Major Page Update

 My Equipment Page Update Published

After a few months of work, I've published a major revision to the My Equipment Page. Click here to view the new page. Hope you like this new format. Feel free to leave a comment. 

Clear Skies!

Ernie

Quick Post: SN2026aaiv in NGC 7331 from BMO

Another Type Ia Supernova Appears in NGC 7331

In July 2025, Supernova 2025rbs was discovered in NGC 7331 and became one of the brightest supernovae of the year. It was a Type Ia supernova. On September 1, 2026, another Type Ia supernova was discovered in the same galaxy: SN2026aaiv. NGC 7331 is well placed for observation at this time of year, high in the constellation Pegasus and transiting the meridian around midnight. Because the galaxy is about 45 million light-years from Earth, the light from this supernova began its journey 45 million years ago. NGC 7331 is the most prominent galaxy in a field known as the Deer Lick Group, and the smaller companion galaxies are often called the Fleas.

The Buffalo Astronomical Association held its September 2026 monthly meeting on Friday, September 11. Our observatory director and several other members joined the Zoom meeting from the club's dark-sky observatory in North Java, NY: Beaver Meadow Observatory, or BMO. I could not join them at the observatory, but I attended via Zoom. After the meeting, we opened a breakout room for astrophotography and kept the Zoom going until after 1 a.m. Our target for the evening was the new supernova in NGC 7331. The skies were clear and quite good, and the team collected 32 five-minute exposures with the Celestron 14" EdgeHD telescope, OGMA AP26CC camera, and Astro-Physics AP1200 mount. The data was shared with the group, and this post shows my processing of it. I hope you enjoy the images!

Below are three versions of the image: the processed view, a marked version showing the supernova's location, and a fully annotated version for orientation.

Image 1: SN2026aaiv in NGC 7331

SN2026aaiv in NGC 7331 captured on September 11, 2026, from the BMO.

Image 2: Marked View of SN2026aaiv

Image with markers identifying the position of SN2026aaiv.

Image 3: Annotated Image of SN2026aaiv in NGC 7331

Annotated image of SN2026aaiv in NGC 7331.

Conclusion

Friday was packed with astronomy activity: our club's monthly meeting, a guest speaker on collecting exoplanet data with amateur equipment, time on Zoom with the imaging group while they captured SN2026aaiv in NGC 7331, and even some imaging from home for me. Clear skies, good friends, and a bright supernova made it a great night indeed!

WR 134 (V1769 Cyg)

 Three Nights, One Target ...

This is a personal best for me—not only for total exposure time, but for the patience and persistence it took to capture a target I’ve wanted to image for years. WR 134 is faint, subtle, and notoriously difficult, especially from Western New York, where clear nights are rare and I don’t have the luxury of an observatory. Across three nights, I collected 10 hours and 47 minutes of data—my longest integration to date—and finally gathered enough signal to reveal the delicate OIII bubble surrounding this Wolf–Rayet star.

I processed the image in an HOO palette, mapping hydrogen-alpha (Hα) to red and doubly ionized oxygen (OIII) to green and blue. Because I used a dual-narrowband filter, I captured both emissions at the same time and separated them during processing to build the final composite. Here’s the resulting image:

Image 1: WR 134 (V1769 Cyg)

Image 1: WR 134 (V1769) captured from my backyard over 3 nights in August & early September.

What is it?

Before getting into the equipment and processing details, it’s worth pausing on what makes WR 134 such a compelling subject. The image is not just a pretty field of stars; it captures the visible imprint of a massive star losing material into space and shaping the gas around it.

Object type: Wolf–Rayet star with an ionized wind-blown bubble

WR 134 (also known as V1769 Cyg) is a highly evolved Wolf–Rayet star: a massive, hot stellar core in its final stages of life that is rapidly shedding material. With a surface temperature of about 63,000 K and a luminosity roughly 400,000 times that of the Sun, it drives extreme stellar winds reaching speeds up to 1,700 km/s. Those winds carve out a faint, expanding bubble of ionized gas, visible in narrowband emissions such as hydrogen-alpha and doubly ionized oxygen. The nebula in this image is not a supernova remnant; it is a wind-blown shell, sculpted by continuous mass loss from the star rather than by a single explosive event.

