The Great Conjunction

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This december Jupiter and Saturns position in the sky are very close. This is a very rare event. I hiked above the fog to capture it before clouds rolled in for the next few days.

Wide angle image showing the fog covered Rhine Valley in Vorarlberg, the moon to the left and right above the clouds to the right Jupier and the much fainter Saturn.
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NGC7000 – The North America Nebula

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With the Z6 now my main camera for general photography I sent of my trusty Nikon D750 to modify it by filter removal. The camera is now still fully functional, but he color temperature settings are off, and red response has changed significantly. With the ongoing bad weather I was happy to have an evening with reasonably clear skies and set up the Baby Tak on the Vixen Polarie with the D750a using an L-enhance filter. While the camera capturing 30s exposures I used another scope on the big mount to photograph Mars.

NGC7000, 182x30s, Nikon D750a, Takahashi FS-60CB, Vixen Polarie, Optolong L-enhance Filter
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M16 – The Eagle nebula

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M16 has become famous with the famous image of the Hubble telescope showing the pillars of creation. They are also visible in the center of the image below.

This was a first, quick test with the 0,75x reducer (27TVPH) – but I think focus was not good, so my judgement about the quality of the image the focuser delivers is not final yet.

The Eagle Nebula – M16 30x120s, Nikon D750, Astro-Physics 127mm f/8 with 0,75x reducer.
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NGC4565 – a springtime favourite

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NGC 4565 the Needle Galaxy, Astro-Physics 127mm f/8 refractor, QHY163c, Meade LXD650 mount, 30×180 sec., darks, flat, processed in Deep Sky Stacker, Fitswork, Photoshop and Lightroom

I find edge-on galaxies especially pleasing, I guess this is the reason while I return to NGC4565 so often.

While the images were captured, the Starlink satellites which launched yesterday passed almost through the Zenith. They were still very closely grouped, and changed dramatically in brightness when the culminated almost in the Zenith. Here are some images of that pass:

Soon after reaching their highest point in the sky, they entered Earth’s shadow and became unobservable.