Doncaster Astronomical Society | Welcome to your local astronomy club

Welcome to Doncaster Astronomical Society

IMPORTANT NOTICE: DUE TO THE CURRENT CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC AND IN THE LIGHT OF GOVERNMENT ADVICE, DONCASTER ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY HAS TAKEN THE DECISION TO CANCEL ALL TUESDAY SOCIAL MEETINGS, SOCIAL GATHERINGS AT THE OBSERVATORY AND SCHOOL EVENTS FOR THE FORSEEABLE FUTURE. WE WILL REVIEW THE ONGOING SITUATION AS REQUIRED IN ACCORDANCE WITH GOVERNMENT ADVICE. FROM WEDNESDAY 12th AUGUST WE WILL BE HOLDING ON-LINE ZOOM MEETINGS VIA THE INTERNET-SEE MEETINGS PAGE FOR DETAILS.

Next Zoom Meeting: Wednesday 26th May 2021 at 8pm. For info contact the Secretary

DAS member Peter, who combined 2 images on 20th December 2020, of the conjunction between Jupiter & Saturn…

..and DAS member John took this wide-field image of the conjunction between Jupiter & Saturn on the same date.

Providing astronomy for the casual observer, serious enthusiast and a means of accessing the night sky using the best facilities in Yorkshire. Local schools are especially welcome to use our facilities and experience.

We are available for group visits to the Observatory and can also take astronomy to your groups with telescopes and illustrated talks. Contact our Secretary for more details.

View the night sky in mixed and pleasant company in a secure environment. Go to the Observatory item above for directions to the site in Austerfield.

IC434 by members Rachael and Jonathan Wood

IC434 by members Rachael and Jonathan Wood

The Wizard Nebula 🧙‍♂️ DAS members Racha

The Wizard Nebula 🧙‍♂️

DAS members Rachael and Jonny took this image of NGC 7380 over 2 sessions. 1 hour of imaging in July and 3 hours in August.

#astronomy #astrophotography

Skywatcher Evostar ED80
HEQ5 pro
ZWO ASI120 guide
ZWO 294mc pro
L-eNhance
Gain 120
5 min exposures
Total Exp 4hrs

Milky Way over Tekapo taken by DAS member Jonathan

Milky Way over Tekapo taken by DAS member Jonathan Lodge

The band of the Milky Way only visible from the Southern Hemisphere, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds above the Church of the Good Shepherd at Lake Tekapo, New Zealand in December 2017.

~700m elevation, class 2 Bortle sky. (Austerfield is class 5 Bortle).
Sigma Art 14mm, f1.8, ISO 1600 30s, sky and foreground processed separately. Nikon D750.

Whirlpool Galaxy M51 A stunning capture by DAS me

Whirlpool Galaxy M51

A stunning capture by DAS member David

Acquired through Sequence Generator Pro, guiding with PHD2 through an Altair Astro 60mm guide scope, captured with a ZWO ASI294mc pro CMOS camera, mounted on a Skywatcher EQ6 R Pro mount.

14 frames x 300s @ 50 gain

35 frames x 300s @ 120 gain

DAS members Jonny and Rachael combined data from S

DAS members Jonny and Rachael combined data from Sunday and Tuesday to create this RGB image of the Soul Nebula IC1848

SW Evostar 80ED
HEQ5 pro
ZWO 120 guide
ZWO294mc pro
L-eNhance Optolong

6hrs total Integration time
5min subs
#Astrophotography 🔭

The Horsehead Nebula - IC434 - taken by DAS member

The Horsehead Nebula - IC434 - taken by DAS member David Mckinstrey

One of the most identifiable nebulae in the sky, the Horsehead Nebula in Orion, is part of a large, dark, molecular cloud. Also known as Barnard 33, the unusual shape was first discovered on a photographic plate in the late 1800s. The red glow originates from hydrogen gas predominantly behind the nebula, ionized by the nearby bright star Sigma Orionis. The darkness of the Horsehead is caused mostly by thick dust, although the lower part of the Horsehead's neck casts a shadow to the left. Streams of gas leaving the nebula are funneled by a strong magnetic field. Bright spots in the Horsehead Nebula's base are young stars just in the process of forming. Light takes about 1,500 years to reach us from the Horsehead Nebula.