Location in the sky: Cygnus, within the Cygnus OB3 association

WR 134 lies in the rich star fields of Cygnus, only about a degree from the similar Wolf–Rayet star WR 135. Both stars are part of the Cygnus OB3 stellar association, a region filled with massive, short-lived stars. This area sits along the bright band of the Milky Way, making it an excellent target for summer and early autumn imaging. Refer to the finder chart (Image 2) below.

Distance / size / scale

Gaia DR3 measurements place WR 134 at approximately 6,000 light-years from Earth. The surrounding bubble is faint and relatively small compared to supernova remnants, but its structure is revealed beautifully in narrowband imaging—especially in HOO composites where the oxygen-rich arcs stand out sharply against the hydrogen background.

Visual features

The nebula around WR 134 is dominated by:

• Blue-green OIII arcs tracing regions where the fast stellar wind shocks and ionizes surrounding gas.
• Red Hα emission marking slower-moving hydrogen swept up from the interstellar medium.
• Curved, filamentary structures that hint at the star’s rotational wind patterns and possible corotating interaction regions—large-scale structures in the wind that create repeating arcs in long-exposure images.

In HOO processing, these features combine into a distinctive ring-like bubble with layered shells and wisps extending outward.

Why it matters

WR 134 offers a rare look at stellar mass loss in real time. Wolf–Rayet stars shed enormous amounts of material before eventually exploding as supernovae. The bubble around WR 134 shows how these winds shape and enrich the interstellar medium long before the final explosion. WR 134 is also historically significant: it was one of the first stars ever identified as a Wolf–Rayet object due to its unusual emission-line spectrum, helping astronomers define an entire class of massive, short-lived stars.

Image 2: Finder Chart for WR 134 (V1769 Cyg)

Image 2: Finder Chart for WR 134 (V1769).

Prominent Objects in the Field

Object 1: WR 134 (V1769) - Wolf-Rayet Star and associated "Bubble" nebula. The star is located very near the center of the image as indicated in image 3 below. The associated nebula or Oiii ring is concentric to the center of the image.

Object 2: LBN 182 — Large emission nebulosity located from the middle of the frame toward the bottom center. WR 134 and its OIII ring appear embedded within LBN 182.

Object 3: Sh2-104 - A faint emission Nebula located about 14,000 light-years from Earth. It can be found in the upper left of the image. 

Additional details: Open star clusters NGC 6871 and NGC 6883; various dark nebulae, including B146, B147, and multiple Lynds’ Dark Nebulae (LDN); and multiple bright nebulae from Lynds’ Bright Nebulae (LBN).

Image 3: Annotated image of WR 134 (V1769 Cyg)

Annotated image of WR 134 (V1769 Cyg).

Imaging Details

·       Capture dates: August 20, August 28, and September 6, 2026.

• Location: Eden, NY
• Target: WR 134 (V1769 Cyg)
• Total integration: 10 hours and 47 minutes total
• Exposure breakdown:
• 8/20/2026: 74 subs at 180 sec each
• 8/28/2026: 44 subs at 300 sec each
• 9/6/2026: 41 subs at 300 sec each
• All Exposures: Gain = 100, Offset = 50, and Sensor Temp = -10° C
• Filters: Optolong L-eXtreme
• Moon / sky conditions:
• 8/20/2026: Moon 52% First Quarter, transparency = average, and seeing = average.
• 8/28/2026: Moon 100% Full, transparency = above average, and seeing = average.
• 9/6/2026: Moon 26% Waxing Crescent, transparency = above average, and seeing = average.

Equipment Used

• Telescope / lens: Askar FRA400
• Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
• Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
• Filters: Optolong L-eXtreme
• Guiding: ZWO 30 mm Mini Guide Scope / ZWO ASI290MM
• Control / acquisition software: N.I.N.A & PHD2
• Other accessories: PrimaLuceLab Sesto Senso 3 & SvBony 241 Pro

