2. Astronomy

NIGHT OVER ONTARIO

These photos were taken by Lynn Hilborn of Grafton, Ontario.
Pictures have appeared on the cover and inside editions of SkyNews magazine and in Sky & Telescope and Astronomy magazine, and as NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day.

“ Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light,”
W.B.Yeats



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Abell 2151, The Hercules Galaxy Cluster...over 200 galaxies some 500 million light-years distant.<br /> Taken by Lynn Hilborn at WhistleStop Observatory, Grafton, Ontario May, 2012.<br /> TEC 140 @f5.6 and FLI ML8300 camera. Lum 1x1 13x10m, RGB each 2x2 12x5m.
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Abell 2151, The Hercules Galaxy Cluster...over 200 galaxies some 500 million light-years distant.
Taken by Lynn Hilborn at WhistleStop Observatory, Grafton, Ontario May, 2012.
TEC 140 @f5.6 and FLI ML8300 camera. Lum 1x1 13x10m, RGB each 2x2 12x5m.

  • Leo Triplet, M65, M66 and NGC 3628 group of galaxies. LLRGB with4 hours of Lum and 45m each RGB all binned 1x1. Taken with TEC 140 @f7 and FLI ML8300 camera. By Lynn Hilborn, WhistleStop Obs, Grafton, Ontario on March 22,29 and April2, 2011.<br /> Winner of Royal Astronomical Society of Canada 2011 "High-Magnification Deep Sky imaging Award" <br /> Winner of SkyNews Magazine 2011 "Best Deep Sky Digital High-Resolution Image Award"<br /> Editor's Choice, Sky and Telescope Magazine - Photo Gallery and Editor's Choice - Picture of the Week, SkyNews Magazine.<br /> <br /> With permission of Robert Gendler...NGC 3628, M65 (NGC 3623) and M66 (NGC 3627) are a well known conspicuous grouping of galaxies in the constellation of Leo. The tight grouping are all within a 1 degree field in the sky and are physically and dynamically related as all three reside at the same distance of about 30 million light years. The distance between M65 and M66 is only 160,000 light years, the same distance between the Milky Way and its interacting companion, the Large Magellanic Cloud. The distance between NGC 3628 and the other two members of the triplet is slightly more than 300,000 light years. The galaxies exhibit evidence of mutual disturbance suggesting that the Leo triplet is a dynamically bound interacting system of galaxies.<br /> <br /> The two galaxies which show the greatest evidence for a previous violent encounter are NGC 3628 and M66. Distinct morphological evidence exists that are believed to be the telltale signs of this interaction. NGC 3628 is noted for its faint optical plume that extends over 300 light years from its eastern tip and which contains some 500 million solar masses (about 15% of the total mass of NGC 3628). Star formation has been detected within the plume coinciding with the time of the encounter and therefore confirming its tidal origin. Surveys of neutral hydrogen gas using the tracer CO revealed a large bridge of gas between M66 and NGC 3628 as well as a gaseous plume coincident with the eastern optical plume observed in NGC 3628. Simulations by Toomre (1977) and Rots (1978) have modeled the orbits of M66 and NGC 3628 and concluded that these galaxies came within 80,000 light years of each other some 800 million years ago, and that encounter was responsible for the plumes and bridges we see now. In addition the rotation curve for the eastern part of NGC 3628 falls sharply after reaching a maximum which is believed to be a strong signature of a previous interaction as rotation curves typically remain flat or rise in normal spirals.<br /> <br /> M66 also shows some disturbed features believed to be related to the remote encounter. A fossil starburst region near the nucleus of M66 dates to the same time as the proposed interaction slightly less than one billion years ago. The outermost southern gas clouds of the galaxy show a peculiar counterrotation in respect to the inner gas. Even more striking is an enormous gas concentration of about 400 million solar masses within the center of M66. Most likely this gas was accreted at the time of the closest approach of the two galaxies. There are several other asymmetries and distortions observed in the disks of NGC 3628 and M66 at both optical and radio wavelengths which are likely attributed to the previous encounter. Since multiple galactic rotations have occurred since the encounter it is difficult to trace backward the spatial relationships of the galaxies that existed at the time of the encounter.<br /> <br /> In comparison to the other members of the Leo Triplet, M65 appears much more quiescent and stable. There are no obvious asymmetries, plumes or starbursts. One scenario raises the possibility that M66 and NGC 3628 existed as an orbiting bound system prior to the interaction with M66. M66 may have entered by way of "infall" into the small bound system of galaxies during the time period of the last encounter.
