Virgo Galaxy Cluster

Virgo Galaxy Cluster image, with M87 at the center, taken on February 3, 2025 from Bear Cabin, near Williams, Arizona (Location in Google Maps)

Federico Arribas

Telescope:

Sky Watcher Evolux 62ED | 400 mm | f/6.45

0.9x Reducer/Flattener ---> 360 mm | f/5.8

Camera:

ZWO ASI2600MC Pro | APSC | 6248 x 4176 px

Mount:

Sky Watcher Star Adventurer GTi

Guiding:

SVBONY SV165, 40mm F4 guide scope

ZWO ASI120MM Mini

Control:

ZWO ASIAir Plus

Imaging:

90 minutes integration time

120 seconds subs

GAIN 100

Notes:

Bortle 2

Moon: 18%

Crop: 6221x4147 px

IC 1805 - Heart Nebula

Heart Nebula (IC 1805) taken on February 2, 2025 from Bear Cabin, near Williams, Arizona (Location in Google Maps)

Federico Arribas

Telescope:

Sky Watcher Evolux 62ED | 400 mm | f/6.45

0.9x Reducer/Flattener ---> 360 mm | f/5.8

Camera:

ZWO ASI2600MC Pro | APSC | 6248 x 4176 px

Mount:

Sky Watcher Star Adventurer GTi

Guiding:

SVBONY SV165, 40mm F4 guide scope

ZWO ASI120MM Mini

Control:

ZWO ASIAir Plus

Imaging:

250 minutes integration time

180 seconds subs

GAIN 100

Notes:

Bortle 2

Moon: 18%

Crop: 6000x4000 px

NGC 7000 - North America Nebula

North America Nebula (NGC 7000) taken on July 5, 2024 from Kline-Dodge dark site of the Denver Astronomical Society (DAS) near Deer Trail, Colorado.

Federico Arribas

Telescope:

Sky Watcher Evolux 62ED | 400 mm | f/6.45

0.9x Reducer/Flattener ---> 360 mm | f/5.8

Camera:

Canon EOS 250D | APSC | 6024 x 4020 px

Mount:

Sky Watcher Star Adventurer GTi

Guiding:

SVBONY SV165, 40mm F4 guide scope

ZWO ASI120MM Mini

Control:

ZWO ASIAir Plus

Imaging:

150 minutes integration time

ISO 800

Notes:

Guiding for the first time
Bortle 2
Moon: 0%

Solar Eclipse - April 8, 2024

 

Time lapse sequence of 308 individual images taken from 10:25 AM to 1:07 PM MST from Thornton, Colorado. Although it was a total eclipse, Thornton was not on the totality path, so it was observed as parcial.

C49 - Rosette Nebula

Rosette Nebula (C49) taken on December 7, 2023 from Kline-Dodge dark site of the Denver Astronomical Society (DAS) near Deer Trail, Colorado.

Federico Arribas

Telescope:
Sky Watcher Evolux 62ED | 400 mm | f/6.45
0.9x Reducer/Flattener ---> 360 mm | f/5.8

Camera:
Canon EOS 250D | APSC | 6024 x 4020 px

Mount:
Sky Watcher Star Adventurer GTi

Imaging:
18 minutes integration time
ISO 800

Notes:
Only tracking, no guiding
Bortle 2
Moon: 23%

M42 - Orion Nebula

Orion Nebula (M42) taken on December 7, 2023 from Kline-Dodge dark site of the Denver Astronomical Society (DAS) near Deer Trail, Colorado.

Federico Arribas

Telescope:
Sky Watcher Evolux 62ED | 400 mm | f/6.45
0.9x Reducer/Flattener ---> 360 mm | f/5.8

Camera:
Canon EOS 250D | APSC | 6024 x 4020 px

Mount:
Sky Watcher Star Adventurer GTi

Imaging:
55 minutes integration time
ISO 800

Notes:
Only tracking, no guiding
Bortle 2
Moon: 23%
Crop: 3563 x 2738 px

M31 - Andromeda Galaxy

Andromeda Galaxy (M31) on the constellation of Andromeda. Taken on November 11, 2023 from Kline-Dodge dark site of the Denver Astronomical Society (DAS) near Deer Trail, Colorado.

Federico Arribas

Telescope:
Sky Watcher Evolux 62ED | 400 mm | f/6.45
0.9x Reducer/Flattener ---> 360 mm | f/5.8

Camera:
Canon EOS 250D | APSC | 6024 x 4020 px

Mount:
Sky Watcher Star Adventurer GTi

Imaging:
100 minutes integration time
ISO 1600

Notes:
Only tracking, no guiding
Bortle 2
Moon: 4%

M45 - Pleiades

Pleiades open star cluster (M45) in the constellation Taurus. Taken on October 20, 2023 from Sandstone Ranch, Colorado.

