MAPOW Nr 7: A false color Flaming Star Nebula Auriga is really a treasure box of bright astronomical objects: star clusters, bright nebulas and dark nebulas. Among them all, IC 405, the Flaming Star Nebula, is one of the most photographed objects. This image is an unusual Hα–SII bicolor composition in false color. The …

MAPOW Nr 6: The Elephant Trunk Cepheus is a quite dim constellation in the northern sky; despite its dimness it is full of sky treasures. One of them is the large IC 1396 nebula, which contains the famous vdB 142 dark nebula, best known as the Elephant Trunk Nebula. This narrowband image was caught with a William …

MAPOW Nr 5: Magnificent Pinwheel M101, the Pinwheel Galaxy, is a wonderful galaxy in Ursa Major. Here is the latest result of the collaboration between me and my friend Luigi Fontana. The RGB signal was caught by Luigi with his ODK 12" and an unmodified Canon 6D. Since the unmodified Canon is nearly blind to …

MAPOW Nr 4: The Cigar Galaxy M82 From Castenedolo M82, the Cigar Galaxy, is a very bright galaxy in Ursa Major. It is a very easy target even from a light polluted sky. Its central part shows a very strong Hα emission, making it the perfect target for narrowband filter photography. This is an Hα enhanced picture of …

MAPOW Nr 3: The Triangulum Galaxy from Passo Mortirolo M33, the Triangulum Galaxy, is one of the most beautiful galaxies in the sky. Although being one of the most prominent members of the Local Group, together with the Great Andromeda Galaxy and our Milky Way, it is an elusive target for astrophotographers due to its …

MAPOW Nr 2: The Sky Over Bazena Startrails is one of the very first experiences in an astrophotographer’s career. Here is a 4 hour and 20 minute exposure taken in Bazena, a wonderful place on the Alps in northern Italy: the winter sky performs its mighty show over the small church of the Alpini.

MAPOW Nr 1: M13 Here is one of my very first experiments with digital astrophotography: M13, the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules. It is one of the finest globular clusters in the northern sky and a very easy target even from my light polluted sky. In the top right corner of the image the galaxy NGC 6207 is also …

Project MAPOW begins As every astrophotographer knows, one of the great fulfillments, for those who love sharing images, is having an image published on the NASA APOD (Astronomy Picture Of the Day) website. I haven’t had this honor yet, but I like sharing my images and processing hints with the astrophotographer …