Latest Image

NGC7822 (part of the Question Mark nebula)

QHY268M / ZWO2600MC / APM LZOS 105-650 with 0.75x Riccardi reducer

Multiple nights from 3rd to 18th November 2022

Ha-Oiii-Si and OSC (RGB) data

LBN437 (Gecko Nebula)

QHY268M / ZWO2600MC / APM LZOS 105-650 with 0.75x Riccardi reducer

21st Sept 2023

Mixture of H-alpha data and OSC (RGB) data

Barnard-150 (Seahorse Nebula)

QHY268M / ZWO2600MC / APM LZOS 105-650 with 0.75x Riccardi reducer

December 2022

M45 - the Seven Sisters - taken on the evening of the 13th and 19th December 2022
QHY268M / ZWO2600MC / APM LZOS 105-650

M13 - The Great Globular Cluster in Hercules

ZWO 2600MC / IDAS ODW / SkyWatcher 250px / 4 hours 51 minutes of exposure in 120s/60s subs

Work in progress of the Iris Nebula NGC7023 - October 2022

The Bubble Nebula NGC7635 - Ha/Oiii - September 2022

Blown by the wind from a massive star, this interstellar apparition has a surprisingly familiar shape. Cataloged as NGC 7635, it is also known simply as The Bubble Nebula. Although it looks delicate, the 7 light-year diameter bubble offers evidence of violent processes at work. Above and left of the Bubble's center is a hot, O-type star, several hundred thousand times more luminous and some 45 times more massive than the Sun. A fierce stellar wind and intense radiation from that star has blasted out the structure of glowing gas against denser material in a surrounding molecular cloud. The intriguing Bubble Nebula and associated cloud complex lie a mere 7,100 light-years away toward the boastful constellation Cassiopeia.

ZWO 2600MC / IDAS NBZ Filter / SkyWatcher 250px / 22 x 300s of data

The Cocoon Nebula IC5146 - September 2022

Inside the Cocoon Nebula is a newly developing cluster of stars. The beautiful nebula is nearly 15 light-years wide, located some 4,000 light years away toward the constellation Cygnus the Swan. Like other star forming regions, it stands out in red, glowing, hydrogen gas excited by young, hot stars, and dust-reflected starlight at the edge of an otherwise invisible molecular cloud. In fact, the bright star found near the center of this nebula is likely only a few hundred thousand years old, powering the nebular glow as it clears out a cavity in the molecular cloud's star forming dust and gas.

ZWO 2600MC / IDAS NBZ Filter / SkyWatcher 250px / 40 minutes of OSC data and 6 hours of Ha data

Hickson Group 44 - March 2022

Hickson Compact Group 44 (also known as the NGC 3190 Group) is a small group of bright galaxies containing three spiral galaxies and an elliptical galaxy, located about 60-100 million light-years away in the constellation of Leo.

A Hickson Compact Group (HCG for short) is a collection of four or five gravitational bound galaxies in close physical proximity to one another, published in a list of 100 objects (462 galaxies) by the Canadian astronomer Paul Hickson in 1982. These groups usually contain large quantities of diffuse gas and are dominated by dark matter. Strong galaxy interactions result and merging is expected to lead to the formation of one, most likely elliptical, larger galaxy.

ZWO 2600MC / SkyWatcher 250px / 7 hours in 120s subframes

Test image of my Orion mosaic - so far I have completed 1 panel, and am part way through the second
There will be 12 panels in total in the complete image
QHY268M / 7nm Ha filter / APM LZOS 105/650

My latest image of M31 testing out my ZWO 2600MC camera and a IDAS P2 light pollution filter

Just one hour of data in 120s subs through an APM 105/650 refractor with a 0.75x Riccardi reducer

Taken on the 8th December 2021

Star trails image taken from home in Cookstown
Nikon D800E, Nikon 28-80mm lens at 28mm F3.3
392 x 15s Exposures at ISO3200 taken on 13 August 2020

Star trails over my dome
Nikon D800E, Tokina 28-70mm F2.6
30s exposures ISO1600 taken on 9th August 2020

Hydrogen Alpha solar image
Lunt 60mm solar scope with ZWO 290MM camera

Widefield image of NGC7000 and IC5070 and surrounding nebulosity
QHYCCD QHY9 mono camera and Nikon 180mm F2.8 lens (at F3.2)
Baader 7nm H-Alpha filter 11 x 1200s exposures
Taken on 9th August 2020
Processed in APP and PS

Subject: Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE)

Date: 19/07/2020

Equipment: Nikon D800E, Nikon 180mm F2.8 lens, Skywatcher Star Adventurer mount

Location: Beaghmore Stone Circles, Cookstown

Exposure details: 100 x 20s exposures, ISO400, F3.5

Aligned on coment and star separately and combined

Subject: Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE)

Date: 19/07/2020

Equipment: Nikon D800E, Nikon 180mm F2.8 lens, Skywatcher Star Adventurer mount

Location: Beaghmore Stone Circles, Cookstown

Exposure details: stacked 20s exposures, ISO400, F3.5

Left: aligned on comet Right: inverted aligned on comet

Subject: Beaghmore Stone Circles Milky Way

Date: 19/07/2020

Equipment: Nikon D800E, Tokina 28-70mm F2.6 lens (at 28mm F4.0) Skywatcher Star Adventurer mount

Location: Beaghmore Stone Circles, Cookstown

Exposure details: 35s exposure, ISO400, F4.0

Subject: Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE)
Date: 11/07/2020
Equipment: Nikon D800E, Tokina 28-70mm F2.6 lens, Skywatcher Star Adventurer mount
Location: Beaghmore Stone Circles, Cookstown
Exposure details: 30s exposure, ISO800, F4.0