Processing Details

• Calibration frames: 50 Darks, 50 Flats, & 50 Dark Flats
• Calibration and integration: All pre-processing was performed in PixInsight 
• Background correction: GraXpert
• Color Calibration: SPCC
• Deconvolution: BlurXTerminator
• Stretching: Multiscale Adaptive Stretch
• Star Removal: StarXTerminator
• Noise reduction: NoiseXTerminator
• Adjust Histogram: Histogram Transformation
• 2nd Application of Noise Reduction: NoiseXTerminator
• Create HOO Image: Narrowband Normalization Process
• Reduce Halos: Combination of Dodge and Burn Process and Blemish Blaster Script
• Sharpen: Image Blend Script (High Pass Filter)
• Enhance Dark Structure: Dark Structure Enhance Script
• Contrast and Saturation: Curves Transformation
• Star processing: 
• Increased star saturation with Curves Transformation
• Removed Green Noise with SCNR
• Removed Magenta color from stars with Correct Magenta Stars Script
• Combine Starless and Star Images: Pixel Math (screen stars)

Conclusion

This target was definitely a challenge. Imaging with a one-shot color (OSC) camera and a dual-narrowband filter with a relatively wide 7 nm bandpass put me at a slight disadvantage. The first two sessions were completed under a bright Moon, which affected the OIII signal more than the Hα signal. Adding the third session, when the Moon did not rise until after the target had dropped below the horizon, helped bring out the faint OIII structure. I may eventually upgrade to a tighter-bandpass filter or even a mono camera with separate emission-line filters, and if I do, I could add that new data to this project. For now, though, I have no immediate plans to change it. This image is done, and I’m pleased with it.

This project reminded me how much faint structure rewards patience. Three nights, three different Moon phases, and a lot of careful processing came together to reveal a bubble I’ve wanted to capture for years.

Barnard's E

 An unplanned imaging session ...

Saturday, August 15, 2026, was supposed to be an outreach night at Penn Dixie Fossil Park & Nature Reserve for Stargazing in Hamburg. The event was cancelled on Friday because of logistical issues and conflicting forecasts. By Saturday afternoon, of course, the forecast had turned clear. Transparency was still poor because of wildfire smoke, and an 11% waxing crescent Moon would set around 9:30 PM, so I quickly searched my target lists for a broadband object to image. I settled on the dark nebulae B142 and B143, which together form Barnard’s E Nebula. I usually spend much more time planning an imaging session with tools like Telescopius, AstroBin, and NINA’s Framing Wizard. This time, the session was improvised. After collecting the data and processing the image, I was disappointed with the framing and thought the image was a lost cause. Then I posted it on our astronomy club’s forum, and several people whose opinions I trust talked me “off the cliff.” I still think the image would be stronger if the “E” were more centered, even if that meant giving up B334, B336, and B337 on the right side. But I also like the contrast between the star colors and the dark nebulae, and the sheer number of stars in the image is breathtaking. I hope you enjoy it too.

Image 1: Barnard’s E Nebula

An image of Barnard's E captured from my backyard on August 15, 2026 with my wide-field deep-sky imaging rig.

Before getting into the technical details, here is a quick overview of what Barnard’s E is and why this region is so striking in a wide-field image.

What is it?

Object type: Dark nebula — Barnard’s E Nebula is the combination of two dark nebulae, B142 and B143. Together, their shape resembles the letter E. Dark nebulae are dense interstellar clouds, often molecular clouds, that block visible light from stars and other background sources.

Location in sky: Barnard’s E is in the constellation Aquila, near the bright star Altair. It is one of many deep-sky gems within the Summer Triangle asterism and is best placed for evening viewing from June through October. See the finder chart in Image 2.

Distance / size / scale: Estimated distance is about 2,000 light-years from Earth. Barnard’s E spans roughly 30 arcminutes in apparent size, about the apparent diameter of the Full Moon.

Visual features: Inky black clouds superimposed on top of a rich field of stars in the heart of the Milky Way.

Why it matters: Dark nebulae are not empty patches in the sky; they are cold, dense clouds of gas and dust. In their central regions, gravity can pull material together tightly enough for new stars to begin forming.

Image 2: Finder chart for Barnard’s E Nebula

Finder Chart for the image of Barnard's E. The red rectangle indicates the field of view of the image.

Prominent Objects in the Field

Object 1: Barnard’s E Nebula is composed of two dark nebulae, B142 and B143. The “E” is located on the left side of the image. E. E. Barnard’s catalogue of dark nebulae was published in 1919.

