Last month I showed you the Heart Nebula—or part of it, anyway, since it was too big to fit in a single frame. Today I've got the nearby Soul Nebula, aka IC 1848. Get it? Heart and soul.
Anyway, the Soul Nebula only barely fits in a single frame, but it's almost all there. And it's a pretty collection of interstellar gas. I went out to the desert for this and got seven hours of exposure time under excellent skies, but even so the result wasn't great. The narrowband filter I used does a good job of making the colors pop, but it introduces some odd streakiness. The final picture was also blotchy and extraordinarily noisy, for reasons I can't figure out. I have good denoising software, but it still has limits. And once again, the blues are weak even though the Soul Nebula has 'em. Partly this is because I have a slow telescope and I just can't capture enough light to show everything.
My other experiment failed completely. A few months ago I made a contraption that allows me to attach my camera to the telescope. I tried it for the first time this weekend, hoping to capture a wide angle view of both the Heart and Soul nebulas. Unfortunately, I must have bumped the focus or something, because every frame came out badly out of focus. I'll try again next time.
BY THE WAY: For my money, the Soul Nebula in my picture looks like a semi-terrified human face. Do you see it? Red hair at the top right; black eye in the upper middle; nose to the left of that; and an open mouth at the bottom. Once you see it, you can't unsee it.
I see the semi-terrified human face. I saw it before you gave us landmarks. Actually, finding faces in random patterns is something I do all the time. And, I'm good at it. Too bad there's no money in it.
It's an old guy snoring.
Face is in profile.
Nice photo.
I believe it was the ventricles and soul if I remember correctly….
Not quite as catchy however
Nice work, Kevin Drum - now how about a close-up of that toolkit lost in the heavens by astronauts?
Lovely, intriguing....I suppose you've done it before, but I'd like to see again, (if you have posted it previously), you camera and telescope set up...shoot it with you cell phone if your real camera is actually attached. Just and Idea, thanks, Traveller
NO, no, no....
You have the eye, then the small nose to the left (and maybe up a little). Follow that profile down and get to pouty lips. Below that, a jutting chin. The red in the lower left is a ruffled collar, not an open mouth.
Much more dignified.
😉
Nice. Maybe he's actually Santa sitting by the fire with red reflection off him.
great photo ! I still think you should run one of the newer automated telescopes along with your current setup. https://skiesandscopes.com/dwarf-ii-vs-zwo-seestar-s50/
When there is a lot of aurora does it affect your exposures?
I see a rocket-powered speedboat executing a hard turn to starboard and currently facing the top right of frame, with two helmeted crew at the controls.
It's a Blue Meanie from Yellow Submarine.
Love it. BTW, that's clearly a Moai.