Heres an interesting reprocess using my data and adding some DSS data. Nice experiment at merging data from a professional telescope with mine captured with a Pentax 105mm Refractor and SBIG STL11000m HaRGB 80 minutes each.

Sorry for the lack of new images but spare time is something in very short supply at the moment. However here my first image in many months taken with a whole new imaging system based on the Faster system developed by Celestron. I am using the new DSLR Hyperstar on my C14 and at the moment coupled to that is a SBIG ST4000xcm 4mp ccd imager. As I hope you will agree the above image confirms its a formidable performer. The amazing thing about Starizona's Hyperstar (Hyperstar is a Starizona's product designed to make use of Celestrons Fastar capability) is the secondary mirror of the scope is replaced with a lens system on which the camera is attached. This results in an ultra fast imaging system in my case with f1.9 focal ratio!

Having owned my Fastar XLT C14 for over 6 years now its been a system I wanted to try since aquiring the C14. However I have been busy with other scope/imaging rigs that have prevented me trying it. Greg Parkers and Noel Carboni's images proved what I had long suspected it is a superb system. The above shot is remarkable in that it is ONLY 18 x 2min stacked exposures............ yes thats only 36 minutes total imaging time. However the detail captured is really incredible, this system will out perform the universally popular grab and go wide field refractor imaging setups that have become so popular of late. It has so many advantages for imagers that I hardly know where to start but heres a selection to help you decide if it could be right for you:

1.Ultra fast f ratio makes long exposure/ multiple hour imaging a thing of the past.

2. Problems associated with poor tracking drives are now not an issue. Sub exposures of sub 1 minute are routine on many deep sky objects.

3. Dark noise a problem with longer exposures common on DSLR's (Now becoming the popular imager of choice) is not an issue.

4. Relatively wide imaging field of view is now achievable especially since Starizona have introduced the latest Hyperstar 3 lens system.

5. Large aperture means increased resolution coupled with longish focal length relative to ultra fast focal ratio is a recipe for a dream imaging system.

6. In my opinion the hyperstar system is exceptional value for money. Your primary large aperture visual scope is also a great imaging scope.

7. In today's world free time coupled with clear moonless skies is limited. Make use of those nights and image multiple objects rather than spend several nights on one object!

Sure it wont replace a nice 20 inch RC on a mountain top in Chile but for me here in the UK it has a lot going for it and the Hyperstar 8 on say a Nexstar 8 can be purchased for a fair price. Watch this space for more Hyperstar images!

Due to the Poor weather I thought it might be fun to rework some earlier data to see if my processing skills have improved. Even a very quick effort has yield far better results in my opinion.

The Top image was processed today 12/01/08 the lower image was aquired and processed back in December 2006, I just wish I had saved a flat frame to remove the slight vignetting that can still seen above and is tricky to remove even with carefull processing.

Here is a mosaic of The Horsehead B33 & Flame NGC2024 region created from various data captured over many months with various scopes. The colour data has come from  a Pentax 105SDHF and is 80 minutes each in 10 minute subs. The Ha data was captured with a Takahashi TOA 130F and is 210 minutes in 10 minute subsframes a total of 7.5 hours of data, the camera was a SBIG STL1100m image aquisistion and processing was all done here at The Astronomy Barn here in Sussex, England.

This is a test really and will be replaced as soon as weather permits however suffice to say I think ive found a perfect deep sky imaging tool to compliment mt STL11000M CCD. The Orion Optics 250mm f6.3 SPX has been utterly transformed for imaging using Televue's new STL11000M Paracor. The Orion Optics newt was always a fabulous visual and planetary scope but didnt have a flat enough field to illuminate the STL11000m until now that is ;) Here are the imaging details 2x10 minute Luminance and 1x10 minute RGB binned 2x2 yes that is correct 1x10 minute each in RGB watch this space ;)!

Click here for a 75% version

Heres one of my favourite visual objects M45 - The Pleiades Cluster or Seven Sisters, although the colour is no way as apparent as seen above. This is the result of 60 minutes each LRGB again with the TOA 130F at f8 and the STL11000M mounted on the Celestron CGE on the 12th of December again from Sussex, England. Click here for a 50% 2.5mb version of the above image.

