Submissions: 2025 January

[bystander]

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[moladso]

The last sun of the year 2024... and the first sun of the year 2025, from Spain
Jaime Fernandez

The last sun of the year 2024 from Spain.

Click on image for full sized, 1800 pixel, solar image or the following link: https://www.astronomica.es/imagen_big.a ... =630_3.jpg

December 31 marks the end of one year and the beginning of the next, according to the Gregorian calendar. Conventions and time zones mean that this moment is experienced at different times in each part of the world.

In central Spain the sun said goodbye until next year at 17:01 UTC, 18:01 local time. This image shows our last sun of 2024 in Spain, just one hour before sunset.

...and the first sun of the year 2025

Click on image for full sized, 1800 pixel, solar image or the following link: https://www.astronomica.es/imagen_big.a ... =631_3.jpg

As January 1th arrives to local sites, according to time zones, a new year begins. In central Spain the sun said hello to 2025 at 7:38 UTC, 8:38 AM local time. This image shows our first sun of 2025 in Spain, five hours after sunrise.

Techincal details:
Captured with a small H-alpha Coronado PST 40/400mm telescope.
Camera ZWO ASI178MM (monochrome).
31/dec: All capture and processing details in https://astronomica.es/imagen.asp?id=1& ... d_prod=630
1/jan: All capture and processing details in https://astronomica.es/imagen.asp?id=1& ... d_prod=631

Enjoy it.
Credit: Jaime Fernandez https://www.astronopithecus.es

[astrodarks]

In the midst of a region rich in star clusters and nebulae in the constellation Auriga lies IC 405. The bright star AE Aur is responsible for both emission and reflection in this area. About 1,500 light-years away in the constellation Auriga and Spanning approximately 5 light-years, this celestial marvel glows vividly due to the intense radiation from the energetic O-type star AE Aurigae.

This image was captured with Skywatcher Esprit 120ED and a ZWO monochrome camera for 13 hours. I processed the image using the Ha-LRGB.

High resolution versions:
Astrobin: https://astrob.in/441p1q/0/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DEXmox4J-6m/
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/devesh_pa ... ool-apods/

HaLRGB_FlamingStar_AstroDarks.jpg

Thanks,
Devesh Pande
AstroDarks

[aqalaf]

Constellation Orion Wide field

“Behold the cosmic masterpiece of the Orion and Horsehead Nebulae, two celestial wonders that epitomize the beauty of the winter night sky. The Orion Nebula, a glowing cradle of star formation, radiates vibrant hues of red and violet, showcasing the life cycle of stars in action. Nearby, the enigmatic Horsehead Nebula emerges as a dark silhouette against a fiery red background, a striking contrast of light and shadow sculpted by interstellar winds. These neighboring regions invite us to marvel at the dynamic processes shaping our universe.”

Constellation Orion Wide field by Ahmed Alqallaf, on Flickr


RGB 91 x 300” (7hr 35min)
DB Filter 167 x 300 (13hr 55min)
RGB 30 x 10” (00hr 05min)
Total integration time - (21hr 55min)

Gears:
M: AM5
T: RedCat51
C: ZWO ASI 2600MC Pro
F: Optolong L-extreme

Ahmed Alqallaf
Astrobin
Instagram

[astronomonogdl]

https://flic.kr/p/2qDBFfU
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/542 ... 44c8_o.jpg

Nebulosa cabeza de Mono paleta SHO
127 x 300 sec ha 3nm
151 x 300 sec OIII 3nm
154 x 300 sec SII 3nm

Telescope Sharpstar OpticsSCA260
Camera ZWOASI6200MMpro -10°C
gcepro mount stacking astropixel processor processing in pixinsight
Bortle 8-9 Jalisco México
December 31-2024 - January 2025
Photographer Emmanuel Astrono-Mono

[paumontplet]

Lunar Occultation of Saturn and Stars
I'm Pau Montplet from Breda, Catalonia, Spain
It's a pleasure to be able to show you these images of the occultation of Saturn by the Moon last night.
The HDR moon was done in minutes, taking advantage of when saturn was behind the moon, I took a photo of it with a correct exposure to see moon details of the illuminated part. For the Earth Shine and the halo it's just a photo without doing anything else.
Saturn, this time, was very bright in the shots (because I also wanted to capture the Earth Shine of the moon), so it was replaced along its path by one Saturn taken a few minutes before its occultation.