Object 2: On the right side of the image, three faint dark nebulae are loosely connected. From top right to bottom right, they are B337, B336, and B334.

Additional details: There are several Lynds’ Dark Nebulae (LDN) on both sides of the image. Lynds’ Catalogue of Dark Nebulae was published in 1962 by Beverly Lynds.

 Image 3: Annotated image of Barnard’s E Nebula

An annotated version of the image of Barnard's E.

Imaging Details

·       Capture dates: August 15, 2026.

• Location: Eden, NY
• Target: Barnard’s E Nebula
• Total integration: 4.73 hours total
• Exposure breakdown:
• 8/15/2026: 284 subs at 60 sec each
• Gain = 100, Offset = 50, and Sensor Temp = -10° C
• Filters / channels: N/A
• Moon / sky conditions:
• 8/15/2026: Moon 11% waxing crescent, transparency = poor, and seeing = fair/good.

Equipment Used

• Telescope / lens: Askar FRA400
• Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
• Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
• Filters: N/A
• Guiding: ZWO 30 mm Mini Guide Scope / ZWO ASI290MM
• Control / acquisition software: N.I.N.A & PHD2
• Other accessories: PrimaLuceLab Sesto Senso 3 & SvBony 241 Pro

Processing Details

• Calibration frames: 50 Darks, 50 Flats, & 50 Dark Flats
• Calibration and integration: All pre-processing was performed in PixInsight
• Background correction: GraXpert
• Color Calibration: SPCC
• Deconvolution: BlurXTerminator
• Stretching: Multiscale Adaptive Stretch
• Noise reduction: NoiseXTerminator
• Contrast and Saturation: Curves Transformation
• Star processing: Increased star saturation with Curves Transformation. Stars were not removed; a mask was used to protect the background.
• Final cleanup: Applied contrast adjustments with Curves Transformation

Conclusion

Sometimes images don’t turn out the way you expected. Even so, the result can still be pleasing and can spark a sense of beauty and wonder about the cosmos. The contrast between the colorful stars and the inky black wisps of dark nebulosity makes this image successful in my eyes. I am still struck by the sheer number of stars in the frame: all of those suns, each likely surrounded by at least one planet, and possibly more.

First Light with the FRA400 – The Witch’s Broom

 A shakedown session with a new imaging rig ...

A few months ago, a longtime local Astronomy Friend reached out to let me know he was selling his Askar FRA400 Astrograph. This was exactly the telescope I was looking for, and I bought it from him. Clear skies and my free time finally aligned, providing an opportunity to set up and test out this new imaging rig.

In this post, I’ll walk through the first-light shakedown for the FRA400 rig, the troubleshooting that got the new focuser working reliably, and the final image of NGC 6960. The goal was not only to capture a beautiful summer target, but also to learn whether this telescope assembly could become an easy swap-in companion to my wider-field FMA180 Pro setup.

The goal was to create a telescope assembly that could be swapped easily with my Askar FMA180 Pro rig. A few accessories still needed to be added, including an electronic focusing motor and a power/data distribution box. Since the telescope purchase was unplanned but too good to pass up, it took a while to get all the pieces in place. The telescope was mounted on a Losmandy/D-style dovetail plate from ADM Accessories. A PrimaLuceLab Sesto Senso 3 electronic focusing motor was installed on the telescope’s focuser, and an SvBony SV241 Pro data/power control box was installed using the finder-scope shoe on the telescope. Then I just had to wait for clear skies.

Sunday, July 19th, was forecast to be clear. I installed the telescope and camera on the mount and made a first attempt at cable management. Everything was moved into position in my backyard, leveled, and connected to electricity well before dark. Before sunset, I powered everything up and connected all the devices to the software I use for imaging. I set up profiles in NINA and PHD2, found the correct COM ports, and verified that everything connected and worked.

Once it was dark, I ran into a major issue that prevented me from going forward. The focus motor was not working properly. The first time I told it to move inward by a small amount, it moved the focuser outward and would not stop. I had to pull the power to stop it. After recalibrating it in the PrimaLuceLab Play software, I returned to NINA but could not get repeatable results. After several hours, I packed everything up and headed in for the night.

