the art of astronomy
the art of astronomy
Astrophotographer: Jack B. Newton
Astrophotographer: Mark Sibole
Comet Catalina
Comet Catalina, otherwise known as
C/2013 US10, blazes across the night sky in
this image that Newton captured using a
14” Hyperstar at f/2 and a Canon 40D with
an exposure time of 10 minutes. Originally
misidentified as an asteroid, this stunning
Oort Cloud comet was discovered on Oct.
31, 2013, by the Catalina Sky Survey. After
its brush with the Sun, the comet is likely on
a trajectory that will take it out of our Solar
System.
M27 — Dumbbell Nebula
The bright, double-lobed Dumbbell Nebula shines in this
image by Sibole. Easy to find with binoculars and amazing
in a telescope, this resident of the Vulpecula Constellation
was the first planetary nebula ever discovered. As an
added bonus, the white dwarf that lies at the heart of the
Dumbbell Nebula is larger than any other star of its kind.
To get this image, Sibole used an Explore Scientific 102mm
apochromatic refractor piggybacked on a 10” Meade LX200,
a Starlight Xpress SXVF-H9 camera and a True Tech 8-position
filter wheel.
NGC 2264
In this image, Newton showcases one
of the Monoceros Constellation’s most
outstanding features — NGC 2264. The
diverse components of this celestial
treasure include the star-rich Christmas
Tree Cluster, the brilliant star system S
Monocerotis and the Cone Nebula, which
is 7 lights years long. It was taken with
an Explore Scientific 6” apochromatic
refractor, an SBIG STF-8300C camera and a
total of 245 minutes of exposure time.
NGC 3628
NGC 3628, which is also known as the Hamburger Galaxy,
is an edge-on unbarred spiral galaxy. It also is the faintest
member of the Leo Triplet galaxy group, which also features
the spiral galaxies Messier 65 and Messier 66. Sibole
captured the image using an Explore Scientific 102mm
apochromatic refractor piggybacked on a 10” Meade LX200,
a Starlight Xpress SXVF-H9 camera and a True Tech 8-position
filter wheel.
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