ScienceDownEast - ScienceDownEast Astrophotography - S30-Pro (Latest images)

C2025 R3 (Comet-C2025-R3)

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0300

Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) is a hyperbolic Oort cloud comet discovered in September 2025 that is currently making its final visible pass through the inner solar system before being ejected permanently. It reached perihelion (its closest approach to the Sun) on April 19, 2026, and its closest approach to Earth on April 26, 2026, at a distance of approximately 73.2 million kilometers (45.5 million miles).
Note: click on the image to view it at the full resolution of the uploaded image, then click again for actual size.
Total image time was 5 min.
Exposure 31x10 sec.

GAIN 100

Camera ZWO SeeStar S30Pro [3840 × 2160] IMX585

Optics ZWO SeeStar S30Pro EQ mode [Focal length 160, Aperture 30 mm, f/5.3]

Guiding None

Controller Seestar

Filter None

Location Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia.

Date 2026-04-18

Processing Processed in PixInsight.
BlurXTerminator
SetiAstro Automatic DBE
Find Background
SpectrophotometricColourCalibration
NoiseXTerminator
MultiscaleAdaptiveStretch
MultiscaleMedianTransform

Date: April 26, 2026

SN2026dix Cropped (Super Nova SN2026dix)

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0300
Click on the image to view it at full resolution, then click again for actual size.
Super Nova SN2026dix was first reported by Giancarlo Cortini on 2026/02/17.970 with a magnitude of 16.5. This image was taken using my Seestar S30Pro on March 10, 2026 from the St. Croix Observatory.

Total image time was 24.5 minutes after culling some images.

Moon Phase Waning Gibbous 54%below the horizon

Exposure 147 x 10 sec

Gain 200

Camera ZWO SeeStar S30Pro [3840 × 2160] IMX585

Optics ZWO SeeStar S30Pro EQ mode [Focal length 160, Aperture 30 mm, f/5.3]

Guiding NA

Controller NA

Filter IR Cut

Location St. Croix Observatory.

Date 2026-03-10

Processing Processed in PixInsight.

PixInsight Processing

WeightedBatchPreprocessing Script [ 2x drizzle ]

BlurXTerminator

GraXpert

NoiseXTerminator

GeneralizedHyperbolicStretch

CurveTransformation

Date: March 11, 2026

SN2026dix Annotated (Super Nova SN2026dix)

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0300
Click on the image to view it at full resolution, then click again for actual size.
Super Nova SN2026dix was first reported by Giancarlo Cortini on 2026/02/17.970 with a magnitude of 16.5. This image was taken using my Seestar S30Pro on March 10, 2026 from the St. Croix Observatory.

Total image time was 24.5 minutes after culling some images.

Moon Phase Waning Gibbous 54% below the horizon

Exposure 147 x 10 sec

Gain 200

Camera ZWO SeeStar S30Pro [3840 × 2160] IMX585

Optics ZWO SeeStar S30Pro EQ mode [Focal length 160, Aperture 30 mm, f/5.3]

Guiding NA

Controller NA

Filter IR Cut

Location St. Croix Observatory.

Date 2026-03-10

Processing Processed in PixInsight.

PixInsight Processing

Annotate Image Script

Date: March 11, 2026

SN2026dix Zoom (Super Nova SN2026dix)

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0300
Click on the image to view it at full resolution, then click again for actual size.
Showing the super nova in an inset. from the original processed image. Super Nova SN2026dix was first reported by Giancarlo Cortini on 2026/02/17.970 with a magnitude of 16.5. This image was taken using my Seestar S30Pro on March 10, 2026 from the St. Croix Observatory.

Total image time was 24.5 minutes after culling some images.

Moon Phase Waning Gibbous 54% below the horizon

Exposure 147 x 10 sec

Gain 200

Camera ZWO SeeStar S30Pro [3840 × 2160] IMX585

Optics ZWO SeeStar S30Pro EQ mode [Focal length 160, Aperture 30 mm, f/5.3]

Guiding NA

Controller NA

Filter IR Cut

Location St. Croix Observatory.

Date 2026-03-10

Processing Processed in PixInsight.

PixInsight Processing

WeightedBatchPreprocessing Script [ 2x drizzle ]

BlurXTerminator

GraXpert

NoiseXTerminator

GeneralizedHyperbolicStretch

CurveTransformation

Assembled in PhotoShop

Date: March 11, 2026

SN2026dix stacked image (Super Nova SN2026dix)

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 15:35:27 -0300
Click on the image to view it at full resolution, then click again for actual size.
Super Nova SN2026dix was first reported by Giancarlo Cortini on 2026/02/17.970 with a magnitude of 16.5. This image was taken using my Seestar S30Pro on March 10, 2026 from the St. Croix Observatory.

Total image time was 24.5 minutes after culling some images.

Moon Phase Waning Gibbous 54% below the horizon

Exposure 147 x 10 sec

Gain 200

Camera ZWO SeeStar S30Pro [3840 × 2160] IMX585

Optics ZWO SeeStar S30Pro EQ mode [Focal length 160, Aperture 30 mm, f/5.3]

Guiding NA

Controller NA

Filter IR Cut

Location St. Croix Observatory.

Date 2026-03-10

Processing Processed in PixInsight.

PixInsight Processing

WeightedBatchPreprocessing Script [ 2x drizzle ]

BlurXTerminator

GraXpert

NoiseXTerminator

GeneralizedHyperbolicStretch

CurveTransformation

Date: March 11, 2026

IC 434 S30Pro 114x30sec (NGC 2023 Horsehead Nebula and NGC 2024 Flame Nebulae)

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400
Click on the image to view it at full resolution, then click again for actual size.
The Horsehead Nebula (Barnard 33) and the Flame Nebula (NGC 2024) are two iconic deep-sky objects located in the constellation Orion, just east of Orion’s Belt near the bright star Alnitak (Zeta Orionis). Both nebulae lie within the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex and are situated at an approximate distance of 1,300–1,500 light-years from Earth. The Horsehead Nebula is a dark nebula composed of dense, cold molecular gas and dust that obscures the glowing hydrogen emission nebula IC 434 behind it. Its distinctive silhouette, resembling a horse’s head and neck, is created by thick dust lanes blocking visible light. The nebula spans roughly 3.5 light-years in height and is a region of active star formation, though much of this activity is hidden from view by the dense dust. The Flame Nebula, also known as NGC 2024, is an emission nebula illuminated primarily by the intense ultraviolet radiation from the nearby massive star Alnitak. This radiation ionizes surrounding hydrogen gas, causing it to glow, while complex dark dust lanes crisscross the nebula, giving it its flame-like appearance. Embedded within the nebula is a cluster of very young stars, many of which are still shrouded in gas and dust, making them difficult to observe at visible wavelengths. [from AI generated output]

Total image time was about 1 hour after culling some images.

Moon Phase Waning Crescent 34%

Exposure 114 x 30 sec

Gain 200

Camera ZWO SeeStar S30Pro [3840 × 2160] IMX585

Optics ZWO SeeStar S30Pro EQ mode [Focal length 160, Aperture 30 mm, f/5.3]

Guiding NA

Controller NA

Filter IR Cut

Location Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia.

Date 2026-03-04

Processing Processed in PixInsight.

PixInsight Processing

WeightedBatchPreprocessing Script [ 2x drizzle ]

BlurXTerminator

GraXpert

NoiseXTerminator

MultiScaleAdaptiveStretch

HDRMultiScaleTransform

CurveTransformation

Date: March 08, 2026