CCD Images from Namibia
Jean-Luc Dighaye
I used a ST-6 CCD camera cooled down to -40°C on a light equatorial mount.
I obtained false color images of the southern sky at about -60° declination. Further
images of the Milky Way and Comet LINEAR were taken. Eventually, I had access to
the farm's Celestron which I used together with a f/6.3 telecompressor.
A 20mm lens stopped down to f/4 was used. Images taken with blue, yellow and deep red filters
were combined in order to yield an enhanced color rendition.
The first row of images starts from the horizon and covers RAs from 9h to 13h
The second row covers RAs from 13h to 17h
Bright regions of the Milky Way were imaged. Note Mars near the Pipe Nebula on the last image
A 35 mm lens stopped down to f/2.8 was used. Images taken with green, red and near-infrared filters were combined
in order to simulate classical color infrared pictures with green rendered by blue, red by green and near-infrared by red.
The first row covers RAs from 11h to 13h
The second row covers RAs from 15h to 17h
Magellanic clouds were imaged, unfortunately they were low on the horizon
Scorpius imaged in red (B&W rendition) and in green & red (false colors)
Sagittarius imaged in red (B&W rendition) and in green & red (false colors)
Unfiltered images were taken using 50mm and 85mm lenses.
Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (50mm)
Small Magellanic Cloud, Eta Carinae, Jewel Box (85mm)
Comet LINEAR (C/2001 A2), unfiltered views taken at about 5 o'clock local time:
35mm on 26.6.
50mm on 25.6.; 85mm on 26.6.
C8 on 29.6. (10s, 20s, 200s track-and-accumulate exposures)
False color renditions
Deep sky with C8: Helix Nebula, Small Magellanic Cloud star field, NGC 253
Best of C8: (unfiltered, false color renditions)
Jewel Box, Omega Centauri, Globular Cluster 47 Tucanae
Eta Carinae, Tarantula Nebula
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