera
ASI AM5N mount
ASI Air Plus
Filter: IDAS D3
Bortles 7 sky
new moon
Skywatcher ED50 guide scope with ASI 290mm cam.
Exposure: 300 sec
About 80 subs stacked using DSS
Processed: StarTools

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Doug Balogh @astro-doug.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

Took this last night of M101, the Pinwheel Galaxy. M101 is located abt 22MLY away. It’s located near the constellation Ursa Major. Visually, it is the size of the moon, but you will need a telescope to see it. Click on ALT for more info. #astronomy

M101 is one of the galaxies in the group of galaxies that the Milky Way is gravitationally bound to, and at 22MLY away, it is a neighbor.

It is classified as a face-on counterclockwise intermediate spiral galaxy.

Tech stuff:
Celestron C11
AM5N mount
ASI AIR Plus
Skywatcher ED50 guide w/ 290MM cam
ZWO 2600 MC camera
30 x 6 min subs
DSS
Processed in StarTools

(It can use another 12 hrs of subs to bring out more clarity! I’ll work on that)

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Doug Balogh @astro-doug.bsky.social · 03/06/2025

Taken last night, M5, is a globular star cluster in the Milky Way, 25,000 LY away in Serpens. It is one of the oldest star clusters with many of its 100,000 stars approaching 12 B years old. Star clusters are held together by the star’s mutual gravity. Click Alt for more # astronomy

First discovered in 1702 by Gottfried Krish, M5 is among the oldest star clusters in the Milky Way. Many on the stars are estimated to be 12 billion years old. By contrast, our sun is not even half that old. For stars to be that old they must be small stars (large stars burn up more quickly).

Clusters are fascinating objects. The mutual gravity of all the stars holds them all together, and they travel around the Milky Way as a unit.

It is 160 LY across, and at magnitude 5.6 can be seen easily with a small telescope as a fuzzy white patch (which is likely more than what Kirch saw in 1702 with his early telescope). Add a camera, and the individual stars pop out.

Details:
10” Newtonian
fl= 1200mm
ZWO asi 533MC
ZWO AM5N mount
Svbony 60 mm guide scope with ZWO 120 MC camera
ASI AIR Plus
120 sec exposure
120 subs collected
Stacked about 110 in DSS
Processed in StarTools

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Doug Balogh @astro-doug.bsky.social · 25/05/2025

The Whirlpool Galaxy Finally a clear night! This is the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51). M51 is the process of merging with the smaller galaxy (NGC5195). Note how the arms of M51 are distorted by the gravitational forces of NGC5195. Enjoy, Doug Click Alt for more info. #astronomy

M51 is located about 25-30 million LY away in the constellation Canes Venatici. It is also very near the handle of the Big Dipper.

It is about 80,000 LY in diameter. First observed by Charles Messier in 1773, it wasn’t recognized as a galaxy until Edwin Hubble discovered a way to determine great distances.

It is a face-on grand-design spiral galaxy, and is a popular target for astronomers.

The spiral arms are rich in star-forming regions, which can be seen as bright spots in the arms.

Tech stuff:
Skywatcher 250P
ZWO 533MC
ZWO ASI AIR Plus
Filter: IDAS D3
SVBony 60 mm guide scope with ZWO 120MC cam
DSS: stacked 36 subs (300 sec)
Processed: Star Tools
Sky: Bortles 7 (Indiana)

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Doug Balogh @astro-doug.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

Spring is galaxy season for astronomers. Our orbit around the sun takes us out of the plane of the Milky Way and gives us a clear view beyond. This is our neighbor, Bode’s galaxy M81, named after Johann Bode, first to discover it in 1774. Click + Alt for more info #astronomy

$M81, is a grand-design spiral galaxy located about 12 M LY away, in the constellation Ursa Major. A 70 million solar-mass black hole resides at the center. It’s diameter is approximately 90,000 LY, making it about 1/2 the size of our Milky Way. It is estimated to contain over 250 billion stars. Given its brightness and size, it is a popular target for amateur astronomers. M81 is in the same group of galaxies as the Milky Way, bound gravitationally, so we are moving through space together along with a number of other galaxies. Tech stuff: 120mm APO refractor ZWO AM5 mount ZWO 533MC camera IDAS D3 filter Exposures: 180 sec x30; 300 sec x 90 Stacked: DSS Processed: StarTools$

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Doug Balogh @astro-doug.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

I imaged APM 08279+5255 last night. Light from this quasar traveled 12.1 B LY to get here, making it the furthest object a backyard astronomer can see. At 33 B solar masses, this quasar is huge, and the light is some 10^14 x that of the sun. #astronomy

I took this last night. You are looking at one of the most distant objects in the universe. It is MOST interesting.

APM 08279+5255 is a quasar. A quasar is a supermassive black hole that is feeding at a stupendous rate. This, one of the largest black holes known, and is estimated to be about 23 billion solar masses. As materials fall into the black hole they give off energy. In this case an estimated 10^14 x the energy of our sun. (That’s 10 with 14 zeros after it!) This quasar outshines the entire galaxy that it is in the center of. But this is just the beginning of this story!

The light here has traveled 12.1 billion light years to get to us. That means this galaxy and quasar was formed shortly after the Big Bang, and is one of the oldest structures in the universe.

It gets better…… because the universe is expanding like a loaf of baking bread, this quasar is now located 23.6 billion LY away from us! Credit Edwin Hubble (as in the telescope) for discovering the expansion. Note the red color. As the universe expands, wavelengths are stretched shifting, light frequencies toward the red wavelengths.

Oh, it gets even better….. it turns out there is an another galaxy located directly in front of this quasar, blocking the view. “What?!” You say!
Well, a galaxy has so much mass that it bends light. The light from the quasar behind the galaxy is being bent around it and it is actually being focused by that galaxy making it 4-10x brighter than the quasar would normally be. This phenomenon is called gravitational lensing. [Einstein predicted this, by the way!)

The name: it comes from the Automated Plate Measuring system, and refers to coordinates.

Finally, this is a tough target at apparent magnitude 15. Took me some time to find it. But definitely worth the effort!!!

10” Newtonian
ZWO AM5
ZWO 533MC
IDAS D3 filter
Subs: 300 min x 4 (until my mirror fogged)
DSS
StarTools

Enjoy,

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Doug Balogh @astro-doug.bsky.social · 23/03/2025

@bot.astronomy.blue signup Took this of M87 2 nights ago in central IN. Just right of center what you are seeing is a 4000 LY long plasma jet shooting out from the supermassive black hole, 55 mil LY away. 10” Newtonian ZWO 533MC ZWO AM5 ASI Air Plus IDAS D3 120 sec x 100 stacked DSS StarTools

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Doug Balogh @astro-doug.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

Took this last night of the Eskimo Nebula (NGC2382). 6500 LY from us. Located in Gemini. Reminant of a supernova, the central star provides the energy that causes the dust/gas cloud to glow. It’s small size make it a challenging target to get detail. Enjoy

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Doug Balogh @astro-doug.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

The lunar eclipse, night of March 13-14 will promises to be an event not to miss. As the earth passes between the sun and the moon, light passing through the earth atmosphere bends and illuminates the moon in a red color. I took this pic in 2022 at the last eclipse. Peak time will be 3:00 AM EDT.

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Doug Balogh @astro-doug.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

I hosted a star party last night. 5 planets were visible. A young girl and her father passed stoped by to look through the scope. Venus filled the eyepiece and she exclaimed “That’s the moon!” Love her enthusiasm, and explained Venus has phases too. Jupiter turned out well too. Enjoy,

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