nikonshooter Loc: Spartanburg, South Carolina

For all of my 'Up" shooting friends,

Has anyone taken some good images of the Cigar Gal. Recently, a
supernova reared it's head in M82. I will have to move off my front porch, off to a dark site, to image it. It is pretty low in the sky, NE, with neighboring trees smack dab in the way.

Now to my question, If you have had some success, what kit did you use - how many subs and how long?

I think I have two choices, either the 8 inch SCT or the Vixen 81EDs with a 4x barlow. I can fill the frame with either kit.....but I will be close to F/40 requiring looooooong exposures. I will be using the Atik 383L OSC camera. This will require much better polar aligning and guiding than I typically end up with.

I know I can use the Vixen (620 mm wide field) and get the exposures I need with ok guiding but I will need to crop the crap out of it. I don't want to do that if I can help it. I do have the Nikon D810a 36mp image that gives me the crop advantage. I just don't want to crop out a night of data gathering.

Sooo, If I drive to our dark site and stay up half the night in the cold, I HOPE to get it right.

ADVICE?

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

No advice, except SHOOT, SHOOT, SHOOT...
And dress warm....

Me thinks somebody lost a solar system....

http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/blogs/bad_astronomy/2014/01/22/m82supernova_discoveryimage.jpg.CROP.original-original.jpg

http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/blogs/bad_astronomy/2014/01/22/m82supernova_discoveryimage.jpg.CROP.original-original.jpg

nikonshooter Loc: Spartanburg, South Carolina

Bingo! That is what I am chasing

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

This is really fantastic. How long will the Nova be visable to our scopes???
I am going to shot the biggest scope I've got the Meade 8" SCT w/17mm Eyepiece Projection Lens.
It should be Visable at 4:00 AM when Ursa Major rises.
Here is a shot from April 2015.
Craig

M82

(Download)

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

Nice find Sonny.
I see that it is dated 2014/01/22. Is that the actual date of the Super Nova???
Craig

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Actually, all I did was to grab the lead and Googled "M82 Supernova".
Then plucked out the one photograph I felt shown the Supernova best.

http://www.google.com/search?q=M82+Supernove&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

Going to the web site brings this article:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2014/01/22/kaboom_nearby_galaxy_m82_hosts_a_new_supernova.html

I wonder if it is still visible??? :?
I thought Supernova's were kind of short lived?

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

I understand they can be visible for up to a month.

nikonshooter Loc: Spartanburg, South Carolina

I assume it will be there for a long long long long time. We are seeing light that left 12,000,000 light years ago as it is just not getting to us. We are seeing a dying star that more than likely has been dead for millions of years. I gathered this from an article I read in Astronomy Mag a few months ago. I suppose I need to investigate it's projected lifespan a little further

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

I think you miss the point.
1/22/14 was a bit more than a month ago...
I'll watch for any photographs you care to post. ;)

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

Coach is there a more recent Super Nova event than 2014 in the M81 Galaxy???
In the Photo I just posted it looks like there maybe the Nebula from the Super Nova in the right spot.
Craig

nikonshooter Loc: Spartanburg, South Carolina

Well trash that idea. Not only did I miss the point, I missed the super nova. I guess I will stay put....operating from my front porch!

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Maybe not...
Watch this:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/06/science/astronomers-observe-supernova-and-find-theyre-watching-reruns.html?_r=0

I googled "Supernova watch"...
After I waded through a bunch of wrist watches, I found the above. :lol: