Any star gazers and amateur astronomers ?

Total integration time refers to the cumulative amount of time that the telescope spends capturing light from an astronomical object during an observing session. This time includes both the actual exposure time (i.e., the duration of each individual image) as well as any time spent calibrating or adjusting the equipment.

In the context of Electronically Assisted Astronomy (EAA), the total integration time can vary widely depending on the specific setup and observing conditions. EAA typically involves using a camera and a telescope together to capture and display real-time images of celestial objects. Because these images are often viewed live, rather than being processed and stacked after the fact, the integration time may be relatively short - on the order of a few seconds to a few minutes.

To improve the quality of the live images, many EAA observers use a technique known as "subframing" or "subs." This involves dividing each exposure into a series of smaller sub-exposures, or subs, which can be quickly processed and displayed on-screen. By using shorter subs, EAA observers can capture more images and reduce the effects of noise and other sources of image degradation.

In general, the total integration time and the number of subs used in EAA will depend on the specific goals of the observer, the sensitivity of their equipment, and the observing conditions at the time of the session. Some EAA observers may opt for longer integration times and fewer subs in order to capture more light and achieve better image quality, while others may prefer shorter subs and more rapid image capture in order to track rapidly-moving objects or capture rare events in real time.

 

Since it's galaxy season, I'm revisiting some. Here's Bode's Galaxy (M81). 210 minutes total integration time (10 second subs), I was planning on going longer but clouds had other ideas. Unprocessed jpeg, image was cropped to increase size. Bortle 4.5...

 

Very nice Ray!

 

Thanks!

 

. Thanks!

Unrelated, mark your calendars for three 3 days:
https://twitter.com/_spaceweather_/status/1649533225595813888?s=46&t=UHhAkbzymIhJfDNmbcpuiA

 

It's been cloudy at night for a while. Last night I saw a break in the clouds and took my chances. Here is my resulting image of the M53 Globular cluster (122 minutes of integration time, 10 second subs):

 

Here's another. Galaxy cluster in Virgo. Was only able to get a 25 minute mosaic until clouds made me abort. Was hoping to get 3+ hours but the skies don't want to cooperate....

 

The Pinwheel Galaxy (Messier 101) - 197 minutes total integration. Some light pollution due to the moon. The Pinwheel Galaxy is a face-on spiral galaxy 21 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Ursa Major. Happy with this result, especially since it was rainy/cloudy throughout the day. Skies cleared just in time for this 3.5 hour window!

 

M64 - 1446 10 second subs. This is the resulting jpeg image. Also known as the Black Eye Galaxy, Evil Eye Galaxy, or Sleeping Beauty Galaxy, it's a famous spiral galaxy located in the constellation Coma Berenices. Messier 64 lies at a distance of 24 million light years from Earth. Surprisingly the outer dust lane was captured, very cool....

 

Not into astronomy directly per se but definitely into night sky photography.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I do not know dick about the stars but I try to take pictures of them and love the good shots.

 

I try to explain to people that every star you see in the night sky is a sun, somewhat similar to our own. Some are smaller and others are 100 time larger than ours. I also tell them that there are literally millions of other Galaxies in the Universe and inside those Galaxies are solar systems similar to ours, and who's to say that there aren't planets rotating around those suns, just like ours does. Now for those of us on this thread, we already know this, but you should see the blank looks I get from most people. And my "Favorite" line is those aren't stars they're planets"

I often have this conversation with a couple of my good friends. Who's to say that other humanoid life forms aren't on those planets that are just at that perfect distance from their sun to support life. Alpha Centauri is so far away that space flight to it is impossible.Yeah, I know rambling on, but I have a vivid imagination.

Clear Skies!!!

 

Totally true but how many suns have planets, let alone a series of long term regular orbits? Mostly ignorant here but guessing an extremely small fraction.

 

The current scientific understanding is that most stars in the universe have planets orbiting around them. Recent studies using the Kepler space telescope and other observatories have found that at least 50% of the stars in our Milky Way galaxy have planets in their habitable zones, where temperatures are conducive to the existence of liquid water.

However, it's important to note that our knowledge of exoplanets and their distribution is constantly evolving as new observations and discoveries are made. Additionally, the definition of a "planet" can vary depending on the criteria used, which can affect estimates of the prevalence of planets around stars.

Overall, while we don't have a definitive answer to the question of what percentage of stars in the universe have planets, the evidence suggests that planets are a common occurrence throughout the cosmos.

 

I think a lot of questions regarding life and the form it my take need to be evaluated by putting aside what it looks like here on earth. We see examples in the deep oceans of creatures that only survive in proximity to vents where toxic gases are. Or lichen like things exist in extremes.

Could there be human like life? Stats suggest there is a good chance. But what if we haven’t received the message from the long gone brothers from another planet?

 

I do a lot of my imaging from my deck. As such I'm limited in what I can image for an extended period of time. Northwest to northeast provides for the best unobscured viewing. So, I tend to repeat some targets, but try to improve on them. Here is one from last night (05-07-2023) of M81 and M82. 300 minutes of total integration (1800 10 second subs). Light pollution artifacts were improved via Affinity Photo 2 editing:

 

I like that thought. Obviously much of this gets into wild hypothesis and even belief, but I try to stay grounded while hoping for amazing possibilities.

 

The Owl Nebula (M97) and Surfboard Galaxy (M108): 2168 10 second subs:

 

iTelescope offers a fairly regular webinars. Announcements are sent Thursdays for Friday's Zoom call. Almost all presentations are recorded and available on their YouTube Channel. Their main business is renting telescope time in various facilities. They have scopes at Sierra Remote Observatory (which is near Yosemite), Utah Remote Observatories, and at sites around the world.

This weeks webinar is on The Dynamics of Directly Imaged Exoplanets. You can see what's coming here.

I'm pretty stoked about the availability of the webinars. Almost all of them are way over my head but both the host and presenters are very good about their presentations and answering questions plus, you can always go back and re-watch the webinar. Plus, you can almost always learn something.

 

M53 and NGC 5053. Only 268 10 second subs then atmospheric issues cause me to abort. Interesting nonetheless...

 

That is freaking cool. How much of that are you seeing with eyes vs camera after the fact?