M16 Pillars: A Glimpse Through Imperfect Skies
Sometimes, the universe doesn't cooperate with our best-laid plans. This recent capture of the M16 Pillars, also known as the Pillars of Creation within the Eagle Nebula, is a testament to that. After three nights of imaging, battling less-than-stellar atmospheric conditions, this astrophotographer decided it was time to call it done for now.
Even with challenging skies, the raw beauty of the M16 Pillars shines through. These towering columns of interstellar gas and dust, bathed in the light of young, hot stars, are a truly awe-inspiring sight.
The Technical Details
Here's a breakdown of the equipment and techniques used to capture this image:
- Telescope: Celestron 8 Edge F/10 native FL
- Mount: Skywatcher EQ6R Pro
- Camera: Canon EOS R10
- Guiding: None
- Filters: None
- Processing Software: Pixinsight
Acquisition Challenges and Settings
The imaging session was not without its hurdles. The mount was manually polar aligned, with a subsequent alignment using SynScan Polar align. The Skywatcher EQ6R Pro proved capable of handling 30-second subs, though for this particular capture, 45-second subs were utilized. The initial collection of 243 frames was reduced to 212 due to issues with wind, satellite trails, and Periodic Error Correction (PEC) errors.
An interesting challenge encountered was the Canon camera's tendency to overheat, reaching temperatures between 87-90°F. This led to some peculiar noise issues and what's known as "walking noise" in the data.
The acquisition spanned two distinct environments. The first half of the exposures were taken under Bortle 5/6 conditions, compounded by high humidity and the presence of a full moon. The latter half of the data, however, benefited from a Bortle 2 zone at a high altitude of 6100 feet, with clear skies before the moon's ascent. The total integrated time for this image amounts to 159 minutes.
Despite the atmospheric and equipment challenges, the resulting image of the M16 Pillars is a compelling display of the nebula's intricate structure. It's a reminder that even with imperfect conditions, the pursuit of capturing the cosmos can yield rewarding results.