I checked the mechanical connections between the focus motor and the telescope, but everything was tight. I also ran some bench tests inside. The focuser behaved properly in the Play software but not in NINA. Thankfully, the Sesto Senso 3 manual is very well written. It notes that if third-party software produces erratic focuser behavior, the focuser should be connected through Device Hub instead of directly to the ASCOM driver in software such as NINA. Apparently, Device Hub acts as a buffer and smooths out communication between the device and the imaging software. Now all I needed was another clear night.

Thursday, July 23rd, was forecast to be clear. I got everything set up after dinner and waited for dark. Success! Everything worked. After polar aligning the scope and calibrating PHD2, I needed to select a target. The constellation Cygnus passes high overhead in the summer, stays above the horizon through astronomical dark, and is rich with targets, especially targets compatible with narrowband filters. With these factors in mind, I chose the Western Veil Nebula (NGC 6960) in Cygnus for first light with my new imaging rig based on the Askar FRA400. As luck would have it, I was able to image for a few more hours on the following night, Friday, July 24th.

The Western Veil Nebula (NGC 6960) is a beautiful object that is part of the Veil Nebula, also known as the Cygnus Loop complex. Click here for a link to a widefield image of the entire complex. NGC 6960 is also called the Witch’s Broom. Fleming’s Triangular Wisp, as well as many other filaments, is contained within the field of view. The red filaments are made of hydrogen, specifically hydrogen-alpha emission, and the green-blue filaments are from oxygen, specifically OIII emission. These emissions make the region a suitable target for a dual narrowband filter like the Optolong L-eXtreme that I intended to use.

Image 1: The Witch’s Broom and Fleming’s Triangular Wisp

An image of The Western Veil Nebula (NG6960 and Fleming's Triangular Wisp captured on July 23 & July 24 from my backyard with my new deep sky imaging rig based on the Askar FRA400 telescope.

What is it?

Object type: Supernova remnant — About 10,000 to 20,000 years ago, a star roughly 20 times more massive than our Sun exploded as a supernova. The shell of gas and dust from that explosion is still expanding rapidly. When this fast-moving material runs into slower-moving gas and dust in the surrounding region, it heats and ionizes the material, producing the glowing filaments we see today.

Location in sky: NGC 6960 is in the constellation Cygnus, one of the many deep-sky gems located within the Summer Triangle asterism. It is best placed for evening viewing from June through October. Refer to the finder chart in Image 2.

Distance / size / scale: Estimated distance ranges from 1,400 to 2,600 light-years from Earth. The apparent size of the Witch’s Broom is about 70.0 × 6.0 arcminutes, and it is about 53.1 light-years in length.

Visual features: The red filaments of ionized gas and dust represent hydrogen-alpha emission, while the green-blue filaments trace doubly ionized oxygen, known as OIII. The most prominent feature is the Witch’s Broom, roughly centered on the bright star 52 Cygni. Fleming’s Triangular Wisp is also prominent in the field.

Why it matters: NGC 6960 gives us a view of cosmic recycling: material from a dead massive star expanding into space, enriching the surrounding region for future generations of stars. It is also one of the most recognizable parts of the Cygnus Loop, making it a favorite summer target for visual observers and astrophotographers.

Image 2: Finder chart for the Western Veil Nebula (NGC 6960) and Fleming’s Triangular Wisp

Finder Chart for the Western Veil Nebula (NGC6960) and Fleming's Triangular Wisp. The red rectangle indicates the field of view of the image.

Prominent Objects in the Field

Object 1: The Western Veil Nebula, also known as the Witch’s Broom or NGC 6960 — Near the top center of the image, centered on the bright star 52 Cygni — A bright, filamentary section of the Cygnus Loop supernova remnant.

Object 2: Fleming’s Triangular Wisp — Left Center of the frame — Filaments in a triangular shape (Also referred to as Pickering’s Triangular Wisp)

Object 3: 52 Cygni — Top center of the Frame — Bright double star

Additional details: NGC 6979 & NGC 6974 are two irregular patches of filaments 

 Image 3: Annotated image of the Western Veil Nebula (NGC 6960), Fleming’s Triangular Wisp, 52 Cygni, NGC 6974, and NGC 6979

This annotated version identifies the major nebulae and bright stars in the field of view.

