Al Ernst's Image of Comet 46P/Wirtanen

Happy New Year from NJAA...!

To finish off 2018 with a bang, here is an image of comet 46P/Wirtanen shortly after it passed by Capella taken by member Al Ernst from his back yard in Bridgewater, New Jersey.  The image was made using a Televue NP127is scope and a QSI583 camera from  2x2 - 4 ten minute subs while tracking the comet. 

Beautiful shot showing the comet's coma Al, thanks for sharing it.

Keith

NJAA member and astro-imager Tim Schott has built a small observatory a-top his house in eastern Pennsylvania. Below is it's  it's progress to completion. Tim has been an active and knowledgeable deep sky imager over the last few years. He has added some very nice equipment to his repertoire and has is near completion of his custom observatory. What an excellent project it was and the results are amazing!
Keith

This is an artist's rendition of the completed
build







View from roof peak

Wall studs as seen from rear

 Waiting for concrete footings for the steps to be added

Pier and steps will be poured soon

Guys arrive to pour cement

 Pouring the pier

Pier cement finished.
There will be a 6" sand filled pier post on top to provide scope clearance and make up the additional height to the dome base.

The steps are in position

 The dome's floor is in place

 The dome's floor support structure is complete

 The dome is in place

Ta-daaa....!

Now the hard part begins. All the equipment, wiring and calibrations need to begin.

The room below the dome looks great!
His 10" Third Planet Optics RC Truss Scope and Losmandy G11 Mount is completed and on the pier

 His new images will appear separately in this blog...
Keith

M1 Crab Nebula Imaged by Tim Shott

The Crab Nebula (M1) supernova remnant in the Taurus constellation, was pretty well elevated in the night sky for Tim Shott's new 10" TPO RC truss telescope on a Losmandy G11 mount a couple days after Christmas 2017.

He made 10 minute subs totaling 2 hours of exposure with no darks, no flats and no bias.
He doesn't say what he used for post processing but I know he has used BackyardNikon in the past.

It appears that he already has a good knowledge of the functions and settings of his new Nikon D810a ~  looks like it did a pretty good job getting this image for him... Well done Tim.

                                                                    M1 Crab Nebula
Thanks for submitting,
Keith