Also for all broadband users please take a look at a cropped high resolution picture here its 5mb! pay particular attention to the tiny background Mag 17 Spiral Galaxy PGC 13696 towards the middle right hand side. Also notice the lovely nebulosity surrounding Merope the bright star towards the bottom. Lastly I really like to see the triangular nubulisity leading towards the tiny multiple star system right in the centre which visually appears as a simple double star.

Finaly im still not sure if the image below reveals an unkown asteroid but the repeating red green and blue pattern indicates something was gradually moving through the field or view.

Lastly for anyone that prefers to see M45 in Mono here it is

M33 The Triangulum galaxy M33 is another prominent member of the Local Group of galaxies. This galaxy is small compared to its larger neighbour, the Andromeda galaxy M31, and to our Milky Way galaxy however M33 is more of an average size for spiral galaxies in the universe. M33 is much harder to see visually in the eyepiece of a telescope or binoculars and requires nice dark skies and widefield eyepieces to pull it out against the background sky where amazingly it can be glimpsed with the naked eye. This image was again captured with the Takahashi TOA 130F and SBIG STL11000M LRGB mounted on top the Celestron CGE mount 30 minutes each at f8 taken on 9th December 2006 from Lewes, England. The slightly increased focal length used gives M33 a slightly larger image scale than was used for M31 below. So in reality M33 would appear relatively very slight smaller but move the mouse over above image to see a rollover showing the relative size difference between the 2 galaxies.

Click here for a higher resolution version

The Andromeda Galaxy - Messier 31 , or NGC 224 is a spiral galaxy approximately 2.5 million light-years away in the constellation Andromeda and still visible to the unaided human eye also makes it the furthest object visible. Click the image above for a 25% version or here for a 10%

Andromeda was believed to be the largest galaxy of the Local Group of galaxies, which consists of the Andromeda Galaxy, the Milky Way Galaxy , and the Triangulum Galaxy , and about 30 other smaller galaxies. Due to recent findings based on improved measurements and data, scientists now believe that the Milky Way contains more dark matter and may be the most massive in the grouping. However, recent observations by the Spitzer Space Telescope revealed that M31 contains one trillion (10 12 ) stars, greatly exceeding the number of stars in our own galaxy

Slightly better than my attempt last year this is probably the best achievable from my light polluted skies however a longer exposure could improve the signal to noise. Takahashi TOA 130F at f5.9 and STL11000m LRGB 25:20:20:20 minutes in 5 minute subframes mounted on the Celestron CGE mount.

ALBIREO (Beta Cygni). One of the great small-telescope showpieces of the sky, Albireo, the third-magnitude (3.0) Beta star of Cygnus, the Swan, is a magnificent visual double whose components (magnitudes 3.3 and 5.5) have contrasting golden and blue colors. Though given the second letter of the Greek Alphabet, the star actually comes in at number five in brightness, beaten out by Deneb(Alpha Cygni), Sadr (Gamma), Gienah (Epsilon), and Delta the other five brightest stars in Cygnus. Sir Patrick Moore has commented that this is the finest double star in the Northern Hemisphere and I couldnt agree more viewed through a high quality refractor its fabulous!

Heres the same object slightly cropped taken with another fine astrograph from takahashi the FSQ106 now sadly discontinued. These two unusual nebula's are seldom imaged due to their very low brightness requiring fast scopes and long exposures. Taken on the August 21st with FSQ106 and STL1100M.

Heres a close up of Ced 214 which I feel has lots happening. and particular attention is drawn to the strange squiggle shape middle right seen here in close up for which I havnt discovered a name yet . Really makes you wonder what forces are in action doesn't it?

Heres the magnificent North American Nebula NGC7000 and its clear to see why its earnt this name! I calculate that the image scale is 3.68 arc seconds per pixel with the STL11000m having 9um size pixels coupled to the Takahashi Epsilon180ED at 500mm focal length. This equates to a full frame 245.7x163.8 arc min = roughly 4 x 2.7 degress! It was imaged on a Celestron CGE mount. I have been desperate to image this in full colour and on the 18th July 2006 was thrilled to get a chance. Exposure details as follows Ha 4x15 minute subs RGB 50/50/30 respectively all binned 2x2 and 10 minute sub exposure.

Click the image above for a 25% 1mb image or for those with fast connection here for a 50% 4mb version.

