Learn Astrophotography with Frank!
Check out our online courses, and learn the secrets behind the images on this site! Select one to learn more.
Check out our online courses, and learn the secrets behind the images on this site! Select one to learn more.
That twisted-up galaxy at the top is NGC 3718. We don’t actually know if it’s a spiral or a lenticular galaxy, because the galaxy below it, NGC 3729, appears to have warped it beyond recognition when it passed by it. Also look for the cluster of five more distant galaxies just to the right of…
Located about 1,300 light-years away, the Iris Nebula is a reflection nebula – unlike most of the nebulas on this site, it’s not made of ionized gases emitting light of their own. It’s just starlight reflecting off clouds of dust. Reflection nebula are harder to image in light-polluted skies, since the narrowband filters we use…
11 light years away, the “bubble” itself is formed from the solar wind of the large, hot star inside of it. Imaged with narrowband filters.
I just added a Lunt 40mm solar telescope to the arsenal here… figuring it out was challenging, but eventually I got it working! This ain’t bad for my very first solar image; still lots to learn though.
Also in Hercules, M92 is often passed over for its larger and more dazzling neighbor, M13. But M92 is pretty in its own way! It’s also one of the oldest globular clusters in our galaxy (over 11 billion years old) and has some very interesting background galaxies around it too.
I wasn’t able to travel to the path of totality, but here from Florida we still had a partial eclipse. Here’s my shot at its peak, viewed through a special solar telescope using a Hydrogen-Alpha filter to bring out all the roiling detail of the sun’s surface. Check out those prominences around the edge!
Clicking on both the links on online courses (at http://18.216.0.7/2020/12/16/learn-astrophotography-with-frank/?mc_cid=e5ec7b030e&mc_eid=d2939fb3f3) is giving error. It seems briefly it comes on and then shows the error. I am an enthusiast for astro photography.
Thanks for letting me know! I think this is cleared up now.