I'm sending you a couple of images, one with only Saturn, and the second with some stars that the moon hid at the same time as Saturn. To verify my data, I will also send a small time-lapse of the entire occultation showing the position of the occulting stars and Saturn at each moment.

The equipment used was a 6inch SCT telescope and a dedicated Astronomy camera.
The Image was processed with Astrosurface and Photoshop

Hope you like it!! Have a great 2025!!!
Pau M. S.

Credits: Pau Montplet Sanz @astro_breda

Location of capture: Breda, Catalonia, Spain.

Date of capture: 2025-01-04

Only Saturn:
Lunar Occultation of Saturn and Stars (Only Saturn) by Pau Montplet Sanz, en Flickr

Saturn and Stars:
Lunar Occultation of Saturn and Stars (Saturn with the Stars) by Pau Montplet Sanz, en Flickr

Video, time-lapse:
Lunar Occultation of Saturn and Stars (Time-lapse, video to verify my data) by Pau Montplet Sanz, en Flickr

[chassaigne]

NGC 1333 is a reflection nebula located in the northern constellation Perseus, positioned next to the southern constellation border with Taurus and Aries.It was first discovered by German astronomer Eduard Schönfeld in 1855
Telescope Astrosib RC 20" + camera Moravian C5S (100Mpix)
Total LRGB= 18h 40mn frame 5mn no guiding
On remote from Fregenal de la sierra ( Spain)
Full data and image :
https://www.georges-chassaigne.fr/433170348/ngc-1333

[Sebastien Cuany]

Simeis 147 is a gigantic supernova afterglow in the Taurus constellation.

For 30,000 years, the matter of which it was composed has been expanding in space, forming a gigantic nebula 120 light years in diameter.
In other words, if our eyes were sensitive enough to distinguish it by looking up at the sky, it would appear 6 times bigger than the full moon!

I accumulated 72 hours of poses in Ha and Oiii since the beginning of 2023 to make this image.

I'm very happy to finally be able to present this photo today.

250 x 600 seconds of Ha
187 x 600 seconds of Oiii
+40 x 30 seconds of RGB for stars...

Simeis147
Copyright: Sébastien Cuany


full resolution ASTROBIN: https://www.astrobin.com/full/x02s3y/0/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DEaba4QoDGX/
Equipement:
-Samyang 135 F2 F2.8
-Skywatcher Eq6-R pro
-Zwo Asi 183MM pro
-filtres Astronomik Ha 6nm+ LRVB
-Asiair pro
-Zwo Eaf +Zwo Efw
-Artesky 32/120 mkii
-Zwo asi120 mini

Thanks

Sébastien Cuany

[WolfHeart]

Rho Ophiuchi - HaLRGB

Rho Ophiuchi - HaLRGB by Ahmed Waddah, on Flickr

William Optics RedCat 51 II
ZWO ASI2600MM Pro
ZWO AM5

Dates:
April 8, 2023
April 6 - 8, 2024
Frames:
Antlia 3nm Narrowband H-alpha 2": 24×300″(2h)
Antlia V-Pro Blue 2": 27×300″(2h 15′)
Antlia V-Pro Green 2": 25×300″(2h 5′)
Antlia V-Pro Luminance 2": 100×300″(8h 20′)
Antlia V-Pro Red 2": 25×300″(2h 5′)

Al Fayoum Desert, Egypt

https://www.astrobin.com/c9qsq0/

Social:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/waddah.photography
Astrobin: https://www.astrobin.com/users/WolfHeart/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/waddahphotography/

[ethanwyh]

VDB 152, IFN and supernova remnants!

for apod.png

Presenting an image of vdB 152, also known as CED 201, a reflection nebula located approximately 1400 light years away in the constellation Cephus. Dominating the center of the image is a dark, dusty pillar-like structure that reflects the light of nearby stars, giving it a faint, bluish glow.