  • Rosette Nebula 6.5 hours of Ha taken by Lynn Hilborn, WhistleStop Observatory, Grafton, Ontario<br /> NP101is and FLI ML8300 with 7nm Baader Ha filter. November 11 and 12, 2009
  • Edge-on spiral galaxy NGC891 some 30 million light-years from earth. Taken Nov 8, 2010 by Lynn Hilborn, WhistleStop Obs, Grafton, Ontario.<br /> TEC 140 @f7 (980mm) and FLI ML8300 camera. LRGB L 7x20m 1x1, RGB each 9x5m 2x2.
  • Thor's Helmet by Lynn Hilborn - Whistlestop Observatory, Grafton Ontario. (Photo appeared in March/April 2011 SkyNews magazine).<br /> This helmet-shaped cosmic cloud with wing-like appendages is popularly called Thor's Helmet. Thor's Helmet is about 30 light-years across. In fact, the helmet is actually more like an interstellar bubble, blown as a fast wind from the bright, massive star near the bubble's center sweeps through a surrounding molecular cloud. Known as a Wolf-Rayet star, the central star is an extremely hot giant thought to be in a brief, pre-supernova stage of evolution. Cataloged as NGC 2359, the nebula is located about 15,000 light-years away in the constellation Canis Major. (Text adapted from Astronomy Picture of the Day)<br /> <br /> 3 hours of Ha, 4x5m RGB each, all binned 2x2. Shot at f10, C9.25 and ML8300 camera. February 6 and 7, 2010.
  • Abell 2151, The Hercules Galaxy Cluster...over 200 galaxies some 500 million light-years distant.<br /> Taken by Lynn Hilborn at WhistleStop Observatory, Grafton, Ontario May, 2012.<br /> TEC 140 @f5.6 and FLI ML8300 camera. Lum 1x1 13x10m, RGB each 2x2 12x5m.
  • NGC 7129 (full frame- note open cluster NGC 7142 and some galaxies to lower right)....TEC140 @f7 and FLI ML8300 camera on Tak NJP mount. Lum 1x1 21x10m RGB 2x2 each 21x5m.<br /> 9 hours of exposure. Taken by Lynn Hilborn, WhistleStop Obs, Grafton, Ontario on July 1,3,5,2011.. Editor's Choice, Photo Gallery , Sky and Telescope magazine.<br /> NGC 7129 (NGC 7133) text with permission of Robert Gendler<br /> Distance 3300 light years<br /> Right Ascension: 21 : 41.3 (hours : minutes)<br /> Declination: +66 : 06 (degrees : minutes)<br /> NGC 7129 is a young compact star forming region which displays an unusual patchwork of colorful nebulosity and bright stars contrasted against the dust clouds of the Milky Way. The astronomical correlate of those colors and textures is the rich interplay that occurs between young stars and the surrounding interstellar medium. NGC 7129 contains several bright reflection nebulae including the large blue reflection cloud NGC 7133 and the unusual small yellow reflection cloud LBN497. Also conspicuous in the field are several bright Herbig-Haro objects, the signatures of young stellar objects soon to emerge in the main sequence. The dominant blue reflection nebula, NGC 7133 is illuminated by two young B-type stars BD +65°1637 and BD +65°1638. Both stars are less than one million years old and represent the core of NGC 7129, a small cluster of low mass stars which populate the 36 light year wide cavity. BD +65°1638 is the older of the two illuminating stars and has played a critical role in the formation of NGC 7129. Around 100,000 years ago the ultraviolet radiation field from the young star began to burrow a cavity into the surface of a nearby molecular cloud. As the cavity expanded, a ridge like interface formed where the expanding cavity contacted the molecular cloud, triggering an intense period of contained star formation. The bright stars went on to illuminate the ambient dust surrounding the cluster, forming the brilliant reflection clouds we see now.<br /> The environment of NGC 7129 is a fertile star forming region where numerous young young stellar objects (YSOs) exist. Energetic outflows from several young protostars are the power source for several Herbig-Haro objects which populate the ridge along its northeast and southwest regions. These objects take their name from George Herbig and Guillermo Haro who first described them over 50 years ago. Today over 300 individual HH objects are known. These fascinating objects form when an energetic outflow from an infant star ionizes adjacent gas clouds in the slightly denser interstellar medium. The nascent stars are invisible optically but reveal their presence when they release highly collimated jets of ionized plasma which shock the surrounding interstellar medium. The shocked gases form a small compact emission cloud called a Herbig-Haro object (HH). Typically HH objects are found in active star forming regions. Today well over 300 individual HH objects are known in our galaxy.