Acquired through Sequence Generator Pro, guiding with PHD2 through an Altair Astro 60mm guide scope, captured with a ZWO ASI294mc pro CMOS camera, mounted on a Skywatcher EQ6 R Pro mount.

21 frames x 60s @ 120 gain

18 frames x 60s @ 120 gain

Altair Astro Quad band filter

Pickerings Triangle taken by DAS member Rhys Owen

Pickerings Triangle taken by DAS member Rhys Owen

Taken 16.7.18.
Sx Trius 694 Takahashi 106,3x600sS,4x600sO111,9x600sHa

#astronomy #astrophotography #nightsky #thephotohour #doncasterisgreat

NGC7000 taken by Doncaster astronomical society me

NGC7000 taken by Doncaster astronomical society members Rachael and Jonny

Skywatcher Evostar ED80

6min subs

ISO800

Total : 2hrs 30 data

Canon 600D full spectrum + Ha clip

#astrophotography #thephotohour #doncasterisgreat

The Witches Broom nebula taken 21st June This is u

The Witches Broom nebula taken 21st June This is using the L-eNhance Optolong filter
6 min Subs
1hr 54 total exposure
HEQ5 pro
Skywatcher Evostar ED80
600D mod + L-eNhance filter
#astrophotography
Taken by DAS members @jonny.wood.16 and @daydreamastro

NGC7000 - North American Nebula in Cygnus taken by

NGC7000 - North American Nebula in Cygnus taken by DAS members @jonny.wood.16 and @daydreamastro

Roughly 2.5 hours of 6min subs

Skywatcher Evostar ED80

HEQ5 Pro

600D mod + Ha clip

ZWO ASI120 Guide

This incredible piece of astrophotography is by so

This incredible piece of astrophotography is by society member, Jonathan.

M81 (left) aka Bode's Galaxy is a spiral galaxy in Ursa Major at a distance of around 12 million light years from Earth. It is about half the diameter of our own Milky Way.

M82 (right) aka the Cigar Galaxy is a starburst galaxy again around 12 million light years distant. It is about 5 times more luminous than our own Milky Way and the star burst activity is thought to have been triggered by an interaction with M81.

152 x 90/100/120s Red G0 O10

52 x 120s Green G0 O10

137 x 120s Blue G0 O10

43 x 300/360s Ha G200 O50 ~15 Hours Total

Imaged using the Takahashi FSQ-106ED at Austerfield Observatory by
society member Jonathan with his ZWO ASI1600 camera.

The Horsehead Nebula (Barnard 33) is a small dark

The Horsehead Nebula (Barnard 33) is a small dark nebula in the Orion
constellation. The Flame Nebula (NGC 2024) is located to the lower left of the image and is an emission nebula. Reflection Nebula NGC 2023 can be seen below and left of the Horsehead and some other smaller nebulae IC435 (bottom) and IC432 (left). It is around 1500 light years from Earth and around 3.5 light years wide

Image by DAS member @jjlodge

Details
25 x 2s Lum Gain 0

25 x 5s Lum Gain 0

187 x 20s Lum Gain 0

100 x 60s Red Gain 0

123 x 45s Green Gain 0

120 x 45s Blue Gain 0

25 x 360s Ha Gain 139 (Unity)

Imaged using my ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro camera attached to the society's Tak
telescope at Austerfield over 3 nights, 30th Jan,2nd & 4th Feb 2019.
Processed in PixInsight, Photoshop and Lightroom.

IC1795 The Fish Head Nebula Part of the Heart Neb

IC1795 The Fish Head Nebula

Part of the Heart Nebula Complex (IC 1805) which lies in Cassiopeia, around 6000 light years from Earth, it is a star forming region comprised of glowing gases and obscuring dust. This 'false colour' image
utilises the Hubble palette where narrow-band emission data from Sulphur, Hydrogen and Oxygen gas is mapped to Red, Green and Blue channels respectively with a little bit of mixing to get good
transitions of colour. The object Melotte 15 is also visible to the bottom left of the image which lies at the centre of the Heart Nebula.