Surrounding this central feature are dense filaments of interstellar dust and gas, which block starlight and create dark patches against the star-filled backdrop. Wispy red filaments, likely composed of ionized hydrogen gas, trace the presence of H-alpha emissions, possibly remnants of a past supernova or ionized regions shaped by stellar winds and radiation. The contrasting blue hues around the reflection nebula indicate scattered starlight, emphasizing the nebula's reflective properties.

Weather was challenging during Autumn 2024, which led me to spend a few months collecting data solely just for this project. However the forecast began to improve as we transited into Winter, allowing for a timely project completion.

Total: 79h 20min of integration
3.5nm H-Alpha: 143×300″(11h 55′)
Blue: 306×300″(25h 30′)
Green: 94×300″(7h 50′)
Luminance: 148×300″(12h 20′)
Red: 261×300″(21h 45′)


High-resolution (with annotations) can be found here:
https://astrob.in/2qq7t9/0/

Clear skies everyone!!

[conemmil]

Zeus: -What are you hunting Orion?

Orion: -I saw some mirages underneath Betelguese (Barnard's Loop, M42, Horsehead Nebula, Boogeyman Nebula, Running Man Nebula...) and I'm on the run to catch them...

Artemis: -Where? Where did you see them? Where to look?

Orion: -But they are everywhere! Can't you see them?

Zeus: -Is the Witch there too? (Witch Head Nebula)

Orion: -She is there, but she is trying to escape!

This is my first astrophotograph of the year 2025 and it starts with a hunt!

The image was made with a Sony A7s M1 camera, which I modified myself a few days ago in order to make it sensitive for astronomical imaging. It took 36, two-minute exposures with an 85mm Samyang lens set at f/5 and ISO1000. The location of imaging is Rodokipos Halkidiki Greece where Orion is still hunting in its meadows...

Wish a good 2025 to all, stay safe and keep on imaging!

[Rositsa]

Saturn Lunar Occultation from Bulgaria
https://tripswithrosie.com
Copyright: Rositsa Dimitrova

Click to view full size image

Saturn's lunar occulation at fourth contact. It's particularly interesting how close it was to the lunar limb and especially how the two lunar mountains light up as dots right below Saturn.

[a.carrozzi]

The Soul Nebula (IC 1848), located between the constellations of Cassiopeia, Perseus, and Camelopardalis, is a vast emission nebula situated approximately 6,500 light-years from Earth. Its romantic name is likely due to its close proximity to the Heart Nebula (IC 1805), whose outer extensions can be seen in the top-right corner of the image. It is primarily composed of ionized hydrogen (H II), which emits a characteristic reddish light. Within its structure, young star clusters and clouds of dust contribute to the process of star formation.

Technical data:
Canon EF 300mm f/4 on SkyWatcher NEQ6 Pro
18x600s with Baader Ha 7nm filter at f/4 using Atik 4000LE camera
18x600s with Baader OIII 8.5nm filter at f/4 using Atik 4000LE camera
147x90s at 3200 ISO, f/5 with Optolong L-PRO filter using a modified Canon EOS 6D for RGB data

The Soul Nebula (IC 1848) by Alessandro Carrozzi, su Flickr

[javier_gl]

Ngc2146 in Camelopardalis




Please, click the bottom link for viewing the image at high resolution, it worths!