<br /> <br /> Although NGC 7129 is quite impressive at optical wavelengths, over 50% of the cluster stars are highly obscured young stellar objects, only detectable at infrared wavelengths. Cloaked by dense envelopes of dust and gas that characterize their early evolutionary stage as they contract towards the main sequence, they are mostly invisible at optical wavelengths. There are two major outflow sources within NGC 7129 that likely power many of the prominent Herbig-Haro objects. One source is an imbedded protostar adjacent to the unusual Herbig Be star LkH 234, a highly evolved pre-main sequence star located along the northern ridge. Herbig Ae/Be stars are intermediate mass pre-main-sequence stars analogous to their lower mass counterpart, the T-Tauri stars. An outflow of molecular gas arises from a source very close to LkH 234 and extends out some 26 light years along the ridge and into the cavity, powering several prominent Herbig Haro objects lying nearby to the northeast including HH 105, GGD 34, and GGD 35. The second major outflow source is located along the southern ridge and is known as FIRS 2. This protostellar system is likely the power source of the Herbig-Haro objects in the southwest of the complex, namely GGD 32 and the largest Herbig-Haro object in NGC 7129, HH 103. The ages of the cavity and protostellar objects within NGC 7129 seem to coincide and are about 100,000 years old. edit
  • M3 Globular Cluster, LRGB taken with TEC140 @f7 and FLI ML8300 camera at -30.<br /> All binned 1x1, L 35x2min, RGB each 9x5m. Taken by Lynn Hilborn, April 6,8, 2011 at WhistleStop Observatory, Grafton, Ontario.<br /> <br /> <br /> A superb visual and photographic object, M3 contains about a half million stars and lies at a distance of 33,900 light years, further from us than the center of our galaxy. Photographically its diameter is about 200 light years but its tidal boundaries extend to about 760 light years. M3 possesses one of the densest core regions for a globular cluster having 50% of its total mass within the central 22 light years.<br /> M3 is one of the most studied clusters in the galaxy. It is particularly known for the unusual numbers of variable stars, especially the subtype RR Lyrae variables. These important stars are short period pulsating variables having a period from 0.2 to 2 days. Like Cepheid variables they are luminous and exhibit a close period-luminosity relationship making them useful as reliable distance indicators. Although not as massive or luminous as cepheids, they are useful for measuring distances to Milky Way clusters. M3 contains the largest number of RR Lyrae stars of any cluster with more than 180 identified.<br /> Although Globular clusters are made of ancient red population II stars, M3 has long been known to harbor an unusual number of bluer stars. Harlow Shapely noted blue stars in M3 as far back as 1915. If we assume that globular clusters are truly ancient star systems, how can we account for the presence of young blue stars within them? It seems many of the blue stars are old cluster stars that have depleted their core supply of hydrogen and are now fusing helium to carbon in their cores. These helium burning stars are known as horizontal branch stars as they have left the main sequence in their extreme old age. A subset of this group called blue horizontal branch stars comprise many of the blue stars we see in globular clusters.<br /> A more recent group of enigmatic blue stars found within globular clusters are the "Blue Stragglers" which were first described by Alan Sandage in 1953. These mysterious stars received their name because they appear to be "straggling" away from the normal evolutionary path of normal stars. They are twice as massive and one fifth the age as typical stars in the cluster. There are two explanations for their existence which may both be correct. Most stragglers are found in the densest regions of the cluster center which favors the theory that they formed from collisions of lower mass stars. The other theory proposes that mass transfer within binary systems may allow a star to accrete mass and become a blue straggler. This theory may explain the stragglers found in the outer regions of clusters where binary systems are more likely to survive. Text with permission of Robert Gendler.
