The First Light Images of the Nyrölä Observatory
By Arto Oksanen
There were much of exitement and happiness at Nyrölä Observatory during the nights of early September, 1999. The new telescope took the first images from some of the well known autumn objects.
The new 16-inch Meade LX200 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope is one of the biggest astronomical instruments in Finland. As the main imager we currently have a SBIG ST7E with CFW-8 filter wheel and RGB-filter set.
Messier 27 - Dumbbell
The first object was Messier 27, one of the most beautiful nebula on the sky. This well known planetary nebula has born when the dying star in the center of the nebula has blown away its outer parts. Distance of the nebula is about 3400 light years away.
Image data: 16" meade lx200 working at f3.2, SBIG ST-7E, 2x2 binned, exposures: blue 500 s, green 300 s, red 300 s.
Comet Lee
The second object of the first night was Comet Lee (C/1999H1). This comet is named by its finder Steven Lee, who found this comet with handheld binocular during an autralian star party!
Image data: 16" Meade LX200, SBIG ST-7E CCD, 2x2 binned, exposure 300s, clear filter
Galaxy NGC 7331
The third target was a well known spiral galaxy NGC 7331 in Pegasus. This image is processed with LRGB system, where low resolution colour information is combined with high resolution black and white image. This makes exposures shorter and makes images better looking than basic RGB combine. The image was also logaritmically scaled to bring out both the bright center parts as the dimmer outer parts.
Image data: 16" Meade LX200 working at f6.3, SBIG CCD ST-7E, exposures: unfiltered l-component 300 s 2x2 binned. Colour 3x3 binned images: blue 180 s, green 100 s, red 100 s.
Globular Cluster Messier 13
Messier 13 in Hercules is the biggest globular cluster on norhern sky. Also with this image is LRGB processed and logaritmically scaled to bring out both the bright center parts as the dimmer outer parts.
Image data: 16" Meade LX200 at f6.3, SBIG ST-7E. Luminence component: Hi-resolution mode, unfiltered 180 sec exposure. Colour components, 2x2 binned: blue 280s, green 180 s, red 180 s.
Galaxy Cluster in Pegasus, "Stephan´s Quintent"
Our fifth object was a far away group of five galaxies in Pegasus known as Stephan´s Quintent. The galaxies are of magnitude 14 or dimmer, the brighest of the group is NGC 7320.
Images by Marko Moilanen and Arto Oksanen, assistants: Mika Venäläinen ja Arto Oksanen(JR). All image processing by Marko Moilanen.
Image data: 16" Meade lx200 at f6.3, SBIG ST-7E, Luminence: 2x2 binned, 300 sec, clear filter. Color components 3x3 binned, blue 500 sec, green 300 sec, red 300 sec. Photographer: Marko Moilanen.
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