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M 16 (NGC 6611), The Eagle Nebula, in Serpens
Click Here For Higher Resolution Image
Inspired by John Gleason's amazing black & white images taken with a narrow-band H-alpha filter, I placed an order in April 2002 for a similar filter. Apparently everyone else did too because after two months, I still haven't received my filter. I happened to have an old, broader H-alpha filter, so I used that for some exploratory images. The image posted here is a combination of the H-alpha frames plus some taken with an IDAS light pollution -reduction filter, plus some more taken with no filter. Direct comparison of all three setups shows that the stars are definitely tighter with the H-alpha filter. Those interested in the lens-induced spikes that are a property of the "ME" Kodak CCD sensors ("M" stands for "microlensing") can see them on the higher resolution image here (226 KB file). A more recent L (Ha + red) RGB image can be seen here. A still more recent, and wider, view can be seen here.
M16, the Eagle Nebula, is famous for a Hubble photograph ("Pillars of Creation") that shows a star-birthing region. This emission nebula lies approximately 7000 light years from us. A color image on film can be seen here.
| Date | 2002-06-09 and -10 |
| Scope | Astro-Physics 130 f6 EDF with ST-10-XME CCD camera. Guiding with ST-10 guide chip. |
| Exposure |
17 x 5 min with Lumicon broad H-alpha filter; 10 x 5 min with Idas LPR filter; and 10 x 5 min with no filter; total 185 minutes. |
| Processing |
Stacked in MaxIm and Registar; brightness and histogram adjustments in AIP4WIN; stretched in PhotoShop; and smoothed with SGBNR |