New Wide-Field Remote Telescopes Added

Insight Observatory is excited to announce the addition of two new affiliate remote telescopes to its growing network! These remote imaging systems are both wide-field configurations provided by Insight Observatory's affiliate partner, Lukas Demetz from the SkyGems Observatories Network. Both configurations are close to being identical with the exception of the imaging camera. Both are Officina Stellare Veloce 200 AT, with focal lengths of 600mm and a focal ratio of f/3.

The designations of these two additions to Insight Observatory's remote telescope network are AFIL-5 located in Hakos, Namibia and AFIL-6 hosted at AstroCamp in Nerpio, Spain.

IC 434 or Barnard 33 - The Horsehead Nebula in the constellation Orion imaged on the Veloce 200 AT f/3 (AFIL-5) from Hakos, Namibia. Image processed by Utkarsh Mishra. Luminance 10 x 5 min., Red, Green, and Blue each 5 x 5 min.

These new additions can be accessed on Insight Observatory's online Personal Image Request (PIR) application for ONLY $25.00 for a 20-minute LRGB color or monochrome processed image. The raw image files are also available upon request if selected on the PIR.

Proceeds from PIR image purchases go towards supporting Insight Observatory's educational outreach efforts.

Veloce 200 AT wide-field affiliate remote telescope additions AFIL-5 located in Hakos, Namibia (left) and AFIL-6 hosted at AstroCamp in Nerpio, Spain (right).

Specifications of the AFIL-5 Veloce 200 AT Imaging System - Hakos, Namibia:

• Officina Stellare Veloce 200 AT
• Focal length 600 mm (24'') - Focal ratio f/3
• ASA DDM60 mount
• QHY 600M CCD
• Filters: LRGB, Ha7 OIII SII

Specifications of the AFIL-6 Veloce 200 AT Imaging System - Nerpio, Spain:

• Officina Stellare Veloce 200 AT
• Focal length 600 mm (24'') - Focal ratio f/3
• ASA DDM60 mount
• SBIG STF-8300M CCD
• Filters: LRGB, Ha7, OIII, SII

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NGC 346 and IC 1624 Available on Starbase

Southern deep-sky gems NGC 346 and IC 1624 Ha, OIII, and RGB image sets are now available for subscription and download on Insight Observatory's image set repository, Starbase. Both objects were acquired on the 12.5" f/9 Ritchey Chretien affiliate remote telescope, ATEO-3, located at Deep Sky Chile in the dark skies of the Rio Hurtado Valley, Chile.

NGC 346 located in the southern constellation Tucana imaged on ATEO-3. Image data by Franck Jobard and processed by Ruben Barbosa.

NGC 346 is about 200,000 light-years away from Earth, toward the southern constellation Tucana. This magnificent open cluster belonging to the Small Magellanic Cloud is an irregular galaxy that is quite distorted due to the gravitational interaction with the Milky Way.

It is the brightest star-forming region in our neighborhood. The light, the wind, and the heat emitted by its massive stars scattered the glowing gas around a cluster of stars, forming a thin surrounding nebulous structure resembling a spider's web.

IC 1624 open cluster (and NGC 371 at the top) located in the southern constellation Tucana imaged on ATEO-3. Image data by Franck Jobard and processed by Daniel Nobre and the 12.5" f/9 Ritchey Chretien affiliate remote telescope, ATEO-3 hosted at Deep Sky Chile.

NGC 346 Starbase Image Sets Include:

• Ha - 5 Hours and 10 Minutes
• OIII - 5 Hours and 20 Minutes
• RGB - 9 Hours and 30 Minutes

20 hours of image data for ONLY $60.00 USD Standard and $48.00 USD Educational.

IC 1624 Starbase Image Sets Include:

• Ha - 5 Hours and 20 Minutes
• OIII - 4 Hours and 30 Minutes
• RGB - 11 Hours

20 hours and 50 minutes of image data for ONLY $62.50 USD Standard and $50.00 USD Educational.

**Each filtered image set is sold separately and includes raw, calibrated, and master FITS files.

Subscribe or Sign-Up Here to Access Starbase

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What's In The Sky - November 2020

Clear November night skies offer incredible celestial sights recommended by Orion Telescopes and Binoculars for stargazers to be thankful for, so bundle up and get outside for stargazing fun!

Double Cluster in Perseus
Use a pair of big binoculars or a shorter focal length telescope with a wide-field eyepiece in November to seek out the sparkling Double Cluster in Perseus - two side-by-side open star clusters NGC 884 and NGC 869. 

NGC 884 and NGC 869 - The Double Cluster in Perseus imaged by Claudio Tenreiro on Insight Observatory's 16" f/3.7 astrograph reflector (ATEO-1).

Mars & The Moon

On November 25th, the Moon passes close by Mars, making them a great observing target! The pair will be separated by approximately 5.5 degrees, which is unfortunately too far apart to be viewed simultaneously at high magnification, but both could be observed together with wide-angle astronomy binoculars.

New Moon
November 14th will be the best time of the month to observe the fainter deep-sky objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.

Leonids Meteor Shower
Bundle up and get outside after midnight on November 17th to see the peak of the Leonids meteor shower as "shooting stars" appear to radiate outwards from the constellation Leo. Meteor showers are usually best viewed without optical equipment, but for a closer look try out some Ultra Wide Angle Binoculars. The shower peak is very close to the New Moon, which should present little light pollution. The estimated peak rate is approximately 14 meteors per hour.

 

M45 - The Pleiades located in the constellation Taurus imaged by Plymouth South Middle School students Taylor A. and Kyleigh O. using ATEO-1 via Insight Observatory's online Educational Image Request (EIR) application.

The Pleiades
November is sometimes called "the month of the Pleiades," since the star cluster is visible all night long for observers in the Northern hemisphere. From a dark sky site, M45 is easy to see with the unaided eye and resembles a small "teaspoon" pattern in the sky. Use astronomy binoculars for immersive views of this open star cluster, or use a telescope with a lower-power eyepiece for a closer look at the Seven Sisters.

All objects described above can easily be seen with the suggested equipment from a dark sky site, a viewing location some distance away from city lights where light pollution and when bright moonlight does not overpower the stars.

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