This is part of the overall Network Nebula, you can clearly see Pickerings Triangle NGC6979and right at the bottom The Veil Nebula NGC6992. This whole region comes alive on CCD especially using the Epsilon180 ED and SBIG STL11000M combination. These objects are a little illusive to the visual observer but a 0III filter will help along with a fast telescope, plenty of aperture and dark clear skies. 24th June 2006

The right image is inverted which some people may prefer. The famous North American Nebula - N GC7000 It is a very large emission nebula located just 3 degrees east-southeast of Deneb, the bright star near the top right edge of of the photo.

On a dark night under a clear and transparent sky, the North American Nebula can be seen with the unaided eye as a bright patch in the Cygnus Milky Way. In binoculars equipped with Lumicon UHC filters, it's namesake shape if easily visible. In a large telescope equipped with a either a UHC or Oxygen III filter, a stunning amount of detail can be observed, especially in the Gulf of Mexico region.

To its right is the Pelica Nubula, IC 5070, a much fainter area of nebulosity. Again the Epsilon 180ED and SBIG STL11000M were used to capture this also 2 frame mosaic 4x15minutes each to avoid the glow from a 3/4 moon.

I am delighted to say this image was selected as Earth Science Picture of the Day for August 31, 2006 something I have been trying for many years to achieve.

The Coat Hanger Cluster also known as Brocchi's cluster after its discoverer is a wonderfull binocular sight. This asterism is a good sign the dark nights of winter are on the way (for some not the most exciting prospect but just what astronomers relish). During the 1920s, Dalmiro F. Brocchi, then a well-known chart maker for the American Association of Variable Star Observers, designed a star chart depicting the region of the sky around Vulpecula, revealing this cluster. Brocchis Cluster is rarely listed let alone imaged even though it is the brightest of all the star clusters in this part of the sky! It is actually classed as an asterism because it is merely a line of sight chance grouping of stars rather than an open cluster that is bound by gravity.

There is also a wonderfull little open cluster NGC 6802 4' x 2' in size. Located immediately below the The Coathanger it does however require 200mm aperture or more to see well. I am also delighted that the image above was chosen for the gallery section of SKY AND TELESCOPE for October 2006. I have been trying for many years and this is my first success at getting one of my images published in this renowned astronomy publication!!

Herws IC5146 "The Cocoon Nebula" which is made up of the open cluster IC5146 and surrounded by nebulosity of mostly Hydrogen gas. The nebula is located at the end of a long dark nebule B168seen trailing off to the lower right. The cluster is made up of mostly 12th magnitude stars and is best view with large aperture scopes. Taken with the Epsilon 180ED and STL11000M in 8/6/06 HaRGB 1x10 minutes each only. This is a crop of the central 1/3rd!

Again image on the right is inverted. This is my first SBIG STL11000m Mosaic and the first of more to come. The field of view here is simply massive with the crescent nebula lower right looking very small in relation. Each frame was 4x15 minutes Ha using the SBIG STL11000M and Takahashi Epsilon180ED. Taken 7/6/06 from Lewes, East Sussex.

Here is a full frame image from my SBIG STL11000M camera again this time of the Gamma Cygni Star and surrounding region again in Ha but only 3x10minutes taken on the 29/5/06 also from my garden near Lewes, East Sussex.

Sadr (Gamma Cygni) The third brightest star in the constellation Cygnus and the center star of the Northern Cross; it lies at the northern end of the Great Rift with a spectacular portion of the Milky Way as a backdrop; its name comes from an Arabic phrase meaning “the hen's breast.” Unlike most Supergiant Stars, which are either fairly hot and reddish, Sadr is yellow-white and in the mid-temperature range. It has left the main sequence and is now near a region of temperature and luminosity in which stars become unstable and pulsate.

Again I am delighted the British Astronomical Association or BAA as it's otherwise known have selected this as Picture of the Week for 6/6/06. The BAA is a fantastic place to gather for all the latest info and developments concerning Astronomy and space related issues and is well worth joining.!

IC1396 the Elephant Trunk Nebula and surrounding areas.

This image was recently selected as Image of the Day on this the www.astromart.com website from across the pond. Im very pleased that my image has been chosen considering the vast talent in the USA heres a link http://www.buytelescopes.com/gallery/view_photo.asp?pid=9111

This picture was captured with the Takahashi Epsilon180ED one of the finest reflector astrographs available and was taken 29/5/06 5x10minutes through a Astronomik Ha using the SBIG STL11000M. (This was a slight crop the actual image is bigger still).