High-resolution image and technical data: https://www.javierlaina.es/IMAGENES/ngc2146.html

Javier Gómez Laina (Spain)
http://www.javierlaina.es/indexeng.html

[aqalaf]

Lost in time

Lost In Time by Ahmed Alqallaf, on Flickr

"Lost in time, an abandoned car rests beneath the vastness of the desert, its frame slowly consumed by the shifting sands. This forgotten relic, a silent witness to countless sunsets, now finds its place under an eternal sky. Above, the California Nebula (NGC 1499) burns with its soft, red glow, a celestial flame illuminating the past. To the right, the Pleiades (M45) shimmer like ancient jewels, their ethereal light whispering tales of the cosmos' infinite journey.
This scene is a poignant reminder of humanity’s impermanence against the boundless universe—a harmony of decay and eternity, solitude and wonder. In this desolate yet awe-inspiring landscape, the heavens and Earth come together in quiet conversation, leaving us to reflect on our fleeting place in the grandeur of it all."

30x60" tracked for sky
M: Sky watcher star adventurer
C: Sony a7iii Modified & Sony a7iv
T: Sony 85mm f1.4 & Sigma 14-24mm f2.8

Astrobin
Instagram

[conemmil]

Cosmic Web surrounds the Embryo Nebula!

That area in the constellation of Perseus is just packed with stellar dust and some interesting reflection nebula like the NGC1333 or Ebmryo Nebula. It shocked me when I saw all this nebulosity coming out from the background as a cosmic web that connects everything in the night sky. It's very interesting to notice that all these areas have some "stellar factories" like the ones that created our own solar system on our corner of the galaxy.

I made the image from a Bortle 6 sky in Halkidiki Greece on two consecutive moonless nights in order to capture about 6.5 hours of usable data with a Takahashi Epsilon 160ED telescope and an ASI2400MC one-shot color camera.

Stay safe and keep on imaging!
Constantine

[jlausuch]

Saturn Occultation

On the 4th of January 2025, The moon passed in front of Saturn. The planet occulted behind the dark side of the crescent moon and appeared back at the bright side, which is when the image was taken.

Due to the brightness of the moon when capturing Saturn, I took a second video of the moon with much less exposure time not to oversaturate it. Then, I composed this image, which could be considered as an HDR of both objects.

Click to view full size image

Setup:
- Celestron 9.25HD (no reducer, no barlow)
- Warp Astron WD-20
- ZWO ASI 715mc

Software:
- Firecapture
- AutoStakkert
- Astrosurface
- Adobe Photoshop

[Richardwhitehead]

Here's an image of the often dark and gloomy looking area of the Taurus molecular cloud known as Sh2-239. With some long subs and addition of Ha data
it shows a chaotic and active star forming region with many HH objects.
this image used 36 hours of integration time and was imaged from Animas , NM

[astrosama]

Celestial Symphony: Quadrantid Meteors Over Egypt's Black Desert 

The image showcases the Quadrantid meteors shining brightly in the sky above the Black Desert in Egypt's Western Desert. The radiant meteors appear above the mountains, while passing clouds add a unique and enchanting touch to the scene. After a calm night, the image captures the two largest meteors that passed during the night, along with numerous smaller meteors that added extra beauty. Jupiter is also visible in the scene, completing this stunning celestial display.  
"Celestial Symphony: Quadrantid Meteors Over Egypt's Black Desert" by osama Fathi, on Flickr

Gears: NikonZ6 Mod Nikkor 14-24  mm 
Exif: Sky : 180  sec, ISO 500, f2.8 )Meteors: Best 3 photos of 500 PhotosForeground: 8sec , Hdr 

Credit : Osama Fathi / https://www.instagram.com/osama.fathi.nswatcher85/
Social:https://www.instagram.com/osama.fathi.nswatcher85/
https://www.facebook.com/NSWatcher/

Black desert , Egypt 
Osama Fathi

[Aleix_Roig]

Dear APOD editors,

I would like to share with you this image of the Great Carina Nebula, NGC 3372, that I captured last southern winter from Tivoli Astrofarm, Namibia, (July 2024), as an APOD candidate. Thanks so much for all your work.


https://astrocat.info/great-carina-nebula-ngc3372/



I annotated several deep sky objects that can be found in this wide field image, such as: Gabriela Mistral Nebula, The Keyhole Nebula and the super bright η (Eta) Carinae star complex.



