Yet another Christmas season has passed. But this does not mean that the time for imaging the Christmas Tree Cluster (NGC 2264) and its surrounding friends (Cone Nebula, Fox Fur Nebula, and the Snowflake Cluster), which together forms the Christmas Tree Nebula. This iconic night sky target is located in the constellation of Monoceros some 2,500 light years away from Earth.
We have stopped by this target before (see Merry Christmas), but the 2023 edition was extra special as the imaging commenced during an amazing Sky Tour session with a lovely family. I had the opportunity to show off the Orion arm of the Milky Way Galaxy, and to demonstrate how I capture targets, from Polar Alignment to pointing the telescope to the target, and then actually recording image of the target.
Family looks at Pleiades with Orion’s Belt and Sword in the background
I will never forget the excitement when the first capture of the Christmas Tree Nebula popped up on the screen. It was Priceless! It was indeed fun and rewarding. Thank you for that opportunity family. I look forward to conducting more of these Sky Tours in the coming months, so stay tuned. But in the meantime, remember to look up and experience an amazing Universe!
Gear: AA Hypercam 26C, Askar 80 PHQ, HEM27 mount, Optolong L-Ultimate; ZWO OAG + AA120mc
Exif: 99 x 5-min lights; Gain 200, Offset 3, TEC @ 10 degrees; 20 darks
Software: SharpCap, PHD2; AstroPixelProcessor, PixInsight; Photoshop
Beautiful job! Literally billows of nebulous gas. Looks like there is a theatrical smoke machine in the sky! And the idea of Sky Tours is truly wonderful. Nothing better than to be able to introduce people to the wonders of our universe! Good work my friend! 👍💯😃😎🔭🔭
Really appreciate it Eric. Once these clouds behave, i will definitely be doing sky tours. 🙂