Heres the King of Globular Clusters M13 or at least for us in the Northern Hemisphere. This is a joy to behold visually in the C14 and has an even greater impact than this image believe me. Taken with the Celestron C14 and STL11000M camera 4x5mins red and 3x5mins green and blue.

M106 captured with the C14 an SBIG STL11000M L 2x15mins and RGB 2x10mins binned 2x2. Messier 106 is a classic example of a spiral galaxy.  It is receding at 537 km/sec the spinning effect is particularly noticeable in its inner structure. 

R Best Noels

Captured with the Celestron C14 and STL11000M LRGB 3x5 mins unbinned. Messier 92 is a globular star cluster in the constellation Hercules, located about 12 degrees to the east and north of the more illustrious Hercules Cluster ( Messier 13 ). Several hundred thousand stars are gravitationally bound into a spherical configuration, with a diameter of about 60 light years. Having trouble processing this Noel Carboni (http://ncarboni.home.att.net) from Florida USA offered to help and with his tremendous skills in Photoshop and daytime photography helped bring out the best. Thanks Noel its now a fantastic image and in Noels words up there with some of the best examples in the World but compare for yourself. The imagers below are also in my view some of the best amateur's in the world. In fact Adam Block and Palomar are public insitutions in America so to have Noel compare this image to theirs is amazing.

By the way, your M92 shot as processed my way now ranks among the best anywhere .  Check it out for yourself:
It's better than Robert Gendler's:  http://robgendlerastropics.com/M92.html
It's better than Jim Misti's:  http://www.mistisoftware.com/astronomy/Clusters_m92.htm
It's better than Jay Ballauer's:  http://www.allaboutastro.com/M92.html
It's better than the NOAO image: http://www.noao.edu/image_gallery/images/d4/m92.jpg
It's better than mine:  http://ncarboni2.home.att.net/M92 globular cluster.jpg
It's better than the Mt. Palomar image:  http://www.astro.caltech.edu/palomarnew/images/m92full.jpg
It's as good as Russell Croman's, and wider:  http://www.rc-astro.com/star_clusters/globular/m92.htm

Messier 109 (also known as NGC 3992 or M109 for short) is a barred spiral galaxy about 41 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major . Located in the Ursa Major North group of galaxies , it was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781. Captured with my C14 telescope and SBIG STL11000M CCD, this is a LRGB image 75 minutes luminance full resolution and RGB 45 minutes each binned 2x2. Captured 8th April 2006 from my observatory Nr Lewes, Sussex.

Galaxy season is here again so thought id start with M82 that has lots of activity. It is an irregular galaxy and also known as the Cigar Galaxy it has an extremely bright core in the infrared. It is thought to have nearly collided with M81 its neighbour thus causing it to undergo this activity. Taken with the C14 at f11 and STL11000m L HaR GB 30,20+20,20,20. Ha RGB binned 2x2. 6/3/06

Having imaged the rosette with several well known high quality telescopes i thought i would create a mosaic so one can compare the results achieved with the different telescopes. Although not scientific these images have all been captured at my observatory in Sussex on night of excellent seeing and transparency with limiting visual magnitudes of slightly under 5. The exposures vary in duration and image scale but still it gives a good idea of what can be achieved and importantly how flat the field is. Speed is another factor to take into account for example the Epsilon image is ONLY 4x10 minutes and the actual frame was over TWICE the size shown whereas the FS60c is full frame and 60 minutes total but also lower resolution which isnt easy to see on the screen. Click HERE to see a large version 9MB!

Heres second light with the Epsilon 180 ED im just amazed how fast this scope is the above shot was only 4x10 minutes in Ha with the STL11000M again. To obtain this sort of signal would require say 2 hours of imaging time. The stars are also absolute pinpoints to the corners and this image gave a FWHM of just over 2! wow.

Heres first light image with the Epsilon180ED to be fair a little rushed but still fairly good considering how faint IC405 The Flaming Star Nebula is (lower right) this was only L HaRGB 20 40 20 20 with the STL11000M. This telescope will be incredible when the showcase objects return M31 Andromeda, The Network Nebula, M45 ect ect

I have been convinced for ages that the C14 is a remarkable telescope with fine optics and the resolution in this image proves it. This was the central 50% crop as there is field curvature on the STL11000m BUT thats to be expected. However the on axis performance is fabulous this is 8x10minutes in Luminance only at f11 and 3910mm focal length.