  • NGC 2170 A Diaphanous beauty.<br /> Lum 13x10m bin 1x1, RGB each 5x5m bin 2x2, taken with NP101is @f4.3 and FLI ML8300 camera.<br /> Taken by Lynn Hilborn, WhistleStop Observatory, Grafton,Ontario on Jan 30 and Feb 04, 2011. <br /> ** ASTRONOMY MAGAZINE PICTURE OF THE DAY, July 4 2014.<br /> <br /> This rich collection of predominantly reflection and sparse emission nebulosity exists in the western part of a vast star forming region known as the Mon R 2 association. The "R" designation stands for reflection and indicates an association of stars illuminating reflection nebulae. Most of the members of Mon R 2 are type B stars located along an east-west line stretching across 2 degrees of the winter sky, situated about 8 degrees east of the Orion Nebula. The Mon R 2 association resides at a distance of 830 pc and formed about 6 to 10 million years ago along the edge of the elliptically shaped Mon R2 molecular cloud (dimensions of about 130 x 60 pcs). In 1966 Van den Bergh first identified this major clustering of nine reflection nebulae illuminated by an association of B-type stars.<br /> The core of the molecular cloud Mon R2 is associated with both a massive bipolar energetic outflow (one of the largest known outflows) and several radio sources thought to originate from water, formaldehyde, and OH Masers. Maser is an acronym for "Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation". Masers form through the interaction between high-energy starlight and regions rich in various molecules. Both outflow phenomenon and maser acitivity occur in regions of very active star formation. These energetic phenomenon arise from the core of the Mon R2 cloud where a compact HII region and several dust embedded infrared sources have been identified, thought to be associated with pre-main sequence objects, presumably evolving hot B-type stars. The reflection Nebula VdB 68 shows the visible striations characteristic of older nebulae where the exciting star has begun to destroy the surrounding molecular material. The reflection nebulae NGC 2170 and VDB 69 show no such striations implying that they may be younger objects than VDB 68. (Text with permission of Robert Gendler)
  • May the Spirit of Christmas Descend Upon You......IC 63 nebula taken with TEC 140 @f7 and ML 8300 camera.<br /> Taken by Lynn Hilborn, WhistleStop Obs, Grafton,Ontario....November 6 and 7, 2010.<br /> 13x20m Ha binned 1x1, 7x20m OIII binned 2x2.
