Astrophotography at Bortle 5

A favorite target of astrophotographers is the Veil Nebula (NGC 6992).    The nebula is so large that it spreads out over the night sky over six times the diameter of our Moon. This nebula is the remnants of a star that was 20 times larger than our Sun.    That star died in a supernova around 10,000 years ago, sending its clouds of heated and ionized gas and dust in space.    When the light of the explosion finally reached Earth, it would have been brighter than Venus at night and visible during the day.   Emissions from the nebula shows the presence of hydrogen II, oxygen, and sulfur.    The Veil nebula is located in the constellation of Cygnus, the Swan.   It is approximately 2100 light years away in our cosmic backyard of the Milky Way. Be sure to check out my latest video on the Veil Nebula on my YouTube channel.   Until next time, clear skies! Enjoy learning more about Astronomy and Astrophotography?   Come explore with me with my newsletters and YouTube channel. For my Astrophoto

FIRST ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY IMAGE  Photo Credit:  My First Astrophotography image (January 13 2008) My astrophotography journey began in January of 2008 with a image of the waxing moon.  But astrophotography began long ago in 1839 with Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre, inventor of the daguerreotype process of photography.     To take an image, the daguerreotypist polished a sheet of silver-plated copper to a mirror finish.   They treated it with fumes to make the surface light-sensitive.   Exposed it in a camera to the image to be taken.    Then got the image by fuming it with mercury vapor (I'm sure that was safe), treating it with more chemicals, rinse it, dry it, and finally encapsulated the image in glass to protect the photo. Image Credit:  Public Domain Daguerreotype camera built by La Maison Susse Frères in 1839,  with a lens by Charles Chevalier The imaging process was extensive.   Taking night images of the moon and stars through a telescope had to be really challenging.   To get i

Image Credit:  Galileo Galilei - Public Domain GALILEO GALILEI Galileo Galilei was an Italian physicist, engineer and Astronomer lived from 1564-1642.   He in some ways is considered the first modern scientist.    He invented the thermoscope that would eventually evolve later in the the modern thermometer.   Invented the military compass, that helped perform sophisticated geometric and math calculation (think a calculator)  and is considered  the Father of observational astronomy. TELESCOPES Telescopes were invented around 1608 in the Netherlands.  They were mostly used for surveying and military observations.                                                                        Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech Galileo was among several astronomers that took a telescope to observe the sky and begin to unlock it's secrets.   He kept working on making his telescopes better by refining the design of the telescope to make the magnification go from 3x better to 30x better. Here are some