CCAS Astrophotography
Here are photographs taken by our members. If you have original photographs that you would like posted on our site, please contact us!

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NGC 2264 by Dave Hockenberry NGC 2264, the Christmas Tree Cluster and Nebulosity in Monoceros. Stack of 10 5-minute images with Starlight Xpress SXVF H9C camera through Televue NP101is, stacked, median processed and stretched in MaxIm DL5. No filters. Autoguided with Meade LX200R and SX Lodestar camera through MaxIm.. Occasional hot pixel removal with Photoshop CS3. Shot the night of 12/13/09.

C14, The Double Cluster by Dave Hockenberry C14 - the "Double Cluster" in Perseus (NGC 884 and NGC 869) shot with SXVF H9C color camera through TeleVue NP101is, stack of 48 70-second images. Autoguided with Meade LX200R and Lodestar guide camera, Maxim DL guiding software. Stacked and median filtered, color adjusted with Maxim DL. Some hot pixel removal in Photoshot CS3. Taken on 11/18/2009.

NGC 2024, The Flame Nebula by Dave Hockenberry NGC 2024 - the Flame Nebula in Orion. Shot with Starlight Xpress SXVF H9C color camera, stack of 11 five-minute images, through Televue NP101is APO refractor, autoguided with Meade LX200R and Maxim DL5. Images stacked and processed with MaxIm DL 5, stretched and adjusted with MaxIm. Taken on 10/26/2009.

NGC 7635, The Bubble Nebula by Dave Hockenberry NGC 7635, the Bubble Nebula in Cassiopeia. Stack of 14 5-minute images, through TeleVue NP101is with Starlight Xpress SXVF H9C color camera, no filters. Autoguiding 'scope Meade LX200R. Stacked, autoguided, SD mask processed and color adjusted with Maxim DL5 software. Some of the open cluster M52 is visible in the lower left hand corner. Frankly, it was the star field in this picture that made my jaw drop more than the Bubble itself. I sure didn't see all those stars when looking visually through my Panoptic lens!! Shot on 10/26/2009.

NGC 1977, The Running Man by Dave Hockenberry NGC1977, the Running Man Nebula in Orion. Stack or 11 five-minute images, through Televue NP102is, with SXVF H9C color camera, autoguided with Meade LX200R telescope, autoguided, stacked, and color adjusted with Maxim DL5, minor color balance adjusted in Photoshop CS3. Shot on 10/20/2009.

NGC 7293, The Helix Nebula by Dave Hockenberry The Helix Nebula, also known as The Helix or NGC 7293, is a large planetary nebula located in the constellation of Aquarius. The Helix Nebula lies about 700 light-years away, spanning about 0.8 parsec or 2.5 light-years. LX200R F/6.3, SXVF H9C, stack of 13 images 5 minutes each, processed with Maxim DL. Shot 10/20/2009.

Great Orion Nebula by Dave Hockenberry Great Orion Nebula - I call this shot "The Comma before the Storm." The heart of Orion nebula shot through TeleVue NP 102is, with SX H9C color camera. Stack of 10 90-second images plus 10 2-mimute images. Autoguided with Meade Lx200R 'scope and Maxim DL5 software. Stacked and median processed, color adjusted with Maxim DL5, Curves and channel balanced with Photoshop. Taken on 10/20/2009.

M33, Triangulum by Dave Hockenberry M33 in Triangulum. Shot through TeleVue NP102is APO refractor, with Starlight Xpress H9C color camera, stack of 13 5-minute images. Autoguided with Meade LX200R telescope and Maxim DL5. Stacked and processed with Maxim DL5/SD Mask, curve and color adjusted in Photoshop Cs3. Shot 10/19/09.

M27, The Dumbbell Nebula by Dave Hockenberry M27, the Dumbbell Nebula in Vulpecula. Stack of 13 images, 5 minutes each, Meade 10" Lx200R focal reduced F/6.3, with Starlight Xpress SXVF H9C color camera, autoguided with Stellarvue 70 mm refractor, stacked and autoguided with Maxim DL, curve stretched and slight color adjustment with Photoshop CS3. Taken 10/4/09.

M74 by Dave Hockenberry Photo of M74 taken 09/20/09, under some difficult cloud conditions, stack of 15 5-minute images with Starlight Xpress VF color camera, through Meade Lx200R 10" scope focal reduced F/6.3. Autoguided and stacked with MaxIm DL, guide scope Stellarvue 70mm. Hot pixel removal and slight color adjustment in Photoshop CS3.

C43, The Faint Fuzzy by Dave Hockenberry The "faint fuzzy" in Pegasus mag. 10.5. Taken 8/17/09 with a Meade DSI3Pro B&W camera, stack of 9, 4 minutes each, autoguided with MaxIm DL, stacked in AIP4WIN and final smoothing/stretching in Photoshop CS3. About 2/3 to the left and a little more that 1/2 way up the image forming a triangle with two brighter stars is IC5381, an even "fainter fuzzy" galaxy that incidentally found itself in the field of view. As usual, the telescope used was a Meade LX200R, F/6, autoguided with Stellarview 70 mm.

M16, The Eagle Nebula by Dave Hockenberry Close up of the "Pillars of Creation" in the Eagle Nebula. Stack of 7 images, 4 minutes each, Starlight Xpress SXFV-H9C color camera, taken 8/13/09 with Meade LX200R 10" F/6 reduced, auto-guided with Meade Envisage, stacked and Bayer array color synthesis with SX software and color adjusted in Photoshop.