Urban astrophotography (UAPCCD) with a MX7C CCD-camera.

   

Full spectrum deep sky astrophotography in an urban area offers a challenge of Titanic proportions. There is a way into this realm, however. Adding a narrowband Ha-filter dramatically enhances the contrast in a lightpolluted, urban environment, enabling e.g. HII-regions to be captured. Even when the Moon is up. An added bonus is a sharper focus, which normally poses a problem with fast optics (which I use). Although the camera allows colours to be handled, I prefer the b/w mode, because the colouringprocess is not particularly smooth with this camera. In Ha not much is gained with colour anyway.

 

The Balcony 

 

All images included here are photographed from this balcony just 12 km from the very centre of Stockholm (the capital of Sweden), if no other specific place is stated. The picture shows the site at twilight. As can be deduced from this picture, the observable area of the sky is somewhat limited by trees, buildings, roofs, not to forget the street lighting! In the city, contrails from aircrafts are a nuisance.

 

CCD-camera + Halpha-filter

 

This is the simple equipment which enabled the pictures to be taken. It is based on the Starlight Express MX7C colour CCD. My favorite lens is a Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon 25 mm/F1,5.  A FM (Flodqvist-Mattsson) Wide Field Adapter makes this configuration possible. The Ha-filter (656,3 nm) has a FWHM of 10 nm.

 

# 1

The HII complex surrounding Deneb. The roof of the the house is visible in the upper left corner in the image.

Deneb HII complex

 

Rosetta nebula



#2

The Rosetta nebula stands out nice in this picture, together with some faint nebulosities towards the Cone nebula.

 

 

# 3

 The huge molecular cloud (Sh2 -246), north of Betelgeuse and Bellatrix in Orion. The picture also demonstrates what consequences the high lightload on the system has. The filter leaks sidewavelengths of Ha, due to the high F/D number, in effect giving vinjetting in the image.

 

 

 

Sh2-246

 

Suburb Orion

 

 

# 4

The Orion complex, including a part of  Barnard's loop and some light pollution.

 

# 5

The California Nebula is also accessible from this site. 

California nebula

 

  LBN 862, 864


 

# 6

The dim nebulae LBN 863, 864 is readily seen in the middle of the picture. The Dust nebula (NGC2175) is in the upper part. In between is an even tinier HII region: Sh2-256.

 

# 7

NGC7000 captured with a 100 mm Minolta standard lens. The site is the very centre of the city: The Old Observatory of Stockholm!

 magh7000.jpg (29242 bytes)