Amateur Deep Sky Imaging from Malaysia


Astrophotography from light-polluted cities can be a very difficult thing to do. As if our volatile tropical weather weren't enough, our skies are constantly bathed in a red glow. Thankfully, one doesn't have to travel very far (relatively speaking) to find darker skies. In the later half of 2014, I have made a few trips to neighbouring malaysia to attempt astrophotography there. The east side of the country offers several dark sites for such purposes. Organised trips are available on nearly a monthly basis for those interested to see the glory of the milky way.

To show what is possible with amateur astrophotography, here are some celestial jewels that I have managed to capture in the past few months from Mersing, Johor.

1. The Great Nebula in Orion

An amateur's favourite, because of its brightness, position and aesthetic beauty. This gas cloud glows in vibrant hues of reds, blues and greens, and is easily visible in Singapore as the sword of Orion. Here, large clumps of gas coalesce to form stars, one of the many regions in the galaxy where stars are born. This image was photographed with an 8" Newtonian and Modded Canon EOS 400D with a cumulative exposure of roughly 50 minutes.

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2. Comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy)

Making its debut in December 2014 (at the time this image was taken), Comet Lovejoy is a very bright comet in which countries near equatorial latitudes (including Singapore) are in a prime position to view. The following image was a collaboration between myself and a friend, using both CCD luminance data and DSLR RGB data. At the point of writing, the Comet is approaching its maximum brightness. There will be a large scale public observation event this weekend as well (see the clubsnap front page for details). It is easily seen as a fuzzy spot in Singapore through small binoculars.

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3. The Cat's Paw Nebula in Scorpius

Also a birthplace of stars due to its large hydrogen-rich clouds, the cat's paw nebula resembles the paws of a celestial kitty. If one observes the region between the claws carefully, it is possible to see reflection nebulosity, where starlight is reflected off the gas clouds (as opposed to emission nebulosity where the gas itself emits light), giving the gas around the stars a bluish glow. Certain regions in the periphery also appear darker than others; and this is not an issue with the imaging system. Rather, there are actually dark absorption nebulae which block out light from dimmer stars in the background. Photographed with an 8" Newt and Modded EOS 400D. Total exposure 50 minutes.

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Great work. Simply Amazing. Thanks for sharing.
 

Yup I'll be there! I will bring the setup which I used to shoot these images. You can identify me by my lanyard "Ivan B."

Unfortunately I will be away on the 10th. But it will be good for other folks who are planning to be there. Thanks for sharing Ivan!
 

When is the ideal time of the year to try & take pictures of the milky way in Singapore?
 

Outstanding stuff. Wish I had the knowledge (and time) to explore this exciting pursuit!
 

Here's an addition to the list: Eta Carina, photographed last weekend from Mersing. 8" F/4 Newt, Losmandy G11/G2, modded 400D. 50 minutes exposure.

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The Flame and Horsehead Nebula, photographed during the same trip as that of the Eta Carina image.

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This image is sub-optimal due to the weather condition. Persistent high clouds reduced the signal present, while fast moving low clouds interrupted exposures. I was only able to gather 40 minutes of useful data over a span of many hours. However, I will reattempt this object again next month, and the current result shows the potential of what a deeper exposure can do.
 

Roughly between April to September is best, when the sagittarius/scorpius region is high up. You can download phone planetarium apps to locate the region to shoot.

Hi Arcturus , may i know , where is the best place in Singapore to have better chance to capture the milky way ? I had look into semakau island, but i was told it was close to public. BTW , i am using just DSLR. Thanks in advance !
 

Hi Arcturus , may i know , where is the best place in Singapore to have better chance to capture the milky way ? I had look into semakau island, but i was told it was close to public. BTW , i am using just DSLR. Thanks in advance !

Hi, in general, try to find areas further away from the city area. Changi beach looking seawards, the northwest side of Singapore (e.g Kranji, Lim Chu Kang) are some of the darker spots. It is possible to capture the Milky Way with a DSLR and tripod from just about anywhere without too much direct streetlights, which includes even your neighbourhood park. Of course, it will make it easier to shoot from the places mentioned above.

Aside from choosing location, you have to shoot during the time when the summer milky way is at its highest position in the sky, which would be around the months of April to September. You should also do stacking to guarantee that you can pull out the milky way from your captured data cleanly.
 

Here are a few more additions. These were acquired from last weekend in Mersing, Malaysia.

Eta Carina, reshoot with a different framing from the January image.

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NGC 3324, star cluster and associated nebulosity.

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Thor's Helmet in Canis Major, a Wolf-Rayet nebula.

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Omega Centauri, the largest globular cluster in the Milky Way.

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