Astrophotography of Southern Celestial Marvels
Recent Photos

Gabriela Mistral Nebula OIII:Ha:SII – By Brad Moore
This faint deep southern nebula belongs to the Eta Carinae Nebula region and is known as the Gabriela Mistral Nebula. Can you make out the face of Gabriela?

Eta Carinae Nebula in Mapped Colour OIII:Ha:SII – By Brad Moore
Known as the Keyhole Nebula, Great Nebula in Carina, Carina Nebula, NGC 3372 or Eta Carinae Nebula. This diffuse nebula is located in the deep southern constellation of Carina and is one of the largest in the sky covering an area 4 times greater than the Orion Nebula.

Eta Carinae Nebula in Mapped Colour SII:Ha:OIII – By Brad Moore
Known as the Keyhole Nebula, Great Nebula in Carina, Carina Nebula, NGC 3372 or Eta Carinae Nebula. This diffuse nebula is located in the deep southern constellation of Carina and is one of the largest in the sky covering an area 4 times greater than the Orion Nebula.

Eta Carinae Nebula in (R+Ha)GB – By Brad Moore
Known as the Keyhole Nebula, Great Nebula in Carina, Carina Nebula, NGC 3372 or Eta Carinae Nebula. This diffuse nebula is located in the deep southern constellation of Carina and is one of the largest in the sky covering an area 4 times greater than the Orion Nebula.

Eta Carinae Nebula in LRGB Light – By Brad Moore
Known as the Keyhole Nebula, Great Nebula in Carina, Carina Nebula, NGC 3372 or Eta Carinae Nebula. This diffuse nebula is located in the deep southern constellation of Carina and is one of the largest in the sky covering an area 4 times greater than the Orion Nebula.

Eta Carinae Nebula in Ha Light – By Brad Moore
Known as the Keyhole Nebula, Great Nebula in Carina, Carina Nebula, NGC 3372 or Eta Carinae Nebula. This diffuse nebula is located in the deep southern constellation of Carina and is one of the largest in the sky covering an area 4 times greater than the Orion Nebula.

Angry Star – By Brad Moore
Here is what I call the Angry Star. This was taken during a RGB calibration run. I found it striking yet unusual, so I decided to post it.

NGC 2070 – Tarantula Nebula Core HA+RGB Enhanced Colour – By Brad Moore
The Tarantula Nebula bright core is elusive to capture as it’s often over exposed, advance layering techniques and a Hydrogen Alpha filter was used to preserve and bring out the bright core.

NGC 2070 – Tarantula Nebula HA+RGB Enhanced Colour – By Brad Moore
Hydrogen Alpha filter was used to enhance the standard colour image, showing off the full extent of the Nebula.
About Astrophotography
Astrophotography is a rewarding hobby that can be started with a film or digital camera and a tripod. This setup will allow you to take star trails of the night sky.
Going beyond star trails and taking photographs of the planets, requires a computerised telescope that will track the night sky to stop field rotation.
Deep space astrophotography requires a financial and time commitment to achieve good results. There are a few things needed in this area in order of priority:
-
Solid telescope mount that is designed for astrophotography work.
-
A cooled 16-bit astronomical CCD camera. Most domestic digital cameras are 8-bit are not sensitive enough for this work.
-
A refractor or reflecting telescope.
More information about Astrophotography