Federico Arribas

Telescope:
Sky Watcher Evolux 62ED | 400 mm | f/6.45
0.9x Reducer/Flattener ---> 360 mm | f/5.8

Camera:
Canon EOS 250D | APSC | 6024 x 4020 px

Mount:
Sky Watcher Star Adventurer GTi

Imaging:
37 minutes integration time
ISO 25600 (accidentally)

Notes:
Only tracking, no guiding
Bortle 4

Solar Eclipse - October 14, 2023

 

 

Time lapse sequence of 180 individual images taken from 10:12 AM to 12:59 PM MST from Thornton, Colorado. Although the eclipse was an anular one, Thornton was not on the anularity path, so it was observed as parcial.

Sequence of picturess showing the different phases of the eclipse with their times.

Lunar eclipse May 15 2022

 Lunar eclipse of May 15 2022 at totality. 

Location: Ocala, FL USA

Date: May 15 2022

Time: 23:44 EST - 4:44 UTC

Camera: Canon EOS 250D (Rebel SL3)

Lens: 55-250mm f/5.6 @ 250mm

Exposition: f/5.6   1/3 seg   ISO 800

Sky: Bortle 6

50% Crop (3000x2000 px)

Milky way

Astrophotography of the Milky Way, in the Scorpio and Sagittarius zone, taken from Las Cañadas del Teide in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, on August 07, 2021, by Rómulo Márquez.

Fig. 1 Processed and cropped picture.

THE CASE OF THE STAR ADVENTURER

By Federico Arribas and José Luis Martín

Ever since we bought the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer star tracker we have been thinking of getting a case to carry it. For that purpose we embarked in a search for the best suitable case: should it be soft or hard surface?, plastic or metal?, wheels or no wheels?, how big or small?

The Pleiades (M45)

Astrophotography of the open star cluster Pleiades (M45), taken from Tenerife (Canary Islands), on January 5th, 2021, by Rómulo Márquez and processed by Federico Arribas.

Fig. 1 Processed and cropped picture.

Moon-Jupiter-Saturn Conjunction

We show a series of artistic compositions related to the conjunction between The Moon, Saturn and Jupiter during the month of December 2020, taken either from Oviedo or Vitoria-Gasteiz. The pictures are the best we could get given our local and individual circumstances, and we managed to register and enjoy the event.

• Jupiter-Saturn-Moon conjuction image taken from Oviedo, Spain, on December 17th, 2020, by Federico Arribas. Two planes passing can be observed in the photograph, one just below the moon (yellow trail) and another on the lower left corner of the picture leaving a faint contrail.

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

By Federico Arribas

“...Just then, the evil Guayota kidnapped the sun`s god Magec, and took him with him to the interior of the volcano Teide, plunging everybody into a total darkness. It is when the guanches asked for clemency to Achamán, - their supreme god - where, after a fierce fight, Achamán managed to defeat Guayota, took Magec out of Echeyde's entrails, and plug the crater with Guayota inside…”

From Guanche mythological culture.

Last September I went to visit my good friend Rómulo Márquez to Tenerife answering to a very kind invitation on his part. Among the many things we planned to do in the excitement of the occasion, we included more than one observational night to take pictures, as Tenerife’s El Teide volcano location is regarded as having one of the darkest and clearest skies in the world. He also planned for a visit to La Palma, also known as Isla Bonita by the locals, one of the 3 out of eight islands he hadn’t already visited. Both places are home of several local and international observatories we wanted to visit. Of our big observational plans, which included a Messier Marathon promoted by IAC for Saturday 19 on La Palma, we were able to complete only that Saturday night of astrophotography and observation in La Palma, ending up being one big success and producing our very first more-than-decent set of deep sky images ever, against all odds. This is the story of that night and its outcome.

Triangulum Galaxy (M33)

Astrophotography of M33, Triangle Galaxy, taken from La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain, on September 20th, 2020, by Rómulo Márquez and Federico Arribas. 

Fig. 1 Processed and cropped picture.

Andromeda Galaxy (M31)

 Astrophotography of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), taken from La Palma (Canary Islands), on September 19-20, 2020, by Rómulo Márquez and Federico Arribas.

Fig. 1 Processed and cropped picture.

Orion Nebula (M42) / Horsehead Nebula (IC434) / Flame Nebula (NGC2024)

Astrophotography of the Orion Nebula with the Horsehead and Flame Nebulas, taken from La Palma (Canary Islands), on September 20, 2020, by Rómulo Márquez and Federico Arribas. 

Fig. 1 Processed and cropped picture.

Milky Way

Astrophotography of the Milky Way, in the Scorpio and Sagittarius zone, taken from La Palma in the Canary Islands, Spain, on September 20, 2020, by Rómulo Márquez and Federico Arribas.

Fig. 1 Processed and cropped picture.