Imaging Details

• Capture dates: July 23^rd & July 24^th, 2026.
• Location: Eden, NY
• Target: NGC 6960 (The Western Veil Nebula or The Witch’s Broom) and Fleming’s Triangular Wisp
• Total integration: 7 hours total
• Exposure breakdown:
• 7/23/2026: 85 subs at 180 sec each
• 7/24/2026: 55 subs at 180 sec each
• Gain = 100, Offset =50, & Sensor Temp = -10° C
• Filters / channels: Optolong L-eXtreme
• Moon / sky conditions:
• 7/23/2026: Moon 69% Waxing Gibbous Moon, Transparency = Poor, & Seeing = Fair/good.
• 7/24/2026: 78% Waxing Gibbous Moon, Transparency = Poor, & Seeing = Fair.

Equipment Used

• Telescope / lens: Askar FRA400
• Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
• Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
• Filters: Optolong L-eXtreme
• Guiding: ZWO 30 mm Mini Guide Scope / ZWO ASI290MM
• Control / acquisition software: N.I.N.A & PHD2
• Other accessories: PrimaLuceLab Sesto Senso 3 & SvBony 241 Pro

Processing Details

• Calibration frames: 50 Darks, 50 Flats, & 50 Dark Flats
• Calibration and integration: All pre-processing was performed in PixInsight
• Background correction: GraXpert
• Color Calibration: SPCC
• Deconvolution: BlurXTerminator
• Stretching: Multiscale Adaptive Stretch
• Star Removal: StarXTerminator
• Noise reduction: NoiseXTerminator
• Contrast and Saturation: Curves Transformation
• Sharpening: Image Blend Script w/high Pass filter & Unsharp Mask process
• Star processing: Increased Saturation with Curves Transformation, removed green noise with SCNR, and corrected magenta stars by inverting the image and applying SCNR
• Final cleanup: Applied contrast adjustments with Curves Transformation to the starless image, then recombined the starless and star images with Pixel Math

Conclusion

Astrophotography rigs are complicated, and setting up a new one can present plenty of challenges. Getting the Sesto Senso 3 focuser to work reliably with my telescope and N.I.N.A. was the biggest hurdle in this first-light session. In the end, the effort was worth it: the FRA400 delivered a detailed view of the Western Veil Nebula and proved that this new setup is ready for more targets. I might just have to point it at the Eastern Veil Nebula before the summer is out.

Reprocessing Old Data - Reflection in the Dark - The Iris Nebula

 A long-Overdue Update and a Fresh look at the Iris Nebula

It has been a while since my last post. The past few months have not left much time for imaging or writing, but I have still been active in the hobby - attending NEAF (Northeast Astronomy Forum), participating in astronomy outreach, and working with our club's imaging group to install and tune some new gear.

Since I don't have any data to play with, I decided to try and reprocess some old data with new tools and techniques. I chose my image of the Iris Nebula (Reflection in the Dark). The Iris Nebula is a great test subject for reprocessing because it combines bright reflection nebulosity with dim dark dust. This makes it a challenge to bring out the dark nebulosity and dust without blowing out the brighter regions. You can view the original blog post here.

The two new tools that I used in processing this image were Multiscale Gradient Correction (MSG) and Multiscale Adaptive Stretch (MAS) in PixInsight. MSG is newer tool in PixInsight that removes the gradient in the background of the image. This tool worked well for this image but is not my first choice for gradient removal as it is tedious to use. MAS is new tool for making an image non-linear (stretching). I really like this tool, it allows a lot of control and retains good color saturation. I believe the resulting image has a much cleaner background and the dark dust/nebulosity has improved contrast. 

Reprocessed Version of the image:

Reflection in the Dark - The Iris Nebula - Reprocessed in June 2026. Image originally captured in May 2023.