The Rosette Nebula NGC 2237 spans a huge area of space just North East of the famous Orion Nebula. This was taken with my Pentax 75 SDHF and SBIG STL11000M CCD camera. Its amazing just how well this ultra compact and superbly made little APO refractor performs with such a large CCD. This combination makes imaging great fun! 90 mins Ha and 30 Mins HaGB January 2006.

IC 5070 The Pelican Nebula up close. TOA 130 using narrow band filters.

North American Nebula NGC7000 and Pelican Nebula IC5070. SBIG STL11000M and HaGB 30 minutes each.

M103 Taken with the Toscano 200mm Ritchey Chretien f9 and SXVH9 LRGB 10 minutes each.

M56 a very small tight globular in Lyra. C14 f11 RGB 20 mins each

Heres a great example of how narrow band filters can capture different features not seen in visible light. Move your pointer over the image to view the HaGB version.

M3 STF Mirage 180mm

M3 TOA 130 (compare this to the STF version) Both prime focus

My BEST EVER M27 not sure i can improve on this under average UK skies!

This Picture was in Sky at Night Magazine October 2005!

M31 The Andromeda Galaxy. This Galaxy amazes me in that its the farthest object we can see with the unaided human eye. STL11000M and TOA 130. 30mins L and 30mins RGB each binned 2X2.

Heres M101 in Ursa Major a very large face on spiral although Mag 8.5 because of its large size its actually quite hard to image here in the UK due mainly to its low surface brightness. This was captured 9 4 05 with the Takahashi TOA 130 and reducer and SXVH9 CCD.

L40: R+Ha20: G15: B15 rgb binned 2x2

Heres a close up of M97 The Owl Nebula. It takes a very clear steady night to clearly see the eye lobes visually with my C14. Taken wih my TAK TOA 130 and f5.9 reducer believe it or not. This is a very enlarged view and show how good the TOA is and resolving detail.LRGB 40 10 10 10

Heres a montage of examples on the use of different filters and combinations of filters. Heres the tech details CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT!!:
1. Ha (Hydrogen Alpha) only 20 minutes
2. RGB 40:30:30 minutes
3. L+Ha RGB 20+40:40:30:30 minutes
4. Ha+R GB 20+40:30:30 minutes

The little FS60c with f4.4 reducer pulls no punches on widefield Ha. 30mins Total of NGC6992 The Witches Broom and Pickerings Triangle.

My highest resolution image of M27 to date!! Taken with the fantastic C14 at prime focus and guided using the Off Axis lumicon Giant Easy Guider. Note this was only 5 Mins each in HaRGB. I hope to catch a longer duration next time.

Easily my highest resolution shot to date!! Heres M57 the famous Ring Nebula clearly showing the 4 inner stars. Also look closely at the smudge above the pair just over and outside the ring itself. Thats actually a tight double with only a 1.5 arc second separation. So im guessing the seeing was well below 2 arc seconds for the duration of this shot. Hope you like it. C14 at f11 and LumiHa 40mins combined RGB 20 mins each. SXVH9 CCD guided with Lumicon Giant Easy Guider and seperate SXV guide camera..

With a name sounding like the film, The Cocoon Nebula IC 5146 conjures up all sorts of thoughts. Take a look and decide for yourself if the name fits. Its also surprisingly difficult to image process. It turns out different everytime so i hope its not overdone. Taken with the Takahashi TOA 130 at f5.9 HaL combined 20 mins and RGB 15 mins each.

M13 with the TOA 130 at f5.9 and RGB 16 minutes each (4x4mins) This is my deepest M13 and amazed me just how far M13 extends compared to other images ive seen.

Heres another take on M27. This is a really deep image taken with the Tak TOA 130 and f5.9 reducer 2.5 hours!!!! oh Ha with RGB 10 mins each.

I was trying to capture the extreme outer envelope which i think ive done but this does have the effect of over saturation the main nebula.

Still take a look!

M52 Heres two versions taken with two different scopes. The William Optics FLT110 and Tak TOA 130. Sometimes good to compare different scopes.