  • B150 6 hours of Luminance, 40mins each RGB. NP101is and FLI ML8300 camera. Taken by Lynn Hilborn, WhistleStop Obs, Grafton Ontario - October 2009
  • NGC1333 9 hours of exposure , taken by Lynn Hilborn, Grafton,Ontario with NP101is@f4.3 and ML8300 camera...October 10 and 12, 2010. (Photo appeared in the December 2010 SkyNews magazine).<br /> NGC 1333<br /> Distance: 720 Light Years<br /> <br /> Right Ascension: 03 : 29.3 (hours : minutes)<br /> Declination: +31 : 25 (degrees : minutes)<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Text copyright Robert Gendler<br /> <br /> NGC 1333 is catalogued as a reflection nebula but is actually a diverse region and part of the Perseus OB2 molecular cloud complex. It is one of the nearest star forming regions and particularly rich in young stellar objects (YSOs). Stellar clusters are born embedded within molecular clouds and during their early evolution as YSOs are often only visible at infrared wavelengths, being heavily obscured by dust. Four classes of young stellar objects have been described. Class I though III objects progress through an evolutionary sequence of being less dust enshrouded, as they develop towards the zero-age main sequence. The earliest and most imbedded stage of star formation is the class 0 YSOs. These earliest protostars are difficult to detect due to their heavily imbedded nature. Less than 50 Class 0 objects are known however 4 of these low mass protostars exist in NGC 1333. Also 36 Herbig-Haro obejects have been identified in NGC 1333 confirming its status as a young active region of star formation. Herbig-Haro objects are collisionally excited nebulae produced by outflows ejected by YSOs. They are produced mainly during the first few hundred thousand years of life of a YSO and are usually highly obscured by the cloud core environment from which they formed.<br /> <br /> The gaseous structure of NGC 1333 has been mapped at radio wavelengths and appears to support the large scale star formation observed. Lumpy and filamentary cloud structure exists in NGC 1333 indicative of recent collapse and fragmentation of the parent molecular cloud leading to the clustered mode of star formation observed in the nebula. In addition a series of cavities and shells exist presumably blown out by the outflows of infant protostars. Infrared surveys reveal the presence of YSOs at the edge of these cavities indicating that sequential star formation has occurred there and has been triggered by the effects of the powerful outflows from the first generation of stars. The entire process is extremely recent as the cloud hosting NGC 1333 is less than a million years old.'
  • Seven Sisters...M45 LRGB 6x10m Lum binned 1x1, 4x5m each RGB binned 2x2. Taken Dec 21,2009 with NP101is @f5.4 and ML8300 camera at -40C. Reduced,aligned,combined in CCDSoft and finished in PS CS3. Taken by Lynn Hilborn, Whistle Stop Obs, Grafton, On. ***** REPROCESSED JULY 2011 USING ORIGINAL DATA. *****
  • Crescent Nebula in Narrowband using Ha, OIII+20% Ha, OIII for RGB Bin 1x1 HA 4x30m, OIII 6x30m, <br /> TEC 140 @ f5.6 and FLI ML8300 camera.<br /> Taken by Lynn Hilborn, WhistleStop Obs, Grafton,Ontario August 11 and 29, 2011.
  • 10x10minutes Horsehead & Flame nebula, TeleVue 76, SBIG ST2000XCM,<br /> EQ6 mount...Nov 05/08 Lynn Hilborn Whistle Stop Observatory 44N78W.<br /> First image published...SkyNews magazine.
  • The Bubble nebula NGC 7635 in Hubble pallette SII,Ha,OIII. Total 9.5 hours... 3.5 hours Ha, 3 hours each of OII and SII all 30 min subs binned 1x1. TEC 140 @f7 and FLI ML8300 camera with Baader filters. Takahashi NJP mount TEMMA2. Taken by Lynn Hilborn, WhistleStop Obs, Grafton, Ontario, July 30,31 and Aug 1, 2011.<br /> <br /> The Bubble Nebula (NGC 7635) (S162)<br /> Distance: 7800 Light Years<br /> Right Ascension: 23 : 20.7 (hours : minutes)<br /> Declination: +61 : 12 (degrees : minutes)<br /> <br /> Imagine a star 40 times as massive and several hundred thousand times more luminous than our sun? Well, BD +60°2522 is such a star. Its enormous energy output and powerful stellar winds have blown a titanic bubble of ionized gas measuring 6 light years in diameter. Popularly known as the Bubble Nebula, the strange symmetrically round nebula is the outcome of the prodigious energy output and fierce stellar winds of an unusually powerful star known as a Wolf-Rayet