Welcome to Images From The Cosmos
As most of us are aware, our tiny planet is immersed in a vast Universe. Before all the light and air pollution, our ancestors could regularly view the night sky and the Milky Way as photographed below. These views stirred feelings of awe and wonder. Today such views unfortunately are the exception rather than the rule. Many people have no idea how incredibly beautiful the night sky is, and have lost touch with the wonder provoked by such maginificent sights. Nevertheless, though technology has contributed to obscuring the sky, it has also helped us discover a Universe beyond the wildest imaginings of human beings who lived but a few decades ago. We are now developing a new sense of awe as discovery after discovery emanate from astronomical research around the world.
Only in the last 400 years (in the cosmic scheme of things less than a millisecond) since Galileo turned his primitive telescope toward the heavens have we begun to have any appreciation for the unfathomable size, beauty, and majesty of this Cosmos and our place in it. Thanks in large part to the NASA space programs, the technology now exists for amateur astronomers to reach out with modest telescopes and cameras from their backyards and record many of the marvelous sights in color that a decade or so ago could be achieved only by professionals. With the new space telescopes, planetary probes, and huge earth-bound instruments that will shortly become operational, our knowledge of the Cosmos is increasing exponentially. One can just imagine what our view of the Universe will be like in another 400 years! As never before amateur astronomers are taking part in this grand adventure of discovery.
This website is designed and set up to share some amazing sights, to provide information both about astronomy and astrophotography, and to provoke reflection about our place in this stranger than fiction Universe. There is a description about the telescopes and cameras I use, a gallery of some of my favorite photos, a bit about myself and how to contact me, and resources for more information about astronomy and astrophotography. I hope you'll enjoy this site as much as I have in putting it together. And I hope it may add a new dimension to your life through viewing and reflecting on these Images from the Cosmos.
--Robert C. Richard, Ph.D.; Member, Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit
IMAGE OF THE MONTH
We continue looking at galaxies located in the direction of the constellation Canes Venatici high in the overhead sky the latter part of June and first part of July. What makes both of these galaxies interesting is that though they are spirals, they have unusual shapes. The first is M63 better known as the Sunflower Galaxy because of its shape and resemblance to a sunflower. It has many, tightly wound arms, considerable dust, with a bright central core. It is little over half the size of our Milky Way Galaxy and lies at a distance of 35 million light years. Notice the faint edge-on galaxy in the background to the upper right. The second galaxy is M94. Bright and compact, we're looking at it face-on. Again, it has tightly wound arms that extend from a bright nucleus out to a much fainter halo of stars and dust. Only a third the size of our galaxy it looks the same size as the Sunflower Galaxy because, at 15 million light years away, it is twice as close.
This website is designed and set up to share some amazing sights, to provide information both about astronomy and astrophotography, and to provoke reflection about our place in this stranger than fiction Universe. There is a description about the telescopes and cameras I use, a gallery of some of my favorite photos, a bit about myself and how to contact me, and resources for more information about astronomy and astrophotography. I hope you'll enjoy this site as much as I have in putting it together. And I hope it may add a new dimension to your life through viewing and reflecting on these Images from the Cosmos.
--Robert C. Richard, Ph.D.; Member, Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit
IMAGE OF THE MONTH
We continue looking at galaxies located in the direction of the constellation Canes Venatici high in the overhead sky the latter part of June and first part of July. What makes both of these galaxies interesting is that though they are spirals, they have unusual shapes. The first is M63 better known as the Sunflower Galaxy because of its shape and resemblance to a sunflower. It has many, tightly wound arms, considerable dust, with a bright central core. It is little over half the size of our Milky Way Galaxy and lies at a distance of 35 million light years. Notice the faint edge-on galaxy in the background to the upper right. The second galaxy is M94. Bright and compact, we're looking at it face-on. Again, it has tightly wound arms that extend from a bright nucleus out to a much fainter halo of stars and dust. Only a third the size of our galaxy it looks the same size as the Sunflower Galaxy because, at 15 million light years away, it is twice as close.
Photos made with a Canon Rebel XSi DSLR camera through an 11-inch Celestron NexStar GPS telescope at F/2 (Fastar configuration); first photo is composed of 10, 3 min exposures; the second photo is composed of 10, 2 min exposures. Both exposures taken at ISO 1600 through a Baader UHC-S filter and aligned, stacked, and processed using the software outlined in the next section.
New Feature
As photographs are added to the site they will be noted here along with their location page. New photographs added as of 5/6/10 are:
A new photo of M101 using Fastar*..............................................in Astrophotos/Beyond the Solar System/Galaxies
As of 6/11/10:
Photo of M95, M96, M105, and nearby galaxies using Fastar...in Astrophotos/Beyond the Solar System/Galaxies
As of 7/6/10:
A reprocessed photo of M51 showing more detail of the faint halo at the outer edges of the galaxy and companion
*For a description of the Celestron Fastar system using Starizona's HyperStar lens with a DSLR, see Telescopes, Cameras,
and Techniques.
A new photo of M101 using Fastar*..............................................in Astrophotos/Beyond the Solar System/Galaxies
As of 6/11/10:
Photo of M95, M96, M105, and nearby galaxies using Fastar...in Astrophotos/Beyond the Solar System/Galaxies
As of 7/6/10:
A reprocessed photo of M51 showing more detail of the faint halo at the outer edges of the galaxy and companion
*For a description of the Celestron Fastar system using Starizona's HyperStar lens with a DSLR, see Telescopes, Cameras,
and Techniques.