I would like to add the detail of one of the most prominent structures within this nebula, the Carina Nebula Pillars:

https://astrocat.info/carina-nebula-pillars-ngc-3372/



This area is full of emissions and I used the FORAXX Palette in order to better see the oxygen (blues), sulfur (orange/yellows) and hydrogen (reds) emissions. 

About the image:

Located in the Carina constellation we find the Great Carina Nebula, NGC 3372,  that spans for over 300 light years and lies about 8,500 light-years away from Earth. The nebula has within its boundaries the large Carina OB1 association and several related open clusters, including numerous O-type stars and several Wolf–Rayet stars.

The nebula is one of the largest diffuse nebulae in our skies. Although it is four times as large as and even brighter than the famous Orion Nebula, the Carina Nebula is much less well known due to its location in the southern sky. It was discovered by Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille in 1752 from the Cape of Good Hope.

We can find several interesting objects in this wide field annotated image. In the upper left of the image we find the Gabriela Mistral Nebula consisting of an emission nebula of glowing gas (IC 2599) surrounding the small open cluster of stars (NGC 3324). Next to it, the larger NGC 3293 Star Custer, and above it the Loden 153 emission nebula. In the center of the image we also find η (Eta) Carinae, abbreviated to η Car, formerly known as η Argus, that is a stellar system containing at least two stars with a combined luminosity greater than five million times that of the Sun. The Keyhole Nebula or the Trumpler 14 Star Cluster are some of the most remarkable deep sky objects around the core of the Great Carina Nebula.

The image was captured last July 2024 during my last trip to the Kalahari desert, Tivoli Astrofarm, Namibia. This Bortle 1 dark sky it's a really great place to capture deep sky images. I used my small 300mm focal length refractor to capture almost 9 hours of narrow band data. I also gathered short 30" R,G,B images that have been captured to preserve the star colors (not saturated in its cores). The narrow band processing has been done following the color mapping known as the Foraxx Palette, that uses tha hydrogen, oxygen, and sulfur emission filters data in order to get the best contrast of the image. Surrounding the high emission areas of the center of the image we can see massive red clouds of gas that are detected thanks to the use of the Ha filter.

The image covers an area of 4º05' x 2º58' at a resolution of 2.59"/pixel.

Image details:

Ha: 48 x 300" (8h)
SII: 35 x 300" (2h 55')
[OIII]: 36 x 300" (3h)
RGB: 3x (30x30) (45')

Calibrated with darks, flats. dark-flats.

Total exposure: 10h 40'

Moon at 10%
Sky darkness: 22,05 mag/arcsec2
Image resolution: 2.59”/pixel
FOV: 4º05' x 2º58'

Equipment:

FRA300 + ASI2600MM + LRGB ZWO filters + ZWO EFW 7 pos + ZWO EAF
ZWO AM5 mount
ASI AIR Plus
Guiding with ASI120MM and ZWO Mini Guide Scope

Aleix Roig, January 2025
Tivoli Astrofarm, Namibia.

[tinmar_g]

Chasing aurora at Vestrahorn, Iceland


Chasing aurora at Vestrahorn, Iceland by Martin Giraud

Timelapse version :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRZF7tymVWk

I planned a van trip during the last days of October and the first ones of November with the goal of chasing the Northern Lights as an amateur astrophotographer. After two cloudy days, I spent the night of October 31st at Vestrahorn and had the privilege of experiencing a completely cloudless night paired with beautiful aurora activity.


On this third night, after spending several hours taking photos on the beach, we headed back to the van waiting 200m away on a dirt road. Convinced I had captured everything, I was about to change locations when my friend rightly convinced me to stay a little longer and photograph the aurora from a different viewpoint.

The aurora now covered almost the entire sky, with a massive green band stretching across it from end to end.
Here we go again: I had no idea what to capture; everything was spectacular, everywhere! By now, we were completely alone, with no one left to ruin the spot with inappropriate lights. Only our last van neighbors decided to leave at that moment, headlights blazing. A few natural expletives slipped out: Shut the fucking lights, seriously...