star. Named after the French astronomers Charles Wolf and Georges Rayet, who first described the unusual stars in 1867, less than 300 Wolf-Rayet stars (WR) have been identified in our own galaxy and some have even been identified in other galaxies. These extremely powerful stars mark the end stage of rare O type stars that begin their lives with at least 25 times the mass of our sun. Their hot surface temperatures range between 30,000 and 60,000 degrees Kelvin and their stellar winds can exceed 1500 kilometers per second, capable of rapidly depleting the stars outer layers. WR stars can lose two thirds of their mass during this final stage of their stellar life. A star entering the WR stage with 35 solar masses can end up as a 10 solar mass star before it explodes as a supernova.<br /> <br /> Wind blown bubbles, concentric rings and filamentary shaped nebulae are common outcomes of Wolf Rayet driven winds on surrounding gas clouds. The peculiar shape of the Bubble nebula marks the leading edge of the Wolf-Rayet wind front as it plows into the denser stationary material of the interstellar medium. The prodigious winds of this WR star travel at 9 million kilometers per hour. The asymmetry of the bubble in relation to BD +60°2522 is believed due to subtle differences in the density of the surrounding gaseous material. Also the bright arcs and small condensations which characterize the bubble's surface are also related to density variations in the swept up material forming the bubble wall. The prominent inner bright knot projected along the western wall of the bubble is actually the ionized edge of a larger cloud that physically lies outside the bubble itself.<br /> <br /> The Bubble Nebula, NGC 7635 is imbedded in the surrounding HII region Sharpless 162 (S162). The entire complex is located in the Perseus arm of the Milky Way. BD +60°2522 the sole exciting star of the nebula is a type O6.5 giant with a surface temperature of 34,000 degrees. It is considered a member of the Cas OB2 stellar association.<br /> Text with permission of Robert Gendler.
  • vdB 152 in Cepheus. Devouring stars !! 7.5 hours of exposure. TEC 140@f7 and FLI ML8300 camera on Takahashi NJP mount. Lum 1x1 27x10m, RGB each 2x2 12x5m. Taken by Lynn Hilborn, WhistleStop Observatory, Grafton, Ontario on July 6 and 8, 2011.<br /> Described as a "dusty curtain" or "ghostly apparition", mysterious reflection nebula vdB 152 really is very faint. It lies about 1400 light-years away, along the northern Milky Way in the royal constellation Cepheus. Near the edge of a large molecular cloud, pockets of cosmic dust in the region block light from background stars or scatter light from the embedded bright star (top) giving parts of the nebula a characteristic blue color. Ultraviolet light from the star is also thought to cause a dim reddish luminescence in the nebular dust. Though stars do form in molecular clouds, this star seems to have only accidentally wandered into the area, as its measured velocity through interstellar space is very different from the cloud's velocity. (text courtesy of APOD)
  • The Jellyfish nebula ( IC443 ). IC443 is a supernova remnant of a star which exploded about 35000 years ago. It is located approx. 5000 light years away. To the left is Sharpless 249, a large emission nebula, which also contains the small reflection nebula IC444( small blueish patch in the upper middle). 260 minutes Ha and 25 minutes each RGB taken over 2 nights March 17 and 18, 2010. NP101is @ f4.3 and FLI ML 8300 camera. Taken by Lynn Hilborn, Grafton, Ontario
  • "The Pillars of Creation" in the Eagle Nebula ( M16) in Hubble palette showing SII Ha OIII. Taken with NP101is at f 8.1 with tele extender giving 800mm.<br /> 15x20m Ha, !0x 20m SII, 10x20m OIII. Taken by Lynn Hilborn, Grafton,Ontario July 6,7,10,11, 2010.
  • Crescent Nebula in Narrowband using CFHT mix Ha-OIII-SII for RGB. Bin 1x1 HA 4x30m, OIII 6x30m, SII 3X30m.<br /> TEC 140 @ f5.6 and FLI ML8300 camera.<br /> Taken by Lynn Hilborn, WhistleStop Obs, Grafton,Ontario August 11 and 29, 2011.
  • A simple lens and 5 minute exposure....<br /> Canon XS Digital Rebel camera with $90 50mm Canon lens @ f4.5 and 800 ISO single 5 minute exposure from shore of L Ontario at Grafton.<br /> 3 am...the return of the Milky Way...<br /> By Lynn Hilborn, May 11, 2010
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