Before and After Slider:

Processing Details:

Linear Processing:

• Started with existing master from original processing run
• Spectrophotometric Flux Calibration (prerequisite for Multiscale Gradient Correction)
• Multiscale Gradient Correction to remove the gradient
• BlurXTerminator (Correct Only) to fix any star aberrations
• Spectrophotometric Color Calibration to color calibrate and neutralize the background
• BlurXTerminator (Full) to perform deconvolution and sharpening

Non-linear Processing:

• Multiscale Adaptive Stretch to make the image non-linear
• StarXTerminator to remove the stars

Non-linear Process - Starless Image:

• NoiseXTerminator to remove noise
• Histogram Transformation to make adjust the histogram after noise reduction
• Create HDR Script to recover detail in bright areas of the image
• NoiseXTerminator - additional noise reduction
• Curves Transformation to add Saturation
• Curves Transformation to add intensity and contrast
• Image Blend Script for sharpening
• Exponential Transformation for additional intensity and contrast

Conclusion:

It was fun to come back to older data and rework it with newer tools and techniques. This project was a good reminder that old data can still have something new to offer, especially as processing tools improve and our own skills continue to develop. Hopefully the stars align soon and I am able to collect some new data. In the meantime, stay curious and keep looking up!

Clear Skies!

Ernie

Wide‑Field Astrophotography of Orion: Horsehead, Flame, and Orion Nebula in RGB + Hα

 Two clear Sundays in a row ...

Orion is one of the most popular constellations for astrophotography. With showpiece objects like the Orion Nebula and the Horsehead Nebula, you can’t go wrong pointing your telescope there on the few clear winter nights we get. Sunday, March 1st was forecast to be clear, so I slewed my telescope to the central spine of the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex — framing the Horsehead/Flame region and the Orion Nebula (M42/M43), with the Belt stars Alnitak and Alnilam anchoring the field.

The Moon was nearly full that night, so I used my Optolong L‑eXtreme filter to tame the bright sky. The following Sunday, March 8th, was also clear, but this time the Moon didn’t rise until after midnight. That gave me a chance to capture the field in broadband RGB with no filter. The final image is a composite of the RGB data from March 8th and the Hα extracted from the dual‑narrowband data from March 1st.

Image 1: RGB + Ha image of the central spine of the Orion molecular Cloud Complex

RGB + Ha image of the central spine of the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex captured from my backyard on 3/1/2026 & 3/8/2026.

What is it?

This field captures the central spine of the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex, one of the richest and most active star‑forming regions in the night sky. The combination of bright emission nebulae, dark dust clouds, reflection nebulae, and massive blue stars makes this area a favorite for both astrophotographers and professional astronomers.

Image 2: Annotated image

An annotated version of the image.

Prominent Objects in the Field

Horsehead Nebula (B33) - The Horsehead Nebula, also known as Barnard 33, is a dark nebula silhouetted against the red glow of the emission nebula IC 434. Its dense dust cloud blocks the background light, creating the distinctive horse‑head shape that makes it one of the most recognizable objects in the night sky.

Flame Nebula (NGC 2024) - The Flame Nebula is an emission nebula next to the leftmost star in Orion’s Belt, Alnitak. Dark dust lanes cut through the bright emission region, and smaller branches of dust radiate outward, enhancing its resemblance to a flickering flame.

Orion Nebula (M42) & De Mairan's Nebula (M43) - M42 is arguably the most popular target for amateur astronomers (both visual and astrophotography).  This area is a bright H II region and an active stellar nursery. M42 is a massive star forming region and is (astronomically speaking) relatively close to the Earth. M43 is just north of M42. M42 and M43 are separated by a dark dust lane.

Running Man Nebula (Sh 2‑279) – The Running Man is a combination of emission and reflection nebulae located just north of M42 and M43. Bright blue starlight reflects off surrounding dust while faint H II emission fills the background, creating the distinctive “running” silhouette that gives the nebula its name. 

Alnitak and Alnilam - Alnitak is the leftmost star and Alnilam is the middle star in Orion's belt. Both stars are bright Type O/B stars. 

How big is it?

For reference, the Moon has an apparent size of 31 arcminutes.

Horsehead Nebula (B33) - The Horsehead Nebula has an apparent size of 6 x 4 arcminutes on the sky with an actual diameter of 2.8 light-years (ly). 

Flame Nebula (NGC 2024) - The Flame Nebula has an apparent size of 30 x 30 arcminutes on the sky with an actual diameter of 7.1 ly.

Orion Nebula (M42) & De Mairan's Nebula (M43) - M42 has an apparent size of 85 x 65 arcminutes on the sky with an actual diameter of 34.7 ly. M43 has an apparent size of 20 x 15 arcminutes on the sky with an actual diameter of 10.2 ly.