I finally set up a timelapse facing east, where the mountains fade into the horizon, to capture the intense activity still unfolding. At the same time, I went for a 360-degree panorama to freeze the moment happening all around us—coming soon for you to discover.

Date : 01/11/2024
Location : Vestrahorn, Islande
Equipment : Canon 6D | Sigma ART 14mm
Settings : 5s | f/1.8 | ISO 2500


Website : https://www.instagram.com/tinmar_g/

[behyar]

ISS Transit of the Moon - Jan 7, 2025

Tue 2025-01-07, 20:00:41 from Carlsbad, CA

ISS angular size: 60.64"
Transit duration: 0.60 s

Click to view full size image

Animation: https://deepskyobjects.com/share/ISS_Mo ... 250107.gif


Copyright: Behyar Bakhshandeh
https://deepskyobjects.com/iss_moon_transit_250107/

[seanboon]

This is the core of the California Nebula shot over multiple nights from Starfront Observatories in Texas. This is an HOO Blend with a total integration of time of 31 hours and 40 minutes with 300s subs. Telescope is the WO GT8I IV and camera is the ZWO ASI 294MM-Pro with Astronomik filters.

Full details can be found here: https://www.astrobin.com/orrzyj/B/

The California Nebula (NGC 1499) is located in the constellation Perseus, about 1,000 light-years away from Earth. It was discovered by astronomer Edward Emerson Barnard in 1884 and gets its name from its resemblance to the outline of the state of California. The nebula's distinctive appearance can be enhanced using an HOO blend with blue and yellow hues. This emission nebula is primarily composed of hydrogen gas and is about 100 light-years long. It is illuminated by the nearby star Xi Persei, which ionizes the hydrogen gas, causing the nebula to glow.

HOO_Blend1 flat_NE_BE_CurvesT by Sean Boon, on Flickr

[barretosmed]

ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY MEETING


BEST DETAILS
https://www.astrobin.com/full/5dzfv7/0/


EQUIPMENT AND DATA:
Canon 6D
Canon lens 14mm 1.4

Stack of 1X30" @ ISO1600 F2.8

LOCATION: Munhoz - MG
DATE 07/06/2024

PROCESSING AND CAPTURE:
Adobe Photoshop

Author: Fernando Oliveira de Menezes
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/menezes_fo?ig ... _source=qr

Email: Barretosmed@hotmail.com
(Organizing author of the book Amateur Astrophotography in Brazil)
https://clubedeautores.com.br/livro/ast ... -no-brasil

encontromunhoz2.jpg

[Jose Luis Bedmar]

SFO 11 / LBN 670 / zooming in to the Soul Nebula
https://www.flickr.com/photos/18661870 ... d-public/
Copyright: Jose Luis Bedmar

Click to view full size image

GSO 12" f/8 Ritchey-Chretien Truss Tube / ZWO ASI294MM Pro /Sky-Watcher EQ8
Chroma H-alpha 5nm Bandpass 36 mm · Chroma OIII 3nm Bandpass 36 mm · Chroma SII 3nm Bandpass 36 mm
22 - 24 de Noviembre de 2024
Chroma H-alpha 5nm Bandpass 36 mm: 60×300,″(5h)
Chroma OIII 3nm Bandpass 36 mm: 60×300,″(5h)
Chroma SII 3nm Bandpass 36 mm: 60×300,″(5h)
Huercal de Almeria, Almeria, España
SFO stands for "Sugitani, Fukui and Ogura", the surnames of three Japanese astronomers who compiled the SFO catalogue of bright rimmed globules.
This image shows a group of bright rimmed globules that are collectively catalogued as SFO 11.
The name "bright rimmed" refers to the fact that the side of the globules that face the ionizing source exhibit bright edges, due to this the gas and dust become more compressed and dense and therefore brighter than the surrounding material.