Ha 58 x 360s Gain 200 Ofset 50

OIII 56 x 360s Gain 200 Ofset 50

SII 51 x 360s Gain 200 Ofset 50

Around 17 hours total integration time.

Imaged by society member Jonathan Lodge. Join us on Tues 10th March for a talk on Astrophotography by Shaun Reynolds to learn how images like this are made.

A crescent Moon (day 2.8 of the lunar cycle) phot

A crescent Moon (day 2.8 of the lunar cycle) photographed on 26th Feb 2020 at 18.13 UT. Canon 1100D DSLR and 8-inch RC 'scope. Such early crescents are always difficult and I'm pleased with this result. More details and full-sized picture on my web site.

This is the waxing crescent Moon, at 32.3% illumin

This is the waxing crescent Moon, at 32.3% illuminated on 1st March 2020. Rachael opted for the unconventional orientation of this image as she felt it added a sense of rolling depth to the viewer.

Imaged and processed by DAS members Jonny @jonny.wood.16 and Rachael @daydreamastro

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But before you set out, take a look at the Monthly Night Sky to see what’s about, and the Local Weather too.

We’re open on clear Friday nights for members, and welcome the public too during Summer and Winter months, at no cost.

We ask that members of the public pre-arrange their visit with our Observatory Manager before attending.

Being a Society member, brings many other benefits, including observing on clear nights at our Observatory, use of the best of amateur solar equipment and being able to borrow telescopes.

For non-members, if you would like to visit us to see what we’re all about, your first two meetings are free of charge. Membership is open to to all ages. If you are 17 years of age or below, an adult must accompany you.

If you would like to join the society, then please email the Secretary for details or just come along to the next society meeting and meet our members.

Light refreshments are available.

Doncaster Astronomical Society

6 days ago

This evening we have Peter Dunsby with his talk 'From the Big Bang to the Big Rip and other cosmic adventures' Rachael Riot is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.Join Zoom Meetinghttps://zoom.us/j/92462869150?pwd=c0hxTFpnc2s3aVF4SlorZ1IvYmZ2QT09Meeting ID: 924 6286 9150Passcode: 403575 ... See MoreSee Less

Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting

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Doncaster Astronomical Society

1 month ago

Join us this evening to hear Peter Jenkins speak about astrophotography Topic: Doncaster Astronomical Society : Peter Jenkins - AstrophotgraphyTime: Apr 14, 2021 07:45 PM London7.45pm open doors https://zoom.us/j/95011372318?pwd=T3hHVWRCM0lWU1JTdVZKb0FQRzIyZz09#successMeeting ID: 950 1137 2318 Passcode: 399463 ... See MoreSee Less

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Doncaster Astronomical Society

1 month ago

Join us tomorrow at 7.45pm for an 8pm start with Peter Jenkins.He will be telling us about different methods of Astrophotography, light pollution and sharing some of his breathtaking imagesAsk for the link details ... See MoreSee Less

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Doncaster Astronomical Society

2 months ago

One year ago today on the 10th March, we hosted our last face to face meeting with our speakers. Such a shame that it has been this long, however, we have made many new friends and met wonderful and inspiring faces along the way.Do join us this evening for some virtual inspiration This evening we have Emma Thompson talking to us about Pluto.Virtual doors open at 7.45 for an 8pm start (GMT) This event is open for everyone so please feel free to join us on Zoom to listen and participate in the Q & A at the end. https://zoom.us/j/91042690842pwd=YzBFRWtVUG5kcGpIU1IrdW1HdmlOUT09Meeting ID: 910 4269 0842 Passcode: 097961 ... See MoreSee Less

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Doncaster Astronomical Society

2 months ago

Rachael Riot is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.Topic: Doncaster Astronomical Society : Emma Thompson - PlutoTime: Mar 10, 2021 07:45 PM LondonJoin Zoom Meetinghttps://zoom.us/j/91042690842?pwd=YzBFRWtVUG5kcGpIU1IrdW1HdmlOUT09Meeting ID: 910 4269 0842Passcode: 097961 ... See MoreSee Less

Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

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