Running Man Nebula (Sh 2-279) - The Running Man Nebula has an apparent size of 40 x 25 arcminutes on the sky with an actual diameter of about 15 ly.

How far is it?

Distance estimates for the Nebulae in this image range from 1,260 to 1,600 ly from Earth.

Alnitak is about 740 ly and Alnilam is about 2,000 ly from Earth.

How to find it?

Refer to the red rectangle in the finder chart below. 

Let's start with the easiest objects to find, Alnitak and Alnilam. Alnitak is the leftmost star and Alnilam is the middle star in Orion's Belt. Both Stars are visible with just your eyes, and can be seen from just about anywhere.

Just below Orion's belt are three stars (maybe 2 depending on light pollution and sky conditions) known as His Sword. M42 is the middle "star" in the sword. Visible to the naked eye (light pollution and sky conditions depending) as a fuzzy star. Easily observed in binoculars and telescopes. 

The Horsehead is "easy" to find but very difficult to actually see (visually). Think of trying to see a black smudge on a black tablecloth. Although it is difficult to visually observe, it is relatively easy to image. To visually observe the Horsehead Nebula, a 10" or larger telescope, H-beta filter, and dark skies are required. The Horsehead is located about 1 degree south of the bright star Alnitak (the leftmost star in Orion's belt). 

Image 3: Finder Chart

Finder chart for the field.

Processing:

My goal with this image was to preserve natural star colors from the RGB data while using Hα to enhance the emission structures in IC 434, the Flame Nebula, and the extended nebulosity around M42. The workflow below reflects that balance.

Narrowband Workflow:

Linear Processing: 

• Gradient removed with MSG. 

• The narrowband image was aligned to the RGB image with Star Alignment. 

• The registered image was cropped using Dynamic Crop and the instance of the process was saved to the desktop so it could be used to duplicate the crop on the RGB image. 

• BlurXTerminator was used for deconvolution

• The stars were removed with StarXTerminator. (The narrowband stars were not saved)

• Noise was reduced with NoiseXTerminator. 

• The image was made non-linear with Generalized Hyperbolic Stretch. 

Non-linear processing: 

• The image was separated into the R, G, & B channels using Channel Extraction. 

• The R image was used as the Ha image and the B & G (Oiii) images were discarded.

RGB Workflow:

Linear Processing: 

• Gradient was removed with MSG. 

• The image was cropped to duplicate the narrowband images with the saved instance of Dynamic Crop.

• BlurXTerminator was performed in correct only mode. 

• Color calibration was performed with SPCC.

• BlurXterminator was used for deconvolution.

• The stars were removed (and saved) with StarXTerminator.

Starless linear processing:

• The image was made non-linear with Generalized Hyperbolic Stretch.

Starless non-linear processing: 

• The toolbox CombineHawithRGB script was used to blend the Ha into the RGB image.

• I used the CreateHDRImage script to tone down the core of the Orion Nebula.

• Image blend was used for sharpening by using the high pass filter. 

• CT was used to enhance color and color saturation.

Star Processing:

• Stars were stretched with Seti Astro's Star Stretch script.

• CT was used to enhance color and saturation.

Final Blend

• The stars were screened back into the starless image with PixelMath. 

Image Details:

Narrowband Image:

Capture Date: 03/01/2025

Location: Eden, NY

Telescope: Askar FMA180 Pro

Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro

Filter: Optolong L-eXtreme

Mount: Sky-Watcher USA EQ6-R Pro

Exposure: 45 exposures @ 180 sec each for a total exposure of 2 hours and 15 minutes. All exposures were captured at Gain 100 / Offset 50 / -20°C each.

Software: NINA, SharpCap Pro, PHD2, and PixInsight

RGB Image:

Capture Date: 03/08/2025

Location: Eden, NY

Telescope: Askar FMA180 Pro

Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro

Filter: N/A

Mount: Sky-Watcher USA EQ6-R Pro

Exposure: 108 exposures @ 60 sec each for a total exposure of 1 hour and 48 minutes. All exposures were captured at Gain 100 / Offset 50 / -10°C each.

Software: NINA, SharpCap Pro, PHD2, and PixInsight

Total Integration Time: 4 hours and 3 minutes

Clear Skies!

Ernie