Witches, bats, ghosts and serpents – do you dare to visit our spooky gallery this Halloween?!
1. Mysterious clouds, dust and dark nebulae in the constellation Cepheus, captured by Andrea Arbizzi over two nights from the Austrian-Italian Alps. Technical data: Tecnosky Owl Pro 110 F4,8 (524 mm); Zwo Asi 2600 Duo Mc; Proxisky Umi20S; Zwo AsiAir Plus; 151x300s, Total: 12h 35m2. The Dragons of Ara. Fernando Oliveira de Menezes from Brazil captured this intricate emission region in the constellation Ara to reveal dragon-like filaments sculpted by stellar winds and radiation from massive stars. Technical data: Captured in narrowband using a 72 h total integration. Askar 203 Apo Triplet; Askar Flattener 1.0× Full‑Frame 185APO; ZWO ASI 6200 MM; Paramount MX+ mount; filters Ha, O III, S II, RGB. Processing with PixInsight, Photoshop, ASTAP, and SGP.3. The Witches Broom Nebula by Mark Shelton, UK. Technical data: 11” V2 RASA, Ioptron CEM120 mount, ASI2600 MC PRO camera with the Optolong Le-Enhance V1 filter. Total: 13 hours.4. The Ghost of Cassiopeia by Massimo di Fusco, Italy. The ‘ghost’ is a delicate reflection and emission nebula illuminated by hot star γ Cassiopeiae. Technical data: Konus 200/1000 @ 950 mm f4.8; ASI 224 MC; EQ6‑R Pro; Optolong L‑Para (512 × 60”) and L‑Quad Enhance (832 × 60”) filters; processed in APP, PixInsight, Photoshop.5. The Family Stone in eerie lighting with Orion and friends above, by Vikas Chander in Namibia. In remote Kaokoland, North West Namibia artist Trevor Nott’s stone figures sit around an imaginary fire. Glowing in H-alpha emissions, deep sky objects such as the Seagull and California Nebula are visible in the vast swathes of dust, creating this atmospheric scene. Technical data: Sony A7R V (Hα modded); Sony 12-25 F2.8 GM; Rainbow Astro RST 135E tracker; sky exposure 300 s × 12 at F2.8, ISO 800; ground 480 s F2.8; processed in PixInsight and Photoshop.6. The Flaming Skull Nebula, by Andrea Arbizzi, Italy. Together with the smaller nebula (Little Rosette), these emission nebulae also resemble the outline of a cosmic question mark. Technical data: Askar FMA 180 Pro F4.5 (180 mm); ZWO ASI 2600 Duo MC; Proxisky UMI20S; ZWO ASI Air Plus; Optolong L‑Ultimate (Ha‑O III) 68 × 600”; Altair Dual Band (S II‑O III) 92 × 600”; Total: 26 h 40 m. SHO palette.7. The Rotten Fish Nebula by Andrea Arbizzi, Italy. This dense area of dark dust and reflective gas in the constellation Cepheus resembles the features of an Anglerfish adrift in cosmic dust, but it is best known as a gruesome ‘rotten fish’. Technical data: Tecnosky Owl Pro 110 F4.8 (526 mm); ZWO ASI 2600 Duo MC; Proxisky UMI20S; ZWO ASI Air Plus; 305 × 300”; Total: 25 h 25 m; processed in PixInsight and Photoshop.8. The Flying Bat and Squid nebula, by Richard Guest, UK. Technical data: Celestron Evolution 8 HD Edge with Hyperstar at F2; IDAS NBZ Boost filter; ZWO 2600 MC cooled to -11 °C; 90 × 90 s (2.5 h); gain 167; processed in PixInsight.9. The Southern Serpent, in the constellation of Apus, by Vikas Chander, Chile Technical data: Takahashi E‑160 ED F3.3; ZWO 6200 MM Pro; Astronomik MaxFR LRGBSHO filters; Paramount MX+; 3‑panel mosaic in R/G/B, 185x300s each, total 46h 20m; processed in NINA and PixInsight.10. A spooky view of the Gecko Nebula, by Richard Guest, UK A ghostly filament structure of dark dust in Lacerta, with two red filaments giving the appearance of the gecko shooting laser beams from its eyes. Technical data: Celestron Evolution 8 HD Edge with Hyperstar at F2; ZWO 2600 MC at -11 °C; 2.5 h of 90 s exposures; processed in PixInsight.11. The Eastern Veil, by Rachael and Jonathon Wood, UK. This vibrant rendition of part of the Veil Nebula takes on the appearance of a ghostly face in profile in this orientation. Technical data: Sky‑Watcher ED80; EQ6 AZ‑GT; ZWO 294 MM Pro; Optolong 3 nm Ha (6 h), O III (6 h), S II (3 h); processed in Photoshop.12. An imposing view of the Cygnus Wall, by Steve Broadbent. Technical data: Captured with a Seestar S50. 343 × 20 s subs stacked and AI‑enhanced via Seestar software, further processed in GIMP.
13. The Cave Nebula, by Paul Julier, UK. Technical data: Altair Astro Starwave ED102; ZWO AI 585 MM Pro; Ha/O III/S II filters (10 × 3 min each); processed in Siril and Affinity Photo.
For more of your spooktacular images, check out today’s Facebook stories!
Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) is a brand new comet discovered by on August 11 by Hideo Nishimura of Japan. In its one and only visit to the Solar System, it may reach magnitude +2 when at perihelion in September.
